The choice of wireless earbuds is huge, and JBL doesn’t make the choice any easier by offering three variants of their Live 3 premium earbuds. The JBL Live Buds 3 are the ‘classic’ earbuds that sit discreetly inside the ear. The buds are relatively small and oval, with JBL’s logo tastefully discreet on each earbud. …
JBL Live Beam 3 are completely wireless earbuds in the mid-price range. They are more than closely related to the JBL Live Buds 3, which we have also tested; in fact, the two are identical in most respects. But the purpose of this group review is to look at all three variants of the Live …
After the highly successful Tour Pro+ and later Pro 2 earbuds with smart case and touchscreen, the time has come for the improved third generation. According to JBL, the Tour Pro 3 is built from the ground up. Still, they are cautious about calling it a revolution, as the design itself is a cautious evolution …
Creative has long been known for their audio products, but hasn’t made much of a name for itself on the earbud front. With Aurvana Ace, they focus on a completely new driver technology in the form of so-called MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) drivers. These are said to have an advantage over conventional dynamic drivers by being …
When it comes to wireless multi-room speakers for home music streaming, Sonos is the undisputed king. There are competitors, but they are at best only contenders for the throne. Headphones, on the other hand, are completely new territory for Sonos, which has only tentatively ventured outside the four walls of the home (with the Move …
When it comes to brand awareness in headphones, Bose is at the top of the list. However, in the earbud segment, the American manufacturer has struggled at times to live up to its reputation. Fortunately, they succeeded in 2022 with a pair of really good earbuds, the QuietComfort Earbuds II. Which fixed almost everything that …
From having long been the king of noise cancelling headphones with the QuietComfort series, Bose has for a while been put in the background, while Sony has been at the forefront with the very best noise cancellation. Bose has never been far behind, but has had to settle for 2nd and 3rd place in noise …
Jabra promises that the Elite 10 delivers “crystal clear call sound, ultra-high comfort for all-day use and is optimised to provide an immersive Dolby Atmos experience through Dolby Head Tracking.” Head tracking, if you will, means that the sound image adjusts according to your head movements. Dolby Head Tracking works with both Atmos content and …
The Pi7 S2 has a good build quality and design. The case is slim and tall, while the earbuds are a little large, but they don’t feel heavy. They also weigh a gram less per ear than the previous model. I’ve seen mixed opinions on the fit, but for me they fit very well. Three …
The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 are stemmed earbuds, as we know from Apple’s popular AirPods. I don’t always think they’ve been successful with the look and fit, but I like these – even if they are a little more rustic and angular than a pair of smooth AirPods. The earbuds fit really well in the ears and …
Beoplay EX is B&O’s first hearing aids with protruding microphone stems that help improve speech quality during calls and meetings. The design is tasteful with subtle details and all available colour options provide an elegant look. Where B&O really hit the mark for me is in the fit. Put them directly in your ears – …
Tour One M2 is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, which JBL boldly claims are “the best on the market”. The headphones adjust noise cancellation in real time based on your surroundings. They also have a smart feature that recognises when you start talking. The music is then muted while Ambient Aware is activated, allowing you …
We’ve said it time and again: If you want to really enjoy your expensive headphones, you need a proper headphone amplifier. Even if there is a 3.5 millimetre hole with the text ‘headphones’ on the side of the computer, mobile phone or, for that matter, the amplifier. Because all too often the electronics in the …
Australian Burson Audio has been known for its headphone amplifiers for about 10 years. Both with and without DAC built in. And where a few competing headphone amps might be skimping a bit (Questyle and Marantz, I’m looking at you!), Burson has never had that problem. We loved the first Soloist and also liked the …
It was in 2011 that I first listened to a pair of moulded earplugs from Ultimate Ears. It was the UE 18 Pro, the top model from the American manufacturer at the time. It was one of the craziest things I’d ever heard. New drivers The heir apparent UE 18 Pro+ has brand new drivers …