Google is finally fixing an annoying YouTube Music issue that users have been begging for, and now the music streaming platform syncs your playback queue across other Android and iOS devices – a tool that Apple Music has yet to roll out.

What does this mean for YouTube Music subscribers? Well, similar to tools such as Spotify Connect, your YouTube Music playback queue will now be synced with other devices that you’re signed into, so that you can pick up where you left off hassle-free and continue enjoying your favorite tunes. It’s a godsend if you switch between devices for music streaming.

Previously, the Now Playing queue on Android and iOS was independent, meaning that if you wanted to continue your listening session from a new device, then you’d have to manually build your queue again from scratch – a huge inconvenience if you ask me. With that said, YouTube Music started improving its queue syncing features back in 2024, allowing the web version to load your playback queue from your mobile.

When you switch devices to resume playback, you’ll find the last song you streamed in the miniplayer – so if you were listening to YouTube Music on a Google Pixel Phone and you swap over to an iPad for example, it will resume your queue there. Once you make the switch, you’ll find temporary “From your iPhone” and “From your browser” placeholders for artist names which will disappear when you press play.

It marks a huge quality of life upgrade for YouTube Music users, and it’s about time too, as its music streaming competitors have already jumped on similar bandwagons – with the exception of Apple Music that is.

‘I'm thinking of seriously switching back to Spotify’

Apple Music has many benefits over the likes of Spotify and YouTube Music. It’s one of the best music streaming services for audio quality, supporting Dolby Atmos on a range of albums, and its collection of radio stations and editorial playlists are built with music fans in mind.

It wins in so many areas, however it still hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head when it comes to queue syncing across devices, and since YouTube Music’s latest upgrade it’s ruffled a few feathers with Apple Music subscribers.

Apple Music seriously needs this. from r/AppleMusic

As it stands, there’s no means of syncing your playback queue or song progress across devices where you’re logged into Apple Music, requiring you to search for the song you streamed last and rebuild the queue entirely.

While there are many reasons music fans are sticking with Apple Music, recent comments reveal that if there’s one setback that’s enough to tempt users to switch back to Spotify, it’s this one, especially now that there are so many ways to stream music.

Comment from r/AppleMusic

It's not new that music streaming dominates the way a large number of us consume music today and the tech we stream it though – I frequently switch between my phone, smart speaker, and smart TV to enjoy listening to music, and I don’t know where I’d be without Spotify Connect.

Since covering all things music streaming, this is the first time I’m seeing users actively considering switching from Apple Music to other platforms, when it’s usually the other way around. But whether or not they go through with it is another matter.

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To say that Majority's new Bluetooth speakers appear to have been inspired by JBL is a bit like saying Oasis were a bit inspired by The Beatles – but then again there are only so many ways you can design a speaker or put three chords together. And the new Move M1, M2, M3 and M4 are all good looking, well specified and keenly priced.

All four speakers are available now in the UK, but Majority told TechRadar that it has a US distributor and "will announce launch plans later this year".

The baby of the range is the palm-sized Move M1, which is a 12W speaker with 70 hours of play time (which is… impressive), IPX5 water resistance, stereo pairing of two units, and hands-free calling via your phone. Its official price is £29.99 (about $40 / AU$60).

Majority Move Bluetooth speakers: key features and pricing

Next up there's the £49.95 (about $70 / AU$100) Move M2, which puts out 30W and has USB connectivity, aux-in and microSD playback options. It also has dynamic LED lighting to set the mood, and play time is 30 hours.

The Move M3 has a very similar specification to the M2, but ups the power to 40W and costs £79.95 (about $110 / AU$160).

The flagship is the Move M4, the most powerful of the four. It's a 70W speaker with Bluetooth 6.0, 30 hours of play time, IPX7 water resistance and stereo pairing. Once again, Move M4 has USB, aux-in and microSD inputs, and there are dynamic LEDs to set the mood. The Move M4 is £119.95 ($160 / AU$240).

With long battery lives and lower prices than similarly-sized JBL Bluetooth speakers, plus microSD music playback as a bonus, these could be very tempting – Majority has made some great-value stuff in the past, but we'll need to test these to see they sound good enough.

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But when testing the WiiM Sound Lite recently, there was one hidden feature I stumbled upon that seriously piqued my interest: parametric EQ.

Unless you buy one of the best wireless speakers, not many devices have absolutely spot-on sonic balance out of the box. As a result, I’m always keen to experiment with EQ to even out errant frequencies.

However, I often find the tools provided slightly blunt instruments – at their best they offer a limited number of bands for you to adjust; at their worst they only allow you to boost or reduce the bass and treble.

Compared to some of these basic options, WiiM’s parametric EQ is like being handed a scalpel after trying to practice surgery with a flint axe. It’s a genuine breath of fresh air and a far better instrument for audiophiles looking to give their listening experience a bit of a nip-tuck.

What is parametric EQ?

To understand why parametric EQ is such a game changer for your audio devices, it’s first worth explaining how traditional graphic EQ works.

Perhaps a familiar sight to those of you that grew up using hi-fi and stereo, a graphic equalizer splits the frequencies of your music into a number of different bands at different frequencies. Increasing or decreasing that band raises or lowers that frequency, so it’s easy to boost or duck sections of the mix that don’t sound right. However, the drawback is the frequencies are set by the manufacturer, meaning that you can make tweaks to any narrower frequency ranges than that.

As its name suggests, parametric EQ instead allows you to change multiple parameters to each band. So rather than just altering the volume of a given band, you can also set the precise frequency you’d like to change as well as the bandwidth it affects. In practice, this allows you to create a number of wider or narrower curves that alter whole ranges of frequencies with far greater precision than a graphic EQ can.

So why do I find this improved EQ to be such an invaluable feature? Because it makes it significantly easier to correct flaws in your speaker’s sound or tailor its sound profile to match your tastes . If your audio gear goes too hard in the upper bass, you can simply shape a curve to duck the errant frequencies. Even better, the fact that these bands can overlap each other means you can easily boost whole areas of the mix, while removing tiny notches that you find problematic.

In fact, this kind of detailed control is much more akin to the way sound engineers tune speakers in the first place and how the tracks you listen to is produced. I’ve been producing music in my free time for years and parametric EQs are an essential tool for perfecting the sound profile of tracks and balance of competing elements. So putting that kind of detailed control in the hands of audiophiles wanting to get the best out of their gadgets can only be a good thing.

And that’s why I’m confident you’ll be seeing this feature hitting more of your audio gear as time goes on. Already I’m seeing hints of this: not only has WiiM rolled it out to its wireless speakers but Sennheiser has already been adding it to some of its high-end headphones, such as the recent hi-res Sennheiser HDB 630.

So if you’re an inveterate audio tweaker or just want the option of being able to polish up your speakers sonic profile, parametric EQ is definitely a feature worth keeping an eye out for.

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As you may have seen, I’ve already compared the full version of the Lite to Sonos’s speaker in my WiiM Sound vs Sonos Era 100 piece. And while you might think this comparison is going to be more of the same, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Lite is quite a different proposition.

Priced at $229 / £229 / AU$399, the Lite is much closer in cost to the Sonos Era 100’s $219 / £199 / AU$319 than the full WiiM Sound’s $299 / £299 / AU$499 list price. And while it’s had quite a bit of its price slashed, it hasn’t lost a whole lot of functionality to get there, making the Lite a much more nimble opponent for the Era 100 and a credible contender for a spot on our list of the best wireless speakers.

So how did it fare during my testing? Read on to find out.

WiiM Sound Lite vs Sonos Era 100: features

Just like the WiiM Sound, the Sound Lite packs a 4-inch, 50W woofer for driving bass and a pair of angled, full-range 25W tweeters to broaden its stereo field. Meanwhile, the Sonos Era 100 is similar, containing a mid-woofer for both mid-range and bass and two angled tweeters, only this time with a waveguide frame to disperse sound across 180 degrees per tweeter.

Refreshingly, despite costing less, the Sound Lite offers connectivity as excellent as the full-fat Sound, and that includes its hi-res 24-bit/192kHz playback. It can also connect to WiiM, Google Cast, and Alexa multi-room systems, as well as stream directly from a wide array of services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, Napster, Pandora, Plex, SoundCloud, and more. On top of this, it offers a 3.5mm jack input, which is always handy if you’re likely to want to hook it up to external audio kit.

Unfortunately, there is a catch, and if you’re heavily invested in Apple’s ecosystem, it may be too big for you to overlook. The Sound Lite doesn’t support Apple Music or AirPlay 2, meaning you won’t be able to connect your iPhone or MacBook to the speaker via Wi-Fi. If you’re an Apple fan, you might find that a speaker like the Sonos Era 100 gives you far more flexibility.

On top of AirPlay 2, the Era 100 offers access to all the streaming services above and throws Apple Music support in for good measure. There are a few trade-offs here, too, though. While the Sonos is capable of lossless playback at 24-bit/48kHz, you won’t get the same super-high-quality as the WiiM, though it’s worth noting there’s debate around how much this extra quality is even discernible. And, regrettably, an analog in is also absent, although you can purchase an additional adapter to convert the Era 100’s USB port into either a 3.5mm jack or an Ethernet port.

Of course, both speakers come with additional functionality packaged into their apps. Each app offers multi-room connectivity and the ability to hook them up as part of a stereo pair.

EQ is handled a little differently by each brand. Sonos offers treble and bass adjustment and automatic loudness correction for increased bass at lower volumes. Conversely, WiiM offers much more granular control: not only does it come with a 10-band EQ, but its parametric EQ lets you create curves to boost or duck frequencies throughout the whole spectrum, which is seriously impressive. I tested it out in a pretty echoey room and was honestly blown away by how easy it was to smooth out errant frequencies this way.

Finally, both speakers offer room correction algorithms. The process of the Era 100’s advanced tuning mode involves pinwheeling your phone with your arm while you walk around the room, but it achieves pretty credible results. Testing it near a wall, I found it brought the high end more into focus and made the overall sound more cohesive. It also did an impressive job of taming the outrageously resonant bass when I placed the speaker in the middle of an acoustically reflective laminate floor.

Although I gave the WiiM Sound a hard time for its room correction, it seems to have been tightened up for the Sound Lite in a recent update. It may not be a sonic silver bullet, but it does seem to go a little further, occasionally boosting weaker frequencies rather than just trimming excessive ones back. Close to a wall, it sheared off some of the wooliness in its lower frequencies, while in the middle of the floor, it helped whip the overly doughy kick into shape. It’s not quite as sophisticated as Sonos’s algorithm, but it at least gives the sound some much-needed spit and polish.

Honestly, with some of the recent improvements to WiiM’s feature set, this isn’t as big a sweep for Sonos as it was when I tested the Sound. Honestly, if you’re an Apple user or room correction is your biggest priority, the Era 100 is your best bet. But that hi-res playback and parametric EQ means that audiophiles might now find the Sound Lite takes the upper hand.

WiiM Sound Lite vs Sonos Era 100: sound quality

You’re very unlikely to get sound quality that’s utterly unimpeachable. Instead, the WiiM Sound Lite and the Sonos Era 100 each have their individual sonic strengths

When I played Listen by Pola & Bryson & goddard., the Sound Lite made its arpeggiated synth sound utterly gorgeous, and there was more than a hint of bass harmonics. However, switching to the Era 100, it became clear what I was missing – not only did the drop of that D&B bassline sound suitably snarly, but there was something delicious dubby about the way that sub bubbled up every couple of bars.

