2022 marks Sonos’ 20th anniversary. Over the last two decades, the company has mastered the art of hi-fi, pioneering smart speaker systems and intuitive control, and creating a brand that is now synonymous with whole home music. Even though Sonos makes wireless audio look easy, it took a while for the company to get to…
Read More “20 years on: How Sonos invented the future of wireless audio” »
With most of us continuing to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large portion of people have been turning to streaming online. Whether it’s as a hobby such as gaming or cooking, or for tutorials and webinars, online streaming has definitely picked up with the increase in people working from home. For those…
If you’re reading this on your laptop (even one of the best laptops) or tablet, take a quick glance at the little grilles either side of your keyboard – or on the edge of the screen, firing outwards from your handheld device. Now, gaze upon the powered speaker pair above, designed specifically for your desktop…
Read More “Monolith’s huge 100W desktop speakers want to knock you off your office chair” »
You’ve probably heard of the eco-conscious audio manufacturer House of Marley – yes, created in collaboration with Bob Marley’s actual family. If not, the company’s Rebel and Liberate Air earbuds are a good place to start. And although the Liberate Air didn’t exactly gain a glowing review from this publication, the audio specialist has just…
Read More “House of Marley Solo is like a cheaper, better-looking, Bluetooth Sonos One” »
– and the childhoods of everyone who grew up immersed in the world of Muggles, Hippogriffs, and Quidditch – there’s suddenly a gap in the market for a magical school fantasy which doesn’t come with any problematic baggage. Abracadabra, The School for Good and Evil. On the surface, the latest big-budget original Netflix movie seems…
Samsung QN800B: Two-minute reviewIn some ways, the Samsung QN800B seems too good to be true. Here’s a TV from one of the biggest hitters around, with a complete suite of gaming features, a thorough smart TV experience, a better-specified audio system than you’d dare to expect, a external box to handle all physical inputs, a…
Google has released a new update for the Pixel Buds Pro that adds a significant new feature: five-band equalizer adjustment. After installing the update, you’ll be able to tweak the balance of the sound easily, or you’ll be able to choose from six presets provided by Google (via NotebookCheck). To update, you’ll need the Pixel…
Read More “Google Pixel Buds Pro get a great free audio upgrade that shows up AirPods Pro 2” »
Bowers & Wilkins and James Bond have united to celebrate 60 years of British style, performance and music, with a set of “bespoke PX8 007 Edition” headphones, specially created to celebrate the Midnight Blue tuxedo worn by Bond in 1962’s Dr. No. It might seem a strange collab, but both companies assure you their intentions are purely honorable (imagine…
Read More “B&W’s James Bond 007 Edition wireless headphones are a view to (a) kill for” »
The 1970s were notorious for many things, but an achievement somewhat forgotten by history is the notoriously good-sounding – and cool-looking – hi-fi gear produced during that era. Audio companies like JBL, Yamaha, and Marantz have been glancing back at their classic 1970s speaker and amplifier designs to create new versions with the same look…
Read More “NAD’s retro amp is a hi-fi fetish object – and there are only 1972 of them” »
Apple has always been happy to tout the compatibility of its AirPods earbuds with Android phones, but the company’s newly released AirPods Pro 2 buds aren’t currently working properly with Google’s latest Pixel handsets. Several users on Reddit (opens in new tab) have reported encountering audio problems when using their AirPods Pro 2 with Google…
Read More “AirPods Pro 2 have a big problem on Google Pixel 6 and 7, but there’s a fix” »
The past few years have seen many music fans gravitate toward all-in-one wireless speakers like the Sonos Five or the Apple HomePod Mini. And while these affordable, flexible, and easy to use speakers can deliver satisfying and room-filling (in the case of the Sonos Five, at least ) sound, the best stereo speakers go well…
Read More “How to set up stereo speakers for the best sound” »
Focal Bathys: two-minute reviewLet’s get it right: sonically, the Focal Bathys are more than worthy of their enviable heritage. And aside from the quality wireless listen, chuck in the USB-C cable in DAC mode and you’ve got hi-res up to 21bit/192kHz too. Oh, and in case it needs to be stated, they’re utterly stunning to…
Spotify HiFi was announced all the way back in February 2021, and although we have heard very little about it in the meantime, it now looks as though a launch of a higher-quality tier called Platinum is now imminent. An individual who had canceled Spotify got in touch with 9to5Mac (opens in new tab) to…
Read More “Spotify could be readying a hi-res audio Platinum plan” »
