• Audio-Technica knows what it's doing with open-back headphones
• However, this is the company's first ever wireless open-back offering
• …and also, they feature active 'noise reduction'

All it takes is a quick glance at our Audio-Technica ATH-ADX700 review to know that Audio-Technica knows precisely how to make a great set of open-backed headphones.

That said, this is the first time the company is cutting the wire, when it comes to delivering such audio architecture. Today, (September 9), the company is expanding its open-back headphone line-up with the new ATH-AL5NC, its first ever wireless open-back headphones.

At their core are specially designed 53mm drivers, promising "detailed, expansive sound", while the open housings should improve airflow and reduce heat around the ears, if your closed-back cans often feel a little toasty.

Tipping the scales at 240g (for reference, the Sony WH-1000XM6 weigh 254g), they’re light too. Longer listening sessions at home should be comfortable, whether listening to your hi-res music, working or, as suggested by A-T, gaming.

And here's a new duo in this space: despite their open-back design, the ATH-AL5NC also feature Sound Leakage Reduction, helping to reduce the amount of sound escaping into those shared spaces (the London Underground carriages spring to mind), alongside "noise reduction" (available in wireless and wired modes) to minimize everyday background distractions.

Audio-Technica ATH-AL5NC: key specs and features

Want the cold, hard specs? Of course you do. Other key features include up to 75 hours of battery life, or 50 hours with noise reduction enabled (so it is an active technology, involving the creation of antiphase to counteract noise), plus up to eight hours of playback from a 15-minute quick charge.

You also get 24-bit/96 kHz high-resolution audio, LDAC support, multipoint connectivity for staying connected to two Bluetooth devices at once, a low-latency mode for gaming and video and an integrated microphone for calls and meetings. And those last four perks are not features you'll regularly find among audiophile-grade open-back headphones, or even the best wired headphones generally.

Customisable EQ and Soundscape modes are also available through the A-T Connect app and (of course) you get optional wired listening, with a bundled 1.2m cable featuring an in-line mic.

Something for our best noise-cancelling headphones buying guide? Not so fast; "noise isolation" is perhaps not quite the same as "noise cancellation", despite the 'NC' used in A-T's naming structure. Although the company hasn't expanded on this, adding true ANC in a set of headphones that are open through the ear cups (with perforated grilles to let sounds to move directly through their driver housings) really would be a feat of engineering.

The Audio-Technica ATH-AL5NC are available from today (September 9), priced at a refreshingly reasonable £219, which is around $299 or AU$410.

How good are they for this money? We're working on getting our hands on a set. As soon as we know, so shall you.

• Marantz unveils MCR 60n mini hi-fi hub
• Amp and streamer which includes MM phono stage and HDMI eARC
• Designed to be compact, so it won't take up as much space as a hi-fi stack

If you're under the assumption that your small home or rental apartment means you can't enjoy an advanced hi-fi set-up, Marantz's new release might have you re-thinking things.

The beloved heritage hi-fi giant has released a new device: The Marantz MCR 60n — and no, despite the name, it's not solely designed to play My Chemical Romance or songs written in Manchester.

This combined streamer and amplifier has been devised as a "mini hi-fi player", according to the brand. While we weren't told its actual size, its footprint is noticeably smaller than a turntable's in the accompanying images.

It'll go on sale on September 15, 2026, and there are two models. For $1,000 in the US (about £740, AU$1,500) you can get the standard model, and there's one available in Europe with a DAB radio squirrelled in, for £800 (about $1,100, AU$1,1600).

So it's not cheap per se, but perhaps its range of features — and household name status — will make up for that.

Welcome to the Black Parade

One of the absolute highlights of this week's Labor Day sales has been the excellent Sony WH-1000XM5 on sale for just $198 (was $399) at Amazon. It's been a while since these wireless headphones have hit this record-low price — and, quite frankly, it's one of the easiest recommendations we've made this week.

They only hit $198 once before, back in late June, so this is a great chance to grab some of the best headphones on the market for cheap.

As an overview, the Sony WH-1000XM5 combines a stylish and comfortable design with some of the best noise cancellation on the market. They're perfect for everyday use, a busy office, or commuting on public transport. They also sound fantastic, with rich and detailed sound for all types of genres.

With today's price on Amazon, you're getting them for a fantastic price, considering these are only one generation away from the latest Sony model. The Sony WH-1000XM6 has superseded the Mark 5, but they're currently sitting at $398 at the retailer, while offering similar performance.

Sony WH-1000XM5 record-low price at Amazon

• See more: check out all of today's Labor Day deals at Amazon

The Sony WH-1000XM5 are a few years old now, but our initial five-star rating from when these headphones were released still stands. At the time, we called them "the best headphones in the world thanks to their class-leading noise-canceling features and well-balanced audio.” There is a newer version now (the Mark 6), but those are significantly more expensive, as I've already stated.

Compared with the sixth-generation model, the fifth-generation model is a little less portable because it lacks folding hinges, but otherwise performance is quite similar. If you're not desperate for the folding mechanism, then it's definitely a good idea to save some cash and go with the Sony WH-1000XM5 over the newer model.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review

The Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE have sprung into the affordable IEM arena. One that, as of late, has provided some incredible quality, with brands such as Sennheiser, Meze Audio, and Activo bringing some serious sound-for-pound value.

While the DT 30 IE don’t try anything outwardly fancy, they’re still a very attractive proposition. They have 11mm dynamic drivers intended to supply a “neutral and balanced tuning,” passive noise cancellation up to “-39dB,” and even have an IP54 dust and water resistance rating.

But can they compete with some of the best wired earbuds around? I spent a couple of weeks using them as one of my main listening devices — here’s what I thought.

Let’s start with the area that matters most: sound quality. As you may expect at this price-point, sound quality is good rather than excellent — though there are a lot of positives to discuss.

In Can’t Let Go by Earth, Wind & Fire, overall audio was clear and balanced relatively well. I felt that vocals in the mid-range were a bit lacking in texture and detail, but still had good presence in the mix. More subtle percussive elements came through nicely, though, and funky bass was well-weighted.

Although I felt that the DT 30 IE perhaps lacked the openness and nuance of pricier options, they still sound strong for the price.

And perhaps the main thing that grabs you about the DT 30 IE is their bass output. It’s meaty and dynamic, which is ideal for gigging situations or if you want to enjoy hard-hitting tunes to the max in a more casual capacity. In Kickin’ In The Beat by Lewis Taylor, I was struck by pumping low-end output, which didn’t obscure vocals or drums in the treble range — it's punchy and fairly agile, making for an exciting listen.

Treble is clear and fairly controlled, though it could be more articulate and expressive. In Sing To Me by Ned Doheny, percussion in the treble range didn’t have the precise, bright quality that I was listening out for, with a slightly muted take. This wasn’t the case when I switched over to the Sennheiser IE 200, which offered better top-end clarity, and also provided a more natural interpretation of lead vocals.

So, it’s certainly a positive start overall for the DT 30 IE, but how do they compete elsewhere? In terms of features, there’s not a lot to run through. There’s no in-line controller with volume controls, which is more of a nice-to-have rather than an expectation for IEMs in my view. They also skip on interchangeable connectors, as seen on models such as the Activo Volcano, so you’re stuck with a 3.5mm option unless you purchase an adapter of some kind. But what I did like was the range of ear tips packed in, allowing you to find the ideal seal, no matter your ear size.

And when I got the right seal, I found that the DT 30 IE offered pretty solid passive noise isolation. Is it the best I’ve experienced? No — models with foam ear tips, such as the Shure Aonic 3 take the prize there. But I did find that sounds like typing and office chatter were dulled to a pretty commendable degree, and that’s going to be key for gigging musicians, for example. I also found that, with the right seal, the DT 30 IE were supremely comfortable and secure, making them ideal for longer listening sessions. They’re also nice and small, which I prefer over the chunky approach some rivals go for.

It’s also worth noting that the cable for the DT 30 IE is detachable, so you can swap this out for an aftermarket MMCX cable if you’d prefer. The cable itself is built to a really nice standard, though, and it produced next to no cable noise when I tried taking the buds on the go.

The IEMs themselves, however, don’t quite exude the same sense of premium build quality. They have a translucent look, enabling you to make out the drivers inside, but the casing feels a bit overly plasticky. I’m not expecting ultra-premium materials at this price point, but I do think some rivals in this price-range look a bit more luxurious — the Meze Audio Alba spring to mind.

So are the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE worth the money? Overall, I’d say yes. They provide good sound quality with impressive bass and solid clarity across the frequency range, as well as a lightweight and comfortable build, and decent passive noise isolation. All of that for $149.99 / £99 / AU$199 isn’t half bad.

What I would argue, however, is that you can get slightly more detailed, nuanced sound — and slightly better build quality — in this general price range. The Sennheiser IE 200 and Meze Audio Alba, in my opinion, offer superior performance at a very similar cost, and I’d suggest checking those out before pulling the trigger on the DT 30 IE, as good as they are.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: price & release date

• List price of $149.99 / £99 / AU$199
• Released in June 2026

The Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE are priced at $149.99 / £99 / AU$199, meaning they’re certainly sitting in the affordable domain within the IEMs world.

I’ve personally reviewed a number of competitors in this range, including the Sennheiser IE 200, Meze Audio Alba, Activo Scoop, and Shure SE215.

The DT 30 IE were released in June 2026, and are available in a single white colorway.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: specs

Should I buy the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: also consider

How I tested the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE

• Tested over the course of two weeks
• Mainly tested using Tidal
• Paired with Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000

I spent a couple of weeks using the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE, and hours upon hours listening to music. Typically, I had the DT 30 IE hooked up to the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000 media player, though I did also try them out with my Windows laptop.

To begin with, I sifted through tracks in the TechRadar reference playlist, which features tunes from a wide variety of genres, but I also bumped a bunch of songs from my personal library. I also made sure to compare the DT 30 IE to affordable IEM rivals like the Sennheiser IE 200.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, where I serve as an in-house Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve covered everything from portable DACs through to premium wireless headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM6, and have reviewed a number of IEMs, meaning I know exactly what it takes for a model to stand out in a competitive market.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: September 2026

• Sony has updated an icon with the new 'mid-range' WH-1000XM4C
• Also unveiled: entry-level WH-CH730N over-ears, to update the WH-CH720N
• …and WH-CH530N on-ears, to supersede the WH-CH530N

Sony asked me, during this particular product briefing, if I too had a habit of counting how many of a specific brand or model of headphones I saw while on public transport? Big yes. Can't stop myself.

And I had to concede that the Sony WH-1000XM4 are a pair I still see most often on London's rail network, despite their 2020 launch date (closely followed by the mid-range Bose QuietComfort, and then the entry-level Sony WH-CH520N).

And it's clear that Sony's team has clocked this too. Apparently, just over 10 million pairs of the XM4 have been sold so far, and fans still hanker after them no matter how highly the next two generations of cans also scored. And given that it's now 10 years since the original 1000X launched in 2016, it was high time Sony did something to mark the occasion.

So, this news will mark a big day for all of us — particularly for my colleague still clinging to their 2018 XM3s, despite one ear cup being held together with sticky tape.

Music-lovers, the WH-1000XM4C are here! And you can buy them in your choice of black, a slightly lighter-gray-than-we're-used-to 'Platinum Silver', and an all-new 'Lavender' finish.

Are the XM4C Sony's new flagship cans? No, those are still the Sony 1000X The Collexion, followed by the very-much-still-current Sony WH-1000XM6. Sony tells me we're to think of the WH-1000XM4C as a new mid-range option, slotting in above the also-new WH-CH730 and WH-CH530 (which I'll come to soon).

Let's get granular: the design and ANC are unchanged from the XM4, so you still get 40mm drivers and the company's HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. They also still fold up nicely for easier transportation — although you'll want them around your neck or over your ears most of the time.

But Sony has upgraded the sound-tuning slightly, following a lot of research "to match current music trends". What does that mean? Sony tells me its aim was "richer, clearer vocals" and "tighter bass definition", all of which sounds very promising, given the well-documented sonic talents of the XM4.

Also added is a 10-band EQ tab to tweak the sound yourself and Quick Access, which allows you to launch Apple Music or Spotify on-ear, rather than digging out your phone. It's not new to Sony headphones (it made its debut in 2022 and, in terms of over-ears, within the XM5) but it is new to the XM4, because those launched in 2020.

Sony is quite open about why it had to go back to the drawing board here: when the XM3 launched in 2018 (the design also adopted by the 2020 XM4) any stance on user-replaceable batteries in headphones was just a glint in the eye of European lawmakers. Now that headphones have to comply with such legislation, Sony had to have a rethink. And the XM4C are now compliant, so users will be able to replace the batteries, although at the time of writing Sony hasn't yet disclosed the cost of said juice packs.

What I do know is that providing the update has caused a minor drop in stamina from the XM4 to XM4C, from 30 hours to 27 hours with ANC on. It seems a small price to pay for headphones that will hopefully last (and last and last), but may come as a disappointment when some cans are stretching up to 90 hours in 2026…

Speaking of prices to pay, the WH-1000XM4C's price is set at $299.99 / £219 / €250 / AU$449.95.

Sony's trio of 2026 headphone goodies includes entry-level options too

Something for our best noise-cancelling headphones buying guide that will cost double figures, not triple? Sony gets it — although only one product in this trio of releases dips to that price point, and it's not the next one.

Also unveiled today is the Sony WH-CH730N (pictured above), to update the highly popular cheap and cheerful Sony WH-CH720N. Interestingly, here we do have a stamina increase, from up to 50 hours to up to 75 hours without ANC. Also onboard is the 10-band EQ, but here Sony says you're also getting better ANC and AI-enhanced call tech.

The new design is foldable and features slightly bigger ear cups that sit slightly more flush against your ears, and there's a new Beige colorway. You get Sony's basic DSEE upscaler engine, 360 Reality Audio support, dual noise-sensor tech for noise cancellation, optional max-volume control in the app, Bluetooth 6.0, LE Audio support and they're Auracast ready.

Pricing? Of course: Sony WH-CH730N can be yours for $179.99 / £100 / €120 / AU$229.95 in your choice of Black, White, Pink, Beige and Blue, from September 2026.

Last but by no means least are the new Sony WH-CH530N, updating the Sony WH-CH520N on-ears, which we rated an excellent 4.5-stars shortly after their release in 2023.

Here, battery life is up to 55 hours (from 50 in the older set) with ANC on, or 75 hours with ANC off. You also get the AI call tech for clearer calls, multipoint pairing, LE Audio support, and optional maximum volume control, i.e., adjustable 5-step volume level for hearing protection.

And the pricing is low, at just $69.99 / £50 / €60 / AU$99.95 in your choice of Cobalt Blue, Coral, Mint, Pink, White or Black.

We can't vouch for the sound-per-pound value just yet. But we're working on it — watch this space.

My TechRadar colleagues and I have said multiple times that good sound quality doesn’t always have to cost the earth. As my guide to the best wireless earbuds in Australia proves, there is excellent value to be found up and down the budget spectrum, and you can get a great audio experience for little outlay.

Which is why I felt compelled to put together this list of five pairs that promise that excellent experience, with prices ranging from AU$70 up to AU$349. Two of the pairs — from Technics and Bose — do actually already feature in my guide to the best ‘buds, and now they’re currently on the receiving end of discounts at Amazon — making them even easier to recommend.

I’ll list my five top pairs for all budgets in price-ascending order, and of course, to check out more headphone deals, including those on over-ear models, head to Amazon.

Sound quality is important to me. Whether I'm listening to hi-res mixes on Tidal or making music of my own, I want to hear it in the absolute best detail I can. That's why, during Prime Day this July, I finally pulled the trigger and bought the Sennheiser HD 660S2. But since then, I've started to wonder whether getting a DAC is essential to unlocking the loftiest realms of sonic sophistication.

While the Sennheiser HD 660S2 aren't the most expensive headphones I've ever owned, I'd argue they are the most premium, sonically speaking. Compared to wireless headphones where a decent chunk of your spend is going on Bluetooth chipsets, ANC and fancy features, wired headphones such as the HD 660S2 are a pure audio play. Pretty much every cent you spend goes towards their engineering for sound quality.

As a result, it's not surprising that my initial response to these cans has been positive. They don't have the most strongly flavored sound profile — for example, there wasn't throbbing bass pounding my ear drums like Neil Peart trying to slaughter a fleet-footed fly crawling across his skins. But their frequency balance is as judicious as any of the best headphones, neglecting no part of the spectrum.

Another huge factor is their open-backed design. As they let in near enough every perceivable external sound, the idea of using them on the subway brings me out in a cold sweat — ain't nobody there to hear fellow passengers discuss nasty medical ailments in graphic detail before breakfast. But that same transparency gives them a seriously spacious sound that allows each element a decent amount of room to breathe, already making them a great upgrade over their closed-back cousins.

Perhaps the biggest win in their corner is the very fact that they're wired. As they don't have to contend with the limited bit- and sample rates of Bluetooth headphones, they're free from lossy compression (in themselves at least — they can't help your source material if it's not up to the job), meaning they can maintain the original source's resolution and detail. While that might matter less when you're using a flimsy $30 / £20 / AU$40 pair of cans, in more premium headphones, you can absolutely hear lossless formats the way they're meant to be heard.

This all comes with a pretty serious asterisk though. As alluded to above, unlike their wireless rivals, wired headphones aren't packing their own DAC, meaning those digital files you're listening to need to be converted to analog audio before passing along that wire. And while laptops — and the few phones that still have 3.5mm jacks — have their own built-in DACs, these usually lack the power to drive heavy duty cans like the HD 660S2.

Don't get me wrong: while I knew the Sennheisers wouldn't necessarily be giving me their A-game without a DAC, their sound has still been impressive, which is no mean feat. But it has started me wondering: what am I missing? Could one of the best DACs help me unlock the loftiest realms of audio quality?

I resolved to find out.

DAC-seat driver

Given iFi created many of our picks for our best DACs guide, it seemed a sensible place to start and I eventually settled on the iFi Zen DAC 3. Not only is this portable DAC capable of audio resolutions of up to 32-bit/768kHz, its 390mW amplifier should have plenty of power to drive the 300-ohm resistance of the Sennheiser HD 660S2.

Setting it up is simplicity itself. All I had to do was hook it up to my laptop with a USB-C cable, plug the HD 660S2's chonky 6.3mm jack in its front port and I was all set to start comparing the quality of some tunes.

Mid-range frequencies fared surprisingly well, even without a DAC. During Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon, I felt like I was sat right at the heart of Ladysmith Black Mambazo's choir and there was some really tasty detail to the low toms in the percussion. Once I'd plugged in the iFi, there was some improvement, with a little more dynamism to those vocals and a bit more spaciousness in the mix, but the changes were very subtle.

Treble is a similar story. Before I plugged the DAC in, Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac sounded bright and crisp — the strumming of the guitars felt suitably tight and had a decent amount of bite, without feeling brittle. Hooking the the HD 660S up to the DAC didn't substantially transform the treble, but the iFi did allow for even more low-end heft to the track without overshadowing the pinpoint definition of those guitars. Honestly, this is probably the first time I've ever felt like this track actually sounded bassy.

In light of this, you won't be surprised to hear that low-end performance is where iFi's DAC made the biggest difference, making Otomo by Bonobo sound truly ridiculous. Even without the DAC, the HD 660S2 made the bass sound warm and punchy, without harming the clarity of the percussion or those tribal choral vocals. But when using Zen DAC 3, the impact bass during the drop was unreal — the sub bass is so strong it feels like it hits you right in the brain stem.

This increased low-end clarity and dynamism also helps when it comes to precision and separation too. Deprived of DAC, the HD 660S2 did an excellent job of rendering I Need the Night by London Grammar — those reverberant vocals sounded wonderfully detailed and gorgeously expressed, even when the beat kicked in. But with a DAC picking up the slack, the sustained guitars and bass were able to shine more without encroaching on the vocals, while the beat still felt suitably punchy.

So the iFi Zen DAC 3 definitely added some spit and polish to my tunes.

DAC to reality

Still, all of the improvements I've noted above feel incremental at best. Attempting to jack up my listening experience with a DAC resulted in what I'd class more as a 5% improvement, rather than the revolutionary experience I was expecting. So what gives?

Turns out, some sacred cows need to be put out to pasture. While there are plenty of people who will swear blind that you need a discrete DAC for a pair of high-impedance headphones like the HD 660S2 (which come with a rating of 300 ohms), that's not actually always true. Because, if you're lucky, you may find that your gear's built-in DAC is plenty powerful enough on its own.

I should have dug into the specs of my hardware a little more. Both the MacBook Air M5 I use at home and the MacBook Pro M4 I use at work have a pretty sophisticated DAC built-in — if you're driving some low-impedance wired earbuds, it'll deliver a far lower voltage but when you pop in a pair of audiophile-grade headphones like the Sennheiser HD 660S2, it'll deliver substantially more power. That's why these cans sounded so great out of the box to me.

While that's great news for me — and for anyone else who's happy to drop $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,099 on a MacBook just as an expensive network audio player — it's not that illuminating on whether your more humble devices will benefit from the help of an external device.

So I guess it's DAC to the drawing board.

To hell and DAC

Like all great technologists, I know every catastrophic failure is just a fantastic opportunity to pivot. So I redesigned my experiment on the fly. I grabbed one of our testing smartphones — the skilled yet affordable OnePlus Nord CE5 — plugged in a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and jacked in the Sennheiser HD 660S2. And boy, was it a... whatever the opposite of a revelation is.

When drip-fed on the meager power a phone outputs, the HD 660S2 sound like a completely different pair of headphones. As you'd expect, their output is much quieter and mids lack impact. On Painted Wolf by O’Flynn, the Rhodes-style keyboard and strings sounded far more hollowed out than when listening with the DAC, which gave that fiddle part real body and texture.