Unfortunately, like a tragic hero, the Era 100’s strength is also its greatest flaw. While listening to Peace Talk by Maribou State, I found that its bass too often encroached on the mid-range – the heft of the guitar and flabbier low-end sometimes overwhelmed the synth and strings. Conversely, the balance the Sound Lite strikes is far more judicious, allowing these melodic elements more time in the spotlight and giving that gorgeous vocal even more gloss.

Nothing shows up a speaker’s sonic weaknesses faster than poorly controlled treble, so I’m glad that neither of these devices lumbered into that bear trap. Playing Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac, the Sound Lite kept the brightness of its high end carefully in check, with the strumming of the guitars and transient hats and snares never feeling over-exposed. The Sonos Era 100 couldn’t quite strike this balance, though, with the guitar feeling less crisp and the toms focusing on heft rather than bite.

Cumulatively, this sonic profile means the Era 100 seems to offer greater cohesion, but sometimes that comes at the expense of precision. For example, when I tested it on Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar, I noticed some instruments were forced to fight for attention. By contrast, the Sound Lite was a lot more airy – the vocals erupted upward in the mix, with the piano subtly underpinning them. It’s not quite the surgically precise separation of a speaker like the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition, but it's definitely decent given its price point.

Perhaps one area where the Era 100 is more balanced than the Sound Lite is listening angles. While neither showed any egregious deadspots in their soundstage, the WiiM’s treble fell off much faster as I moved to the sides of the device, whereas the Sonos was pretty consistent up until I strayed into the bassier area at the rear 90 degrees of the device.

Conversely, when it comes to stereo field, I’d give the Sound Lite the slight edge. Playing The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, I struggled to identify any panning at all, with most of the sound seeming to emerge directly from the speaker’s center. By contrast, the Era 100 doesn’t have the widest soundstage I’ve heard, but I could at least perceive a slight spread to the drum and guitar parts, even though there was hardly a gulf between them.

Honestly, it’s hard to pick a clear winner here because the best option for you is going to depend so much on what you personally want out of a wireless speaker. Want spacious mids and considered expression but aren’t offended by milquetoast bass? Then the Sound Lite is absolutely a solid choice. But if your definition of a speaker is something bassy and brassy with omnidirectional sound, then the Era 100 will definitely be more your vibe.

WiiM Sound Lite vs Sonos Era 100: design

Naturally, when it comes to design, the situation here is not all that different from my WiiM Sound vs Sonos Era 100 piece. Not only is the Era 100 the exact same unit, but the Sound Lite has an almost identical form factor as its more premium stablemate.

The one big departure for the Sound Lite is that it doesn’t have the Sound’s porthole-style display. However, while this was a fun addition that helped the Sound stand out a little more, I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker. It’s nice to be able to see album art or photos on your speaker, but the resolution and vibrancy weren’t so eye-wateringly gorgeous that it’s truly unmissable. If your biggest priority is getting the best sonic bang for your buck, the display is probably the easiest thing to let go of.

Elsewhere, the WiiM and the Sonos come from very similar schools of design. Both have a cylindrical build with controls on their top face, and both come in black or white colorways. The Sound Lite has a little more bulk, weighing in at 2.5kg compared to the Era 100’s 2.02kg, and it comes wrapped in fabric rather than the latter’s metal grille. But otherwise, at first glance, they give a similar general impression.

There are some small points of difference in that control scheme, though. Each has the same basic functions laid out on its surface, with touch-capacitive buttons for pausing or playing content, adjusting volume, or skipping back and forth. However, the Sound Lite’s buttons are hidden until it detects your hand nearby, at which point they light up. On top of giving it a slightly classier look when the lights are off, this also means it’s easier to use in darker rooms.

That’s a definite point in the WiiM’s favor. But while its glass top panel gives it a slightly more premium look than the Era 100’s matt black plastic, it also shows up way more marks from your greasy mitts. I only prodded the odd button here and there to test the Sound Lite’s functionality, as I mostly operated it from the connected app, but it quickly resembled a scene from CSI as it got covered in oily fingerprints. Fortunately, it wipes clean pretty easily, but better keep a microfiber cloth handy just in case.

Neither speaker draws the line at physical or app control. The Era 100 comes with built-in voice control via either Sonos Voice Control or Amazon Alexa, which is always an enormous help when you're feeling too lazy to reach for your phone or the device. The Sound Lite doesn’t offer voice control built into the unit itself, but if you buy its separate WiiM Voice Remote 2 Lite, its push-to-talk button lets you control the device via Alexa or Google Assistant.

While I’m a little disappointed the remote isn’t included in the box as it was for the WiiM Sound, I’d argue it’s still a worthy purchase at $39 / £39 / $79. It’s robustly crafted from aluminum and has wonderfully clicky buttons, making it a great choice for anyone who prefers a more tactile way of interacting with their gadgets than yet another phone app.

Personally, when it comes to design, I just about favor the Sound Lite. Light-up controls can help when you’re operating it in darker rooms, and its fabric-and-glass build looks a skosh classier to me. But I recognize that if you prefer to use voice control for your speaker, the Era 100’s on-device mic is far more convenient than having to fork over additional money for a remote.

WiiM Sound Lite VS Sonos Era 100: verdict

When comparing the full WiiM Sound to the Sonos Era 100, I definitely came down in favor of the latter. So it may seem odd that I’ve changed my tune now I’ve swapped in the supposedly ‘Lite’ version. However, I’d argue the Lite is anything but.

It has the same drivers, the same audio quality, and the same features – plus it's had a couple of recent quality-of-life updates. The only thing that’s changed is that the display has disappeared, and, as I pointed out in my intro, the price has dropped from $299 / £299 / AU$499 down to $229 / £229 / AU$399. Getting essentially the same performance for a lower price changes the equation for me and brings both speakers much more in line with each other.

In light of this, I’d say the WiiM Sound Lite and Sonos Era 100 are fairly evenly matched, albeit with different strengths. If you’re an audiophile, you’ll likely find the Sound Lite's hi-res streaming support and more open, expressive sound compelling – not to mention its granular parametric EQ. However, should you be into substantial bass, smarter room correction, or Apple’s ecosystem, I’d say you’ll get a lot more mileage out of the Era 100 instead.

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Like their predecessors, the JLab JBuds Mini ANC will still cost just $39.99 full price when they release in March 2026 (global pricing TBC, but expect around £39 / AU$80 based on the previous model), and JLab says they're the "world's smallest" noise-cancelling earbuds. I certainly can't think of anything to compete with their 19x21x14mm dimensions.

The addition of active noise cancellation is the big change here, though JLab has also added a Spatial Audio mode this time. Beyond that, you've got Bluetooth multi-point pairing, a 10-band EQ, a built-in interval timer tool for exercise, a volume limiter to protect your hearing, and 6.5 hours of battery life promised from the buds, with 24 hours from the case.

As before, the case comes with a clip attached so you can pop these on a keyring or on your bag, so they can go everywhere with you – and when they're this small, this cheap, and this good, I think just about anyone would benefit from having them around.

The 2026 budget buds to beat? When they're this small, this cheap and this good…

I've been trying them out, and honestly I'm blown away by how good they sound for the price. Which I probably shouldn't be, because that's basically JLab's raison d'être, but I think these might be the most impressive earbuds I've heard from the company yet when it comes to bang for buck.

First, a quick note on the tiny size and the fit. They feel incredibly slight going into the ear – not just because they're small, but because the ear tip material is very flexible, and I'm used to the particularly robust tip of the AirPods Pro 3 now.

But the fit seems to be totally stable despite that – they haven't dislodged after walking, going to the gym, or a good vigorous shake of the head.

The only potential issue with the fit is that when changing my head angle a lot (particularly leaning back) the seal of the left ear tip was disrupted, and some outside sound came in. This is probably partly to do with my ear shape, but I'm certain it's because the ear tip material is so flexible.

But I never felt there was any change in the stability – they never felt looser or anything like that.

That being said, you can only just feel that they're in your ears at all, which is maybe no surprise given they weigh practically nothing – but it's still possible for companies to get the fit wrong. I think it's really good here.

The fact that they're so small does mean you really have to focus if you want to use the on-ear touch controls, hoever – you need an accurate bit of 3D positioning with the finger, but that's a pretty inevitable trade-off.

Sound that's not just 'good for the money' – it's just plain 'good'

The audio quality is not just 'good for the price', it's just plain 'good'. If you told me these cost twice as much, I'd say that seemed fair.

The sound is thinner than you get from more premium buds, but the balance is absolutely spot on, and what I'm impressed by most is the perceived detail. You're not going to use them as studio monitors to reveal deep insight, obviously, but they're really nimble in transients, so drumstick hits have a sharp edge just like they should, and you can hear all the elements in complicated mixes with individuality I just don't expect from budget buds.

This dynamism means they're stunningly expansive for something so inexpensive, they deliver vocals with remarkably natural clarity, and they're energetic and fun at the same time.

Bass is really well-handled overall, but there is the feeling that buds are making up for a lack of true lower-frequency depth by laying on a bit more impact – basically, bass is a little boomy and less controlled than the rest of the mix, but in a way I can happily live with for the price.

Treble also feels just a little on the harsh side when it's the dominant frequency in the mix. Again, nothing to make you wince, but it's where you can hear that these are working within cost limitations.

But the thing is, I'm getting into quite fine levels of critique with these complaints, because they're at the level where that's what you need to do. When I switch from my AirPods Pro 3 (official price: $249) to the JLab for testing them with music, I don't feel any strong pull to switch back to the more premium buds ASAP, as is often the case.

I'm able to fully just get lost in the music, even as a picky audio writer. I have a pair of $899 Dali headphones 10 inches to my right, and I'm perfectly happy just vibing along with the $40 JBuds Mini ANC. These are a little miracle.

The noise cancellation is another really strong area. I mentioned above that in a few awkward poses (mostly at the gym) the seal was disrupted – but in 90% of use, they're actually excellent at drowning out sound.

Traffic noise was busted down to practically nothing when walking in a city. In the gym, the talking and background music was cut out and only the occasional high-pitched noise of metal knocking against metal crept in.

We obviously have more testing to do before reaching a final verdict, but when it comes to the really core elements of being good earbuds, I'm already very impressed with what the JLab JBuds Mini ANC can do.

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The big stories took in everything from Spotify to ChatGPT to Netflix, but it was developments in the OLED TV world that really caught our eye, as Sony, TCL, and LG all made major announcements.

Best of all, the trio might not just revolutionize the already best-of-the-best displays, but also their cheaper models.

How? Well, you'll have to scroll down to find out, so may we suggest you do that now and get up to speed. Enjoy.

7. Whoop clones have thrown us for a loop

It's been a while coming, but we've finally published our reviews of two screenless, fabric-covered fitness trackers – subscription-less rivals to the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG bands, which we rated as technically excellent but far too expensive.

The Polar Loop was solid in heart-rate tracking, but a letdown with its confusing software choices. The Amazfit Helio Strap was a different matter, though: cheaper than Whoop and Polar, and very good, both in terms of the hardware's capabilities and the app's quality. We duly added it to our best fitness trackers list.

The reviews come at an interesting time, as CES 2026 showcased the next wave of Whoop clones from Luna and Speediance. It looks set to be a crowded category.

• Read more: Amazfit Helio Strap review
• Read more: Polar Loop review

6. Spotify dropped a flawed playlist tool

Following a successful trial run in New Zealand, Spotify is bringing Prompted Playlists – a new playlist-creating tool that puts you in control of the algorithm – to the US and Canada.

Building on Spotify's AI playlist tool, which launched in April 2024, Prompted Playlists takes a similar approach but gives you full control over where you steer the algorithm. In its news blog, Spotify puts it quite simply: “You’re not just asking for music, you’re shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you.”

