Welcome to the Audio Gear category on our blog. In a world where the quality of sound can profoundly impact our experience with devices, it’s crucial to get your audio gear right. This section delves into various types of audio solutions designed for mobile users, from the casual listener to the audiophile, and even the dedicated gamer. Below are the key subcategories we cover, accompanied by the brands that set the benchmark in each domain.
Relevant Brands: Apple, Sony, Jabra, Bose, Samsung
Cut the cord and experience complete freedom with True Wireless Earbuds. If you’re looking to eliminate ambient noise, Active Noise-Cancelling (ANC) earbuds from brands like Sony and Bose offer an immersive sound experience. Apple’s AirPods Pro sets a standard in the ANC segment, while Jabra and Samsung offer compelling alternatives.
Relevant Brands: Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Skullcandy, Beats by Dre
Whether you’re after the expansive soundstage of over-ear headphones or the compact convenience of on-ear models, this subcategory covers them all. From the noise-cancelling prowess of Bose and Sony to the signature sound profiles of Sennheiser and Beats, find out which headphone type and brand suits you best.
Relevant Brands: HyperX, Razer, Logitech, SteelSeries, Corsair
For the gamers among us, gaming headsets offer the competitive advantage of immersive sound and clear voice communication. Brands like HyperX and Razer lead the pack with headsets designed for long gaming sessions, featuring surround sound and noise-cancelling microphones.
Relevant Brands: Aftershokz, Vidonn, Pyle
If you prioritise situational awareness or have particular hearing needs, bone conduction earphones provide an alternative way to experience sound. Brands like Aftershokz are renowned for their innovative designs that allow you to hear your surroundings while listening to audio.
Relevant Brands: Jaybird, JBL, Beats by Dre, Anker
When you’re breaking a sweat, you need earphones that can keep up. This subcategory focuses on the rugged, water-resistant, and comfortable options suitable for active lifestyles. Whether it’s the secure fit of Jaybird earphones or the powerful sound of JBL, we’ve got your athletic audio needs covered.
So there you have it—a comprehensive guide to the intricate world of mobile audio gear. Whether you’re commuting, gaming, running, or simply chilling, this category aims to provide you with the most relevant, objective, and in-depth information to help you make the right choice for your audio experience. Dive in and let the sound move you!
Lypertek made waves last year with their TEVI earphones, which have been bizarrely renamed to PurePlay Z3 on many sites, excluding the Lypertek website. They are now back with a new, more affordable option, the Soundfree S20. These are based on the TEVI, but tweak a few features to get the price down low. At…
Aftershokz has produced bone conduction earphones for around a decade now, with no other big brand offering them competition. This style of earphones is predominantly focussed on outdoor fitness providing increased situational awareness that in-ear options will never be able to offer. Bone conducting headphones are the only earphones that are approved for use in all road races under…
Active noise-cancelling headphones don’t have to cost a fortune. Skullcandy has been a popular, affordable brand for many years with a wide range of fashion and sports focussed audio gear. Today they are announcing two new headphones, upgrading their popular Hesh line-up. The highlight is the Skullcandy Hesh ANC which comes in at £119.99, around…
Lypertek is relatively new to the market but saw great success with their TEVI (now the PurePlay Z3) TW earphones which offered superb audio quality, battery life and IPX7 waterproofing. They are now following these up with the Lypertek SoundFree S20 True Wireless earphones; bringing outstanding quality and value to the world of portable audio….
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro were launched with the flagship Samsung Galaxy S21 series and were offered as a free pre-order bonus for buyers of the phone. That has now ended with the current offer being for the cheaper Galaxy Buds Live. The new Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have an RRP of £219 making them…
EPOS is best known for their range of gaming headsets and surround sound DACs which were previously branded, then co-branded with Sennheiser. Like almost every other company on the planet, they have no launched some true wireless earbuds. With EPOS being a gaming brand they offer something many TWS earphones lack. The EPOS GTW 270…
The Jabra Elite 75t were one of my favourite TWS earphones in 2020. The very bass dominant profile may not be for everyone, but it works well for fitness, and they became my most use earphones for both running and indoor Zwift sessions. Technically, the IP55 rating made them less than ideal for my sweaty…
Rather than two separate reviews for two relatively similar earphones, I opted to cover the latest two earphones from TaoTronics together. There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of logic with the Soundliberty. The Soundliberty 95 is the cheaper of the two options by a decent margin. TaoTronics Soundliberty 95 vs SoundLiberty 80 Specification…
Final Audio are a Japanese brand specialising in headphones and earphones. Even though they are not a massive brand name like Sennheiser, their product catalogue is exhaustive, covering price points to accommodate all budgets. In-ear, options appear to range from as low as £30 going up to £2K for the Final A8000, while the over-ear…
EarFun have released a lot of earphones this year; they have all been good to excellent; all of them offering excellent value for money. The Earfun Free Pro is the latest entry to their product line-up, they are a touch cheaper than the Earfun Air Pro I reviewed back in October, and they adopt a…
This week Apple finally announced their over-ear active noise-cancelling headphones. Apple has always charged a premium for its products, justifying it with the just works argument or the premium design. While it is inevitable the AirPods Max will be good; they set a new standard for premium pricing from Apple. In the UK we get…
Cleer has been around for a few years now and specialising in portable audio including true wireless earphones, over-ear headphones and portable speakers. The Cleer Flow II appear to be the same as the existing, well-reviewed Flow headphones. However, this new model integrates Google Assistant which gives you one-touch access to voice functions and the…
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