Without the Zen DAC, the phone struggled to deliver much treble either. Thanks to its bright presentation, Crash into Me by Dave Matthews Band quickly shows up any glassiness or sibilance in a pair of headphones high-end, yet here it sounded rolled off and lacking in confidence. Conversely, once hooked up to iFi Zen DAC 3, the HD 660S2 made each of those densely layered guitar parts feel distinct and detailed — I could practically hear the vibration of the plectrum as it scrapes over the strings.

One area I'll give the Sennheisers their due though is when it comes to bass. Even without a lot of power behind them, the low end of Listen by Pola & Bryson and Goddard. still sounded pretty tasty — those snarling D&B bass warps still felt deep and beautifully detailed and there was a soupçon of sub beneath it all. The DAC still delivered here too though, swaddling you in lush pads, while that bassline genuinely sounds like you’re being hit full-force in the chest by a Funktion One rig.

It isn't just the frequency balance that felt off either: the lack of DAC limited the HD 660S2's to present its soundstage with quite as much dynamism or distinction. Playing Breathe This Air by Jon Hopkins with the Zen DAC 3 plugged in, I found the wonderful interplay of piano strikes across the stereo field to be genuinely breathtaking. Thanks to the Sennheisers' open-back design, they were still able to get a decent stereo spread without the iFi's help but the pinging of each element across the soundstage felt considerably less dynamic than before.

So a DAC absolutely makes a huge difference. If you're playing music off a cheaper or more portable device, any increased investment in higher-quality headphones may well be wiped out if you don't pair it with a discrete DAC. But don't assume you need one by default, as the days of all built-in DACs being dreadful are well behind us.

JBL Live Buds 4 review

Ever wondered what life would be like if your earbuds had a touchscreen case? OK, you probably haven’t, but stick with me here. The JBL Live Buds 4 are the new generation of the audio specialist’s in-ears that pair with a smart charging case, enabling you to adjust sound settings, adapt ANC, and more — all without having to download a companion app.

They’re a standout model in a congested market. The Live Buds 4 also sit within JBL's wider Live range, which is itself fairly congested in that it also includes the stemmed JBL Live Beam, plus the open-fit JBL Live Flex. This specific model, though — the Live Buds 4 — comes with a number of claimed upgrades over its predecessor, including enhanced ANC, new “fidelity drivers,” and boosted call quality. But are they worth the money and can they compete with options in our best earbuds roundup? Here’s what I think after three weeks of testing.

We’ve got to start with the smart charging case, which has a revamped UI for a smoother, more complete user experience. The touchscreen is undoubtedly small, but it's highly responsive, and there are clear menus to access EQ tweaking, ANC modes, appearance options, and even tools like a flashlight and timer. I sometimes preferred using the JBL Headphones app for the ease of a larger screen, and the ability to set a custom wallpaper from my photo gallery, but for on-the-go tweaks, the charging case is a neat option — even if it is arguably a little bit gimmicky. But hey, I like a good gimmick now and then.

Beyond what I’ve already mentioned, the case features a lot of fun features, like a smart-talk option, which picks up voices if you want to have a conversation while keeping your buds in. There are also customizable touch controls for the buds themselves (which I found to be reactive and convenient), and settings for how your voice sounds on a call, including a bright, natural, and powerful option.

Speaking of calls, JBL has included 6 mics in these earbuds, as well as its new Perfect Calls 2.0 tech, which makes use of AI to keep your voice clear, even in noisier environments. As I mentioned in my JBL Live Beam 4 review (I know, it's easy to get confused with names), I did find my voice to be relatively clear on calls and when taking a recording, but unfortunately I didn’t get the premium clarity I was expecting. There was some noticeable sibilance in my recording, and I also found that some background noises remained more prominent than anticipated.

I also want to talk about active noise cancellation, which has been improved for the Live 4 series. Overall, ANC is decent, but it’s still not up to the standards offered by buds from Apple and Bose. When out and about or on public transport, I could still make out background chatter, and in the office, typing sounds and doors closing were still audible. Sounds are still dulled effectively, and ANC is by no means bad — but if you’re expecting a curtain of silence when using the Live Buds 4, you may be left wanting more.

One area that the Buds 4 totally excel in, though, is sound quality. For earbuds in this price-range, the Buds 4 are excellent, dishing out impactful bass, clean mids, and expressive highs, impressive handling of dynamics, and good attention to detail.

When tuning into Labor of Love by Ned Doheny, I was struck by the beautifully textured and weighted acoustic guitars, which were well separated from clear, tonally accurate vocals. Subtle percussive details also came through beautifully, and funky bass sounded impactful without drowning out other sounds across the frequency range. What’s more, by activating the higher-res Bluetooth codec, LDAC, I could make out some more intricacies in the mid-range, with almost life-like guitars taking the listening experience to the next level.

The Live Buds 4 proved to cope brilliantly with any genre, though. With a deeper, more energetic track, such as Don’t Compare Yourself by Kolter, the pumping deep bass hit phenomenally hard, and reached down to tremendous depths for this level. Bassy synths sounded textured and controlled, lively drums sounded articulate and precise, and emotive vocals, while impactful, never overwhelmed the mix.

I have very few complaints about the sound, and it’s super-simple to customize it to your liking with the EQ settings on the charging case or JBL headphones app. But one thing that could’ve been better was the spatial audio setting, which just lacked the clarity and openness of the standard tuning. I’d also argue that the soundstage is relatively broad on the Live Buds 4 anyway, so you should just keep this mode off if you ask me.

Let’s also talk design, as this is the main area where the Live Buds 4 differentiate themselves from the Beam and Flex. They take up a small, snug in-ear feel, which is ideal for those who prefer earbuds without the stems. I found the buds to be incredibly comfortable, and had no issue keeping them in for multiple hours at a time. They’re also highly secure, never feeling as if they’ll fall out of your ears.

The buds also have a good standard of build, the case has an attractive, textured finish, and the model can be purchased in a wide range of colors. The buds are also IP55-rated, making them splashproof. Some rivals offer superior IP57 protection, but IP55 is enough to keep your buds safe on a rainy day.

One more difference the Buds 4 have, is that they offer the least amount of battery life in the Live 4 lineup, with 8 hours of playtime with the buds when ANC is on, and up to 40 hours with the case. That’s still a good amount of playtime, and competes well with major rivals.

So, are the JBL Live Buds 4 worth their £179.99 / AU$269.95 (about $240) asking price? For me, it’s an emphatic yes. Of course, they’re not the cheapest buds on the market, but they’re also a fair bit cheaper than big-name rivals like the AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2. They also sound fantastic for the money, with the nifty charging case only adding more value. Sure, they could do better in the call quality and ANC department, but ultimately, they still offer decent enough quality in those areas.

JBL Live Buds 4 review: price & release date

• List price of £179.99 / AU$269.95 (about $240)
• Revealed in May 2026

The JBL Live Buds 4 were revealed in May 2026, alongside their siblings, the JBL Live Beam 4 and the JBL Live Flex 4. They released about two years after their predecessor, the JBL Live Buds 3.

They come in at £179.99 / AU$269.95 (about $240), which is the same as their predecessors cost at the point of launch (in the UK). We’re yet to catch wind of a release date and pricing for the US, but we’ll update this review accordingly if and when further details emerge.

These buds are available at a relatively affordable price for the quality on offer, coming in at a lower cost than rivals such as the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2.

Our top pick for wireless earbuds whatever your budget is the Technics EAH-AZ100, at $299 / £259 (around AU$478). So at quite a bit less than those figures, the JBL Live Buds 4 can be yours for a shade under flagship money — and that's a very good thing in terms of value.

That said, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 are our current 'best mid-range' pick in that detailed guide, and those excellent buds retail for the same £179.99 fee as the JBL option. They don't have a smart charging case, but still, food for thought…

JBL Live Buds 4 review: specs

Should I buy the JBL Live Buds 4?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

JBL Live Buds 4 review: also consider

How I tested the JBL Live Buds 4

• Tested over the course of three weeks
• Used in the office, on walks, and on public transport
• Mainly streamed tunes over Tidal, but tapped into Spotify too

I spent three weeks putting the JBL Live Buds 4 through their paces. During this time, I listened to countless hours of music, messed around with everything the smart charging case had to offer, and exhausted their various features.

As always, I made sure to use these buds in a range of environments — including at home or at the office, but also when out on walks near busy roads, and when on public transport like buses and trains. When listening to tunes, I predominantly streamed music over Tidal on my Xiaomi 17 phone, but I also jumped into Spotify now and then. I made sure to soft through the multi-genre TechRadar reference playlist, but also bumped a bunch of tunes from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve reviewed everything from premium wireless headphones like the Sony 1000X The Collexion to hulking party speakers like the Marshall Bromley 750. Of course, I’ve also tested many pairs of wireless earbuds, so I know exactly what it takes for a model to stand out in a highly competitive market.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: August 2026

Huge online retailer Amazon and Labor Day Weekend are a match made in heaven when it comes to deals. And right now, you can score big savings on some of our top-rated earbuds and headphones this year, including (only the most popular earbuds in the world) AirPods Pro 3 for 20% off and, if it's cans you want, Sony's five-star WH-1000XM5 noise canceling over-ears at a huge 50% off!

• See every Labor Day deal live now at Amazon

I've included everything from your entry-level, 'spare pair' buds to keep in a jacket pocket if your main set is caught short for battery, right up to premium over-ears you'll want to keep around your neck even when you're not listening to them.

Every product listed here gets a strong TechRadar recommendation, and features (or did feature until very recently) as some of the best earbuds or best noise-cancelling headphones in those specific guides.

One note on the Bose QuietComfort headphones down to $199 in this roundup: these are the very good, four-star late 2023 set and not the all-new August 2026 launch (although, check out that green colorway!). It's still a top deal, I just want you to be sure about what you're buying.

Have a browse through all of my recommendations below to see if there's a deal on a set of headphones, on-ears, open earbuds or regular in-ears that perfectly meets your needs. Happy shopping — and enjoy the music!

9 best earbuds/headphones deals in Amazon's Labor Day sale

Indian tech brand Noise has teamed up with Bose for a brand new pair of open earbuds, the Noise Master Buds Open.

These clip-on buds are a first for Noise in the open ear segment, but join its existing Master series lineup, that includes over-ear headphones and in-ear buds — which were also built alongside Bose.

And lucky me — I’ve already tried the Master Buds Open for myself. I got hands on with the brand new open earbuds at IFA Berlin 2026, and spoke with Noise about its collaboration with Bose and the fancy features crammed into its latest creation.

Bose sound at an affordable price… kinda

Allow me to start with something of a disclaimer. The Master Buds Open aren’t a fully fledged Bose product, they simply feature ‘Sound by Bose’ technology. This means that the audio giant helped to tune the sound on the Master Buds Open, and there’s a specific Sound by Bose EQ option for the model.

We’ve seen other brands use Sound by Bose tech in the last year or so, with Baseus making use of a partnership in its Inspire line (including the XH1 headphones), and Skullcandy teaming up with the ANC giant for products including the Method 360 ANC (which we rated very highly).

However, Noise has a closer relationship with Bose than most, as the latter has invested in the Indian company across recent years, and the pair have already developed a number of audio products together, including the Noise Master Buds 2 and Master Buds Max.

Although the new Master Buds Open don’t quite offer the exceptional build and sound quality we’ve come to expect from products like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2, this collaboration certainly heightens the perceived value of Noise’s affordable audio gear, and helps it to stand out as a relatively recent entrant in competitive markets like the US, UK, and EU.

Getting hands on

Anyway, let’s talk about my time getting hands-on with the Noise Master Buds Open.

I have to say, when the buds were brought over to me, they made an excellent first impression. They come in a beautiful case with appealing metallic details, and the buds themselves look incredibly sleek and almost futuristic — especially in the slick Silver colorway.

In use, the Master Buds Open also felt supremely comfortable. I find that some clip-on earbuds have the tendency to either feel a bit tight, or almost too loose, but in my short time with the Master Buds Open they seemed to master the clip-on feel, with a secure yet comfortable fit and almost weightless on-ear sensation.

Sonically, the Master Buds Open performed about as well as I expected, although I should preface my thoughts by noting that the unit I tried was a prototype, and so the Master Buds Open may sound a little different at launch.

Naturally, I made use of the Sound by Bose EQ option, and I’d say the earbuds performed decently overall. A representative played me a bit of I’m Alive by Céline Dion, and I was treated to clear vocals, with fairly prominent bass (as far as open ears go), and well-separated guitars in the mid-range.

I also had the chance to play some songs of my choosing, and switched over to Can’t Resist by Jamback. In this house track, I realized that treble was pretty forward, meaning that drums higher in the frequency range were particularly prominent. Bass was also decently weighted, although you won’t get the pounding low-end that some of the best wireless earbuds can provide.

Was I blown away by the audio on offer from the Master Buds Open? Perhaps not — at least not at this stage. But they did perform pretty well overall, especially when you consider their price. I was told that the Master Buds Open will release for about €119 (around $140 / £100), which is relatively affordable — especially when you consider that Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds have a list price of $299 / £299 / AU$449.95.

A surprising highlight

While the Master Buds Open will undoubtedly face stiff competition from similarly priced rivals like the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, they did impress me with their comfort and looks.

But one thing struck me more than any other: their surprisingly feature-rich companion app. Not only did I find Noise’s app to be incredibly easy to use and navigate, but I also couldn’t believe how much functionality it had to offer.

There’s a spatial audio setting, designed to offer “dynamic and realistic” audio, as well as a Gaming Mode if you need low-latency audio — a nice touch for keen mobile gamers.

On top of this, the Master Buds Open have customizable touch controls, multi-point, Find My Device capabilities, and a Focus Mode, which locks the buds’ controls when you just want to zone in on your tunes and avoid accidental touch commands. Of course, there are also EQ settings, including a fully customizable equalizer, and mics built in for taking calls on the go.

Noise was also keen to show me that the Master Buds have a built-in AI assistant. This enables you to ask questions with your voice, read chat history, and transcribe meetings or discussions. That’s quite a lot of functionality for buds in this price-range.

While there’s no specific launch date for the Master Buds Open just yet, Noise has said that they’re set to launch on their website and with some major online retailers from late September 2026.

IFA is, as you'll probably know, a huge annual tech expo held in Berlin. It's also where some of audio-slash-hi-fi's biggest hitters unveil their latest wearable innovations — and this year is one of the best (and most varied) product lineups we've seen to date.

Here, I've chosen the top headphones and earbuds TechRadar saw at IFA 2026 — let me assure you, each member of our team got their 10,000 steps in during the first two days of the event to bring you this (and some of us worked feverishly back in the office, too).

A few of the products in this roundup were nominated for our 25-strong IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards — and some even won! You'll see the little badge in the top corner of the image, beside their entry.

There's a separate piece for the main winners, though. This missive hones in on the new, noteworthy, and sometimes even slightly 1970s-retro earbuds (Noise, I'm looking at you) and headphones.

Sometimes, I've linked out to our more detailed coverage and early hands-ons of the product, because it's tough to get too granular within this multi-product roundup format.

Ready? Strap in, you're off to Berlin. Willkommen!

Noise Master Buds Open with Sound by Bose

Did you want IFA to showcase a lesser-known audio specialist now working with Bose to produce a set of open earbuds that look like something from the original 1960s Star Trek television series? Of course you did. That's why we love IFA.

What you're looking at is the Noise Master Buds Open from Noise, which is actually a leading Indian connected lifestyle and smart technology brand, sometimes known as 'Gonoise', according to the company's website. And the company now wants to go global.

The headline grabber here is, of course, that they're developed in collaboration with Bose and feature Sound by Bose technology, but for me the Master Buds Open's ergonomic clip-on design in such a premium case is also worthy of note.

Co-founder of Noise, Amit Khatri, said at the launch, “The Master Series was envisioned as our definitive expression of premium audio — bringing together thoughtful design, exceptional sound and meaningful consumer experiences. The response to Master Buds, Master Buds 2 and Master Buds Max has been phenomenal, and with Master Buds Open, we are taking the portfolio into its natural next chapter."

Noise has yet to confirm pricing or full specifications for Master Buds Open, but says those details will follow closer to launch slated for late September 2026. And I, for one, will be waiting.

Belkin SoundForm Isolate and SoundFrom Dot Buds

Anyone even mildly interested in keeping their tech charged up will know Belkin for its power banks (and probably phone cases and cables), but its range is diversifying — and it now includes some potential winners in the audio sector.

At IFA 2026, the brand unveiled two new super-affordable pairs of earbuds, each with ANC and asking prices far below any rivals.

The SoundForm Isolate Buds in the images above sell for a very palatable £39.99 (about $54, AU$80), and the SoundForm Dot Buds go for even less, at £29.99 (around $40, AU$60).

True, those names are meaty, but after a quick listen in Berlin, we can tell you that for this money, the audio is too.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y

Do you need to 'find your why' when it comes to enjoying music? Actually, me neither, but Beyerdynamic's new over-ears are very affordable if a strict budget is your reason for considering them over more flagship sets.

Beyerdynamic is also calling this new model its "most personal headphone yet, designed to adapt to the way you listen," and as you'd expect in 2026, there's active noise cancellation on the menu. But one particular claim on the spec sheet — "more than 90 hours of battery life" — is what really got my attention.

Those four colorways, listed as 'Liquid Black, Blue Fusion, Soft Jade, and Peach Blush,' are certainly striking, but it's not unusual for Beyer to go bold — who could forget the debut of the true wireless guitar-pick shaped Free Byrd or delightfully 8-bit Custom Game headset.

All of this for $149.99 (so around £110 or AU$208)? I put more information on them in my news coverage of these headphones, but I think my why could be their serious stamina for that money, you know.

Baseus Bowie MC2 NC

In one of the more "Wait, really?!" moments at IFA, Baseus unveiled a new model of its still-new open earbuds model.

It seems like only yesterday my colleague was reviewing the Baseus Bowie MC2 cuff-style earbuds (pictured above), which he confirms are some of the best open earbuds for people on a budget.

In truth, it was nearly three weeks ago, but still, for the brand to be back with a follow-up to these buds so soon is very unusual…

Anyway, the wraps have been pulled off the Baseus Bowie MC2 NC, which have one main change over the existing earbuds: the addition of noise cancellation. (You got it from the title, didn't you?)

Now, ANC and an open-ear fit — especially an earcuff-style one — aren't always the best of friends. But we can't wait to see whether Baseus has pulled it off here for a slightly higher asking fee of $99.99 (likely about £99.99, based on the non-NC buds' price of $79.99 / £89.99 or about AU$180), because the product upon which they're built is very good indeed.

JLab JBuds Open Sport 2, JBuds Go Sport ANC and JLab JBuds Mini ANC

Three products in one entry? I don't think you're ready for this 'Jelle'…

JLab has unveiled a few new offerings at IFA, but the highlight is a product we already knew about, but that we're seeing in a new way. Back when they were first unveiled in January, we gave the super-small JLab JBuds Mini ANC an early listen and loved that they'd happily fit on your keychain (with a price cheaper than some actual keychains, too).

Now, these affordable buds officially work with Apple's Find My for the first time (a feat not easy to achieve outside of Apple's AirPods and Beats products), so you can use your iPhone to locate the lost buds. Given that JLab loves the idea of you chaining them to your keys, this effectively means the JBuds' case can replace your AirTag 2. All for $42.99 / £39.99 (about AU$80) for them.

What about the other two products? There's the JBuds Open Sport 2, which are new hook-style open earbuds that act as an update to the JBuds Open Sport (surprise surprise), and will cost $52.99 / £49.99 (about AU$100). Then, there's the JBuds Go Sport ANC, which are due to sell in mid-September for $42.99 / £39.99 (about AU$80) — and we have some more details in our news coverage of the release.

And what of the Jelle? It's a new range of color options based on gel nail colors and is launching for the headliner Mini ANC, as well as the JBuds Luxe, which will sell for $84.99 / £79.99 (around AU$160) in these new finishes. You know how most headphones are often very 'matte black plastic'? These are shiny. No, really, they're shiny.

Philips Fidelio L5

These winsome Philips wireless headphones launch in October 2026, and the brand claims they tote its "most intelligent active noise control yet".

You also get custom 36mm ceramic-coated dome drivers with woven silk suspension, LDAC for better-quality audio (ideal for Android owners), plus Bluetooth 6.0 with the more efficient LC3 codec, and Auracast support.

The Fidelio L5 also offer wired hi-resolution audio up to 96khz/24bit via a wired USB-C connection, up to 60 hours of battery life (or 50 with ANC deployed) and a five-mic system for call and noise-cancelling quality.

Replaceable components are the name of the game at IFA this year (thanks to the EU's legislation on user-replaceable batteries), and the Philips Fidelio L5 are built with that in mind. Philips tells me that both the ear cushions and the rechargeable battery can be easily replaced by the consumer.

The Philips Headphones app with 'AI Neural EQ' and spatial audio support round out what seems a versatile and long-lasting set of cans, on paper at least — and for extra marks, the L5 also incorporate GRS-certified recycled plastic and the packaging uses FSC-certified recycled cardboard with inserts printed on recycled paper.

The Philips Fidelio L5 over-ear wireless headphones will be available from October 2026 for € 199.99 / GBP £179.99 (so around $243 or AU$339, where sold), and although they look like a more standard set of cans than other entries in this list, sometimes you just want good ANC headphones. And, my music-loving friend, that is why I'm here.