The biggest difference with Prompted Playlists is that you can amend them to update daily or weekly, just like Discover Weekly, but you can tailor them to a far greater degree. After spending some time with it, we can see it becoming one of Spotify’s most intelligent features, and it will be even more powerful once its infancy issues are resolved.

• Read more: I’ve been trying out Spotify’s new Prompted Playlist tool

5. OLED TVs fought back

OLEDs have long been revered as the go-to premium TV tech, but the ‘new’ brighter and cheaper kid on the block – mini-LED – is threatening to eat its lunch.

At least, that was until LG clapped back with its OLED SE, which promises a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as 1,000 nits of brightness, which is far more than the 668 nits we measured on the affordable LG B5 – so the LG B6 could be a real affordability winner if it boasts this tech.

LG Display told FlatPanelsHD that it will make OLED SE panels in five sizes to begin with: 48 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, 77 inches, and 83 inches, and we’re excited to see how it’ll use these panels in the coming year.

• Read more: The OLED TV vs mini-LED battle is about to really heat up

4. Netflix got a universal boost

Despite Netflix initially teasing that it would get Universal’s live-action flicks exclusively on its platform starting in 2027, it seems the deal has started a lot earlier than we expected.

According to Netflix, “We can confirm that the live-action film pay-1b licensing deal is starting earlier than announced, with the first film being Megan 2.0.”

It’s not clear when exactly other films will follow, but this is certainly another trophy for Netflix to add to its cabinet.

• Read more: Netflix is adding live-action Universal movies to its back catalog

3. We tried Sony’s clip-style buds

The audio titan that is Sony debuted new clip-style open earbuds with its new LinkBuds Clip; we’ve tried them, and unfortunately, this might be a rare miss for the headphones experts.

The fit felt at times looser than we’d want; the lack of deep bass meant music lacked its full resonance or a thumping, punchy beat, and even the treble struggled.

Based on our initial tests, we’d expect these earbuds to cost about half their $229 / £180 / AU$329.95 price, which is definitely disappointing given Sony's track record.

• Read more: I tried Sony’s first clip-on open earbuds

2. Sony and TCL teamed up

Sticking with Sony, the brand just announced that its TVs will now be made in a “joint venture” with TCL, suggesting a major shift for how its displays are developed, designed, and manufactured.

Interestingly, TCL will own 51% of this new joint project, giving it a majority share. It’s worth noting that this might simply be due to Chinese rules that limit foreign ownership in joint ventures to 49% – TCL is a Chinese electronics company, while Sony is headquartered in Japan.

Exactly what this means for us is yet to be seen, but it might mean Sony pivots away from OLED as TCL avoids the tech completely, and perhaps instead focuses on improved mid-range and budget options using TCL’s impressively cost-effective manufacturing.

• Read more: Sony’s future TVs could be made by a new ‘joint venture’

1. ChatGPT got ads

Despite its CEO once calling ads a “last resort” for its business, OpenAI has announced that advertisements are coming to ChatGPT for free and ChatGPT Go-tier users.

The news dropped very late last week, so we couldn’t include it in ICYMI then, so we’ve rolled it into this week's, as the announcement represents a massive pivot for OpenAI.

As part of the reveal, OpenAI shared some examples of how ads might work, such as a sponsored grocery list appearing below the answer to a dinner-related question.

This obviously raises big questions about how trustworthy responses are – for example, with the dinner plan, did the AI recommend those meals because it knew it would fit better with a sponsorship? There’s a lot we frankly don’t know, and we expect this won’t be the last advertisements we see in AI chatbots – even if Google promises Gemini ads aren’t in the works.

• Read more: ChatGPT now has ads

But the speaker I want to discuss here isn’t from one of those household name brands. It’s also not the most premium option around. But it’s an incredible-sounding, compact, and classy model that I just can’t get enough of. And the best part? It comes in at under $90 / £50 / AU$100.

The model I’m talking about is the Edifier ES20, a palm-sized speaker with a retro-style aesthetic that’s so good that it even made the cut in my guide to the best Bluetooth speakers that money can buy. But what makes it so special? Well, I’ve selected the three main reasons why I’d recommend it down below, so if you’re interested to hear more, scroll on down!

1. Excellent audio with mesmerizing mid-range performance

First and foremost, the Edifier ES20 is an amazing performer given its small size and equally small price-tag.

When I tested it for my Bluetooth speakers guide, I was particularly blown away by its phenomenal mid-range clarity. The definition and expressiveness of electric guitars and vocals really stuck out to me, and helped the ES20 to stand out over top-tier rivals like the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4.

On top of that, you get satisfying, natural-sounding treble that sounds controlled yet energetic. And even though you won’t get incredible low-end weight from this small audio companion, bass is still punchy and agile, making for an exciting yet clean listening experience.

2. Immersive and ambient listening with customizable lighting

The Edifier ES20 doesn’t only sound great, it finds a way of immersing you in your tunes so much more than most rivals in this price category.

And the main way it does that is with its integrated lighting, which you can customize via the speaker’s companion software. Yep, simply head over to the Edifier ConneX app, you can choose from a wide variety of lighting options, such as Breathing, Glittering and Rainbow. On top of that, you can personalize aspects like light modulation rate, brightness, and the displayed colors.

During my time testing the speaker, the lighting helped me to indulge in more atmospheric listening sessions. And because the ES20’s LED lighting is positioned on the reverse side of the speaker, you can even illuminate a wall behind it, which creates a real sense of ambience

3. A rugged yet classy design

One more brilliant thing about the Edifier ES20 is its phenomenal design, which merges rough and ready portability with a surprisingly luxurious look.

First of all, this model is IP67-rated – a rating shared with many of the best waterproof speakers. That rating means that it’s fully dustproof, but also highly waterproof, and is able to withstand being submerged in a meter of water for as long as 30 minutes. It’s also got a really solid feel to it, meaning it will likely survive being dropped a few times without accruing any meaningful damage.

However, this model is also a real looker. It’s definitely got that retro-style that Marshall speakers have thrived on over the years – there’s clear inspiration from the Willen line in particular. But that combination of faux-leather casing, golden detailing, and an appealing protective grille really is to die for. And that marriage of practicality with sleekness is just another reason to love this cost-efficient Bluetooth speaker.

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Audeze has upgraded its highly acclaimed flagship planar headphones, the LCD-5: the new LCD-5s headphones come with a new driver design for even more powerful bass and redesigned earpads for improved audio sealing and comfort.

The LCD-5s' 90mm planar magnetic transducers feature what Audeze says is "our thinnest, most responsive materials" and a revised chassis structure that delivers "the most precise midrange tuning possible." And they incorporate the SLAM (Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator) technology first introduced in the Audeze CBRN electrostatic headphones.

SLAM was created specifically to deliver powerful bass with precision and depth without reducing the ultra-thin driver's reliability or longevity, and in the CBRN Audeze said it delivered "the most powerful bass of any electrostatic headphone". So these planars could be tons of fun.

Audeze LCD-5s: key features and pricing

The LCD-5s headphones are exceptionally good-looking, with copper accents brightening up a design that consists of carbon fiber, magnesium, genuine leather and polished polymer acetate. And the earpads have been redesigned to improve the audio seal, minimize audible reflections and to be more comfortable for long listening sessions. The weight is a little on the hefty side at 475g, admittedly.

The supplied cable is Audeze's most premium option, with high-purity copper strands for low capacitance and a low resistance signal path. It's a four-pin XLR cable and comes with a four-pin XLR to 6.3mm TRS adapter, and a 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter.

Frequency response is 5Hz to 50kHz, impedance is 30 ohms and the maximum SPL is >130dB. The minimum power requirement is at least 100mW but over 500mW is recommended.

The new Audeze LCD-5s are available now, with a price tag of $4,500 (about £3,333 / AU$6,570).

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JBL has introduced two new portable speakers and practice amps that solve a common musical problem: finding other musicians to practice and play with. The new BandBox Solo and BandBox Trio feature an AI-powered system that should enable you to play guitar with Geese, rock out with Rammstein or, er, play trumpet with Taylor Swift. Although as JBL is at pains to point out, the features are purely for non-commercial purposes.

It's all about the stems. Stems are the individual tracks that make up a recording – the drum tracks, the guitar track, the lead vocal and so on – and the BandBox speakers can separate and adjust those stems from your played music via the power of AI.

That means you can turn off or isolate specific stems to play or sing along with the band, or turn the rest of the band off so you can hear a tricky bit more clearly when you're trying to learn it.

Stem separation has been available in digital music apps for some time now, but live stem separation in an amp/speaker is really quite clever, and could be genuinely useful for anyone learning new music. And the larger speaker could be really handy for bands who want to rehearse or play live without having to shell out for a PA system.

I think these are fascinating, not just because they contain the kind of tech I'd have killed for as a guitar-toting teen, but because they combine the two worlds of JBL: while many people will know it for making the best Bluetooth speakers and many legendary hi-fi speakers, it also helped shape the sound of rock'n'roll in Fender's 1960s guitar amps, and has been a huge player (so to speak) in recorded and live music for decades.

JBL BandBox Solo and BandBox Trio: key features and price

The BandBox Solo is a wireless Bluetooth speaker that puts out 18W of power and promises zero distortion (unless you're playing through a distortion pedal), and it comes with a selection of instrument effects including classic amplifier tones and pedals including chorus, reverb, tremolo and phaser. There's even a looper so you can play along with your own playing, and of course there's a tuner too.

There are more musician-friendly features, including a built-in metronome to keep time, and a detuner that can make songs easier to sing or guitar parts easier to play. And you can connect the speaker to your laptop to capture performances in your favorite digital audio workstation.

As the name suggests, the BandBox Trio is designed for multiple musicians – although there are four inputs, not the three you might expect. It's a larger, wedge-shaped speaker and it's much louder: 135W. It's designed to be used solo but can be connected to other speakers for even more power.

The BandBox Trio has the same AI and effects as its smaller sibling but adds a four-channel mixer and a drum machine too. JBL is pitching this one for small bands, open mics and other multi-musician setups where you don't want to be lugging pedalboards and PA systems around, and it comes with a swappable battery that delivers up to 10 hours of play time.

The BandBox Solo is $249.99 / £199.99 (about AU$395) and the BandBox Trio is / $599.95 / £549.99 (about AU$1,085). Both models will be available from February 2026.

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AI-generated music is quite the topic of discussion at the moment, especially now that more users are seemingly running into AI music in Spotify. One such artist, who has managed to rack up millions of streams, has listeners convinced she’s all AI.

The neo-soul ‘singer’ Sienna Rose has burst onto the scene, earning herself a staggering 3.6 million monthly Spotify listeners and three spots in Spotify’s Viral Top 50. Despite this booming success, I hate to break it to you, it’s likely that she’s not real at all.

There are many reasons why people believe her music and persona is a product of AI, but music streaming service Deezer has put it in black and white by flagging all of her content as AI-generated content. We reached out to Deezer for a comment, who stated the following:

"We can confirm that the majority of Sienna Rose’s albums on Deezer are detected and clearly tagged as AI-generated using our AI detection tool. As AI music becomes more widespread, we think it’s vitally important to be transparent with listeners and fair to artists, which is why Deezer removes all fully AI-generated tracks from algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists, so users can make informed decisions about what they're listening to."

Usually, it’s quite easy to spot what music is AI-generated in streaming services – release dates and album art are often big clues – but Sienna Rose is an interesting case. At first glance her music sounds, well, convincing, and it’s managed to fool high-profile celebrities, including Selena Gomez, who used one of Rose’s songs on a post that was later removed.

You can’t ignore the signs

Beyond Deezer’s AI music labels, there’s so much more to Rose’s musical persona that just screams ‘AI’, her sound being one big indicator which she’s adopted from the likes of Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and even Olivia Dean.

As well as the influx of music she’s released (she put out over 45 songs between September 28 and December 5 according to the BBC), listeners have been quick to flag the ‘generic’ sound of her songs, reporting bland lyric choices, inconsistent beats, and a ‘telltale hiss’ in a number of her songs – which are all common tropes found within AI-generated music.

Then there’s her lack of social media presence. When it comes to AI artists another clue is social media, from which Rose is pretty much absent, but recent videos have surfaced from accounts claiming to be her – like the TikTok video below, which currently has 2.3 million views.

Looks relatively normal right? But there are a few things that just don’t add up.

What I can’t get past is the follower count (3,867 on TikTok at the time of writing), because surely if you were an artist surpassing the likes of popular artists such as Djo, A$AP Rocky, and PinkPantheress in the Spotify charts, you’d be accumulating a rapidly growing online following. It sounds like someone is being very cautious.

But there’s one video (see below) on the Sienna Rose Instagram account that’s the icing on the cake to the theory that her entire existence is AI-generated. The video, which depicts Rose appearing on a podcast that happens to have no name, social tags, and an unrecognizable host with vacant expressions and wandering eyes.

The theories pointed in two different directions. Some believed that Rose was a legitimate person who simply uses AI to create music, but more people were convinced that her entire existence was an AI product itself. After giving her music a listen and watching whatever videos I could find of her, I’m siding with the latter, and now we have Deezer's confirmation that sets it in stone.

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Alongside keeping my fingers crossed that the AirPods’ microphones are good enough to pick up my voice and transcribe things properly, I’ve also been relying on a lesser-known feature: gesture controls. Yes, they might make me look a little weird to folks passing me on the sidewalk, but shaking my head up and down or left and right is a surprisingly simple way to have a notification read aloud – or not – as well as to respond to a message or ignore it entirely.

Maybe best of all, you don’t need the very latest AirPods from Apple. The Cupertino-based tech giant rolled these out in 2024, and gesture controls are supported on AirPods 4 (with or without noise cancellation), AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3. They’re also easy to enable in Settings on your iPhone.

Let’s break that down and explain why these head-based controls are so handy and how they complement the hands-free experience.

Make sure Gesture Controls are on – and customize them

The first step is to open Settings on your iPhone while it’s connected to your AirPods. From there, you’ll see your AirPods listed at the top of Settings – in my case, they appear as “Jacob’s AirPods Pro.”

Tap that to open the AirPods settings panel, then scroll down to the section labeled “Head Gestures” and tap it. On that screen, you’ll find a brief explanation of how the feature works, along with the option to turn it on or off.

You can also decide which gesture – up and down or side to side – is used for accepting and declining. You’ll need to assign one to each, and you can test them out right there. I’d recommend doing so, as it can take a few deliberate head movements in the right direction to trigger the desired action.

This is also where you can adjust other controls to your liking, such as what a single press or a long press on the stem does. Of course, your options will vary depending on which AirPods model you’re using.

Gesture controls are great for getting a point across quickly

What I like most about these controls is that they’re generally faster than interrupting Siri while the assistant is in the middle of announcing a notification. They’re also far less awkward than blurting out a command when you’re walking near other people or standing in a crowded transit hub.

They also help you get back into your groove – whether that’s a favorite walking track or a podcast – with fewer interruptions. If a long Slack message starts being announced, for example, you can quickly shake your head side to side to dismiss it and let the crossfade bring your audio back up.

It’s especially useful if you find yourself in a “Quiet Car” on your commute. In my case, NJ Transit’s first and last cars are designated quiet zones, where all conversations must be kept to a whisper– making this a perfect control option since it doesn’t require you to say a word.

So yes, AirPods head controls have been around for a bit, but as temperatures continue to drop, I’d much rather be shaking my head and keeping my hands in my pockets than triggering a command with my fingers or my voice. And it still lets me keep listening to the Boss.

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Look, if you’re not channeling Julia Roberts singing Prince from Richard Gere’s hotel bathtub in the movie Pretty Woman when you gaze upon FiiO’s late 80s-inspired headphones, do you even love music – or for that matter, movies?

Not content with transporting me back in time to 1960's era Bond movies (with a Phantom flagship iFi DAC), it feels like every recent hi-fi release was designed with the sole aim of sending me into a world of analog – cassettes at the ready.

FiiO is continuing to blur the boundaries between classic design and modern audio engineering with what it's calling the "FiiO EH11 Retro Bluetooth Mini Headphones". Yes, that name is also bigger than the Blue Banana…

At first glance, the EH11 look absolute like the on-ears Vivian Ward plugged into a Walkman (which was precariously balanced on the edge of Edward Lewis' Beverly Wilshire hotel bathtub) and wore to belt out the lyrics to Prince's Kiss. But look a little closer, and their compact wooden ear cups – and lack of wires – set them apart.

Inspired by iconic on-ears they may be, but the design features transparent elements that reveal internal components, and those driver housings actually double as control knobs. FiiO tells me you can rotate them to adjust volume or skip tracks. The aim, says FiiO, is to create "an experience influenced by vintage hi-fi gear while remaining portable".

You don't have to be beautiful, to turn me on… 

…but it helps! Weighing just 92 grams, the EH11 are certainly ideal for portable listening.

FiiO tells me that the 40mm long-throw dynamic driver in the earpiece features "a high-damping composite diaphragm" to lower the resonant frequency to 60Hz and "enabling bass extension down to 17Hz". Impressive.

The EH11 also feature a semi-open acoustic design, with ventilation ports and damping filters to reduce the pressure, thus hopefully avoiding that 'closed-in' typical of on-ear headphones can sometimes fall foul of.

And these headphones are not just here for the retro feel. The EH11 support LDAC Bluetooth, for audio at up to 990 kbps when paired with compatible devices – and here FiiO would point you happily towards its fabulous JM21 hi-res player, which is now available with extra storage.

The EH11 battery – yes, these are wireless headphones – apparently offer up to 30 hours of playback on a single charge, and a full recharge takes approximately 90 minutes.

And we're a long way from the 1980s when it comes to the feature-set too: integration with the FiiO Control App unlocks genre-specific sound profiles, custom EQ, low-latency gaming sound modes, and firmware updates.

Replaceable ear pads in two color sets are included for a spot of outfit matching, and they're available now in transparent, off-white, burgundy, cyan, or transparent black finishes, priced just $29.99 / £32.99 (around AU$65).

That would make them easy candidates for our best cheap headphones guide if the sound matches the vibe – and let me tell you, reader (*closes eyes, sings) "I just want to test them baby… from dusk 'til dawn!"

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If you’re looking to grab one of the best Bluetooth speakers, then, it’s crucial to find something that sets one model apart from the rest. Sure, we all want something that sounds good, looks attractive and offers good value for money – but a special feature or two can really make a speaker stand out.

That’s why I often find myself recommending JBL’s speakers. Yes, they often sound fantastic. They're typically vibrant, attractive, and waterproof too. But their excellent feature-sets – and in particular their ingenious PlayTime Boost setting – really give them that killer edge, in my view. But what is PlayTime Boost? What’s so useful about it? I’ll reveal all down below.

Keep the party moving

PlayTime Boost is a feature on modern JBL speakers that adjusts a model’s audio output to unlock even more battery life.

JBL itself claims that when PlayTime Boost is active, the speaker “optimizes and tunes the performance for a louder and crisper sound”. Lower-frequency sounds are typically less prominent with PlayTime Boost active, but JBL’s speakers still sound great, and that extra lease of life can go a long way.

For instance, I’ve found myself using PlayTime boost a fair bit when I’ve forgotten to charge my speaker, but need a boost in a pinch. On a model like the JBL Grip, you can simply activate PlayTime Boost in the JBL Portable app, and the speaker’s battery life will increase from 12 hours, up to 14 hours. It’s just a great way to keep the party moving if you’ve not got a charger nearby.

Speakers with this feature built-in include the tiny JBL Go 4, the mid-sized JBL Charge 6, and the chunkier JBL Xtreme 4. Best of all, you’ll find PlayTime Boost on the JBL Flip 7 – a small model with big sound that proudly sits as my top overall recommendation in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers.

Given that a lot of JBL speakers already supply battery life in line with, or higher than, the bulk of their competition, PlayTime Boost really does make them easy to recommend. But rival manufacturers have released some incredible alternatives lately as well – check out my list of the top 5 Bluetooth speakers of 2025 to get the lowdown on the latest and greatest models you can buy.

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Regular readers – and anyone on the hunt for one of the best turntables – will know of Sony's form in the budget vinyl spinning arena. Simply put, the Sony PS-LX310BT is one of the best Bluetooth turntables in its lowly price category, and has been since its 2019 release.

And after a long old wait, Sony has released a model to update it, plus a step-up option for anyone looking to level up – or replace a heritage deck, perhaps.

The names to jot down are the PS-LX3BT and PS-LX5BT, and both models are belt-drive decks offering one-button full auto playback (there's "start", "stop" and "up/down" buttons on each, so you never really need to touch the delicate tonearm).

You also get Bluetooth with aptX and aptX Adaptive if you'd like to listen through your Bluetooth speaker or wireless headphones, rather than to your wired speakers. Sony also lists a pre-fitted "high-quality moving-magnet cartridge", three-level gain control, aluminum platter and transparent dust cover. Each also supports 33⅓ and 45 RPM records (7" and 12").

Sony PS-LX3BT and PS-LX5BT: the key specs (…and surprising pricing)

The PS-LX3BT (the model on the right of the main image, above) is billed as a direct replacement for the older PS-LX310BT. It has an attached audio cable and built-in phono equalizer, so you can plug it into an amp or powered speakers, if you'd like to stick to a more traditional setup.

Cartridge pressure here is listed as 3.5g ± 0.5g, and the solid die-cast aluminum platter should make it a dependable, solid deck for newbies to record collecting.

The PS-LX5BT introduces a few more premium refinements to enhance the audio performance, including a more delicate stylus pressure of 2.0g ± 0.5g, a thicker and more premium rubber mat and a slightly tweaked circuit design that, says Sony, has been carefully engineered to suppress unwanted vibration.

It also adds a dedicated, gold-plated audio jack out port (something not present on the older PS-LX310BT) with a cable in the box, plus a slightly more high-end all-black finish.

Sounds good, no? So why am I a little reticent to show my pleasure? Well, the PS-LX3BT is available from today (January 22; mid-February in Australia) for a suggested retail price of £299 / €299 / AU$469 (so around $401), and the PS-LX5BT will be available for £399 / €399 / AU$599 (so around $536) – or just a little cheaper than the excellent Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo, which initially launched for $499 / £499 but can ofter be found for closer to $449 / £439.

And that turntable is the deck we recommend as the best for most people – not vinyl newbies; not those who want a cheap Bluetooth option to kick off their vinyl hobby. Just the best, generally.

To clarify, the older Sony PS-LX310BT regularly sells for $199 / £179 / AU$395 and while I understand the incremental gains Sony has listed, I'm not sure a cult-favorite budget deck can be successfully superseded by a "direct replacement" that costs so much more – and a step-up model that's even pricier and thus vying against long-term class-leaders.

I adored the original PS-LX310BT when I helped test it (for TechRadar's sister site, What Hi-Fi? back in 2019, not long after its release), but the key selling point then was its relative uniqueness at that budget level.

How unique and affordable are these new iterations in 2026 – and will fledgling vinyl collectors pay the surcharge, rather than fight over any remaining stock of the older model? That remains to be seen. What I can tell you is that I still can't wait to try them out. Watch this space.