Anker Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro

The best wearable technology serves up real-world benefits, and what could be more beneficial than some decent shut-eye? What you're looking at is the Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro, which use in-ear PPG optical sensors to monitor your heart rate — and really rather accurately, thanks to the rich capillaries within your ear canal. Said monitoring delivers data to the buds' smart-screen, effectively making that part of the package a phone-free SleepHub charging case.

The Sleep Earbuds Pro also offer 30dB active noise cancellation, and there's a snore monitoring system in the case to detect and mask the sound of your partner (or dog) snoring. Despite all of the tech stuffed inside the buds, the driver housing is actually thinner than previous generations, which should be even more comfortable for side sleepers.

How else can they help you get a decent night's sleep? Why, with audio, of course! Anker's BioSync dynamic audio system monitors your relaxation in real time, adjusting the audio content to help you find the most effective route to the land of nod. I'm feeling sleepy already.

EarFun Wave Pro X

EarFun made its name delivering premium headphones and earbuds without the premium price tag, and the Wave Pro X are probably the company's best example of that in action yet.

Yes, they were announced a little while ago (and delayed following the announcement to get the tuning just perfect), but they're very much here now — and they are award-worthy, thank you very much. Their patented dual-driver system puts a 40mm diamond-like carbon driver and 10mm liquid crystal polymer driver on a precisely aligned axis, with the aim of a more natural and integrated sound than you sometimes get from multi-driver solutions.

The Wave Pro X also features an 8-mic AI system to continuously optimize the onboard hybrid ANC system, even in wired mode, and the Qualcomm QCC3095 Bluetooth 6.0 chipset brings aptX Lossless, LDAC, Auracast, and USB Audio to the table. Add AI translation and up to 90 hours of battery life to the spec sheet, and you've got yourself a superb pair of headphones.

Plaud One

Plaud One is less a 'regular set of earbuds' and more a 'wearable AI companion'. This product combines three key features: wearable conversation capture, context that builds across day-to-day conversations, and AI that can analyze data and take appropriate action.

The buds can capture online meetings, face-to-face discussions, and phone calls, and they have built-in eSIM and 4G LTE for phone-free operation.

What makes Plaud One different? The product understands context. Rather than treating each recording as a standalone transcript, it can retain information across multiple discussions — so a chat from one meeting can be stitched to a later conversation or call.

This upgrade enables the Plaud Agent to help you take further steps, identifying actionable tasks and completing them across tools such as Google Calendar, Gmail, and Slack.

IFA, Berlin's huge annual tech expo, is where some of the biggest tech firms unveil their latest innovations — and this year is one of the strongest we've seen in a long time for interesting new releases.

IFA is a great place to find fascinating new gadgets and devices, ranging from next-gen AR glasses to self-driving personal mobility vehicles, and from weird new kitchen appliances to armies of humanoid robots.

We've chosen the top products from those that were nominated for our IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards to produce this list of our 25 winners, based on how innovative they are, how well they serve their intended use, and the degree to which we think they'll influence their area of the tech market.

There were many more products that we really liked, of course, but we had to be ruthless — here are our top picks from IFA 2026.

Anker Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro

The best technology delivers real-world benefits, and what could be more beneficial than a good night's sleep? The Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro use in-ear PPG optical sensors to monitor your heartrate, which is more accurate than other optical tracking methods thanks to the rich capillaries and stable position of your ear canal. That monitoring delivers data to the smart-screen, phone-free SleepHub charging case.

The Sleep Earbuds Pro feature passive isolation as well as 30dB active noise cancelling, and the case-based snore monitoring system detects and masks the sound of your partner snoring using its built-in sounds. Despite the addition of multiple new components the housing is thinner than previous generations, and even more comfortable for side sleepers.

Anker's BioSync dynamic audio system monitors relaxation in real time, dynamically adjusting the audio content and structure to help you find the most effective sleep sounds. Sleep earbuds are something that can truly improve your health and happiness by improving your sleep, and these look like a really smart upgrade.

Agibot A3

Agibot is doing some amazing things with humanoid robots, and the full-sized Agibot A3 combines multiple capabilities in a lightweight, extremely dynamic model: if you're assembling a robot dance troupe or planning a big exhibition, the A3's the bot to buy.

The A3 weighs just 55kg, has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.218kW/kg, and delivers up to 12kW of instant peak power, enabling it to somersault. Its battery runs for up to 10 hours and is hot-swappable in seconds, so it's great for applications where it needs to last all day. It'll happily fit in an SUV for travel, too.

In addition to voice and app control, the A3 delivers industry-first touch sensing that adds physical interaction to its controls. It also has a 360-degree multi-array mic system for accurate voice recognition, even in noisy environments.

One of the most exciting features of the A3 is its large-scale swarm co-ordination, which uses precise UWB positioning to enable performances by up to 100 individual robots. That makes it possible to create very complex, high-impact performances for big events, as well as enabling multiple units to work smartly in environments such as factories or warehouses. The awareness and the uptime make this a great new approach to robotics.

Hypershell X Ultra S

The Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton helped mountaineer Adriana Brownlee in -30C temperatures on Mount Everest, supported athlete Aurélien Fontenoy's 4,037km Route 66 journey while recovering from injury, and is currently being trialed by search and rescue organizations worldwide.

Before Hypershell, exoskeletons cost $100,000 and above; the same capabilities are now available to consumers for less than $2,000, in a device weighing under 2kg.

The X Ultra S is an end-to-end AI motion-control system that uses an AI model to transform raw sensor data directly into motor torque, enabling faster response, smoother adaptation, and more natural human-machine synchronization.

There are 12 active modes, including walking, cycling and running, and a new Gentle Assist mode for older adults and users with short or shuffling strides. Fitness Mode adds resistance, turning a walk into a workout.

But it's the price that won us over here — this could be a game changer for getting people with limited mobility out and doing more things that they love, from hiking to just visiting the local stores.

JMGO IRIS Ultra Max

The IRIS Ultra Max is one of the world’s first true 4K 120Hz flagship smart projectors, delivering native 4K (rather than pixel-shifted) at 120Hz from input to output, all from its very compact case.

The Ultra Max's dual iris system has 6+9 blades, the highest count in its class, which promises to improve stray light suppression by 11.34% for a more accurate picture, while delivering class-leading contrast, with a quoted ration of 10,000:1. The MALC 6.0 Triple-Laser Engine delivers an impressive 6,500 ISO lumens of brightness, making it more visible in more lighting conditions, and with a promised ability to recreate 110% of the BT.2020 color space, with an astounding color accuracy of delta-E of 0.7, meaning it's truly capable of pro-level color range and accuracy.

The IRIS Ultra Max also introduces an industry-first 3-in-1 Optical System that integrates 0.88–1.7:1 Optical Zoom, Four-Way Lens Shift (V ±130%, H ±53%), and an AI-Powered Gimbal (360° H, 150° V) into a unified projection architecture. This makes it more more flexible than traditional projectors to positioning, because it has so many different options for correcting its picture. It gives small home theater setups top-tier performance without compromise.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P

Designed for vloggers and movie-makers alike, the Osmo Pocket 4P is the world’s first dual-lens pocket gimbal camera. It delivers cinema-grade imaging in a pocket-friendly form, and features DJI's Academy Award-winning Ronin stabilization.

The main lens is a wide-angle 20mm equivalent with an f/2.0 aperture, and a new 1-inch CMOS sensor that offers 17 stops of dynamic range and over one billion colors via DJI's new 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile.

That's supplemented with a 60mm medium-tele portrait lens, which gives you 3x optical zoom and up to 12x digital zoom. Its f/1.8 aperture is particularly good for creating bokeh effects by compressing the background and pulling it closer to the subject.

The Osmo Pocket 4P also features the latest version of DJI's ActiveTrack, which uses AI algorithms to maintain tracking lock at up to 12x zoom. It can actively track up to eight people, framing groups and centering anyone new who steps into the field of view.

RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses

The RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses are the world's first AR glasses to support Dolby Vision playback as part of creating a virtual cinema experience. They deliver up to 1,200 nits of perceived brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and real-time SDR to HDR conversion for super-clear images, too. Their optical system is 29% thinner and lighter than traditional designs, and delivers an industry-leading 59-degree field of view.

One of our favorite features is the adjustable virtual screen sizes, with a choice of 227 inches, 267 inches or 307 inches. That's clever: the tighter size is ideal for spreadsheets and productivity apps if you're using them as a display for a phone or laptop, while the larger sizes deliver immersive gaming and video.

Steady, Pinned and Follow modes enable you to anchor the screen or have it move with you, and 3DoF spatial tracking maintains the screen position without straining your eyes, and keeps subtitles, taskbars and image edges within the viewing area as you move. These look like the most advanced way to take a screen with you everywhere, and they could be indispensable for long flights.

TCL P80 Ultra

If you spend as much time on your phone as we do, you'll be blown away by the screen of the TCL P80 Ultra. It's the first phone to integrate NXTPAPER eye-comfort technology, with a 1.5K sharp AMOLED display for reflection-free reading even in bright sunlight, and a button that instantly turns your P80 Ultra into an e-reader with paper-like viewing.

The P80 Ultra has nano-etched anti-glare glass, eliminating surface reflections without reducing brightness. It also features circular polarized light technology, which changes the light output to more closely replicate the characteristics of natural light, and flicker-free dimming.

The camera's pretty special too. It's a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens with a 50MP 1/1.56-inch large-format sensor, capturing more light per pixel than smaller sensors and enabling 6x lossless zoom. Image stabilization eliminates motion blur in photos and video, and TCL's MuseFilm filters promise cinematic-quality images. But it's the groundbreaking display that really won us over — a lot of people will find it much kinder on the eyes.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14x Gen 2

Lenovo's ultra-light laptop makes even ultraportables look positively porky: at just 2.18lbs / 990g and just 12.9mm thick it's one of the lightest and thinnest laptops around, making it ideal for business travelers and students alike — especially if you opt for the backlit keyboard, which is really helpful in dimly lit rooms and airplanes.

Lenovo has somehow managed to give the ThinkBook 14x the super-thin treatment without sacrificing connectivity, so in addition to its Wi-Fi 7 it features two 10Gbps USB-C ports, two 5Gbps USB-A ports and an HDMI 2.1 port, so there's no need to haul a hub around with you. It also has a spare M.2 slot that enables you to expand its storage, which makes this a solid long-term investment.

The ThinkBook 14x Gen 2 is also one of the most customizable ultraportables, powered by Intel Core 7 (Series 3) processors and with display options including vivid OLED and touchscreen LCD. It's good-looking too, with a choice of metallic finishes including Luna Gray, Celestial White, Mystic Violet and Veil Blue.

EarFun Wave Pro X

EarFun's headphones consistently deliver premium performance without the premium price tag, and the Wave Pro X are the brand's best yet. They feature a patented dual-driver system that places a 40mm diamond-like carbon driver and a 10mm liquid crystal polymer driver on a precisely aligned axis, creating a more natural and detailed sound than you typically get from multi-driver designs.

The Wave Pro X feature an 8-mic AI system that continuously optimizes the hybrid ANC system, even in wired AUX mode, and the Qualcomm QCC3095 chipset delivers Bluetooth 6.0, aptX Lossless, LDAC, USB Audio and Auracast. Add AI translation and up to 90 hours of battery life to the mix and you've got a truly excellent pair of headphones — EarFun has been working on these for a long time, and even delayed them in order to get the tuning just right.

Urevo CyberPad 3

The CyberPad 3 is a home/office treadmill that's designed differently to traditional models. Its WalkFree Adaptive Speed Control uses pressure sensors built into the running board, which detect your stepping motion to automatically start and stop operation; when you're walking or running it takes data from the motor to calculate speed adjustments in real time.

Its multi-user support is smart too, capturing raw weight and stride-rate data to generate a structured user profile that's directly linked to the speed-control algorithm.

The support structure is made from Q235 steel with a side frame of die-cast aluminum, and it utilizes a redesigned transmission path to deliver an exceptionally compact construction: the ultra-slim body is under 11cm thick. Despite its small size it features a 15% incline-lift mechanism and a 42cm running belt, with its size based on analysis of human shoulder widths.

Plaud One

Plaud One is a wearable AI companion that combines three key features that are usually separate: wearable conversation capture, context that builds across day-to-day conversations, and AI that can analyze data and take appropriate action. It can capture online meetings, and face-to-face discussions and phone calls, and it has built-in eSIM and 4G LTE for phone-free operation.

What makes Plaud One different is that it understands context. Instead of treating each recording as a standalone transcript, it can retain context across multiple discussions — so a conversation from one meeting can be connected to a later conversation or call.

That understanding enables the Plaud Agent to help you take action, identifying next steps and completing tasks across tools such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, and Slack.

Minisforum MS-S1 Max-P495

The MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers large-model AI computing from an exceptionally small footprint with a very high specification. It combines AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 with up to 192GB of unified memory to run 128B+ LLMs locally, delivering up to 126 TOPS, and its unified memory architecture eliminates VRAM bottlenecks while also reducing latency.

That power is cooled by a high-performance thermal solution featuring a copper base, six heat pipes, dual fans and phase-change cooling, and it's encased in a fully scalable design, with a slide-out chassis for easy upgrading and a rack-ready form factor.

With 4x PCIe expansion, dual 10Gb Ethernet, dual 40Gbps USB4 v2, Wi-Fi 7, and a built-in 320W PSU, the MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers future-proof power for desktop systems and scalable AI clusters alike — it's a mind-blowing beast made to meet a new kind of research and development need.

XPPen Magic Pro 13

XPPen's Magic Pro 13 is a mobile drawing pad designed for creative pros, featuring an industry-first hardware-level drawing display mode that delivers low latency, native color output and higher bandwidth video transmission over a simple one-cable connection, giving you a paper-like experience with 16K pressure sensitivity and cursor hover support.

It's the first drawing pad in its category to come with dual-USB support, enabling you to benefit from a high-speed data connection while charging your Magic Pro 13.

The Magic Pro 13 features the new Shelf digital asset management system and XPPen's Canvas software, designed to deliver a simple and intuitive sketching experience for capturing ideas when inspiration strikes. And for creatives on the move it offers two thermal management modes, balancing performance and energy efficiency based on different creative scenarios.

Strutt ev1c

Strutt's ev1c reimagines the power chair with three major advancements: Strutt's evSense sensing array, a quad-drive drivetrain, and a modular, connected design.

eVSense uses two LiDARs, 10 time-of-flight sensors, six ultrasonics and two cameras to create 3D maps in real time, powering the Co-Pilot collision avoidance for people, pets, and edges, and the Auto-Pilot, which enables you to select on-screen destinations, or use LLM-powered voice commands such as "Take me to the kitchen" — basically it's a self-driving personal mobility vehicle.

The drivetrain features four-wheel independent suspension, ABS, active steering, and an integrated electronic stability program (ESP), safely managing 13-degree slopes, cobblestones and rough terrain without slippage or tipping. And when it's time to travel, it breaks down into five modules for easy trunk storage. It looks like a genuine move forward for this kind of mobility device.

xTool M2 Color Craft Laser

The xTool M2 is the first desktop machine to combine full-color CMYK printing, laser engraving and laser cutting into one enclosed Class 1 system, delivering a full print-then-cut workflow. Simply print your full-color design onto a piece of wood, leather or acrylic, and the xTool M2 Color Craft Laser cuts or engraves the exact contour with camera-guided precision. And there's a built-in air-assist pump, an industry first for a semiconductor laser, that keeps cut edges clean by reducing carbonization and yellowing.

Having these three capabilities in a single device is a huge power-up: instead of having to print on one machine and engrave or cut on another, you can turn your raw idea into a finished, professional-looking product in a single operation. It's ideal for stickers, labels, signage, personalized gifts, and small-batch products — you could start a whole business with this one device. And because it's an enclosed system, it's also very safe.

Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount

The Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount answers an interesting question: what if your TV mount was as smart as your TV? The AX1 is an AI-powered, motorized TV mount that can automatically adjust the height of your TV to different viewing positions, so for example you might have it low for solo TV watching, but raised for watching sports with friends, or for following an on-screen fitness app or motion-based game.

The AX1 is controllable via gesture commands, its mobile app, via remote control, or via Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. It can distinguish between single- and multi-person viewing, with the latter calculating the best screen height for the group, and it's capable of moving a 200-pound / 90kg TV up to 15.7 inches / 400mm vertically, with real-time obstacle detection that stops and reverses the move if the path is blocked.

Speediance Gym Monster 3

The brilliantly named Gym Monster 3 delivers serious strength training for home workouts, combining the experience of a Smith machine, barbell, dumbbells, cable machine, rowing machine, pulley system, and squat rack into one streamlined setup with up to 200lbs / 90kg of intelligent digital resistance.

Twin 800W direct-drive motors deliver smooth, consistent resistance through every rep, and it's adjustable in one-pound / 0.45kg increments, so you can progress at your own pace, rather than make big jumps you might not be ready for.

The Gym Monster 3 is controlled via a clever Bluetooth Ring Control that enables you to make adjustments without stepping away or breaking your flow, and it features four dedicated training modes: Standard, Chain, Eccentric, and Fixed Speed. It also features a built-in AI coach that can guide you from your first session onwards.

Midea GreenApex Dishwasher

The humble dishwasher hasn't changed much since Josephine Cochrane's 1886 invention went electric in the late 1920s and gained spray arms in the 1950s. But the Midea GreenApex is very different from traditional grease-busters. It's a dual heat-pump system that uses a single coordinated heat pump platform to deliver washing, rapid drying, and dry storage in a single appliance.

The GreenApex is 50% more energy efficient than conventional dishwashers, delivers 30-minute rapid drying and 168 hours of dry storage without continued system operation, and offers gentle heat-pump drying at around 45°C, so you don't need to worry about high temperatures damaging more delicate items. It feels like a major leap forward for an appliance type that doesn't often have the phrase 'cutting-edge' associated with it.

Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra

The Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra Security Camera features an innovative, decoupled dual-lens tracking system in which the individual lenses operate fully independently of one another. Unlike in other dual-lens or hybrid zoom security cameras, the two lenses here are not mechanically linked, so the fixed 130-degree 4K wide-angle lens never moves, while the telephoto camera is free to rotate anywhere, including to cover areas outside the field of view of the main lens.

This means that when the 4K camera's on-device AI spots a person, vehicle or animal, it triggers the pan-tilt camera to lock onto and follow that subject even after they exit the wide camera's field of view — but you don't lose any recording from the wide camera's view during that time.

You can also use the wide-angle view to redirect the pan-tilt camera to a particular location by simply tapping that point in the live camera view, or have the wide camera and the pan-tilt camera monitoring two distinct locations, such as your driveway and a side gate.

Navimow H510 Pro

The Navimow H510 Pro features four key innovations: precise edge finishing, zero-turn steering, adaptive mowing intelligence, and 3D modelling.

Rather than edging with a trimmer line, which can be noisy and cause minor damage, the H510 Pro has an extendable robot arm that performs zero-gap edging quietly and safely — it's the most interesting and smart version of this technology that we've seen.

The all-wheel-drive system protects your turf too, with a zero-steering system that avoids dragging the wheels across the grass during lateral turns. And the Adaptive Mowing Intelligence feature analyzes grass growth patterns to determine the optimal mowing frequency, using the 1/3 cutting rule to preserve lawn health.

With 3D terrain modeling rather than the industry-standard 2D, and a sensor array including infrared as well as LiDAR and vision for low-light reliability, and triple-sensor avoidance to protect wildlife, the H510 is a smart solution for even the most challenging lawns.

DJI Romo 2 Series

The Romo 2 Series is a robot vacuum that won't be defeated by obstacles such as deep rugs, sliding door tracks and other barriers. That's because it has robotic legs that can step over obstacles as high as 4cm, and double-step thresholds up to an impressive 8.5cm.

It also features a built-in LiDAR-guided ultra-wide-swing robotic arm to extend the mop's reach, and its powerful suction system features an automatically lowering plate that forms a semi-seal on carpet for better extraction of dust and allergens.

The Romo 2 Series also benefits from the tech of DJI's flagship drones, with a Structured Light-Speckle projector and dual fish-eye vision sensors for full 3D depth perception. It can detect items such as cables and training pads as thin as 2mm, and its AI can distinguish between debris and liquid, as well as deal with transparent obstacles such as glass doors and mirrors.

Acer Vero 16

With so many laptops sacrificing easy maintenance and repairability for super-skinny styling, the Acer Vero 16 is a breath of fresh air. While it doesn't skimp on style or power — it's highly portable, delivers up to 180 platform TOPS with an Intel Core Ultra X9 processor 388H, and can be configured with a stunning 16-inch 3K OLED display — it's made with longevity in mind.

A tool-free latch provides easy access to the Vero's innards, and the battery and SSD are replaceable, while the system is designed to support the next two generations of processors if you want to upgrade. Fully 70% of the chassis consists of a blend of PCR (post-consumer recycled) and bio-based oyster shell material, and it meets US military standards for toughness. This is a laptop that's built to last, in a way that's rare to see — and very welcome.

Asus ProArt GR1X

The Asus ProArt GR1X is tiny, measuring just 150 x 150 x 51mm. But there's nothing small about its specification. Designed for advanced content creation and local AI workflows, it delivers data center-class compute inside a mini PC, removing the need to run LLMs remotely while eliminating cloud latency, cost, and IP protection concerns for pro creators.

The ProArt GR1X features the groundbreaking Nvidia RTX Spark 'superchip', which means you get a 20-core Grace CPU and a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, delivering up to one petaflop of FP4 AI inference performance. With up to 128GB of LPDDR5X unified memory at 9,400MHz, it enables you to run up to 120B-parameter LLMs locally, and render entire 3D scenes on-device in Windows 11.