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Building on Spotify's AI playlist tool, which launched in April 2024, Prompted Playlists takes a similar approach but gives you full control over where you steer the algorithm. In its news blog, Spotify puts it quite simply: “You’re not just asking for music, you’re shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you.”

Using prompts, big or small, you can tell it exactly what you want to hear and it will generate a unique playlist – but there are a few twists.

The most notable difference with Prompted Playlists is that, just like Discover Weekly, it updates every so often, and you get to decide when it does. In addition to fresh music recommendations, Prompted Playlists also offers context behind each song with a new Notes function – another selling point for the new tool.

Though Spotify has plans to roll Prompted Playlists out to more markets, it’s starting with the US and Canada for the first stage of expansion. I’ve been experimenting with Prompted Playlists for a few days, and while I’m enjoying what it has to offer, it’s still in its infancy with a lot of room for growth – but I see that as a good thing.

Recreate Discover Weekly, but make it better

Going into Prompted Playlists, my idea was to create a new way to discover new songs, artists, and genres. I use features like Discover Weekly and Spotify’s own All New All Now playlist, so I wanted something more tailored.

For starters, each Prompted Playlist takes around two minutes to generate, which is a bit of a wait, but expected for a feature in its early days. That’s the first area for future improvement. Then it was time to really dive in, and I kicked things off with the following prompt:

‘Add songs that have been released in the last week from artists I’ve been enjoying recently. It should be similar to the All New All Now playlist, with new tracks from recommended artists.’

For a first go, it was quite satisfactory, with a handful of fresh bangers from the past week, albeit a little shorter than my usual playlists (each Prompted Playlist lasts around 60-90 minutes). But it took some tinkering to get it where I exactly wanted it to be.

One of the faults I couldn’t shake was the range of artists the playlist recommended, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen being two of them. I know that I’ve never streamed those two artists, nor do I listen to artists of a similar type, so the playlist had no reason to recommend them. After removing them from my Spotify ecosystem, I updated the playlist to see what else it would give me, but ran into a prompt error (see below).

Though you can be hyper-detailed and specific with your prompt, you need to give it a time span that’s wide enough for it to gather recommendations from. When I updated it with a more nuanced prompt, things started looking brighter:

‘Add songs that have been released in the last two weeks from artists that I enjoy as well as ones you’d think I’d like. It should span genres similar to the All New All Now playlist, with new releases from recommended artists based on my recent listening habits for added music discovery’.

After some refining, the final playlist turned out to be just what I was after: a collection of fresh music releases from an even blend of familiar and new artists, which I’ve since included in my weekly music streaming regimen. Now, every Friday I get to wake up to an updated playlist of new music drops tailored to my requests – but I’m not leaving All New All Now and Discover Weekly behind.

A few minor issues, but a solid starting point

Not every new feature has a perfect landing, including Prompted Playlists. In spite of the tool's clever functions, there's still room for improvement, and Spotify should start with speeding up the time it takes to put a Prompted Playlist together. Another small tweak that would make Prompted Playlists unstoppable is increasing the amount of songs it suggests – I reckon a roughly three-hour playlist is reasonable, similar to Daylists.

There's also the matter of recommending artists that don't match my listening habits which Spotify could also work on, however this can also be tackled by entering hyper-specific prompts so that Spotify understands exactly what it is you want to hear.

Unlike other Spotify features that I've used and immediately abandoned, the Prompted Playlists tool has made a fair impression on me, giving me a new means of fresh music discovery, but one that caters to my personal taste profile . With some tweaks here and there, I can see it becoming quite the hotspot in my Spotify ecosystem.

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In a world where higher-res and lossless audio is now widely available, it's a shame that it's hard to get that music quality out of your iPhone, requiring a dongle of some kind if you want to connect most of the best wired headphones – and that extra device can be unwieldy to have in your pocket.

A new MagSafe-mounted DAC from Khadas can solve both problems, though – expanding your headphone choices quite dramatically. And it's compatible with a wide range of devices, not just iPhones.

The Khadas Tea Pro is a clever little thing. It snaps to the back of your iPhone 12 to 17 (and future models, presumably) so there's no dongle to dangle – although you'll need to connect it via USB still if you want Hi-Res Audio.

It can receive sound either using USB-C, an aux in, or over Bluetooth, with LDAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive all supported (plus standard-quality Bluetooth).

It has both 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outputs for your wired headphones and in-ear monitors.

Kadas Tea Pro: key features and pricing

The Tea Pro features a Qualcomm QCC5181 Bluetooth module and an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC with support for PCM at up to 768kHz and DSD512 over a wired USB connection. It also has wireless support for SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and LDAC – though it only receives this, and can't transmit, which seems like an oversight. A few of our picks of the best headphone DACs offer this flexibility.

The design is simple and attractive enough: it's a compact rectangle with rounded corners and a little 0.95-inch AMOLED status display. It also has its own internal battery with a promised life of up to 11 hours over wireless and 8 hours with wired Hi-Res Audio. Power output for wired headphones isn't specified.

I think this is an attractive bit of design and I certainly like the neatness of the concept, but with a price of $199 / £175 it's up against some pretty serious competition from respected brands, such as the Fiio BTR17 and the iFi Go Link Max, with the former costing roughly the same and the latter coming in at roughly half the price of the Tea Pro.

Neither of those devices is as elegant-looking as the Tea Pro, however, so if style and tidiness matters as much as sound, it could be an interesting iPhone upgrade.

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As music lovers look to embrace more analog in 2026 (and competitor Spotify continues to receive 'Slopify' criticism for AI music infestation on its site) Qobuz is seemingly thriving – to the point that it has been recognized an annual Digital 100 winner by web analytics expert Similarweb for its huge growth. These awards give flowers to the companies that showed the most significant digital growth in the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, India, and Brazil.

The original hi-res music streaming service and independently-owned music download platform ranked #3 among the fastest growing companies in Media & Entertainment for the UK, and #2 for Media & Entertainment in the US.

Similarweb’s Sixth Annual Digital 100 Report also states that Qobuz grew the audience for its mobile app by 105% in the UK and 202% in the US from 2024 to 2025, based on the company's independent estimates.

And while ChatGPT took the top spot in many countries (again), it's a major win for the unique French music site that prefers to do things its own way – and strongly emphasizes human curation and passion, featuring expert-curated playlists and 'Editor's Picks' for its recommended audio content.

Dan Mackta, a Managing Director at Qobuz, said "We’re delighted to be recognised as one of the fastest‑growing digital companies in both the UK and US in this year’s Similarweb Digital 100. Last year was a pivotal one for Qobuz, highlighted by the launch and strong adoption of Qobuz Connect, which has broadened how our listeners enjoy high‑resolution music across hi‑fi devices."

Qobuz: time to make the switch?

Qobuz further solidified itself as the audiophiles' service of choice by adding hi-res DSD and DXD downloads to its offering in October 2024. More recently, it announced a six-month, artists-first podcast collab with indie music mag, Drowned in Sound and added sensitive, helpful initiatives such as organizing its music catalog by record label (rather than via a 'sounds similar' algorithm) to help me find new bands I love and help Qobuz earn its place in my music-loving heart.

Does Qobuz care for accolades? Well, winners do not apply for or lobby for these awards. Similarweb's ranking is powered by its own "rigorous analysis of billions of digital signals across more than 100 million companies". The Digital 100 ranks web domains and mobile apps based on their performance over 12 months, versus the previous 12 months.

I'm glad that Qobuz is gaining traction as a viable music app alternative to Spotify, because for me, there's also a much more human win to celebrate here.

Spotify isn't alone in receiving accusations of pushing AI slop on its listeners – YouTube Music users feel it's also happening to them. And while Spotify seems to be hoping loyal fans to look the other way on ethical music issues – see its recent bid to win over Audible fans with a big audiobook upgrade – Qobuz doubled down on its support for artists last year by publishing how much it actually pays per stream.

At just over 1.8¢, this rate has not only been verified as the highest pay-per-stream fee in the industry, Qobuz also claims it's "four times the industry average."

And that's before we even touch on how former Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's reported investments in AI military company Helsing caused acts such as Massive Attack to remove their entire catalog from the platform.

Since the publication of this piece, a Spotify spokesperson has reached out to TechRadar to comment on its own payment models and approach to AI music, telling us: "Spotify actively removes deceptive or spammy AI tracks to protect artists and listeners, including more than 75 million in the past year. Regarding 'per stream rates', no streaming service pays per stream. A high per stream means fewer people are using a service. Per stream rate = total payouts divided by total streams. What would make a higher per stream rate? Fewer streams, meaning lower overall payouts."

Given the recent surge in Qobuz's popularity since it published its rates, it's perhaps even more interesting to consider this.

Think it's time to make the switch? The figures suggest it's already happening. Smartphone owners are letting their devices do the talking.

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Sony has unveiled the LinkBuds Clip, which are its first clip-style open earbuds. Sony has enjoyed a run of fashioning some of the best open earbuds we've tested to date (and will happily lay claim to having invented the category with the original Sony LinkBuds, though that depends on whether you count AirPods-style earbuds as being open ear, but I digress) although the company has never tried this 'ear-cuff' style fit so far.

The Sony LinkBuds Clip include a 10mm driver, and like all clip-style open earbuds, this sits just outside your ear canal and fires sound into it without sealing you off from the outside world.

They come with a little flexible attachment that Sony calls an "air fitting cushion", designed to sit in the curve, and to hold them more firmly only the ear (or to hold them at all if your have smaller ears).

Because of the way external sound is allowed in, they include a specific new audio mode called Voice Boost, to make (as you probably guessed) stuff like podcasts and audiobooks come across clearer.

They also include an Adaptive Volume feature, as seen on the Sony LinkBuds Fit, so they can automatically ramp up the volume to avoid the sound being totally drowned out in loud areas.

There's also a 'Sound leakage reduction' mode for places like the office, where you want to make sure the open fit isn't firing your playlist out to your neighbors.

The earbuds include Sony's DSEE audio upscaling tech to make low-quality streaming music sound better, but there's no LDAC higher-res Bluetooth support – just the basic AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs. There's multi-point pairing to switch between two devices instantly, naturally.

They feature a bone-conduction sensor as well as microphones to help pick up your voice for calls, with AI-powered reduction of background noise.

To control them, you can tap the earbuds themselves – they have an accelerometer in, so you don't need to tap anywhere in particular. In fact, while testing them I found that you didn't necessarily need to tap the earbuds themselves – tapping my ear right at the point where they sat also worked.

They promise nine hours of battery life from the buds, and 37 hours including the case. A fast-charging feature promises to provide an hour of play from three minutes of charging. They're IPX4 rated for waterproofing, so should be good to use for light exercise – don't wear them out in heavy rain, maybe, though.

They're available in black, white, lilac and pale green colors, and come in a funky box that both curved and square – and you can buy sleeves for the case to mix up the colors. These are available in five colors: coral, green, blue, lavender, and black.

The Sony LinkBuds Clip cost $229 / £180 / AU$329.95, and will be available to buy in January, though Sony didn't provide an exact date. The LinkBuds Clip Case covers cost $24.99 and are available from the Sony website only.

Based on the specs alone, you might be thinking the price sounds pretty high for the specs – the Shokz OpenFit Pro, for example, cost a similar amount and include an effective active noise cancellation feature and Dolby Atmos. JBL just announced a direct competitor in the form of its Soundgear Clips, and they'll cost $149. The Earfun Clip 2 include Sony's own LDAC higher-res wireless tech, and they're launching at $79…

But that's probably fine – it'll be all about the experience, right? I got to try a demo session with the LinkBuds Clip, and I'm afraid that just reinforced for me that Sony might have the price wrong here.