That kind of power demands highly efficient cooling, and Asus has developed an advanced precision-cooling system that delivers 1.6x more efficient thermal coverage than standard compact systems. Asus also solved the challenge of metal-enclosure signal attenuation by embedding the Wi-Fi 7 antennas behind a glass-like signal-transparent material. It's quite the design coup, and an impressive showcase for Nvidia's new elite chip.

EcoFlow STREAM 5000 / STREAM AC 5000

The EcoFlow Stream series is a plug-and-play modular system for residential solar energy generation and storage that's designed to be renter- and apartment-friendly. It can add battery storage and smart power-management to existing solar PV installations, as well as being employed to create a new home system from scratch.

The Stream Series features EcoFlow's Oasis 3.0 home energy management system, which understands dynamic energy tariffs, keeps an eye on the weather forecast, and continuously analyzes your home energy needs to optimize generation, storage and consumption.

That means you can give the EcoBot AI agent instructions such as "I need my car charged by 7am tomorrow at the lowest possible cost" and it will implement the necessary steps, or have your energy schedules reconfigured automatically when you have visitors or other instances of increased demand.

From October the EcoFlow Stream series will also get a new feature: Local Mode, which gives you uninterrupted operation and local app control even if there are cloud or connectivity outages. It's a very powerful (no pun intended) system that's been designed with the real world in mind.

Tapo D260

The Tapo D260 wired/wireless security camera is a video doorbell that delivers all the benefits of high-spec security without the potential downsides: it stores facial recognition data locally to protect privacy, and no features are locked behind a subscription. It's advanced, yet totally cost-free once you buy it.

It has 4K resolution, a wide 180-degree field of view to cover the entire doorway, and delivers sharp detail in subjects up to 30 feet away.

The D260 features multiple intelligent detection and recognition features, including radar as well as the obligatory infrared motion sensor. These enable it to discount false alerts from things such as moving branches or passing headlights, while on-device AI can recognize people, packages, vehicles, and animals.

If you wish, you can opt in to build a library of family and friends using facial recognition, and there's even a voice changer to disguise your voice when speaking to unfamiliar callers. In a world where people are sick of subscriptions, this offers a great security upgrade without the monthly fee.

• JLab unveils new earbuds offerings at IFA 2026
• Highlight is JLab JBuds Mini ANC with support for Apple Find My
• Also new sports earbuds and a shiny 'Jelle' design

As part of the IFA 2026 proceedings, affordable earbuds brand JLab has unveiled a few new offerings — but the highlight is a product we already knew about, that we're seeing in a new way.

Back when they were first unveiled in January, we gave the super-small JLab JBuds Mini ANC a whirl and found them so bijou that they could fit on your keychain (and with a price to match most keychains, too).

But now, these affordable earbuds officially work with Apple's Find My for the first time (a feat not easy to achieve outside of Apple's AirPods and Beats products), so you can use your iPhone to locate the lost buds. Given that you're likely chaining them to your keys, this effectively lets the JBuds case replace your AirTag 2. All without a price hike: you're paying $42.99 / £39.99 (about AU$80) for them.

Feature-wise, that's the highlight. Design-wise, you could argue that it's the brand's new 'Jelle' style which takes the spotlight. This is a new range of color options is based on gel nail colors and is launching for the Mini ANC, as well as the JBuds Luxe, which will sell for $84.99 / £79.99 (around AU$160) in these new finishes.

While most earbuds and headphones aren't that shiny, with their matte plastic, Jelle is very shiny. The products come in five different color ways, each of which is very shiny, like a jelly. It looks like your earbuds were ripped straight from the Simpsons.

Two real new earbuds

There are also two all-new, never seen 'til now pairs of earbuds JLab's showing off at IFA.

Firstly, we have the JBuds Open Sport 2, which are new hook-style open earbuds that act as an update to the JBuds Open Sport (surprise surprise), and will cost $52.99 / £49.99 (about AU$100) when it goes on sale later this year.

These bring several key spec upgrades over their predecessors. The headliners are a much better battery life, jumping up to 45 hours when you include the case, and new audio tools to better close the open-ear gap.

Then we have the JBuds Go Sport ANC, which are due to sell in mid-September for $42.99 / £39.99 (about AU$80).

The Go Sport ANC are hook-style sports earbuds with a tip, unlike the Open, which offer a key upgrade over the pre-existing Go Sport; the addition of noise cancellation. It'll let you enjoy a rigid fit and drown out some of your surrounding sounds.

While the JBuds Mini ANC and Jelle-fied devices are on sale now, you'll have to wait for these sports earbuds. I can see them being very popular in the end-of-year sales though.

• Baseus Bowie MC2 open-ears launched recently, gaining our glowing review
• Baseus Bowie MC2 NC just made their debut mere weeks later, at IFA 2026
• This model adds noise cancellation and comes at a slightly higher price

It seems like only yesterday I was reviewing the Baseus Bowie MC2 cuff-style earbuds, which I thoroughly believe are some of the best open earbuds for people on a budget.

It was actually about two weeks ago, but the brand is already back with a follow-up to the buds.

At annual tech conference IFA 2026, the wraps have been pulled off the Baseus Bowie MC2 NC, which have one main change over the existing earbuds: the addition of noise cancellation. (You got it from the title didn't you?)

The Bowie MC2 NC are due to go on sale at some point this month, for a slightly-higher price of $99.99 (likely about £99.99, based on the non-NC buds' price). The previous pair sell for $79.99 / £89.99 (about AU$180), so you're paying a little more for noise cancellation. As you'd imagine.

Mostly, these are the same earbuds, with an identical feature set, sound profile and charging case. The latter's stamina is stated to be slightly better, with a 60-hour battery life, but given how much of a power drain noise cancellation is, the resulting battery life will likely be less.

Noise cancellation in a noise uncancelling bud

Noise cancellation is an odd feature for open earbuds — and it's very rare to see it in this ear cuff-style design. ANC typically removes background sound, but the entire point of open earbuds is to allow you to hear what's going on around you. Very few open-earbuds makers have offered any degree of noise cancellation; Honor's Earbuds Open and Shokz' OpenFit Pro are two of the few examples that do, but both sport a more 'traditional' open-ear shell design, rather than the Baseus Bowie's cuff shape.

In practice, though, I get it. You might want to hear what's going on around you while you're stood beside a busy, dangerous road, but not when you're on loud public transport. Some degree of versatility is welcome.

Cancelling sound on these buds is a technical challenge, though. It's hard to remove background noise from music, when these sounds are coming around the bud too. It's like trying to block a river, with a dam that only covers half of it.

To solve this problem, Baseus has redesigned the 'air cushion', or the comfy padded layer around the Bowie MC2's bud. This apparently now blocks up your ear better, to create an acoustic seal that can better block surrounding sounds.

Whether there's appetite for noise cancellation in noise uncancelling buds remains to be seen, but it's good that there are options; this is, as far as I can recall, the first clip-on pair I've heard of with the feature.

They say the old ones are the best ones, and in the case of the Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones, there’s certainly a case to be made. While the now-iconic cans are six years old and have spawned two successors, we still rate them very highly here at TechRadar, especially when they can be picked up at a discounted price, such as AU$299.99 right now at Amazon.

Yes, they have gone lower in price before, but this is the lowest I’ve personally seen in recent months — they tend to regularly hover around the AU$329 to AU$349 mark, so for them to now dip just below AU$300 is worth shouting about.

The Sony XM4s were, for a long time, sitting pretty atop my guide to the best headphones in Australia. They did eventually have to succumb to the sonic talents of their newer sibling, the Sony WH-1000XM6 but, make no mistake, the older XM4s still offer an awful lot to impress.

For starters, they’re much, much more affordable. While price drops on the XM6s are becoming more common, they’re still very much a premium set of cans that still cost north of AU$550. In fact, if you consider the XM6’s launch price of AU$699, you could get two pairs of the discounted XM4s with change instead.

With regard to all other aspects you’d want to consider when buying a pair of headphones, the Sony XM4s tick multiple boxes. Their active noise cancellation system still holds up, and is capable of blocking out all but the highest of frequencies.

As for sound, again there’s little to fault. As we said in our Sony WH-1000XM4 review when listening to Janelle Monae’s Make Me Feel, “From the bop of the percussion to the wall of sound that accompanies the pre-chorus, it sees the Sony WH-1000XM4s firing on all cylinders, with expressive dynamics and clear and distinct separation between each instrument.”

We also love their fold-flat, travel-friendly design — something Sony decided to ditch with the successor XM5s — and their 30-hour battery life. There's even a Quick Charge feature that nets you five hours of playback time from just 10 minutes plugged into power.

As mentioned, this AU$299.99 deal is the lowest I’ve seen in a long time, and that means it might not last forever. At this price, your options for truly talented headphones are limited, however I have found a couple of alternatives:

• For AU$50 more you could get the Bose QuietComfort Headphones SC
• Or for AU$50 less you could opt for the newer, more colourful JBL Live 780NC

• Beyedynamic has unveiled its Aventho Y wireless over-ears at IFA in Berlin
• They're packing 90-hour stamina, a folding design, and a battery storage compartment in one ear cup
• There's an optional 'upgrade bundle' with a low-latency USB-C dongle/detachable boom mic

Looking for all-new headphone releases at IFA 2026? You came to the right place. At the Berlin tech expo, Beyerdynamic has just taken the wraps off its new wireless cans in all four novel colorways.

With the tagline 'Four colors, four feelings, one WHY', you can probably guess that Beyerdynamic is going deep with these cans, and the firm is calling the model its "most personal headphone yet, designed to adapt to the way you listen".

As you'd expect in 2026, there's active noise cancellation on the menu, but one particular claim on the spec sheet — "more than 90 hours of battery life" — is what really got my attention.

Let's dig into the striking aesthetics first, shall we? It's not unusual for Beyer to go bold (who could forget the debut true wireless guitar-pick shaped Free Byrd or delightfully 8-bit Custom Game headset), and here, there's a nice stylized 'Y' on the reassuringly big ear cups.

What of those finishes? Beyer tells me that each of the four colorways represents a different emotional connection to sound, but make no mistake — every Aventho Y set of headphones delivers the same sonic tuning, features and performance.

Anyway, your finish options (as described by the audio specialist) are:

Liquid Black — Focus & Depth: grounded, confident and immersed
Blue Fusion — Calm & Escape: relaxed, open and free
Soft Jade — Clarity & Renewal: refreshed, balanced and inspired
Peach Blush — Warmth & Connection: comforting, soft and uplifting

I mean, I'm not not intrigued…

Find your Y

Beyerdynamic wants you to know that versatility is at the heart of the Aventho Y. And here, versatility comes in the shape of various optional accessories, including ultra-soft black or grey velour ear pads and an upgrade bundle featuring a low-latency USB-C dongle and detachable boom microphone.

Another plus is that they're genuinely designed for long-term ownership. The design folds and features a user-replaceable battery, magnetic ear pads, aluminum sliders and stainless-steel hinges that the company assures us are easy to replace. An integrated storage compartment inside the ear cup even keeps the optional USB-C dongle and spare battery protected and easily accessible.

Bluetooth 6.0 is here with multipoint connectivity, and while that 90-hour battery life claim is with ANC off, you should still get up to 60 hours with ANC on, and just five minutes of fast charging will apparently provide up to six hours of playback. To be clear: those claims are big.

Through the Beyerdynamic app, listeners can customize EQ profiles, explore genre-based sound presets, receive firmware updates, and manage smart settings such as auto power-off.

Take note though: your basic purchase includes a USB-C charging/audio cable and a soft carrying bag, so lovers of hard-shell cases may need to look elsewhere.

Pricing? Of course. The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y will be available for a refreshingly affordable $149.99 (so around £110 or AU$208) very soon, but anyone lucky enough to be visiting IFA 2026 in Berlin from tomorrow (September 4) can experience the Aventho Y firsthand at the Beyerdynamic booth, located in Hall 4.2, booth #147.

Something for our best noise-cancelling headphones buying guide perhaps? We're working on a full review, so when we know, so shall you.

We've always been fans of Sony's high-end noise-cancelling headphones here at TechRadar, so today's excellent price cut on the Sony WH-1000XM5 in the Amazon Labor Day sale is an easy recommendation.

Right now, you can pick up these headphones for just $198 (was $399) at the retailer, which is a match for the previous record-low price. They've only dropped to $198 on one previous occasion back in late June, so this is a fantastic deal all around.

It's a good opportunity to snag a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones for work, commuting, or even college — although anyone will appreciate just how good these headphones are. Although they've recently been superseded by a sixth-generation model, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are still among the best headphones you can buy right now.

Highlight features for the Sony WH-1000XM5 include rich and detailed sound, superb active noise cancellation, and a comfortable fit that's perfect for all-day use. At the time of release, we thought they were pricey, but today's discount at Amazon definitely addresses that particular issue.

Sony WH-1000XM5 record-low price at Amazon

• See more: check out all of today's Labor Day deals at Amazon

When we originally reviewed these headphones, we awarded them a full five out of five stars, calling them "the best headphones in the world thanks to their class-leading noise-cancelling features and well-balanced audio.” Even though a few years have passed, they're still exceptional in terms of performance — and much cheaper than the newer sixth-generation model.

The only real reason to get the newer headphones, in my opinion, is if you're desperate for a folding mechanism. The M5 (unlike the M6 and M4) don't have folding hinges on the headband, which is an annoying oversight that means they're a little less portable overall. If you can live with that, however, there's very little reason to skip today's discount over at Amazon.

• Belkin unveils SoundForm Isolate and Dot earbuds
• Offer ANC, Multipoint and ear wings for a really low price
• Also, there's a new set of child-focused over-ears

You may know Belkin as a company that typically sells power banks, phone cases and charging cables, but its range is diverse and now includes some potential winners in the audio sector.

At IFA 2026, the brand has expanded its fledgling audio family with two new super-affordable pairs of earbuds, each of which offers Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) at a price far below rivals.

There's the SoundForm Isolate Buds, which sell for a very palatable £39.99 (about $54, AU$80), and the SoundForm Dot Buds, going for £29.99 (around $40, AU$60). Those names are meaty, but hopefully the audio is too.

Don't confuse the SoundForm Isolate Buds for the SoundForm Isolate; rookie mistake. Those are existing over-ears. Add 'Buds' for the new products.

Also, when it comes to the Dot option, you can select a model with or without ANC, because Belkin wants to give customers the choice. And the set that can't cancel noise can be yours for just £19.99 (around $26 or AU$36). Dot Got it? Good.

As luck would have it, we've got feet on the ground in Berlin at IFA, and my colleague Harry Padoan got a quick listen in with the SoundForm Isolate (main image and below).

His early thoughts? "From my brief time using the earbuds, they sounded very bass-heavy out of the box. The low-end was powerful and fairly regimented too, which is ideal for more energetic tracks," Padoan said. "While this could sometimes mean that vocals and mid-range sounds weren't the clearest in the mix, the audio quality seems relatively solid overall for the price you pay."

These options have been released alongside the SoundForm Play, over-ear headphones which are intended for "older kids".

Dot's the deal?

Both of Belkin's new earbuds are sold on an important promise: ANC for a lot less than Bose, Sony or Apple. But these buds have a few other benefits.

The Isolate offer Multipoint connection, a clear call quality mode, and a 32-hour battery life. They come with a wing-style design, with a ridge that keeps them locked in your ear, which should make them suitable for workouts.

The slightly cheaper Dots miss out on the wings, and have a slightly lower battery life at 30 hours, but still get Multipoint and clear calling. They also come in both ANC and non-ANC versions. The non-ANC model costs £19.99 (about $25, AU$40), so they're super cheap, but do miss a pretty useful tool.

Conspicuously absent? Any mention of the buds' audio architecture. It seems, then, that the feature list is the real selling point here; don't expect incredible sound (perhaps you guessed that from the price).

You'd be forgiven for being apprehensive about buying earbuds from a charging bank company, even a well-known one such as Belkin. However, many similar companies have begun making the jump into audio: Anker's Soundcore now makes some of our favorite earbuds, and Baseus is following suit — and both are also showing products at IFA.

This is because, unlike some spaces within tech, the power bank and charging tech sector is growing quickly (maybe people are holding onto their phones longer in these challenging times?), affording these brands some extra cash to put towards designing new affordable wearables.

What I'm saying is, it's well worth paying attention to Belkin's offerings. I'll be very interested to see if the company's affordable buds can rival our go-to best budget earbuds recommendations.

• Anker sub-brand Soundcore unveils 7 new headphones at IFA
• New wireless open-ears, over-ears and in-ears, as well as sleep buds
• These include Aerofit 2, taking features from some top options released earlier in the year

Released in May, the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro are my favorite earbuds of 2026 so far, leading to a glowing 4.5-star review... and now Soundcore has taken that DNA, and given it a little twist.

I'm talking about the Soundcore Aeroclip 2, which have just been unveiled at IFA 2026. On the surface, they seem like simple successors to the original Aeroclip, and an odd comparison for the aforementioned in-ear buds. But it's all about the feature set.

You see, the Aeroclip 2 come with Anker's Thus chip, the firm's very own internal AI chipset, used in the Liberty 5 Pro. This brings a suite of advantages that other earbuds of this design simply don't have, including clearer call quality, optimized battery life and a listening test. The new buds are due to cost $169.99 / £159.99 (about AU$320) and go on sale on September 22.

Another point of comparison is that both the Liberty 5 Pro and Aeroclip 2 also now have an advanced model: the 5 Pro Max and Aeroclip 2 Pro respectively. In the latter case, as in the former, the big upgrade is a control panel on the charging case, as well as a note-taking and transcription tool which uses the actual case to take notes. The advanced model is due to cost $229.99 (about £200, AU$400) but has no set release date just yet.

Not all of the Thus chip's features are present: I loved its noise cancellation capabilities, but since clip-style earbuds are designed to not cancel noise, naturally that won't show its face here. But if I want ANC, I have plenty of other options...

A busy IFA for Anker

Anker's Soundcore sub-brand had plenty of other devices at IFA.

First up, there's the Soundcore Space 2 Pro, over-ear headphones which build on the Space 2 we saw earlier this year. Again, the improvement is that they use the Thus chip, with noise cancellation that's apparently 1.5x better than on the original model. There's also a listening test, longer battery life and comfier build, with whatever an "optimized headband" is. These cans are set to cost $199 / £199 (about AU$400), and again go on sale on September 22.

Don't want over-ears? Well, Soundcore has standard earbuds too, in the form of the Liberty Buds 2. These are lightweight, without long stems, and weigh 4.7g each. They use 9.2mm wool paper diaphragms, and once again have the Thus chip, for the listening test and clear calling.

You can buy the Liberty Buds 2 on the same day as these other gadgets: September 22. They'll sell for $129.99 / £129.99 (about AU$230).

Soundcore is continuing its line of sleep earbuds with the... Sleep Earbuds 4 (and 4 Pro). These follow on from the Sleep A30, so the brand is changing up its naming conventions here.

These have build-in photoplethysmography sensors to track your sleep stage, heart rate, heart rate variation and other metrics, with "snore masking" and a redesigned shape so they're even smaller. A neat tool is that they offer dynamic audio: if it notices you waking up, it'll start playing a sleep sound to lull you back to sleep.

The standard buds come in October, and I wasn't provided a price. The Pro models come later, in November, and their main upgrade is that they have a screen on the case, so you don't need to use your phone to manage or monitor them.

Finally, we have the Anker RIC Hearing Aids, which continue a growing trend among audio companies: using their tech to create over-the-counter hearing devices. These use the Thus chip, and therefore the clear-calling and Hear ID tools, to boost sounds you struggle to hear. No word on a price or release date for these.

Phew. Take a breath. That's only the tip of the iceberg for Anker at IFA, with charging devices and home security cameras and more, but luckily for this missive, none of them go on (or near) your ear.

Sonos just announced two new big pieces of hardware to its lineup: a Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar and some Sonos Ace Ultra headphones. And while they both sound like solid upgrades to the manufacturer's top-tier audio tech, you'll have to pay a premium for both products.

Luckily, though, as part of this year's Labor Day sales, several pieces of existing Sonos audio equipment are on offer at Best Buy — including the current Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar and the original Sonos Ace headphones.

• Shop all Sonos deals at Best Buy

Firstly, let's start with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) at Best Buy for $369 (was $499). We still rate the four-star soundbar as an excellent compact choice that's a smart buy if you need a simple upgrade to underwhelming built-in TV speakers. It offers an impressively wide soundstage in such a small package and requires minimal fuss to get it all hooked up.

Meanwhile, the Sonos Ace at Best Buy for $299 are a much more tempting buy following this $100 discount. We still liked them enough to award them four stars in our review, but only as a top choice if you're exclusively using them to watch movies.

One thing of note: the new model will have better integration with the wider Sonos ecosystem, so if that's important to you, it may be worth waiting for the new model. Just be aware, though, that they will cost up to $449 at launch, so considerably more expensive than this original version.

There are a couple of other Sonos speakers and soundbars on sale for Labor Day, so do check out all of the deals below.

4 best Sonos deals at Best Buy

Call off the sniffer dogs: I've found the best Labor Day weekend headphone deal (some might say, the only such discount worth considering), so you can stop hunting around for good bargains.

I'll cut to the good bit: the Sony WH-1000XM5 are now just $198 (was $399.99) at Amazon — a whopping 50% off!

The Sony WH-1000XM5, which we gave a perfect score to in our review, are back down to their lowest-ever price. Banish the thought of these $399 cans, they're now down to $198 (which is actually just over half off) at Amazon.

All four color options are down to this low price too; we've seen the headphones dip to this price before, but only once, in June of this year. There are some other discounted cans, but nothing like the Sonys; let's call off the search and I'll see you again next year.

Despite being a few years old, these are still stellar headphones, especially at the cost; the newer Sony WH-100XM6 headphones are reduced in the Labor Day sales, but only down to $398, so these 5th-gen models are the true bargain.

If you want something even cheaper, the entry-level Sony WH-CH520 are now just $38, down from $69.99, again over at Amazon.

These are more affordable Sony models, with balanced sound but some missing features and a less-premium design. The XM5s are the real bargain of the day, thanks to all the extra features they offer.

Today's best Sony WH-1000XM5 deal

Any flies in the ointment? Sonically, no. Even at full price these headphones are the real deal. The only minor issue, if I'm being really picky, is that this model doesn't fold up for easy and compact transportation — although you do get a lovely case, in which the cups will lie flat.

Other than that, this is the easiest deal recommendation I've ever made, days ahead of Labor Day. I'll go ahead and clock off early eds, if that's all?

Shop more of today's best Labor Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Appliances: up to $1,200 at Samsung
• Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
• Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
• Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $349
• Saatva: up to $625 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off 4K, QLED & OLED TVs
• Target: 45% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: 58% off back-to-school, furniture, & clothing

Sonos, a name synonymous with effortless home audio, has had a somewhat spotty track record in recent years. The audio quality has been unfailingly excellent, but Sonos software efforts have been an enervating mix of doing too much and too little, leaving customers not just cold but actively frustrated. Its latest updates and innovations are quite different: The introduction of a unifying platform, Sonos 27, and the threads that can pull it all together in something unironically called Sonos Fabric, which Sonos says is a name for a unifying subsystem that has long existed, though not with all of these capabilities.

I reached this conclusion on Tuesday as I sat in a darkened space and watched relatively new company CEO Tom Conrad dash from one demo living space setup to another, carrying a pair of Sonos Play speakers. He placed the pair of them on a credenza opposite the new Sonos Beam Ultra and then, without touching the Sonos app or even fiddling with the speakers, transformed the three audio sources into a unified surround sound system. And when he was done integrating the small speakers into the larger sound system, Conrad simply picked up the Sonos Play speakers and returned them to their original space. The speakers then reconnected to the standard Sonos Wi-fi network and resumed their regular roles.

This is Sonos 27 and Fabric at work, where Sonos products know when they're being lifted and moved and then can communicate ultrasonically with the Beam Ultra, which then makes a small mesh network connection to build a super-low-latency surround system.

It looked and sounded like magic and is exactly the kind of dream audio scenario I imagined when buying disparate speakers. Sonos, which has always allowed its speakers to communicate and create stereo sound systems, has long held the promise of this kind of automation, but it was never possible before Fabric.

It's a hardware and software feature that could excite existing customers and even inspire a legion of new ones.

Doing what makes sense

Where Sonos' software development once seemed sort of aimless and disconnected from consumer demands, Conrad's Sonos appears to be hyper-focused on doing only what makes sense for its customers.

Take its Sonos 27Voice, which manages to up the intelligence of the Sonos voice system while staying firmly in the audio lane.

Read our exclusive interview with Sonos CEO Tom Conrad

Instead of trying to transform your Sonos speaker into a voice-activated hub for all your smart home needs, Sonos decided to keep the 27Voice fixated on Sonos capabilities, but with a bit of a twist that I think people will appreciate. In Conrad's demo, he asked a sort of rambling question about a musician, and 27Voice quickly connected him to his desired music. Time and again, Conrad's vague queries resulted in sonic pleasure.

Sonos' other strategic gem, though, is openness. So, if you want to ask your Sonos tougher questions, like how to properly cook tenderloin, it'll happily pass only the prompt to another AI of your choice.

This open approach also carries through in reverse, with AI models like Claude, ChatGPT and, yes, Siri, able — via something Sonos calls Sopnos MCP — to control Sonos speakers through the new Sonos platform.

Sonos is also fixing past missteps by, for instance, making sure that new products joining the mix are complete and fully integrated members of the Sonos family.

Music to my ears

The new Ace Ultra ($449 / AU$699), which Conrad at one point wore around his neck as he presented the new products, platforms, and strategies, is a far more complete member of the Sonos family than the original Sonos Ace headphones. Those high-end headphones only connected to the Sonos Arc soundbar. The new Ace Ultra, which includes Sonos's Headphone Engine 2, uses Sonos Fabric and, with a press of a button, can pick up the audio from the Beam Ultra or any other member of the current Sonos audio family. I saw this in action, and it really is a one-button operation.

What has remained consistent in 25 years of operation is Sonos's audio quality (I have an aging pair of Play:1 speakers that I love and use to this day), and even in my brief time with the Beam Ultra soundbar and Ace Ultra headphones, I found impressive audio chops.

The Ace Ultra headphones, which promise 35 hours of battery life (3 hours on a 3-minute charge), feature a new driver and updated adaptive EQ that adjusts each time you put the headphones on. The headphones delivered a wide range of sonic experiences to my ears, which I selected from the new Sonos iPad app. I heard deep bass, sharp highs, and warm mids. I never wore the original Sonos Ace headset, but I can report that these are not only comfortable to wear, but the updated ear foams and greater yoke range and flexibility provide a near-perfect fit and seal.

The button placement, which was new to me, took a bit of getting used to, but I found I liked the volume slider that also doubles as a push-to-pause button. There's also a button that you can push to quickly sync up with the Beam Ultra. Onboard ANC also managed to cut out the thrum of a very noisy demo space.

Similarly, the Sonos Beam Ultra is a relatively compact soundbar capable of producing some very rich sound. There are now 9 drivers, including a pair of upfiring ones dedicated to bouncing dialogue off the walls and ceiling. Sonos says it provides 7.1.2 surround sound, and in my experience, it was loud, clear, and exciting. During the demo, they were playing Godzilla vs Kong, and I immediately wanted to grab some popcorn and park myself in front of the 4K TV and white Beam Ultra soundbar.

Overall, the $699 / AU$1,099 speaker bar seems well equipped to transform any audio-challenged TV.

Both the Ace Ultra and Beam Ultra are on pre-order now and start shipping on September 29.

Sonos appears to be taking some care with the rollouts, with some arriving as soon as next week and others more slowly as previews and early access builds. I'm sure Sonos would love to avoid another calamity where everyone's Sonos app changes at once, and they suddenly lose features or even gain ones that confuse them. I'd argue, however, that these alterations — Sonos 27, Fabric, and 27Voice — are some of the most thoughtful updates the company has produced in a generation, and could turn your disparate collection of Sonos hardware into a cohesive, useful, and sonically pleasing whole.

This year's Labor Day sales are getting underway, and I've already spotted some big savings on several of the highest-rated and most popular headphones we've tested here at TechRadar. I've rounded up the 12 best deals below, including favorites from the likes of Sony, Bose, Shokz, and more.

One of my top picks is the Bose QuietComfort Headphones at Amazon for $199 (was $229). I'm actually wearing some of these excellent over-ear cans right now, and I take them with me almost anywhere I go. They offer fantastic noise cancellation while in the office or commuting, top-tier audio quality for music and videos, and impressive battery life of up to 24 hours. All for a great price, too.

Another strong option is the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 at Best Buy for $139.99 (was $179.99). These remain some of the best bone conduction headphones you can buy today and are a top recommendation for runners if you want to stay aware of your surroundings while out training.

Have a browse through all of my favorite Labor Day headphone deals below, with offers that I don't expect to be beaten until at least Black Friday in November.

12 best headphones deals in the Labor Day sales

• Sony reveals 3 new party speakers: ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7, and ULT Tower Max
• ULT Tower 5, $449.99 / £349 / AU$549; ULT Tower 7, $649.99/ £499 / AU$799; ULT Max $1,499.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,999
• New circular woofers, multiple sound modes, 360-degree party sound

Sony has revealed three new party speakers and — hurrah! — I’ve had the chance to hear them for myself. The Sony ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7, and ULT Tower Max look to offer almighty audio output for parties, DJ sets, or even karaoke sessions, with various ways to play and connect.

These bass-conscious new speakers are built around newly developed large, circular woofers (a departure from Sony's almost rectangular X-Balanced woofer unit, typically seen across the ULT range), and according to Sony, the Max model specifically delivers the most powerful bass in the ULT Power series to date. Their bold designs — which also deviate a fair bit from previous ULT speakers — as well as their massive power outputs and broad connectivity options could make them a major rival for the likes of JBL’s PartyBox models, if the sound is right.

Just how good do Sony’s new ULT speakers sound? I attended an impressive demo and I’ll reveal what I thought shortly. First, let’s run through everything I learned about Sony’s Towers, from technical specifications to nifty new features.

Taking a closer look

Let’s look closer at each of the three new ULT Tower speakers, and go through the key technical details.

The ULT Tower 5 is the smallest in the new line-up, but it still packs quite the punch. It contains a 230mm woofer and two tweeters with a 300W maximum power output. Meanwhile, the ULT Tower 7 boasts a larger 280mm woofer, alongside two mid-range units, and four tweeters — two front-facing, and two rear-facing. The rear tweeters are also angled for a wider soundstage. The ULT Tower 7 has a 420W maximum power output.

Finally, the ULT Tower Max is a true beast of a speaker. It has three woofers, two front-facing, one rear-facing. But it also comes with two-midrange units, and four tweeters, two of which are rear-facing. Its high-power amplifier delivers 2,150W of output, making it one of the most powerful party speakers I’ve ever encountered.

I want to focus in on the woofers for a moment, because Sony were really keen to stress the changes made for the new ULT Tower models. Unlike some previous models, the new Towers have circular driver units for the woofers, rather than the ‘X-Balanced’ alternative.

Sony Product Manager Mike Somerset told me: “X-Balanced is fantastic for a smaller, compact system and maximizing the surface area inside — let’s say, for a rectangular speaker unit, you know. And it also delivers a really great, impressive ‘attack’ bass. But with these, we really wanted to emphasize deep bass — and to be able to do that we’ve moved to this circular driver unit”.

The speakers also have large capacity cabinets and ULT Duct tech, which is intended to help each model produce “deeper, more powerful bass with greater authority”.

Do it your way

As well as talking up the outrageous power of the ULT Towers, Sony was keen to share the impressive customizability of the speakers. That’s because there are a number of sound modes, all of which are designed for specific situations and genres.

There are two ULT modes. The first, Sony says, is intended to enhance deep bass for “a rich, low frequency sound that makes your heart tremble,” with the second made to ramp things up even further for “even greater power, delivering body-shaking bass and strong sound pressure”.

What’s perhaps more interesting, though, are the ‘Flat’ and ‘Live’ options. As you’d expect, Flat is designed to make a track sound as it was intended to at the mixing desk, with a more neutral, balanced approach. Live, however, is focused on delivering a more spacious sound, with a strong emphasis on vocal clarity.

The speakers were tuned with the help of a number of "Hip-Hop sound creators," including producer, songwriter, and DJ, Dready, who spoke with me about the EQ adjustment process. On the Flat tuning, he said, “That’s how I would have it on a DJ set, because obviously on the controller you have the lows, mids, and highs, and we just gave it a nice blend… so, you know, when people take it, they can express themselves how they want”.

Of course, if you want to personalize things even further, you can connect to the speaker with the Sony Sound Connect app and make use of the multi-band custom equalizer instead.

So…how good do they sound?

Do the ULT Tower speakers sound any good? Allow me to go through them one by one.

The ULT Tower 5 arguably impressed me the most, relative to its size and cost. Sure, it leaves out the 360-degree Party Sound feature that the larger models adopt (presumably due to its lack of rear-facing drivers), but its raw power and regimented sound were hard to ignore. When listening to Luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, the speaker showed its considerable versatility. The vocal sample in the intro sounded textured and resonant, but then the drive and power of deep bass hit with surprising impact. Bass, though the clear star of the show, sounded controlled yet powerful, and never shrouded vocals in the mids or drums up high.

We cycled between the various sound modes, and the switch between an ‘attack’ bass and deep bass mode was pretty striking. It was incredibly seamless to sift through the different modes using the ULT logo — which also happens to be a button. It’s too early to say if it’s a sure-fire hit, but for £349 (around $470 / AU$660, but these are guesstimates based on the UK pricing right now, since Sony hasn't disclosed official pricing for these regions at the time of writing), the ULT Tower 5 sounded far more impressive than some rivals I’ve tested in its price and size class.

Things got even louder when we switched to the ULT Tower 7. We tried listening to Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa, and low-frequency sounds were full-bodied, agile, and striking. Treble sounded pretty forward to me, with higher-pitched percussion seeming highly prominent, while vocals sounded clear and well-weighted in the mix.

We also tried out Money by Pink Floyd, which is a great testing track for any speaker. The 360-degree sound seemed pretty effective here, and when pairing two ULT Tower 7s together in stereo mode, the spaciousness of the track was brilliantly recreated. Vocals and guitars sounded tonally accurate and well-separated, but that low-end still came through with immense drive.

Finally, we hopped over to try out the behemoth that is the Sony ULT Tower Max. I’m no stranger to a rave, and the Max made me feel like I was listening to a set at my local venue. I was able to pick a track of my choosing, so I threw on Breather by Chris Stassy. And this perfectly showed off the huge sound of the ULT Tower Max.

The pumping, deep bass was genuinely earth-shaking, and I could almost feel it vibrating through my soul. But spacey sounds in the mid-range still came through cleanly, and were provided plenty of room to express themselves. If you want truly mesmerizing power at a relatively moderate cost (all things considered), then the ULT Tower Max could be one to keep an eye on.

We also tried pairing ten of the ULT models together, and… as you can probably imagine, the results were palpable. Auracast technology allows multiple models to chain together, and even the LED lighting syncs up across each speaker, making for an especially immersive listening experience.

Final thoughts: enticing new designs and competitive pricing

The new ULT Towers feel like Sony’s attempt to genuinely take on JBL in the party speaker arena, with the latter being particularly dominant in this field. The party speaker segment has increased in popularity as of late, and we’ve even seen new entrants like Marshall releasing its Bromley 450 and Bromley 750 speakers.

But could the ULT Towers rival the likes of JBL’s Partybox models? Well, at a glance, I think they could. They offer incredible power, more than a lot of mainstream competitors, they have a new design with attractive lighting, refined sound with rounded woofers, and plenty of ways to make them sound right for you. And that’s not to mention the wide connectivity options, including Bluetooth, RCA, XLR, and USB-C.

For the power and features on offer, they’re also priced relatively modestly, with the Tower 5 coming in at $449.99 / £349 AU$549, the Tower 7 at $649.99 / £499 / AU$799, and the ULT Max at $1,499.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,999.

I was also impressed to see the battery life of the speakers, with 30 hours on the ULT Tower 7 and 20 hours on the Tower 5 — that’s quite a lot of playtime given the power demands. And although features such as 360-degree audio and sound modes are exciting, Sound Field Optimization (which analyzes speaker placement and surround noise levels to offer the best sound possible) are even better. That’s something that could really set this model apart.

We’ll have to test the ULT Tower models out for a bit longer to determine whether they can compete with the best, but so far, it’s fair to say that they’ve impressed me.

Sonos has just made three new announcements: it's launching a new pair of headphones called the Sonos Ace Ultra; it's launching a new soundbar called the Sonos Beam Ultra; and it's rebranding its software side as an "operating system" that it's calling Sonos 27 — and is adding a new AI-enabled voice assistant, new AI agent integration, and smarter ways for its speakers to work together.

I spoke to Sonos' CEO Tom Conrad about the new launches — especially the new software, since any new software changes that Sonos makes will be met with caution from the community, as Conrad and I discussed last time we spoke.

First, here's a rundown of the details of what Sonos is launching, starting with the Ace Ultra. These new headphones will launch at $449 / £399 / AU$699, and bring a new 40mm driver promising improved sound — but more interestingly they're powered by a new chip called the Headphone Engine 2 that means they'll be able to do what people expected the original Sonos Ace to do: they'll be able to work as a standard part of the Sonos ecosystem.

The Beam Ultra, meanwhile, sits between the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the Sonos Arc Ultra — it's a compact soundbar, but it delivers 7.1.2 channels of Dolby Atmos sound, using nine drivers (including two upfiring drivers, which is a first for the Beam range). It launches at $699 / £699 / AU$1,099.

Both of the new products are available to pre-order on September 1, 2026, and will launch on September 29, 2026.

When it comes to software, Sonos has given its platform a name for the first time: Sonos 27. Part of the launch of Sonos 27 is the reveal of Sonos Fabric, which is the name Sonos has given to "the system capability that enables Sonos products to sense each other and adapt to the moment" — and immediately, Fabric is being used to enable smart music switching on the Ace Ultra, and the ability to have portable surround speakers in Sonos home theater setups. Conrad will explain both of those in our interview.

There are two other new elements to Sonos 27, though. Sonos 27voice is a new voice assistant that's based on AI tech, and Sonos 27mcp is a new way for AI agents to connect to Sonos systems and control them.

In our conversation, Conrad dug into why the company is doing all of this and what the company is offering for AI skeptics — so let's get into it, starting with Conrad's explanation of why they wanted to give the software a name at last.

Tom Conrad: When I got the nod to become permanent CEO about a year ago, one of my observations about the company's recent history was that while we had started as a system company, we had spent the last almost decade being really focused on getting great at shipping individual products, filling out the product line with every shape and form that our customers were interested in. Small, medium, and large soundbars; a couple sizes of subwoofer; big amplifiers, small amplifiers; portables… you get the point. And Patrick [Spence, former Sonos CEO] and the team became a really well-oiled machine with respect to hardware execution.

But in doing that, I think the unintended consequence was that at times we took our eye off the ball [regarding] what it meant to bring those products together into a cohesive whole. And someone shortly after I arrived said that the thing about Sonos is it's really 100% hardware and 100% software. And I love that framing, because it's so right. We have these two really hard problems to solve, and if either one of them doesn't get complete dedicated focus from exactly the right people, we don't deliver what our customers expect.

And so, we've done all kinds of things to elevate the software expertise in the company over the course of the last year. And at the same time, we've really invested in the idea that the software is what makes the system. And as you look at how we've taken our products to market through the years, we've always given the hardware a name — Arc and Ace and Beam and Move — but the software has never had a name.

So one of the big announcements this week is that we're giving the software a name. And what we make is really an operating system for audio experiences in the home — and ‘OS’ has always been there in our name! And so we're simply calling the software Sonos 27 because, really, it is that ‘systemness’ that the software provides that makes Sonos. And we're attaching the year moniker to it, because Sonos does get better year after year. There'll be a Sonos28 and a Sonos29 and so on.

Matt Bolton: As soon as I saw the name, my first thought was whether this means we're talking about a planned update cadence, and that feels like it would probably be a different approach than Sonos would have necessarily taken in the past?

Tom Conrad: Yeah, I think one of the things about the company for the last many years is that because we only talked about the hardware, anything we wanted to do in software had to kind of ‘ride along’ on the hardware itself. And so we'd add Atmos, or we'd add voice assistants, or we'd add new surround experiences, but they would always be tied to the fact that we're making a new soundbar, so we can work on home theater experiences. We're making a product with a microphone so we can work on voice products. By separating out the idea of the operating system, we're giving it its own identity, its own road map, its own cadence of release, which we think is a really exciting change for the company.

And our customers can expect that the software doesn't get better only when we release new hardware. And it doesn't even get better just once a year. It gets better all the time through the year, which I think fits a new, modern way that people talk about their software platforms.

Matt Bolton: What we've been seeing more recently is you guys rolling out improvements and features on a pretty regular basis. The question I have as a user is: does this mean that I'm going to be waiting for a once-a-year Sonos 27 update to get new features?

Tom Conrad: I understand that feeling. But I think if you look at even what Apple does now, they once a year talk about their new operating system, and then the features roll out through the year, some of which they've sort of talked about in their big moments and some of which are a surprise and delight along the way, and our model will be exactly the same.

Matt Bolton: I assume this means that you've got a road map already in mind that covers Sonos 28 and Sonos 29. How far in advance are you thinking?

Tom Conrad: We do, for sure. Certainly, the list of things that I want to accomplish in software runs to many years. But one of the unique opportunities in software — unlike hardware, where you have to make these bets that go out, two or three years after you start programs — is that in software, even a big program might be six months of effort.

And so, while I like to have a two- or three-year road map for software, I like to be constantly replanning so that we can react to what's happening in our customers' lives. If you think back three years ago, for example, we hadn’t even had the ChatGPT moment yet. And so, to have a locked three-year roadmap and be resolutely dedicated to that path, not understanding how the world has changed in the last three years, would be foolish. And so we have a plan, but also the wisdom to be constantly reevaluating and reprioritizing as our customers' needs evolve.

Matt Bolton: How far ahead do you plan to communicate to customers what is coming? Like you say, Apple will announce at WWDC things it doesn't expect to necessarily launch until quite a bit later in the year.

Tom Conrad: I think it's likely that we'll do a couple of events or moments a year where we talk about what's coming and what's newly available. And so I think you can expect, in many years, there'll be kind of a fall event, like this one, where we talk about our big plans for the year, and then there'll be kind of a midyear check-in where we'll add to the story.

Matt Bolton: So let’s talk about AI integration. Generally, people have gotten to the point where they're now pretty skeptical of AI features being added to everything, but it sounds like you're taking a practical approach. So how do you assess what you should build and integrate — what you can do with, as you say, the three years of the ChatGPT ‘moment’?

Tom Conrad: I guess we'll start with what we do for skeptics. The things that we do with conversational AI are completely opt-in experiences, to the point that our speakers all have a hard microphone button on them, so you press it, and it literally breaks the electrical connection between the microphone and the rest of the device. So for those who are uninterested in this moment, we provide a platform that I think has incredible utility, even absent modern AI-powered capabilities.