Clip to be square

First up: the fit. They go onto the ear pretty easily, and at first I tried them without the air fitting cushion. This was comfortable, felt overall natural, and there didn't seem to be much risk of them falling out, though I wasn't in a position to take them for a quick jog. There was a little rotational give to them, and I think this is part of them feeling pretty natural to wear.

I tried them with the air fitting cushion in, and the difference was interesting – on my ears (which aren't small), this meant that any rotational give disappeared, and they held rock steady where I'd put them. In exchange for this, I could 'feel' them on my ear more – not that they applied pressure or became uncomfortable in any way, but I just felt more aware of them.

I think on balance I preferred them with the air cushion. As I said, I didn't think they'd fall out without it – but with it, I was certain they would hold, and I love a little extra peace of mind where I can get it these days.

Firing up some of my music, my concern about the price tag become immediate – while I only spent about 10 minutes listening to the earbuds, the sound quality just didn't seem to be where I'd want it for over $200.

It's been normal for open earbuds to have softer and less deep audio quality than the best earbuds with an in-ear seal, but recent releases have really closed that gap – again, with the Shokz OpenFit Pro, our audio editor Becky Scarrott said she could forget she wasn't using more traditional earbuds. The sound is detailed and rich enough to compete.

With the Sony LinkBuds Clip, the sound balance was really good, as I always expect from Sony – no matter the budget level, it always finds a way to make sure your music feels like it's the correct shape.

But it was immediately obvious that there's a lack of deep bass, and I don't mean because I was listening to some trance bangers. The low end is slight overall, meaning that acoustic instruments don't have their full resonance, let alone a drum machine lacking its intended punch.

Similarly, the treble felt like it struggled to stand clearly out of the mid-range, feeling a bit too attached and unable to really shine. And that's part of a general lack of dynamic capability, which meant that the sound didn't feel particularly energetic, and didn't have the natural detail I expect from Sony.

(I also noticed quite a bit of sound leakage from someone else testing their buds about six feet from me, but I don't know how loud they had them – it may not be as bad in more common scenarios, and there's always the sound mode to reduce leakage if you need it.)

Obviously, sound quality is always relative to price – based on my demo, I expected the buds to cost more like $120 / £100, like the impressive Sony WF-C710N at launch. At nearly twice that, I'm worried these will struggle.

However, we can only make a real judgment after a proper testing period and comparison of the audio, and I didn't test features such as the mic quality, which could end up recommending it over the competition if you take a lot of calls (the mic quality on the Sony WH-1000XM6 with AI noise reduction is best in class, after all).

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In 2025, open earbuds became the trendy new kind of headphone to buy, and the market was dominated by sports loop-style buds. By the end of the year, though, cuff- or hook-style open-ears had dethroned them, and the Huawei FreeClip 2 are some of the big new buds to use this form factor.

My favorite open-ears of last year were the Huawei FreeArc, so I was hopeful that this new option would deliver something special – perhaps even enough to dethrone the big names on this particular block, like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds or Shokz OpenDots One. However you might as well call these the FreeClicarus, because the company has flown too close to the sun.

The selling point of the FreeClip 2 is this: they’re some of the lightest, thinnest and therefore most comfortable clippy ear-cuff type earbuds to date. This is clear from the size of the charging case, which is the smallest I’ve ever seen in such buds, but also from the design and build of the buds themselves.

However even with the ‘heaviest’ cuff-style buds, I’ve never had a problem with weight, and in the FreeClip 2, the reverse was true. Buds like this rely on gravity to lock them firmly around your ear, and if they’re light, they just won’t sit right. I found the buds didn’t naturally sit properly, so needed some adjustment every time I used them, and were far too easy to knock off if they received a bump or swipe. They never fell out during exercise, but they did when I was pulling up my hood, putting on a bike helmet or bringing my noggin too close to my neck.

There are other aspects of the bud that are poorly designed. The touch controls are too finickety, requiring a precision and soft touch that I defy anyone to have at any point, let alone when they’re running or walking. And like all Huawei hearables, the companion smartphone app requires so many hoops to jump through, you’ll feel like an elephant at a circus (on Android, at least – on iOS or HarmonyOS, the process is simple). And, perhaps most damning of all, the audio quality just isn't very good.

You might now be wondering why I gave a modestly positive score to the FreeClip 2, and that's for two reasons. Firstly, it's because these issues aren't terrible. Secondly, it's for two really handy perks that the buds offer which alternatives don't.

Firstly, as I've already said, they're lovely and lightweight, and they were more comfortable to wear for runs or walks than alternatives. Secondly, the maximum volume is really high, fixing a common open earbuds issue – hearing your music properly. Despite their issues, the dearer-than-they-should-be pricing and being a let-own compared to the FreeArc, I can see these being a reliable buy for certain users.

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Specifications

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Price and availability

• Released on January 21, 2026
• Priced at £179.99 (roughly $240, AU$350)
• Premium price for clip-style buds

The Huawei FreeClip 2 were announced in December 2025, and put on sale on January 21, 2026 (today, at the time of writing). Just in time for your New Year Resolution to run more – unless you live in the US or Australia, where the things don’t sell.

At £179 (roughly $240, AU$350), the FreeClip are fairly premium cuff-style buds. They match the highly-rated Shokz OpenDots One, though undercut the $299 / £299 / AU$449 Bose Ultra Open Ears. Most earbuds with this form factor I’ve tested have been cheaper, though, with some great options at half the price that we’ll explore near the bottom of this review.

For some Huawei-shaped context, the original FreeClip were released two years prior for about the same price. If you want any open earbuds regardless of the form, the Huawei FreeArc came out in early 2025 for about half the price, and they’re the best sports-loop-style open earbuds I’ve tested to date.

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Design

• Incredibly light case, comfortable buds
• Too flexible and light to fit properly
• IP57 protection

When I first took the Huawei FreeClip 2 out of the box, I thought Huawei had left them in the wash too long and they’d shrunk. The case is absolutely tiny. I’m talking about 5 x 5 x 2.5cm, smaller than any other charging case I’ve ever seen, and at 37.8g I don’t recall testing any lighter either. Lovely for popping the case in my pocket.

Like most clip-style open earbuds, the left and right buds are interchangeable, so you can pop them in your ears or the case either way around. But the process of putting them in the case is quite confusing, with an arrangement that seems… illogical. You can see what I mean in the pictures; it’s different to any other cuff buds I’ve tested, and I constantly put them in wrong and only noticed when the lid wouldn’t close properly. I found this quite annoying, but it’s the price to pay for a small case.

Onto the buds themselves: a spherical bud (or Acoustic Ball, according to Huawei), counterweight (Comfort Bean, apparently), and the connector loop (Airy C-bridge Design), all in a 5.1g package. The loop is quite elasticky, so there’s a lot of flex between the components, but I never noticed any ill effects when the buds were in my ears.

I noticed something with the bud – sorry, the Acoustic Ball – that I’ve not heard on other clipping buds. Sometimes when I put them in my ear, the audio wouldn’t be at full power, and I’d have to readjust them before they sounded right. Usually this kind of bud just falls into place, and I wasn’t used to this kind of micromanagement. It was also easier than I’m used to, to knock them out of place – they had a solid fit when exercising, but I kept hitting them out of my ear with bike helmet straps, hoods and hats. I think the frail design and light weight have resulted in some fit reliability problems.

There are touch controls on the buds: stroke the counterweight – I mean, Comfort Bean – for changing the volume, double-tap any part of the buds to play or pause, tripe to skip. The tapping was generally okay, even though my touch wasn’t always picked up, but I really struggled with the swiping – it’s really hard to intuitively reach the right spot behind your ear to find the trigger, and in my experience it was rarely picked up correctly anyway.

You can pick up the Huawei FreeClip 2 in three colors: blue, black or white. They’re rated to IP57, so they have limited protection against dust and can be immersed in shallow water for a limited time.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Features

• Fantastic listening test
• Battery life is 8 hours, 32 hours with case
• Fewer other features than some rivals

A recurring problem with Huawei earbuds is that their app situation is, I'm sorry to have to say it, a bit of a nightmare for Android users (an app-solute nightmare?) and that’s no different for the FreeClip 2. Own an iPhone? You’re in the clear – the companion app can be pinched straight from the App Store.

On my Android phone I had to go into a web browser, download and then install an APK for the Huawei AppGallery and use that to install the Huawei Audio Connect app (I then, for good measure, deleted AppGallery). That’s quite a lot of admin just to turn off touch controls.

It might not be worth it. The app lets you pick between four presets (and lets you create your own with a 10-band equalizer), and lets you toggle a few features like touch control, wear detection and head control (you can shake your head to reject an incoming call). Okay, there’s a ‘Find-My’ feature for lost buds or case and drop detection, two useful features. The app also has an Experimental Features menu which, for now, just has a toggle for adaptive volume – since this is labelled as under development, it didn’t feel fair to evaluate it for this review.

I will say, wearer detection is rarely present on open earbuds, and even more rarely is it fully functional. One thing I noticed over my testing process is that on the FreeClip 2, it works very well. Sometimes, it’s the small things!

The battery life is a little longer than the rivals, with the earbuds lasting 9 hours before you need to pop them back in the case. The case, despite its short stature, offers a decent amount of mileage too: 39 hours in total. It’s not class-leading, but it’s still very good.

The FreeClips support Bluetooth 6.0, a figure I don’t always see in buds like these, and I never had any connection issues; they were fast to pair every time I used them. They can also pair with multiple devices simultaneously so you can use them with both your phone and, say, a running watch.

• Features score: 4/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Sound performance

• Single 10.8mm driver
• Music sounds lifeless
• Lovely, high max volume

Each Huawei FreeClip 2 earpiece has a 10.8mm driver, just like its predecessor – it seems that the improvements in this sequel are in the design department, not the audio sector. That’s a shame because while we didn’t receive the original model, I saw some negative responses to its audio quality, and I’m going to level (I think) those same complaints at the new model.

Music, frankly, sounds flat and lifeless, condensing different instruments into one musical line instead of a sonic spread and then, oddly elevating mid tones higher above treble and bass. It sounds like the guitarist forgot to plug their axe in, the singer is struggling to remember the lyrics, the bassist is pushing through carpal tunnel syndrome.

In The Roosevelts & James Mason’s This Is Life, the rhythmic acoustic guitar seems to take dominance of the mix over the bass and vocals (drums? Not here, officer). The same happened in ABBA’s Waterloo: the acoustic stings in the verse stood above everything else, but strangely when the instrument returned in the chorus it was barely audible. I listened to a recording of the fourth movement of Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and the brass overshadowed the entire instrumentation – even in the segments they’re barely present.

In short, I wasn’t wowed by the Huawei FreeClip 2’s sonic prowess – it’s not the worst I’ve ever tested, but it is for the price. However, the buds do one spec better than any other model I’ve reviewed, and it’s a department that’s crucial for open earbuds: volume.

Too many times, these open-fit headphones don’t go loud enough, and they’re hard to hear due to the background noise you’re not meant to be isolated from. The FreeClip 2, however, go really loud, and for this reason alone I’d still recommend them to some fitness users who’ve struggled with other options.

If the buds support any features like Dolby Audio or aptX, or codecs like LDAC or AAC, it isn't mentioned on Huawei's website or app.

• Sound performance score: 3/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Value

Given the glut of cuff-style open earbuds at sub-$100 (or £, AU$ equivalent) prices, you can expect a premium product if you’re going to pay a premium price like this. I’m sorry to say that I don’t think the FreeClip 2 quite deserve to be called that, though; the feature set, fit and sound quality aren’t significantly better than the budget options on the market.