But I think in some ways, the more exciting dimension of what we're doing is that we're really not starting from, ‘Oh, there is this incredible new technology in large language model, generative conversational AI infrastructure, what can we build with that?’ Instead, we're starting from really spending time with our customers and understanding what they might want to do with voice in the context of Sonos in their home. And we have the room to do that because we've been shipping voice assistants on Sonos for nearly a decade, including our own.

And when I talk to customers, they say, ‘I love the idea that I can engage with the Sonos system in my home without taking my phone out of my pocket. It takes a long time for me to get to the app, my partner looks at me sideways. Like, why are you on your phone when we're having a conversation?’ I mean, I think broadly you'd be hard-pressed to find somebody who's like, ‘I wish that the people I share my home with were on their phone more.’ Instead, they're looking for ways to put the phones in a drawer and enjoy being together.

I think voice is intuitively a great way to solve that, and that's why Sonos One, our first product that had a voice assistant, was such a smash hit 10 years ago. I think people understood that this is a great way to engage. But, unfortunately, the [voice] agents themselves really didn't meet the expectations of the customer.

When I go out and talk to people, the first thing they say is not crazily complex scenarios about how to control my smart home in nine different ways — all this stuff that you hear about from other players in the industry. They say, ‘I just want to be able to talk to the assistant about what I want the same way I would talk to a human being.’ I wanna be able to say, ‘Play that album that I loved in college, with the one with the singer from the Cocteau Twins. I think the band did the theme song to that Fox show. What's it called? It's about a doctor who's really grumpy all the time. Oh, yeah. It's called House.’

And, certainly, with first-generation voice assistants, even if they knew the name of the song, they would have to remember that you have to say ‘Play this song by this artist’ and not say the album and not say the artist first — and [we had to] guess what the agent is thinking. So job one, two, three, four, five, and six is: speak to this thing naturally.

The second thing that they say is they don't really care about all of these seemingly made-up examples of things that tech companies seem to think that we want to do. ‘I looked at your calendar and noticed that you have people coming for brunch tomorrow, and the refrigerator says you're out of eggs. So I'm gonna text your wife to tell her that you've gone to the store to get-’… I mean, no one wants the system in your walls to do that stuff in the real world, I don't think.

But they do want to be able to quickly control ‘atmosphere’, I would call it — which means music, means a soundtrack, and often means lighting. And yeah, they wanna be able to set timers. They wanna be able to ask about the weather. Everything else is really far down the list from there.

So we built [Sonos 27voice] to do exactly those things. It's really fast. It's really reliable. It's really resilient to anything you throw at it linguistically. And I think people are gonna be really delighted with just the fact that it just works. One benefit to narrowing the problem domain to exactly what customers are asking for is that we're also able to deliver this with modern infrastructure that is affordable to run, which means that we can make it a standard part of the Sonos system without having a secondary subscription on top — which is another dimension that people, I think, really want. They don't want another line item on their credit card just to be able to control the ambiance in their home.

Matt Bolton: What is the technology in the background? Are you using a particular language model? Are you running on your own servers or tying into someone else's systems?

Tom Conrad: Let me give you the one last piece of the puzzle that we hear from customers, because it will help me explain the architecture. They do also say that they want access to comprehensive world knowledge. I'm in the kitchen. I'm cooking a pork tenderloin. I wanna know what the temperature should be for it to be safe to eat. My wife and I are having a debate about the name of the actor from Ted Lasso. And people want the voice assistants to be able to talk to them about the world.

So you need something that is everything that I described, but also has the wisdom to reach out to a more sophisticated general-purpose model when the query is outside of the domain of ambiance and timers and weather and the stuff that makes up 95% of what people ask. So we've built our own core model that is a purpose-built, fine-tuned, kind of mid-scale large language model, if you like, that we run on our own infrastructure and answers that 95%, and then reliably routes to an external frontier model for the general knowledge or complex questions.

And we'll even do fun things, like if the frontier model can help in the task of figuring out the music, it will do that too. So you can say things like, ‘Find some music that's breaking through on TikTok and filter it through that shoegaze music that I liked when I was in college in the nineties and make a playlist for me.’ And it will use the frontier model to understand what's being talked about on TikTok. It'll use our infrastructure to understand my musical taste, and then it'll build a playlist and go. So that's what we're doing with Sonos 27voice.

Matt Bolton: I assume the frontier model will change over time, but which one are you using for launch?

Tom Conrad: We're not talking about the infrastructure at launch, but you're right to assume that part of the flexibility here is to be able to trade in and out frontier models to optimize costs, et cetera.

Matt Bolton: The other side of the AI features you announced that I'm really interested in is the MCP integration. Sonos has this long history of being relatively developer-friendly and open, which you guys emphasized a lot in the announcement of this OS. So the MCP integration feels like you’re re-embracing the element of wanting people to be making stuff that works with your system.

Tom Conrad: I think one of the exciting things that's happened in the last, not even two years, but in the last six months, is that suddenly we see ordinary people are able to make software, right? And I know we see it all over the company, and we see it all around the world with our customers. Already, unofficial hacked API access to Sonos is a very common, vibe-coded use case, and you hear people, lots of very high-profile people, talking about controlling their system. And then I meet customers all the time who are experimenting with these things.

And so, we're launching Sonos 27mcp, which makes a supported, full surface-area set of actions in the Sonos system available to our customers, to interact with music through any agent that they choose. Sonos will show up in the Claude connector directory — and the ChatGPT connector directory, and the Grok connector directory, and the Gemini connector directory — alongside Slack and Calendar and Figma, all the other things that you might interact with in Claude on any given day.

And you can do pedestrian things like turn the music down in Claude or whatever you’re using on your phone, in their app, in their desktop app, in a web browser. It will have enough context to understand that the music is on your Sonos system, and it will find the music that's playing and turn it down.

And it will also chain tools together, so you could say things like, ‘Look at my calendar and see the party that's coming up, look at who's coming, help me figure out what would be a great set of music to play based on what we know about these people from my email history with them.’ It's a terrible made-up example. But it's really good at chaining together a bunch of tools and its own native inference and doing these things.

And then as you point out, in the sort of hobbyist community, there's this tremendous opportunity to make bespoke control experiences, both software and hardware, using this infrastructure to integrate Sonos into the emerging agentic frameworks like OpenClaw and Hermes. There's going to be dozens of these things that take over, over the course of the next year, and we'll be able to participate in that.

I think it's just gonna be really fun to see what our customers do with this. And I think it's a really unique capability, because to do it well, you have to have both the technical infrastructure — which is to say access to the nouns and verbs of your system through the internet — which very few people have.

And then you also have to have the, like, philosophical perspective that says openness is good, and allowing integration and access from these third-party systems doesn't disintermediate us. It elevates us, and not every company — maybe no other company — has that perspective.

Matt Bolton: It feels like it must be part of building a future-proof system as well, because MCP seems like quite an agnostic approach, and it means that if, say, Apple adds good MCP support to Siri, you don't have to do anything to support it. But at the same time, does it make it any harder for you to develop on your end knowing that you're going to have this really open-ended way for agents to come in and interact with the system? Does that complicate building and planning features in any way?

Tom Conrad: First, just as a footnote, I should say that it may turn out that Apple's answer to all of this integration is not MCP, but what they call App Intents. And we're also, in this moment, shipping App Intent support on Apple's platform, so we have that piece as well. It's kind of a semantically one-to-one mapping — where the connector lives is different, but what you can do with it is very similar.

How do I say this… Maybe the worst of all worlds is to have all of the third-party engagement with your product be done through hacks and unsupported APIs… I have a friend who has a newborn, and he gets up early to work. He wants to be notified when his wife wakes up, so that he could put the coffee on. And so he basically just set [Claude] Fable about the task of, like, ‘Figure out when my wife wakes up’. And so the agent hacked his smart bed. And then he's like, ‘And start the coffee maker [at that point]’. And it hacked the API for his coffee maker.

I don't know that I wanna be on the receiving end of that universe, because now when I change an implementation detail, it breaks these experiences. And I think the customer blames the coffee maker company and the smart bed brand. They don't blame the fact that they essentially had hacked themselves on top of some infrastructure that was never meant to be built upon.

And so I think the new world sort of demands a certain amount of willingness to participate in this, and I'm really excited at the idea that the MCP infrastructure gives us a really nice structured way to not just do it once and have it applied to multiple platforms, but to do it in a way that allows for a layer of compatibility as we evolve the back-end services.

Matt Bolton: The other thing I wanted to ask regarding so much talk of this being an open platform is just how open are we talking? Would we see Sonos 27 on other devices, on non-Sonos hardware?

Tom Conrad: I think, for now, the magic of Sonos really is the marrying up of what we do in hardware and then what we do with software. And so you'd never say never, but at least as it relates to the core audio business that we're in, I think we're focused on making our own exceptional experiences for the home.

I will put a tiny asterisk on that. We have a great partnership with Peloton that started with us tuning the audio experience in their newest equipment, but is extending over time to allow the Sonos system in their customers' homes to become the audio destination for [their products’ audio output]. It's not quite us bringing the operating system into other people's audio hardware, but it’s a good example of continuing the work that we've all already done to integrate everywhere where our customers wanna be.

Matt Bolton: In the Sonos Ace Ultra, obviously the big headline hook for the hardcore Sonos fans is going to be the Sonos system connectivity that people had hoped the first Ace would have. Why is the new Headphone Engine 2 hardware necessary to make that happen?

Tom Conrad: There were two pieces to unlocking the headphone connectivity for the system. The first is that we needed Wi-Fi performance and secure storage transport of [security] credentials, which is deeply embedded into the actual silicon that goes into the headphone. Unfortunately, Ace doesn't have that platform, so we couldn't responsibly bring the feature to Ace without putting your Wi-Fi password, for example, at risk on an open network during configuration. And without the improved Wi-Fi capability of the headset itself, we couldn't get the kind of ‘walk around your home’ networking performance that we wanted for the product.

But to your point, I'm really proud of the original Ace. They're super comfortable. They've got great battery life. They've got best-in-class noise cancellation performance. They're great headphones.

But it is the best example of how, in that chapter, the company had forgotten how important it is to make sure that the products we make are really part of the system, and not just an exceptional pair of headphones. Because let's be honest, there are lots of exceptional headphones in the world.

And so from the jump on Ace Ultra, we knew that we had to do the thing that our customers most wanted, which was to make the headphones an intuitive part of the [Sonos] system.

There are two mechanisms for engaging with this feature. The first is really kind of magical: you can walk up to any speaker that's playing in your home, press a button on the headset, and the music just jumps from the speaker into the headphone. You can then walk to some other part of your house, press the button again as you stand in front of [another speaker], and the music or content jumps from the headphone to the speaker. No app, no delay, no Bluetooth; it's really just the Sonos ‘Fabric’ tech facilitating this effortless, seamless experience around the home.

I said there were two things that unlock this capability. The first is the hardware that lives in the new headphones. The second is something that happens in the operating system itself, which is that — with the launch of Amp Multi — we built a virtualization technology that allows a single instance of the Sonos OS to host multiple instances of the runtime. And what that's for in Amp Multi is that you’ve got one box running four rooms.

We've taken that capability and extended it to the whole modern speaker family, so that this Sonos Play that's sitting on my desk with me can run more than one instance of the runtime. And so the headphones, which don’t have the CPU horsepower to run the full Sonos stack, doesn't have to — because it can nominate a speaker on your network to be its proxy.

And so when you when the music jumps from the speaker [to the headphones], we spin up a virtual instance of Sonos [software] in one of the speakers — it might be the one you're standing in front of, it might be another one that's less utilized — and send audio over the network as a stream to the headphones, rather than running the full stack in the headset.

And what's cool about this is whatever speaker is doing that work still has the performance overhead to run as a speaker to play music for someone else in the home. So it's a deceptively simple feature that has a lot...underneath it.

Sonos Fabric is the moniker that we've given to the fundamental technology of Sonos that bonds, and groups, and links headphones. And the other exciting thing that we're doing with Fabric in this release is that we're enabling what we call portable surrounds, which is the ability to take a Sonos Play or a Move and to use them as surrounds in a home theater setup.

So the idea is you've got Sonos Play or a couple of Moves in the kitchen, the backyard, whatever — for movie night, you can bring them in, set them down [behind you], and use them for the surround Atmos experience in your family room. And then when you're done, put them back to work in other places in your house.

What's so cool about this technologically is that the way a speaker becomes part of your home theater is fundamentally technically different than the way that a speaker joins the grouping architecture of Sonos [for multi-room], because the latency requirements between the soundbar and the surround speakers are much higher.

So when a speaker joins a home theater configuration, it actually, from a networking standpoint, connects directly to the soundbar. It doesn't go through your home network. And so when you take a speaker that was in the kitchen as part of the grouping architecture, and move it into a [home theater] satellite position, a whole bunch of magic stuff has to happen.

First of all, the soundbar and the speaker have to recognize one another. And so we use the accelerometer in the portable speaker to understand that it's been picked up and set down. And when it's set down, we send an ultrasonic signal. If there's a soundbar in the room that can hear it, it sends a signal back, and they do a handshake to figure out left-to-right distance, to automatically tune, and spin up to the home theater networking connection — all without you doing anything. No app involved at all.

It’s another one you kinda have to experience to really appreciate, but I’m super excited to begin to ship these much more flexible home theater configurations. It's unlike anything that the rest of the industry is delivering today.

Matt Bolton: Can you tell me about the new driver design in the Ace Ultra? What did you want to change compared to the previous one?

Tom Conrad: We have just some of the most sophisticated audio engineers in the world working on these products, and they wanted to deliver deeper bass, clearer details, and a clearer soundstage with less distortion. We had the opportunity to go in and build a custom driver for Ace Ultra to tune it in the studio with some of the best, and award-winning audio engineers in the world.

You have to hear it and compare it side by side with Ace, but I think you'll find that it has a deeper bass response, clearer detail, [better] balance across the audio spectrum.

Matt Bolton: I thought it was really interesting that the Beam Ultra comes in kind of as a replacement for where the original Arc ended up in the product range following the launch of the Amp Ultra. Why did you go down the route of squeezing more channels into the smaller Beam body, instead of sticking with the bigger and more flexible Arc shape to fill that role?

Tom Conrad: Our goal was to deliver truly the best midsize soundbar in the world. There are still plenty of people around the world that want a smaller form factor. They want something that can tuck underneath the television when it's sitting on a credenza, or for a smaller television. Or, frankly, they just want an object that doesn't call as much attention to itself as a larger soundbar.

And yet they want full true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos. They want a height experience that puts them really inside the action. And so with Beam Ultra, we built a system that has nine drivers, including two upfiring drivers, that bounce audio off the ceiling and the walls to create that immersion.

If you spend time with any home theater customer, you understand that they really want a pristine dialogue experience where the dialogue always cuts through the busy scenes. And so the center soundstage of Beam Ultra is dramatically improved.

They also want bass that lands with a tremendous weight without having to put a subwoofer into the room. They want music that's expansive and has a clear soundstage. And the creators want products that recreate their intention in the family room with great accuracy.

It's so hard to talk about these products that deliver these sound experiences before people have the chance to experience them in person. But everyone we're sharing Beam Ultra with just can't believe the amount of sound experience and presence you get out of such a small soundbar.

Matt Bolton: So was it the case that when you were speaking to customers, you figured out that if people are buying at this kind of midrange price, they more often want the smaller size rather than the bigger size — even if that adds complication on your end?

Tom Conrad: That's right. I mean, we already have the best-in-the-world large soundbar in Arc Ultra. And so the question really was for the rest of the market: what can we do to make a huge generational leap in capability here? And that's the place that Beam Ultra comes from.

Matt Bolton: It feels like you could have gone with 5.1.2 channels on the Beam Ultra, and that probably would have made people happy if delivered with higher quality. What was there in the development that meant that you settled on 7.1.2 as necessary, or the right option?

Tom Conrad: Well, I think part of it is that we deliver in Beam itself such an exceptional experience around the 5.1.2 experience. We really wanted to find a way to expand the product portfolio rather than just refreshing Beam. And so, in this moment, Beam will stay in the market as our solution for the customer that is more price-conscious and who wants that 5.1.2 experience, and Beam Ultra sits above it to deliver a more immersive Atmos surround experience.

• JBL has just unveiled its new Cove line of home speakers
• 3 models which vary in shape and size (but note the Denon resemblance)
• Designed for home use, and to work with various JBL technologies

When you think of JBL speakers, your mind probably goes to the likes of the JBL Go 5 or JBL Xtreme 5: portable party devices which you take on the go. However, the brand's new offerings are totally different.

JBL has unveiled its Cove range, consisting of three speakers that are designed to stay at home. That's not to say they're not portable, but you're not meant to take them camping or to the beach.

The family is made up of the smaller Cove M1, larger (but portable) Cove P1, and even larger (and not quite portable) X1. All three models are set to sell from October 2026.

All three models have a range of useful features: they can self-tune depending on the room they're in, automatically apply balances to avoid distortion, and pair together to create multi-room noise. They don't just pair with each other: they can also connect with the JBL Bar Mk2 to add real surround sound to your movies and TV.

These are all Wi-Fi enabled speakers, though they can connect via Bluetooth. This means they support Google Cast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect, and they'll apparently also support Alexa+ at some point after launch.

Their design makes us think about two things. Firstly, they'll be able to fight for a spot in our best wireless speakers guide, and second, their resemblance to the Denon 200, 400 and 600 range is hard to overlook — and given our glowing review of the Denon Home 400, JBL's Cove X1 (main image) is up against some stiff competition. That's not to say the new range can't wow us, just that it's tough at the top.

Music at home? Head to the Cove

The cheapest model of the family is the JBL Cove M1, which is due to sell for €229.99 (about $260, £200, AU$400). This has 2x 30mm and 1x 20mm silk dome tweeters, and a 4" woofer.

It's the only model to lack Dolby Atmos support, and it's designed to be compact so it can fit in various nooks of your home.

Next up, the Cove P1 will sell for €449.99 (about $520, £380, AU$760), and it has all the same drivers as the M1.

So why the higher price? Well, it's the only model with a built-in battery, letting you bring the sound into your garden. It'll last for 14 hours, with a recharging dock included to power it up. IT also has an IP56 rating, unlike the other models, in case it gets caught in a spell of rain.

For a little more, you can buy the Cove X1, which will go for €499.99 (about $580, £430, AU$860). It has 4x 30mm tweeters and 2x 4" woofers, so it'll offer a much more advanced sound than its siblings.

It's designed to offer "3D room-filling" sound, and for that price you'd hope so.

• Dali launches budget-friendly subwoofer in colorful colors, to match its Rubik and Sonik 1 speakers
• 8-inch downwards firing subwoofer with adjustable gain and phase, 170W RMS / 220W peak Class D amplification
• Launching in October 2026 for $800 / £429 (about AU$815)

Dali has a habit of making five-star speakers, including the Dali Kupid and Dali Sonik 1, both of which got full marks from us. And now there's a colorful compact subwoofer to give these two speakers even more oomph, if you find bookshelves to be light on low-end.

The new Basik Sub turns your stereo setup into a 2.1 system and solves a problem that applies to any compact bookshelf speakers: there's a limit to how low you can go without putting in bigger drivers. By adding an eight-inch downfiring subwoofer to your setup, the Basik Sub is designed to add the low-end punch that makes music and movies even more entertaining.

Dali Basik Sub: key features and pricing

The Basik Sub features Dali's own 8-inch long throw woofer, which is teamed with an oversized ferrite magnet and a high-flux motor system that Dali says delivers precise control. It also features a long, vented voice coil designed to maintain cooling and minimize compression as you turn the levels up.

Dali went with a down-firing rather than front-firing subwoofer for two key reasons: to deliver more even bass distribution, and to give you more options when it comes to positioning your subwoofer in your room.

Power comes from a 170W RMS / 220W peak Class D amplifier, and there's a built-in dual-stage limiter. Gain, crossover and phase controls are adjustable to make the Basik compatible with a wide range of speaker setups.

Of course, it's not just limited to being used in a 2.1 system — the Dali Sonik range is also designed to be used as surround sounds as well as for stereo setups, so the Basik is a good fit for a budget home theater system too.

The enclosure is made of MDF, features four decoupled feet to reduce vibration and comes in a choice of Solid Black, Solid White, Caramel White, Golden Yellow and Chilly Blue.

The Dali Basik Sub will go on sale in October 2026 with a recommended price of $800 / £429 / €500 (about AU$815).

iFi iDSD GR 2: one-minute review

With the iFi iDSD GR 2, a seemingly arduous task was at hand. British hi-fi brand iFi had to produce a portable DAC/amp that could improve on the spectacular xDSD Gryphon, which we handed a rave five-star review. But boy, did they pull it off.

The iDSD GR 2 provides upgrades that feel meaningful, practical, and tangible. It delivers around 50% more amplification power than its predecessor, making it easier to drive more demanding headphones, all while providing enhanced dynamic range and lower distortion. What’s more, it adds K2HD tech, licensed from JVC Kenwood, which helps to restore warmth and musicality that digital recordings sometimes lose.

Oh, and it fixes our only major gripe with its predecessor, by adding a vivid OLED touchscreen display, making it feel intuitive and easy to use when switching sources, toggling XBass and XSpace processing, or accessing settings. As a result, it easily competes with the best headphone DACs that money can buy.

It's a fantastic performer, delivering articulate, layered, and balanced sound. I paired the DAC/amp with the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000 music player and a range of headphones/IEMs, including the Sennheiser HD 600, and the results blew me away. The GR 2 supplied intricate instrument separation, punchy bass, phenomenal mid-range clarity, and expressive treble, making for a captivating listen, no matter what genre I threw at it.

What’s more, the DAC/amp has higher battery capacity (4,900mAh) with adaptive power, meaning I could indulge in long listening sessions without interruption. Combine that with a neat companion app, numerous connectivity modes, and a lightweight feel, and the GR 2 is the ideal device for audiophiles to carry while on the move.

At launch, the iFi iDSD GR 2 is cheaper than its predecessor was at the point of release, despite making a whole host of improvements. And while it would’ve been nice to see a case bundled in at this price-point, and while there are cheaper options on the market, I still think this model offers impeccable value for money when considering the sheer volume of tech crammed into this little device. As a result, it’s all too easy for me to recommend the GR 2.

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: price & release date

• List price of $529 / £529 / AU$849
• Released in June 2026

The iFi iDSD GR 2 released in June 2026, and is the spiritual successor to the brand’s popular portable DAC/amp, the iFi xDSD Gryphon — a model that hit the market back in 2021. Despite offering a number of upgrades over its predecessor, the GR 2 is cheaper at launch, coming in at $529 / £529 / AU$849.

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: features

• Brilliant OLED touchscreen display
• 4,900mAh battery capacity with adaptive power
• K2HD tech opens up even more textured, subtle playback

The iFi iDSD GR 2 is rammed with features, and improves significantly on its already impressive predecessor.

Some of the most captivating options are back, including XBass and XSpace filters, which you can use in tandem or individually. XBass provides a tasteful bump to low-end sounds, while XSpace aims to deliver a more expansive soundstage — both work brilliantly, and I found myself using them often for more hard-hitting hip-hop and dance tracks.

You can select these via a new OLED touchscreen interface, which is phenomenally responsive and very easy to use. Here, you can access a range of settings, including Bluetooth pairing, dual charge mode, a voice prompt toggle, volume sync and more. The main menu also enables you to sift through the GR 2’s vast array of sources, such as Bluetooth (with higher-res aptX Lossless and LDAC support), USB-C, optical, coaxial, and line in. There’s also a lock button if you want to avoid accidental screen touches.

On top of this, the model features dedicated 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone ports and a USB-C charging slot. Speaking of charging, it will take about 3.5 hours to get to 100% from flat, which isn’t particularly impressive, although I still found that I got quite a lot of playtime from the GR 2 without having to juice it up. That’s because the model features an upgraded battery capacity of 4,900mAh, which should be good for around 7 hours of use — though this will vary depending on volume and if you’re using sound filters.

You can use the GR 2 while charging it via its dedicated USB-C port, a very useful feature if you find you’re indulging in long listening sessions (as I did during testing). The DAC/amp also brings a new adaptive power feature to the table, which balances external power and battery operation. So, if you’ve got the GR 2 hooked up to an external supply, it can prioritize mains power, and in the case that additional power is required, it can be drawn from the device’s battery. The GR 2 will also automatically return to external power if demand drops.

Perhaps my favorite new feature on the GR 2, though, is its K2HD tech, which we saw before in iFi’s considerably pricier and larger iDSD Phantom desktop DAC. This is intended to restore harmonic detail, and bring a track closer to its intended sound, and is exclusively licensed to iFi by JVC Kenwood. I’ll speak more about the sonic benefits of K2HD in the ‘sound quality’ section, but for now, just know that it is indeed a brilliant addition.

Finally, it's worth noting that you can control the GR 2 with the iFi Nexis app, which is incredibly easy to use. It displays all of the options you’d typically see on the device’s touchscreen display, enabling you to easily switch between connectivity modes, adapt volume, toggle on the XBass / XSpace modes and more.

• Features score: 5/5

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: sound quality

• Balanced, articulate, and nuanced sound
• K2HD adds beautiful depth and detail, XBass / XSpace fantastic too
• 50% more headphone drive, but less distortion and greater dynamic range

The original Gryphon was a great performer, delivering impeccable detail, precision, and dynamism, so it should come as no surprise that its sequel is phenomenally talented as well.

Although I tried the GR 2 with a few pairs of IEMs, I conducted most of my testing with the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones, and iFi’s DAC/amp got the very best out of them.

When tuning into a 24-bit 192kHz FLAC of Doralice by Stan Getz, João Gilberto, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, the GR 2 provided a beautifully balanced, insightful listen. Vocals were textured and carefully defined, and the K2HD feature added a nice dosage of warmth. Acoustic guitars were brilliantly separated too, and sounded as if they were operating in a discrete pocket within a broad and nuanced soundstage. Subtle percussion worked away in the right channel and expressive, leading sax also flowed through with personality and natural tonality.

With a more energetic track, Rocking Chair by Mr Scruff, the GR 2 continued to impress. The resonance of bongos in the intro was striking, higher pitched percussion in the treble range came through with vibrancy and precision, and there was an incredibly warm and textured quality to the squelchy bass, which hit with impressive impact — especially with XBass active. Individual instruments, like keys and tambourines were again fantastically weighted and separated, and K2HD added a delicious layer of subtlety and detail that effortlessly restored the richness of the tune’s low end.

Even compared to a strong portable rival, like the FiiO BTR17, the iFi iDSD GR 2 proved to be exceptional. In Felini by Venerus and Marco Castello, the trickling of water was true-to-life and acoustic guitars were expertly separated from emotive vocals. On that subject, iFi’s model just added a bit more detail and depth to the vocals compared to its (still impressive) FiiO rival. The GR 2 exhibited a markedly delicate, raw quality with the vocals and I felt as if I was getting the sort of listening experience the artists had intended.

The capability of the GR 2 to serve up punchy bass, articulate mids, and expressive treble while maintaining such excellent balance across the frequency range has to be applauded. Combining this with its nuanced and precise soundstage — with or without XSpace — and impressive handling of dynamics, it truly feels like the full package.

What’s more, the GR 2 has around 50% more power to drive headphones with (up to 1,513mW RMS) than its predecessor, but it still offers even greater dynamic range and less distortion. So, whether you’re looking to upgrade from the OG Gryphon or get a portable DAC/amp with serious audiophile credentials, I think the GR 2 is one of the best options on the market right now.

• Sound quality score: 5/5

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: design

• Excellent OLED touchscreen display
• Lightweight and pretty portable
• Case can be purchased separately

In terms of design, the iFi iDSD GR 2 is a considerable upgrade over its predecessor, largely as a result of one major change: its touchscreen.

Not only is the OLED color display vivid and clear, but it's incredibly easy and intuitive to use. The touchscreen is responsive and enables you to easily make any changes you want or switch to a different source. You can also adjust the screen’s brightness to your liking, or lock the screen entirely if you want to prevent accidental commands.

Otherwise, the GR 2 has all of the qualities you’d want from a portable DAC/amp. It’s lightweight (at just 0.6 lbs / 268g), has a wide range of connectivity ports, and has a good standard of build. It also has a tactile volume control knob with a small set of physical buttons — all of which are well-sized and effective.

Some may find that there are more ‘portable’ options out there. The FiiO BTR17 I compared to the GR 2 has a considerably smaller footprint, and will fit in just about any pocket. But for the tech stuffed inside iFi’s new model, I’d still argue it’s portable enough, and I had no issue slotting it into my short pockets or a small bag. Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, my review sample never ran hot — not that the OG did either, you understand, but it's often a question we're asked. These products bear plenty of power squirrelled away within a small enclosure, so it's important to mention.

The only thing I would have liked is a case, which has to be purchased separately. But otherwise, the GR 2 is a certified hit in the design category.

• Design score: 4.5/5

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: setup & usability

• Incredibly easy to get set up and started
• iFi Nexis app only adds more seamless usability
• Easy to use interface

The iFi iDSD GR 2 is incredibly easy to start using. Just power the device on and it’s ready to go — no overlong login process, no confusing pairing requests, just plug and play design at its best.

Even if you’re not a seasoned user of DACs or amps, everything is labelled clearly, making it very simple to navigate. The iFi Nexis app also helps you tap into any settings you need on the fly, only heightening the device’s versatility.

• Setup & usability score: 5/5

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: value

• Not the cheapest option around, but still great value
• Less pricey than predecessor at launch
• Impeccable all around quality makes it feel worth the investment

Look, I’m not going to pretend that the GR 2 is a cheap piece of tech. It comes in at $529 / £529 / AU$849, which is a considerable investment to make into your audio setup — but I still think it more than earns its price.

First of all, it's cheaper than its predecessor at launch, but offers 50% more amplification power, a much-improved user interface, K2HD tech, and more. It does all of this while remaining highly portable and delivering stellar sound, and there can be no doubts over the quality you get in return for your outlay.

Yes, you could grab a model like the aforementioned FiiO BTR17 for around $219 / £179 / AU$349, and while that’s a nifty small pick with strong performance and features to match, it can’t deliver the depth of the GR 2, which stuns with its excellent sound filters, wide connectivity options, top-tier audio, and mighty portable power.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the iFi iDSD GR 2?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

iFi iDSD GR 2 review: also consider

How I tested the iFi iDSD GR 2

• Tested across multiple days
• Used with Sennheiser HD 600, Beyerdynamic IEMs, and more
• Compared against rival model

I spent multiple days intensively testing the iFi iDSD GR 2, during which time I spent countless hours listening to music and exhausting its various features.

Most of the time, I used the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones to test the GR 2 out, although I did also use a few pairs of IEMs from the likes of Beyerdynamic. I used the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000 as my main source device, and played a range of file types. And when listening to music, I tuned into tracks from a wide variety of genres, and made sure to compare the GR 2 against a rival from FiiO.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, where I serve as a resident Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve reviewed a range of products, from hulking party speakers like the Marshall Bromley 750 through to reference-grade IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 600.

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• First reviewed: August 2026

• Castle unveils four new loudspeakers in two ranges
• Castle Tintagel sell for lower prices, with refined driver combos
• Castle Walmer are a higher price, and one has an unusual driver layout

When you think about British Castle, you probably think about Windsor, Warwick or the Tower of London; little did I know that the name also referred to a brand making old-school-looking loudspeakers.

I learned the truth because British Castle is back with a new quartet of speakers, all designed and made in the UK.

These new models, named Castle Tintagel and Castle Walmer after the real-life castles (and, in the case of the former, King Arthur's stomping ground), all have an old-school look which really catches the eye. Now, I'm not talking 'ancient castles' old-school — think ’70s wood-on-wood vibes.

The models will go on sale in September. We only have UK prices for now, and there's no word whether the models will sell elsewhere.

Hearing some Wamler audio

The lower-cost new models are the British Castle Tintagel range: the Tintagel 1 costs £1,999 (roughly $2,700 / AU$4,000) for a pair and a duo of the Tintagel 2 sell for £2,999 (about $4,000 / AU$6,000). The former is a two-way standmount, the latter a 2.5-way floor-stander.

The Tintagel 1 combines a 130mm mid/bass driver and 28mm silk dome treble, while the Tintagel 2 keeps that treble, but enhances the low-end with twin 150mm drivers. Apparently the low-end drivers are a real selling point, and are fiber cones that are designed for quick response and controlled low-end.

Despite not being cheap, the Tintagel is aimed as British Castle's entry-level speaker line. It offers a warm sound profile and classic ’70s look at a lower cost compared to its other options.

Then we have the Castle Walmer line. The Walmer 1 is a 2-way standmount speaker which sells for £2,499 (roughly $3,400 / AU$5,000) for a pair, while the Walmer 2 is a 3-way floorstander that you can buy for the sum of £4,999 (around $6,800 / AU$10,000) for a pair.

In the Walmer 1, you'll find a 130mm mid/bass driver and 12x45mm high-frequency true ribbon unit. The Walmer 2 keeps the latter but uses dual 150mm bass drivers and a 115mm midrange unit, with all of these made of the same fibre as we've already seen in the Tintagel — and what's unusual is that one of the two bass drivers is actually above the tweeter and mid/bass driver, while the other one is below them.

Normally, speaker drivers are simply arranged from highest-frequency at the top to lowest at the bottom, so I'm curious as to how this performs.

Not only does this more advanced driver combination keep the Walmer feeling unique, but the ribbon unit apparently offers a unique top-end which is detailed and delicate. The entire Walmer 2 set-up is unusual, with a bespoke mid-range speaker being relatively rare.

KEF LS Luxe: Two-minute review

The LS Luxe is the new high-point — by which I mean ‘most expensive’ — of KEF’s fêted range of wireless stereo speaker systems. Having precisely nothing left to prove where products of this type are concerned in the lower $1,000 / £750 - $3,400 / £2,500 arena, the company has made a decisive move upmarket — and the LS Luxe seems to leave very little to chance where engineering, specification and aesthetic shock and awe are concerned.

You will make your own mind up about the looks, of course; for my money, the ‘eclipse black’ of my review sample is the least successful of the three available finishes, but there’s no denying the LS Luxe is an individual looker in a market where design flourishes are always at a premium. But when talk turns to engineering and specification, subjectivity ceases to be all that much of an issue.

Numerous input options (both wired and wireless), genuinely high-resolution playback (24bit/192kHz is yours if you connect the speakers together, while 24bit/96kHz is available from a wireless connection), and some proven technologies exclusive to KEF serve to make the LS Luxe look like a very serious proposition on the page.It’s only fractionally less serious when it comes to performance, too.

Make sure you’ve positioned the speakers carefully, get beyond the slightly restricted dimensions of the soundstage it conjures… and then there’s a huge amount to enjoy here. Some of the best stereo speakers on the market? Yes.

The LS Luxe is a deftly accomplished listen, able to combine forensic attention to detail with an energetic, almost forceful attitude that brings recordings of all types bounding to life. It manages to combine analysis with entertainment in a way that’s rare at any price.

KEF LS Luxe review: Price & release date

• Launched on July 30, 2026
• Priced $3,999 / £3,499 / AU$6,399

The KEF LS Luxe wireless stereo speaker system is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £3,499. In the United States it sells for $3,999, while in Australia the going rate is AU$6,399.

If you don’t want this to be the end of your spending, KEF will happily sell you a pair of its bespoke ‘S-Luxe’ speaker stands for £799 / $799 / AU$1199…

What of note at the level? The Sonus faber Duetto are the same price and also present a fantastic listen, albeit with a very different aesthetic.

KEF LS Luxe review: Features

• 12th-gen Uni-Q driver array
• Wired and wireless connectivity options
• 560 watts of Class D power plus 200 watts of Class A/B

It’s not the only thing that’s attention-grabbing about the look of the LS Luxe, of course, but there’s no denying that the 12th generation Uni-Q driver array is just as visually impactful as it was when the first generation was revealed back in 1988.

Here, it features a 25mm aluminium tweeter behind a complex waveguide, in the throat of a 165mm aluminum mid/bass cone — as always, the arrangement is designed for optimum time-alignment and superior driver integration.

A more recent KEF innovation, ‘metamaterial absorption technology’, sits behind the tweeter where it’s designed to mop up energy travelling from the back of the tweeter dome and allow for sweeter, cleaner treble response as a result.

The driver arrangement is mechanically decoupled from the cabinet, and a decoupling chassis within the assembly damps any vibrations from the motor system — in both cases, the idea is to reduce the vibration affecting the cabinet structure to an absolute minimum. Low distortion and sky-high clarity are the results KEF is aiming for.

Unusually, KEF has deployed two distinct methods of amplifying the Uni-Q array. Each mid/bass driver feels the benefit of 280 watts of Class D power, while each tweeter is driven by 100 watts of Class A/B amplification — an all-in total of 760 watts of power really ought to prove adequate. KEF reckons a frequency response of 42Hz - 28kHz results from all this very thorough engineering.

Naturally, that’s not the end of it where clever technologies are concerned. KEF’s ‘Velocity Control Technology’, first seen in the XIO soundbar, measures the speed of movement of the cone and compensates for discrepancies between actual and expected values in real time. The ‘Music Integrity Engine’, meanwhile, maintains tonal consistency at all volume levels.

In terms of getting audio information into the system where it can be had at by these various highlights of specification, your options are fairly extensive. Dual-band wi-fi is on board, naturally — there’s also an Ethernet socket on the rear of the ‘primary’ speaker for absolute network stability — and this allows the system to be compatible with Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, the ‘Connect’ versions of Qobuz, Spotify and TIDAL, and UPnP. Internet radio is available too, and Roon Ready status is due to be confirmed much sooner rather than later.

A USB-C slot looks promising, but it’s ‘only’ a 5V output for charging. Bluetooth 5.3 is also on board as an additional wireless option - all the wireless stuff is handled by KEF’s proven ‘W2 Wireless Platform’.

The primary speaker is also home to the system’s physical connectivity. Here that means an HDMI eARC socket, optical and coaxial digital inputs, and a 3.5mm analogue input, as well as a kettle-lead socket for connection to mains power, a pre-out for a subwoofer and an RJ45 socket for connection to the secondary speaker. That secondary speaker makes do with a mains power socket, a corresponding RJ45 and a subwoofer pre-out.

The LS Luxe will support resolutions of up to 24bit/384kHz and DSD128 via its network inputs, 24bit/192kHz via coaxial and HDMI, and 24bit/96kHz via its optical input. If the speakers are connected using the supplied cable, everything is up- or down-sampled to 24bit/192kHz - if you decide the cleaner look of a wireless connection between the two is your preference, then the system tops out at 24bit/96kHz.

• Features score: 5 / 5

KEF LS Luxe review: Sound quality

• Detailed, organised and robust sound
• Eloquent midrange fidelity
• Could conceivably have greater out-and-out scale

First things first: the LEF LS Luxe is not remotely forgiving where the positioning of the speakers is concerned.

The overwhelming majority of stereo speakers I’ve tested, both active and passive, have given their best when toed in towards the listening position — in fact, off the top of my head I can only think of Dali that recommends its speakers should be pointing dead ahead to perform to their full potential. The KEF, though, like only the tiniest amount of toe-in. Too little or, especially, too much and they lose some of the width of their soundstage and a more noticeable amount of sonic height.

Even when ideally positioned, the soundstage they generate is not the biggest you’ve ever heard. It escapes the confines of cabinets quite comfortably, in both horizontal and vertical directions, but is still relatively limited.

Mind you, it’s fair to say a) the soundstage is extremely well laid-out and controlled, and b) that’s just about where my complaints end regarding the way the LS Luxe performs. In every other respect it’s a remarkably accomplished listen, and is undoubtedly one of the most effective pound-for-pound wireless stereo speaker systems around.

No matter if you listen to the avant-electronica of Arca’s eponymous debut album via a CD player connected to the KEFs digital optical input, a 24bit/192kHz FLAC file of David Bowie’s Stationtostation wirelessly streamed from Qobuz Connect or a heavyweight vinyl reissue of Takk… by Sigur Rós from a pre-amplified turntable, the LS Luxe is a remarkably articulate, utterly revealing and deftly punchy system that is likely to steal your time away.

The tonal balance is exquisitely neutral. The KEF is more than happy to get out of the way of a recording and let it dictate terms in this respect. It’s similarly balanced and egoless where frequency response is concerned, too — it digs deep into the low frequencies and hits with real authority and control, while the opposite end has the substance to counteract the brilliance of the treble response, but at no point does the system over- or understate any part of the range.

The balanced and even-handed nature of its presentation goes a long way towards creating a strong impression of fidelity. So does the amount of detail it’s able to retrieve, reveal and contextualise. At every stage it is alert to the finest, most minor occurrences in a recording, in a voice or an individual instrument — and it’s able to give these details the appropriate amount of weighting no matter how fleeting they might be.

Its transient response is thrillingly positive, and the overall sound is eloquently alive and communicative as a result.

And when it comes to communication, the way the LS Luxe resolves the midrange means it’s brilliantly informative where voices are concerned. The minutiae of timbre, texture and technique are all made available, and the KEF can describe the attitude and character of a vocalist just as directly.

Rhythmic expression is confident, thanks to the careful control the system pays to the attack of low-frequency information. It’s a deftly fluent listen at the bottom end, and marries outright punch to a huge amount of tonal and textural variation. And when it comes to the dynamic of a recording, whether that’s the big shifts in intensity and volume or the more nuanced dynamics of harmonic changes, the KEF is an assured and convincing performer.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

KEF LS Luxe review: Design

• Bulk moulding compound allows for organic shape with no seams
• Another Ross Lovegrove design
• Color makes a disproportionate difference to appearance

Q: When did you last see a pair of speakers that look like this? A: Never, that’s when.

The LS Luxe is the latest results of KEF’s ongoing collaboration with designer Ross Lovegrove and, just as with previous KEF/Lovegrove designs, there’s something almost organic about the shape of these loudspeakers.

The use of BMC (‘bulk moulding compound’) as the material for the cabinets means this smoothly curvaceous shape has no edges or visible seams, and is less prone to the build-up of internal standing waves than a more conventional box. It also means the requirement for internal bracing is minimised, so there’s greater internal volume than would otherwise be the case as a result. And there’s further visual drama at the rear of the cabinet: an elaborately shaped and channelled heatsink, fashioned from aluminium, has sufficient surface area to allow the heat from the internal electronics to be efficiently dispersed.

There’s also a fairly large bass reflex port nearby — it features KEF’s ‘Flexible Port Technology’. This means the walls of the port are not completely rigid, which should in theory help keep internal resonance to a minimum.

The LS Luxe is available in three finishes. My review sample is in ‘eclipse black’, which is my least favourite of the three. To my eyes it makes the cabinets look bulkier and heavier than they actually are. Check out the alternative ‘mineral white’ or ‘dusk titanium’ and see if you know what I mean. Regardless of the finish you choose, though, you’ll be the owner of a pair of speakers that are beautifully constructed, flawlessly finished, and both look and feel like the money’s-worth.

KEF didn’t supply me with the cost-option ‘S-Luxe’ stands developed specifically for use with this system, but unless you intend to position your speakers on a shelf or desktop (in which case I will judge you quite strongly) it’s worth factoring this extra cost in.