I think Huawei missed a trick by pricing these buds as they did. You can pay less and get just as much, or pay the same amount and get more from rivals.

• Value score: 3/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: scorecard

Huawei FreeClip 2: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

I listened to the Huawei FreeClip 2 for just over two weeks before writing this review. In that time I used it paired to my Android smartphone.

I used the FreeClip daily during that time. I worked out at the gym, went on runs and cycled, and also used it when not exercising at home and on walks around my neighborhood. I listened on Spotify and Tidal, watched on streaming services and played several games with them.

These are the latest in a busy line of earbuds I've tested at TechRadar, including plenty of open-ear options and various gadgets from Huawei.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: January 2026

Audio on today's best TVs is notoriously bad, and the assumption is that you'll ignore it, and simply buy a soundbar or surround system to make up for the set's acoustic deficits.

Why?

Earlier this week, I was in the mood for a good comfort-watch. For me, that means a superhero movie, and, if I haven't watched 1978's Superman recently, the natural choice is Christopher Nolan's exemplary Batman Begins. I love this movie, from the brilliant cinematography to non-stop but realistic action, snappy dialogue, and high stakes – it's about as good as Batman gets. It's also on one of the best streaming services, HBO Max.

Yet, as I sat there enjoying Bruce Wayne's quest to step out from the League of Shadows and become the Dark Knight, I started pushing the sound level on my LG C5 up to near 70 (out of a possible 100) just so I could make out the dialogue.

As my son reminded me, Nolan tends to overmix the audio in favor of sound effects, but I knew I was struggling too hard to hear what Christian Bale was saying in at least a few key scenes, ones in which I'm certain Nolan wasn't trying to drown him out.

It's not the speakers you have on the inside, it's what you do with them

LG's C5 has a bunch of audio presets: Standard, Cinema, AI Sound Pro, and Clear Voice Pro (there's also Sports, Music, and Game Optimizer, which are all less germane here). I was already in Cinema Mode, which may have accounted for some of the booming background effects, so I switched to Clear Voice Pro, hoping it would add some clarity to the speech.

The result was awful. Voices were sharp to the point of being almost painful to listen to. They had a weird, unnatural echo, and the background sound was diminished into muddy uselessness.

Standard mode was generally flat, and also did nothing to solve my dialogue issues. With the exception of the algorithmic AI overcorrections, most of these sound modes are, in my estimation, equivalent to sound EQs you got on your old portable CD players, raising and lowering bass and treble to suit certain music or audio styles. They weren't earth-shattering then, and are not now.

As I sat there in some frustration, and the 14th ad started to run in the middle of my HBO Max movie experience, my son asked why I was suffering so much, and suggested I find our Nolan Batman Trilogy Blu-ray set and watch it on disc.

It was a solid suggestion. First of all, the image quality was considerably better. Second, no commercials. The audio was about the same, though.

Is sound bad to teach us how to buy a sound bar?

I know, why not just buy a soundbar and stop complaining? Well, there is the principle of the thing. I paid well over $1,500 for this TV set, and wonder why I need to plunk down $400 or more for a decent soundbar and subwoofer.

There is another, more practical problem. When I installed my 65-inch OLED on my wall, I positioned it at the optimal height for couch viewing; no craning my neck for me. We then bought a cabinet to put under it, but when we got it, we found that the furniture was slightly taller than we expected. The result is that a standard soundbar right under the TV (even one just a few inches tall) might partially block the bottom edge of my LG C5 OLED.

A utility belt won't solve this

So, yes, I'm stuck, and that's partially a problem of my own making. And yet, why does the sound have to suck so much? AI audio manipulation is clearly not going to help, and, despite what these companies tell you, they have not solved the audio issues inherent in ultra-thin and light (just 36.6lbs) TV sets.

Because this is not simply an issue with one beloved superhero classic. Virtually anything I watch on any streaming platform is a trial of epic audio proportions. We make it louder and louder, until we finally give in and switch to closed captions.

My thought is that I need to find an ultra-low profile soundbar that somehow still manages to deliver crisp, clear dialogue. The LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar, which is just 2.5 inches tall, might work, but it's also $999. Seriously, why must I pay another $1,000 for the sound experience that should have come right out of my brand-new TV?

Color me frustrated. Perhaps this is a job for the Dark Knight.

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Meze Audio may have solved a headphone lover's dilemma: their new Strada headphones promise the intimacy of open-back headphones with the privacy and low-end fun of closed-back ones.

If you're looking for a high-quality set of headphones that won't leak so much audio that you get thrown out of the office, these could be the headphones for you.

As we've come to expect from Meze these are very beautiful headphones, and this time the earcups are made from Macassar ebony and embedded in a gorgeous deep metallic green frame. And they promise to sound as good as they look.

Meze Audio Strada: key features and pricing

The Strada are based on the chassis of Meze's acclaimed Liric series, with a revised build made for their dynamic drivers. Those 50mm drivers are made from carbon-fiber reinforced cellulose composite and were first introduced in the open-backed 109 Pro series; they have now been tuned for closed-back performance.

The sound profile is designed to be clear and natural, with a slight bass lift to deliver a deeper, more defined low end. Impedance is 40 ohms and the frequency range is 5Hz to 30kHz.

Each pair of earcups is unique thanks to the grain of the ebony, and the ear pads are magnetic for easy swapping. The headband is softly padded with its cushions arranged in a symmetrical cross pattern to evenly distribute pressure, maintain airflow and reduce heat build-up during long listening sessions.

As ever with Meze, the Strada were made to be easily serviced for long life – the company suggests they should last you for decades. And that's probably for the best, because they don't come cheap.

The Meze Audio Strada headphones will be available from today, 21 January 2026, with a price tag of $799 / £799 / €799 (about AU$1,590).

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Marshall has announced a dedicated music streaming hub that's ideal for owners of its Acton III, Stanmore III and Woburn III speakers, and can turn them from Bluetooth-only speakers into being some of the best multi-room wireless speakers.

The new Heddon hub streams music via Wi-Fi and then transmits it to your Marshall speakers via Auracast. You can also connect one of the best turntables to it to stream records around the house to all your speakers, and you can connect an older Marshall speaker via an RCA cable.

Marshall Heddon: key features

The Heddon looks rather like an Apple TV 4K if it were made for musicians, with a small, square footprint of just 120.5mm / 4.75 inches square and the familiar black Tolex-style finish and Marshall logo.

It's deliberately simple because it's designed to be controlled via the Marshall smartphone app. It works with Spotify Connect, TIDAL, AirPlay and Google Cast, and in addition to Wi-Fi connectivity there's an Ethernet port round the back for wired networks.

The Heddon enables you to connect older Marshalls via an RCA cable, with compatible models including older Acton, Stanmore and Woburn speakers as well as Kilburn, Stockwell, Tufton and the Acton Voice and Stanmore Voice models.

Once you've connected the older speaker you can then use the Heddon to sync playback between your wired speaker and your wireless speaker(s).

The Heddon is priced very keenly, especially if you're in the market for a speaker too: if you buy an Acton III, Stanmore III or Woburn III you can get it for half price, and if you buy two or more eligible Marshalls you can get the Heddon hub for free.

If you're buying one for your existing speakers, the official price is $299 / £179 (about AU$356).

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Pro-Ject's decks are blowing with the wind of change, aren't they? Not content with a delightfully thunderstruck AC/DC-themed turntable and a light-up Elvis-themed deck (which I got to see recently at the Paris Audio Show), the Austrian turntable specialist has unveiled the Pro-Ject Scorpions Turntable, featuring the striking artwork from the German band’s 1982 album, Blackout.

And just in case you're not fully versed on the significance of the band (or the album), since forming in Hanover in 1965, Rudolf Schenker and co. have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Blackout was the band’s eighth studio album, and in 2017, Rolling Stone ranked it 73rd on their list of the 100 greatest metal albums of all time.

The album cover isn't – how to put this? – for the faint of heart. It's based on a self-portrait by Vienna-born artist Gottfried Helnwein and shows Helnwein with a bandaged head, a mouth frozen in mid-scream, and twisted forks pointing in towards his eyes.

The artwork wasn’t created especially for the album either; it dates from around 1981–82. Schenker and fellow band member Klaus Meine reportedly discovered the image in Stern magazine and got Helnwein’s permission to use it. For the cover, Helnwein apparently made only minor adjustments to colors and background to suit the LP format, leaving the central image intact.

Pro-Ject's Scorpions turntable: hungry to play

And the story behind the album’s title track? It's just as rock 'n' roll. As Schenker previously said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Blackout was a song that actually came out of a situation when I was partying with the Judas Priest guys, Glenn and K.K., and with Def Leppard. It was a hard party – no question – and I had a blackout, which I didn’t even know existed. I told Herman the story. He said, 'You know what you had? You had a blackout.' Then he added, 'Oh, by the way, that’s a great title for an album.'"

The Pro-Ject Artist Collection celebrates bands, acts, musicians, and artwork that has shaped music and popular culture. The Scorpions Turntable is handmade in Europe, designed and built by Pro-Ject. It's based on the Pro-Ject T2 turntable and uses a belt-drive design. The CNC-machined plinth has been enlarged here for greater stability, and its non-plastic construction should reduce unwanted vibrations. A heavy glass platter should also minimise resonanc,e and Pro-Ject tells me the turntable's feet will help isolate the unit from any external vibration.

The deck includes a straight 9-inch aluminium tonearm with integrated headshell and spring-based anti-skating mechanism. It also comes equipped with a pre-adjusted Pick it 25A Moving Magnet Ortofon cartridge, ready to rock you like a hurricane straight from the box.

Pricing? Of course. The Pro-Ject Scorpions Turntable is available now by special order in the UK, priced £629. European pricing is €649.00, while Australian pricing is set at AU$1,399 with details for further regions coming soon – but those figures roughly equate to $846 if you can get your hands on one.

China White? No, it only comes with the album artwork printed on the plinth, silly. And thanks again, Pro-Ject. You give me all I need…

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We've been regularly impressed by OneOdio's budget headphones, such as the OneOdio Focus A6, which deliver very good performance for very low prices. But even by OneOdio's standards the new Focus A1 Pro are ridiculously cheap for noise-cancelling over-ears: the official is $34.99 / £39.99, and if you're buying from Amazon UK, you can get them for £35.19.

Low price definitely doesn't mean low specification or low expectations. These are Bluetooth 6.0 headphones with hybrid ANC, fast charging and a decent frequency response, and while you don't get any fancy hi-res audio codecs at this price, they're likely to sound pretty good with the standard Bluetooth audio codecs.

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro: key features

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro feature 40mm dynamic drivers with PET diaphragms and a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. Bluetooth 6.0 with multi-point pairing makes it easy to move between devices, and there's a low-latency gaming mode with a claimed response time of approximately 0.089 seconds for accurate synchronization with games and video.

The Focus A1 Pro are foldable and lightweight at just 200g, and the faux-leather ear cushions should be comfortable for long listening. The battery delivers just that, with up to 70 hours of playback with ANC off, plus fast charging that can deliver five hours of listening from 10 minutes of charging.

We haven't tested these headphones yet to see if that can stand up the best noise cancelling headphones in their price range – but when we reviewed the same firm's Focus A6 we praised the ANC: it's not up there with the best from Bose, but it's perfectly fine for everyday commuting and does a pretty good job of keeping the outside world outside.

We liked their sound too, and the companion app has an adjustable EQ so you can get the sound just-so. We felt that the Focus A6 were "tremendous value for money" at a street price of $55 / £55 / AU$112; the Focus A1 Pro are even more affordable and offer a very similar specification.

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro headphones are available now from Amazon and directly from OneOdio.