Other speaker stands work perfectly well, of course — I position the KEF on a pair of Soundstyle Z2, and they perform admirably. But the way the cabinet swoops and tapers towards the base means that a lot of the (regulation size) top plate of my stands is visible when the speaker is in place, and the look is not especially harmonious.

• Design score: 4 / 5

KEF LS Luxe review: Usability & setup

• ‘Wireless’ means either two or three wires
• Remote control handset and app
• A little patience sometimes required when using the app

There’s really not that much to setting up the KEF LS Luxe, and once it’s set up it’s pretty straightforward to operate — but that’s not the same as saying it doesn’t require a little attention.

As already discussed, this is a wireless system that requires at least two wires; both speakers must be plugged into the mains. After that, you can choose to connect the speakers together using a supplied cable, or you can take the hit in terms of resolution and establish a wireless connection between them.

There are a couple of control methods available. KEF supplies quite a nice, metal-fronted remote control that covers off the fundamentals like playback, power, volume and input selection — and there’s also the ‘KEF Connect’ control app that’s free for iOS and Android.

Naturally it duplicates all the remote control functions, and adds in the ability to integrate music streaming services, search for and save internet radio stations, trim the system’s response to suit your specific environment, check for firmware updates and so on. It can be a little lethargic at times, but on the whole it’s a stable and useful user interface.

• Usability & setup score: 4.5 / 5

KEF LS Luxe review: Value

If you want your fancy new wireless stereo system to turn heads on the basis of its looks as well as its sound, you can’t really argue with the value the KEF LS Luxe represents.

If you’re after great build quality and nicely realised control options to go along with the sonic performance and the visual drama, the case for this system gets stronger still. The bespoke stands are no one’s idea of a bargain, admittedly, but in every other respect there’s undeniable value for money on offer here.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the KEF LS Luxe?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

KEF LS Luxe review: Also consider

The Sonus faber Duetto is, in its own way, just as visually arresting as the LS Luxe — it’s more identifiably a pair of speakers, but the established Sonus faber virtue of outstanding cabinet-making means this system looks and even feels the part.

It’s no slouch sonically, either — it’s a composed, informative and periodically thrilling listen.

At the other end of the spectrum (at least where aesthetic considerations are concerned) you’ll find the sonically impeccable, visually challenging JBL 4329P. JBL speakers have looked like this since the middle of the last century, and there’s no denying that in terms of performance they’re a roaring success. Their appearance in your home may cause a row based on their divisive looks, though…

How I tested the KEF LS Luxe

I position the KEF LS Luxe on a pair of Soundstyle Z2 speaker stands, and plug each one into the mains.

I listen with the speakers connected wirelessly, and I also listen when they’re physically joined together.

I stream music using TIDAL Connect and also access a lot of hi-res content from a Synology BeeStation Plus NAS device.

I connect a preamplified turntable to the analog input, a CD player to the coaxial input, and an OLED TV to the HDMI eARC socket. This means I’m able to access lots of different styles of content, in lots of different digital file types, and in a variety of resolutions.

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• First reviewed: August 2026

Spotify, I’m I owe you a huge apology.

For the past decade you’ve been my loyal music companion, but despite my tumultuous relationships with some of your features, your unmatched ubiquity means I can freely use you across my devices — with the exception, until recently, of my TV.

My Hisense 43A6NTUK smart TV is one of my favorite pieces of tech, despite it not being in the same caliber as the best TVs we test here at TechRadar, but it had been letting me down because of one thing: VIDAA OS didn't support the Spotify app.

Until now that is. Spotify launched on VIDAA TVs at the beginning of June, but I wouldn't have known this if I hadn’t been casually flicking through my TV’s app carousel. After waiting for the best part of two years for it to arrive, you can imagine how excited I was.

Since the best music streaming service landed on my TV not a day has gone by where I haven’t used it, and it’s filled a huge void. And something miraculous happened in the process: I now enjoy viewing music videos on Spotify.

I've experienced a revelation

Prior to buying a smart TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick was my streaming device of choice, and it has always supported the Spotify app. While I enjoy my playlists on mobile, streaming Spotify on the big screen offers an entirely different experience.

It’s not news that Spotify’s music video interface and I haven’t got along — its mobile experience is too clunky and disorganized for me — and I’ve always used YouTube to stream music videos as well as my favorite web shows. Even if it meant enduring a painful amount of ads, I’ve always stuck by YouTube’s side.

I’d gotten used to YouTube’s way of doing things in the absence of Spotify’s TV app, but as soon as that app arrived I fancied trying something different. The result? Goodbye YouTube.

Before now, I’ve never understood why I could never get along with the Spotify music video interface, but I could with YouTube; then it clicked. It wasn’t Spotify’s cluttered organization that was putting me off, it was far simpler than that: music video viewing isn’t necessarily designed for the mobile experience.

Though I only stream audio when listening through headphones, every song I play through my TV on Spotify is now more or less in video form, and I’ve been busy making the playlists to go with it.

Long live the music video

Music video viewing is a big part of my life, whether that’s for background listening, nostalgia indulgence, or for blasting on the big screen when I have friends around, and YouTube has always been my go-to.

What separates Spotify from the likes of YouTube is that, with the former, the focus isn’t on the music video itself. There’s the option to switch between audio and video of course, but YouTube put the music video on the map during the transitional period into digital streaming. This is what tempted me to sign up to a YouTube Premium free trial.

I began by making playlists to mimic the nostalgia of music channels, but creating playlists on YouTube is a little fiddly, and there are all kinds of issues with the queuing system. And though you can make playlists without a Premium account, the ad interruptions ruin the viewing experience. So when Spotify launched on my smart TV, I put the pedal to the metal.

Before I knew it I had made five monster MTV-themed playlists spanning from the 1980s all the way to the 2020s, each packed to the brim with songs and their accompanying videos. That was my one rule: if it doesn’t have a music video, it doesn't go in the playlist. I haven’t used YouTube to watch music videos since, and the ad-free experience still feels too good to be true, but the joy I get from it goes beyond simply watching the visual accompaniments to my favorite songs past and present.

I consider myself a pop culture historian, and evoking the nostalgia of music channels is one of the defining elements of my music video obsession. For me, there’s no other feeling quite like bingeing music videos from MTV’s VMA peak era — think Bad Romance, Hot N Cold, Maneater. If you were there at the time, you get it.

But the music video is so much more than that. There’s a huge educational aspect for me, allowing me to step into the past to learn more about pioneering artists who paved the way for bigger and more successful acts. Using Spotify to house my video-centric playlists has been perfect for enriching my knowledge, and it also means I get to visit my parents’ youth, all while streaming old favorites I never knew had music videos.

On reflection, I guess there was never really a reason for me to dismiss Spotify’s music video integration — I just didn’t know how to use it to its full potential. I’m still not a fan of the viewing experience for mobile, but now that I know how to optimize my music video viewing, there’s no going back.

Open earbuds are super-hot right now, especially with great options from more premium brands — our guide to the best open earbuds is full of these. But prices have been coming down, and you can now find super-cheap options on Amazon, many for under $40 / £40 / AU$60. Some are from brands you’ve never heard of, others from well-known brands that are selling older models at a discount.

We all know that buying budget tech tends to come with a few sacrifices. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them (just take a look at the great picks in our best budget earbuds guide for proof).

The problem is that open earbuds are tricky to get right. You need a combination of stability to keep them in place and an audio mix that’s engaging while also allowing ambient noise to get through. The only way to know if they've succeeded is to test them, so I picked three options from generally reliable budget earbuds brands and put them through their paces, all for under $40 / £35.99 / AU$60.

I put the Tozo OpenEarRing, Soundcore Anker V20i and Belkin SoundForm ClearFit buds to the test, listening to music and podcasts with them all over the course of two weeks.

There was no point focusing on whether these are elite sonic performers — they won’t be, and that's. But I wanted to know whether they’d still fit well, deliver enjoyable audio, and do a good job at keeping me aware of my surroundings.

For those who like to cut to the chase, I'll tell you up front that I think the Tozo OpenEarRing are actually good, the Anker Soundcore V20i are a solid buy, and the Belkin aren't worth it — but read on for exactly why.

Fit and stability

The whole point of open earbuds is they keep your ear canal open so you can hear both your music and what’s going on around you. But that means they’re challenging to design because there are no in-ear tips to keep them securely in place.

Instead, what keeps them stable is either an ear hook that sits around the back of your head, or an ear clip that slips over the side of your ear. (There are some options that just sit in the ear like regular earbuds, but without inserting into the ear canal — but when it comes to open earbuds most people focus on hook or clip style.)

The Belkin SoundForm ClearFit buds have the ear hook design, but it’s a fairly short hook and the angle it curves at didn’t feel particularly comfortable behind my ear.

The main unit of the bud, which sits in front of your ear, is also quite bulky. It felt like there were weight distribution issues between the hook and the buds, which meant they never felt totally secure when I was walking, and slipped and bounced around a little when I was running.

What made this experience worse was that the touch controls on the side of the buds were incredibly sensitive, so in trying to get the right fit or move them back into position, I was playing/pausing and skipping tracks without meaning to.

Now, the Soundcore Anker V20i may look similar with their ear hooks, but these are longer, which kept them more stable because they were anchored in place. They also had a really useful customization feature at the base of the hook, which gives you four slightly different angles to wear them at, depending on the shape of your ear, to help keep them secure.

They felt a little unstable on longer, sweatier runs, but their design differences meant they fit much better than the Belkin buds did.

The Tozo OpenEarRing buds have a different design altogether. They’re part of a category of buds we refer to as 'clip-on'. You part the buds ever-so-slightly and then slip them over your helix at the side of your ear.

Tozo’s take on this design was very easy to wear. It’s worth mentioning here that this style of design does get much closer to your ear than the ear hook style does, which instead sits above it. But the main, circular part of the Tozo buds sat in my concha comfortably, while still not creating a seal, so my ear canals were kept open.

In the past, I’ve preferred clip-on designs. I wear glasses often, and wear sunglasses over summer. I also have thick hair. These factors mean it never feels like there’s enough space behind my ear for buds with ear hooks.

Having said that, plenty of people do rate more expensive hook-style designs, like the Shokz OpenFit 2+. But if I wanted to play it safe with a cheaper pair, I’d pick the clip-on style every time — and that was the case with the Tozo. I had no complaints at all about the fit.

Fit for purpose sound

I wasn’t expecting high-fidelity sound from these buds. But I wanted to test whether they could achieve a decent listening volume (sometimes a challenge with open buds) and if there was enough musicality to make for an engaging and fun listen.

I’ve had people tell me they like having a pair of open earbuds for listening to podcasts while they walk, so I also tested how vocals sounded.

The Belkin buds were a disappointing listen with most genres of music. Even at the highest volume they felt quiet. But pushing them to higher volumes gave a really tinny and distant quality to the tracks. There also wasn’t much bass and the mix lacked definition, with instruments tending to blur together. If you’re listening to any sort of music with power behind it, it’ll lack impact here.

Having said that, tracks that were mostly instrumental sounded decent and podcast vocals were clear enough. Combine these experiences with the fit and I think I’d only recommend these buds if you want to listen to podcasts while you’re walking.

The Soundcore buds performed a little better. They were noticeably louder, but achieving higher volumes is tricky in this design. There was a little more bass presence and weight in bass-heavy tracks, so they're largely fine if you want to listen to a workout playlist but don’t need that thumping low end. Podcasts sounded pretty good too.

The Tozo buds sit much closer to your ear, which means they can achieve pretty high volumes. I also noted good instrument separation and a clarity that surprised me at this level. I felt a sense of things feeling a little bright, sharp and fatiguing eventually, but that was after several hours of use on a long walk.

Now, I wouldn’t say the bass had much weight or impact, but the sound was impressive given that these are open and incredibly cheap. Especially if you tweak the EQ, which is very easy from within the app. Just don’t expect the kind of low-end extension you’d get from an in-ear pair and you’ll be fine.

Does sound leak out?

Most open designs are built to point sound waves towards your ear, so even though they’re open, everyone around you won’t hear what you’re listening to. But in practice, these buds can leak a lot of sound.

I ran several tests to determine what the sound leakage was like at different volumes and distances.

The Soundcore buds performed well. When I was listening to podcasts and music at a medium volume, they weren’t audible from about two feet away — but crank music up to full volume and you can hear it faintly from three or four feet away.

The Belkin buds had the most sound leakage. They felt the furthest away from my ears, so maybe that’s to be expected. At two feet, podcasts and mid volume music was audible, but only if I was testing in a really quiet environment. At full volume, they could be easily heard from three or four feet away in a quiet-ish environment too.

The Tozo buds can get much louder, so I expected a lot more sound leakage. Surprisingly, they performed similarly to the Soundcore buds. There was some faint leakage at lower volumes or in a louder environment. In a really quiet environment and at full volume, I could definitely hear the music from a couple of feet away, but only faintly.

These aren’t options for quiet office spaces, but you knew that already given the design. It’s worth considering that there’s always going to be a little noise leakage in a cheaper, open design, but I’d say a clip-on choice will minimize it significantly given the simple fact that the speakers are closer to your ears.

Awareness of your surroundings

I’ve said in reviews several times before that if you don’t really need open buds, there’s little reason to consider them. I personally think you get a lot more for your money from in-ear designs among the best earbuds. But if you do really like the idea of hearing your surroundings as you listen to music, for your safety or just to feel connected to the world, then have at them.

Both the Belkin buds and Soundcore buds let a little more environmental sound in simply because they were a little further away from my ear. I heard close conversations, traffic, alarms and people shouting.

Now, ironically, at one point I was so preoccupied trying to get the Belkin to feel more stable, I actually lost my focus on the sound of nearby traffic, so I still ended up unaware of my surroundings. So I guess that just goes to show how important fit is.

With the Tozo buds at full volume playing music, I definitely wasn’t aware of as much outside sound, but I could still easily hear alarms, traffic and shouting. When I was using them to listen to podcasts, I was aware of everything.

Levels of awareness are pretty subjective and hard to judge. You could be hearing everything around you and still get distracted by your music or your own thoughts. But I’d say if you want to hear as much as possible, go for ear hooks designs.

Fuss-free controls

When I’m out walking or running and want to pay attention to my surroundings, I don’t want to be getting my phone out every few minutes to pause or skip tracks. Which is why I want to quickly mention the controls you’ll find on each pair of buds.

As I mentioned earlier, the Belkin buds had controls that were way too sensitive. It also seems like the whole front panel of the buds registers touch controls, which made them really difficult to use or wear. Unfortunately, there’s no app support for these buds to turn those off.

Once you memorize what these different controls mean, they do become handy. But the accidental taps outweighed the benefit of the intentional ones.

The Soundcore buds also have sensitive controls, but it was much easier to position them without setting them off. I also like that you can customize them from within the app.

Tozo’s controls don’t work with a single tap. I like this as it solves the issue of unwanted taps. But then again, the double click to play/pause was sometimes difficult to register.

This highlights a fundamental design problem with open buds. You’ll need to be able to touch them often to get the right fit, but still need to be able to touch them to control them.

The cheap Amazon open earbuds winner

The winner here was definitely the Tozo OpenEarRing buds, outshining the other two in terms of fit, stability and sound.

They weren’t perfect, but if you want a super-cheap choice that’s going to deliver decent sound and allow you to hear most of what’s going on around you too, I think they’re surprisingly solid.

If you can stretch your budget, other brands do clip-ons well. The Soundpeats Clip1 are currently our top sub-£100/$100 clip-on pick in our best open earbuds guide.

If you’re set on ear hooks, the Anker Soundcore V20i buds will deliver satisfactory sound with a fairly reliable fit, as long as super intense workouts aren’t your thing.

There are many other cheaper options on Amazon, but I think being aware that there are trade-offs at this level, and deciding which you’re willing to accept, will get you the best possible buds for your budget.

Noble Audio Vanguard review

Right out of the box, the Noble Audio Vanguard look and feel unlike any other in-ear monitors (IEMs) that I've tried before. Their medieval-like outer casework, their shield-shaped ear tip case, and their ink-black cable all caught my eye in a way that few rivals have in my years testing audio gear.

The striking visuals are undeniable. But what of their sound? Well, Noble Audio says that the Vanguard are “designed for control, clarity, and balance,” aiming to deliver excellent clarity across the frequency range through their triple driver configuration.

But are the Vanguard actually able to compete with the very best wired earbuds around? Here’s my verdict after extensive testing and many an hour of listening.

Let’s start by taking a look under the hood. The Noble Audio Vanguard make use of three drivers — all of which are focused on specific roles. For the low frequencies, there’s a 10mm dynamic driver, but there are also two custom balanced armature drivers on board — one for the mid-high frequencies, and another for the ultra-high domain. You can connect to an audio device with the standard 4.4mm connector, although there’s also a USB-C adapter included if you want to listen to tracks on your phone or desktop PC, for instance. Unfortunately, there’s no 3.5mm option out of the box, so you’ll need to use an adapter if you need access to that.

The Vanguard also come with a shield-shaped case filled with an outrageous number of extra ear tips, including gel and foam options. And with the right seal, the Vanguard are able to offer very solid noise isolation, with sounds such as typing and chatter in my office subdued to great effect. As well as the shield case for ear tips, you also get a fabric pouch for the IEMs. It's a neat addition, although it's incredibly susceptible to picking up fibers from a pocket or bag.

One thing that I have to discuss is the actual shape of the IEMs. They’re very chunky, and stuck out from my ears a fair bit, creating a slightly odd feel in-use. Their broad construction meant that they weren’t the most comfortable wired in-ears I’ve ever used, but I still felt that they were secure and fine to keep in for an hour or so at a time.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, the Vanguard fare a bit better in my eyes. They appear to be inspired by medieval-style fantasy, with a shield on each bud containing a splash of gold deep black outer casing. The buds are also constructed from aluminium and a “precision-machined shell,” and they feel highly premium — perhaps even more than their price would suggest. The black, intertwined wire is also a thing of beauty, and I was never subjected to distracting cable noise.

But you want to know how they sound now, don’t you? Well, I’ve kept you waiting long enough. And it’s good news, because for the price you pay, these IEMs sound exceptional.

In All'Acqua Ghiacciata by Marco Castello, the Vanguard performed brilliantly across the board. Acoustic guitars occupied a distinct pocket, and came through with gorgeous tonality. They were well separated from the vocals, which sounded textured and natural. The real highlight, though, was the energetic drums, which came through with incredible clarity and precision, and sounded tastefully prominent without feeling overly bright. Smooth bass was also perfectly balanced in the mix, communicated with impact and warmth without overstepping.

More generally, bass is well-balanced on the Vanguard — though it can hit hard if needed. For instance, on First Night by Vitess, the kick came through with tremendous impact and power, really immersing me in the cosmic house banger. And this was never at the expense of spacey synths or animated drums, which were perfectly weighted in the mix.

As you may expect from the driver configuration — with one specifically tailored for upper treble, and another for mids-highs — the higher frequencies sound excellent on the Vanguard. I’d say they sound a little forward, but tastefully so, emphasizing excitement and detail in the upper echelons of the frequency range. This may not be ideal for those who want the most neutral monitoring solution, but for sheer music-listening enjoyment it’s a welcome decision.

While the Vanguard perhaps don’t provide the enveloping, super-expansive soundstage that some listeners may like, I personally love their dynamic, tight, and detailed approach. And they still provide impressive instrument separation, enabling each component of your favorite tracks to breathe. The dynamic drivers provide weighty yet controlled bass, and the duo of balanced armature drivers are fantastic at supplying textured vocals and clear mids, and especially talented in plating up expressive highs. So the Vanguard are a hit as far as sound quality is concerned.

At $325 / £299 / AU$467, the Noble Audio Vanguard feel well worth the outlay. Sure, they’re a bit chunky, and could be a bit more snug in-use. But the level of detail and precision they supply is spectacular at this price-point. With high build quality and multiple connectivity options, the Vanguard are an excellent affordable-to-mid-range option that audiophiles are sure to love.

Noble Audio Vanguard review: price & release date

• Priced at $325 / £299 / AU$467
• Released in July 2026

At $325 / £299 / AU$467, the Noble Audio Vanguard sit in the affordable-to-mid-range section of the IEM market. They were released in July 2026, as something of a successor to 2025’s Noble Audio Knight IEMs.

For this money, their closest competition might be the Activo Q1, at $349 / £299 (about AU$600), from audiophile staple Astell & Kern's affordable sub-brand. And while the ethereal aesthetic of those wired buds is very different to that of the Noble, the star-rating is just as competitive.

One thing: they may be a little hard to find online, with no planned availability on Amazon or other big third party retailers. But that does not mean I encourage you to stop searching — in fact, the opposite is true.

Noble Audio Vanguard review: specs

Should I buy the Noble Audio Vanguard?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Noble Audio Vanguard review: also consider

How I tested the Noble Audio Vanguard

• Tested over the course of multiple days
• Mainly tested using Tidal
• Paired with Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000

I tested the Noble Audio Vanguard across multiple days and spent hours upon hours listening to music. Typically, I had the Vanguard hooked up to the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000 media player, though I did also try them out with my Windows laptop and Xiaomi 17 phone.

To begin with, I sifted through tracks in the TechRadar reference playlist, which features tunes from a wide variety of genres, but I also bumped a bunch of songs from my personal library. I also made sure to compare the Vanguard to affordable IEM rivals like the Sennheiser IE 200.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, where I serve as an in-house Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve covered everything from portable DACs through to premium wireless headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM6, and have reviewed a number of IEMs, meaning I know exactly what it takes for a model to stand out in a competitive market.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: August 2026

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