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Spotify is always evolving its audiobooks ecosystem, and it’s been testing a new tool behind the scenes, which involves syncing audiobooks with physical literature and vice versa – and it’s giving Audible a run for its money.

The new tool, called Page Match, will allow you to switch between a physical book and its audiobook version in Spotify – a perfect feature for keeping track of your page numbers, especially if you enjoy floating between physical and digital reading.

Though it’s not live yet and Spotify hasn’t shared any further details, Android Authority found a code reference to Page Match in the latest version of the Spotify app, as well as the line “match your progress from the book page to the audiobook – and back again”, summarizing its purpose. The outlet also shares that if this feature were to roll out, it would be available in regions where audiobooks are already supported.

On paper, it sounds like it could become one of the most valuable tools if you’re a frequent user of Spotify’s audiobooks, saving you loads of time needlessly searching for the page in a book that matches your progress in an audiobook – and the way it works is very straightforward.

If you want to switch from a physical book to an audiobook and continue your progress, all you have to do is scan the page you're reading with your phone’s camera. Spotify will then use optical character recognition (OCR) to read the text, which it will then match to the timestamp in the audiobook version. It also works the other way around, which audiobook competitors have yet to tap into.

For those of you who are primarily audiobook listeners, you’ll be able to use Page Match to switch from your digital to a paper version of the book you’re reading. Based on the code reference that Android Authority spotted, the outlet believes that Spotify will be able to tell you the exact page number in a book that matches your progress in an audiobook, which is a clever bonus.

Android Authority also provided a screenshot it sourced from the Spotify app in its coverage (see below), which shows how Page Match would work when scanning physical books.

An infant feature, but a bright future

It’s still early days for Page Match, but Android Authority’s insight into the tool does inspire confidence that it’s on the way. With that said, there are some minor hurdles to note.

So far, it appears that Page Match will only work if you unlock or own a Spotify audiobook first, and you will be prompted to do so before using the tool. Additionally, Spotify’s OCR may run into issues identifying book pages when you scan them. If this occurs, Spotify will ask you to scan a nearby page as an alternative. Frustrating, but also expected for a feature that’s fresh out of the oven.

Spotify’s dedication to growing its audiobook ecosystem speaks for itself, and given the rollout of last year’s Audiobooks+, AI recaps, and Follow Along feature, it’s evident that Spotify isn’t giving up, and as a result, it’s quickly catching up to Amazon’s flagship audiobook service Audible.

The Whispersync function on Kindle gives you the ability to switch between your Kindle eBook and its audiobook version on Audible. Sure, Amazon got there first – Whispersync launched in 2012 – but Spotify’s Page Match takes it one step further with its ability to match physical books to their digital companions – something that Amazon has yet to explore.

As someone who dips in and out of reading slumps, I have to admit that Page Match is convincing me to switch out the music for the literature for a bit – but we shall see how long I can keep that up for.

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Around me, iFi's core team are wearing what Londoners might call 'the full whistle', short for 'whistle and flute' in cockney rhyming slang, or 'suit' – in this case, black tuxedoes. Add to this a poster on the feature wall reading 'Phantom', and it feels as if Daniel Craig's 007 (or the villain Auric Goldfinger from 1964's Goldfinger) could drop in at any minute.

And once I understand fully what's being unveiled tonight, this heightened sense of drama feels justified. iFi has never been a simple black box company, even with its budget friendly efforts – this is, after all, the company that brought us DACs shaped like hip-flasks. And the all-new Phantom is every last millimeter a singular, unique and hugely specified machine.

So, if I'm reminded of the Rolls-Royce Phantom while gazing upon this piece of hi-fi tonight, that's very much intentional on iFi's part. The iFi iDSD is a formidable headphone amp, streamer and DAC, with 7000W of power. It is, the men in formal wear assure me, the pinnacle of what iFi can achieve – and I'm proud to say, they let me listen to it for a long time.

The world is not enough

Top of the headline-grabbers (although it must be said, there are plenty here) is an all-new custom DSD2048 remastering engine: iFi’s Chrysopoeia FPGA-based solution. Essentially it's the first of its kind to upscale like this to a consumer product, using a bespoke algorithm 18 months in the making.

Make no mistake, everything has been reworked for the Phantom. As iFi Chief Engineer Colin Farch tells us: “Each stage of development involved re-examining the circuit, measuring performance, and making improvements to cement it as the most accomplished iFi listening experience to date.”

The iDSD Phantom is still built on iFi's continuing love affair with K2 and K2HD tech. This a mastering system is based on the human ear – it was conceived by JVC Kenwood many years ago in Japan, and iFi is the only company outside out JVC Kenwood to have access to the tech. Here, its particular studio-grade guise is unique for the iDSD Phantom.

iFi fan favorites such as XBass Pro and XSpace Pro are here in three iterations, but you also get five more digital filters and – in possibly my favorite feature – you can select between tube or solid-state outputs via a little switcher on the chassis, using NOS GE56870s or discrete circuitry. Again, iFi suggests the iDSD Phantom is perhaps the only product to offer this, and I've certainly never before had the option of flicking between solid-state or two different tube solutions.

When we experiment with it later, in a hands-on listening session using headphones, my colleague (an esteemed member of the audio press) proclaims of the solid-state variant: "It's like a sushi knife!"

A sort of licensed troubleshooter

Extra marks if you get the quote, from Bond in Thunderball (1965). So, the Phantom brings studio-grade DSD2048 conversion into your living room, with 768kHz PCM/DSD512 and full support for Qobuz Connect, Tidal and Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2. It also boasts a 7,477mW peak output and real-time, user-switchable, solid-state, tube and Tube+ output stages.

But what else can it do? As a streamer, iFi tells us the iDSD Phantom works on a heavily modified version of Volumio 3, and has integrated steamer controls inside the Nexus mobile app. A weighty remote comes with your purchase, but for me, this product is all about getting hands-on.

I switch it on and the buttery-smooth volume dial on the right of the unit starts cruising silently all on its own. Already I'm in love. I use the left hand dial to scroll away from the digital VU meter on the circular screen and through the options: K2 Technology, Operation modes, Gains, Remaster, Filters, iEMatch (another iFi favorite that will help you match your in-ears' or cans' sensitivity to the iDSD Phantom), XBass, XSpace and a further Settings tab.

What of the actual digital-analog conversion? You're getting four custom-interleaved Burr-Brown DSD1793 DAC chips, built on iFi's strong ties to what the team calls the "legendary multi-bit Philips TDA1541A" – adding, "we're obsessed with it; it's the king of DACs".

In ‘Normal’ mode, DSD signals pass directly to the DAC, while PCM signals go through a user-selected digital filter. In ‘Remastered’ mode, each DAC chipset processes up to DSD1024, and in their custom configuration they achieve native decoding that allows for DSD512, DSD1024, or the new pinnacle of DSD2048. So that's me told – that's how it's done folks. Oh and at DSD2048, the 1-bit stream is sampled ~90 million times per second.

Want to listen to it? Of course you do – let's go.

Like listening to the Beatles without earmuffs? Yes, but more

I'll stop with the Bond references now (that one, as I'm sure you remember, is from 1964's Goldfinger) and concentrate on the serious business of enjoying music – although I must tell you that to kick off our listening session, we also hear the iDSD Phantom used in a system involving PMC Active Twenty5 23i floorstanders.

Brit Award winner and celebrated British record producer Steve Levine takes the mic, telling us, "Using this, it was like I'd taken a tea towel off my own speakers – and they're good Neumann speakers too!"

I understand it's a simile, but the idea of Culture Club's celebrated record producer casually slinging a tea towel over his expensive speakers (and possibly this very expensive DAC) while doing the washing up makes me guffaw awkwardly, nearly spilling whatever's left in my martini glass over my notes.

Thankfully, music comes to my aid and Pharrell Williams' Come Get It Bae does indeed thump, slap and bang, then stop just as abruptly. Distortion or saturation? Not a bit of it. Bass is full-bodied, the top-end has miles of room and thus of course, vocals (including Miley Cyrus') are expertly textured and layered. The fact that such a beautiful product's job is to just get out of the way and let the music through is something I'll be thinking about for a while.

On to personal listening then, and I quickly scooch in quick for a spot with the Sennheiser HD 800 S open-back headphones and my very own Phantom. Yes please. As I scroll through my listening options, I'm told the circular screen between the dials can also be used to display album artwork, which would be a lovely touch as I deploy FKA twigs' Girl Feels Good.

And I do feel good. The prowl at the top of the track skulks just above my right ear; the central vocal is more opened out and somehow breathier than I've ever heard before. Guitars at the outset of R.E.M's Man on the Moon are textured and three-dimensional, and there's extra melancholy to be unearthed in Michael Stipe's incomparable timbre.

Now there's a name to die for

Sorry, I couldn't stop myself (Die Another Day, 2002). Anyway, I keep listening: Gaga, Goldfrapp, Lana del ray, Jessie Ware… it's all more than I'm used to hearing; more information, greater intensity, a more notable dynamic rise and fall, sharper leading edges to notes I'd only ever registered as just there before.

So let's talk money. The iFi iDSD Phantom is available to purchase from today, January 20th, from ifi-audio.com and select elite dealers, priced $4,499 (before tax) / £4,499 / €4,695 EUR / $6,999 CAD (so around AU$8,997).

I can't afford it. I know… I know (well spotted again, No Time to Die, 2021) but nevertheless, the iFi team let me sit and enjoy the iDSD Phantom for some time, in my little corner of the North Tower, Tower Bridge, London. Hi-fi appreciation should, I think, always involve a comprehension of the stats alongside actual listening. Well, I do like to do some things the old-fashioned way (Skyfall, 2012)…

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This feature is available on a number of models, including the old but gold Sony WH-1000XM4, the sleek-looking Sony WH-1000XM5, and the wonderful Sony WH-1000XM6, which we consider to be the best headphones you can buy overall.

So, what exactly is this mysterious feature I’m speaking of? It’s called Quick Attention, and has been a total game-changer for me when using my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones out in public. Here’s how it works, and what makes it so useful.

Attention, please!

OK, so what is Quick Attention exactly? Essentially, it’s a mode on Sony headphones that enables you to have a better measure of your surroundings in a pinch.

Simply place your hand over your headphones’ right earcup, and transparency mode will be triggered. This will drastically reduce the volume of any media playing, and help you to hear the world around you. When you’re ready to get immersed in your music again, just remove your hand, and you can go back to listening normally.

I’ve found Quick Attention to be incredibly useful in the office – whenever anyone wants to talk to me, I can cover the right earcup and chime into a conversation, without having to take my headphones off. Similarly, I’ll use this feature when I’m in a store and need to talk to the cashier or if I’m on public transport and need to tune into an announcement – it’s quick, easy, and convenient.

Sure, there are similar features out there, including Sony’s own Speak-to-Chat option. This has a very similar function, but instead of placing your hand over your headphones’ right earcup, you just talk, and they enter into transparency mode.

However, this approach is much less reliable in my experience. If I’m singing along to my favorite tracks or even if I cough, Speak-to-Chat will often be activated. Also, I have to wait a set time for my music to return to normal – which can be set in the Sony SoundConnect app.

Quick Attention gives me so much more agency. Transparency mode can be enabled exactly when I need it, with no accidental activations. Also, as soon as I’m done chatting, my music comes back without delay, making for a much more seamless user experience.

So, if you’ve got some Sony headphones, I highly recommend trying Quick Attention out – it’s been a game-changer for me, and it could be for you too.

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Getting the best sound from your smartphone causes a bit of a conundrum: the best wired headphones deliver higher quality audio, but on most phones there's nowhere to plug them in. But there's a solution: enter the dongle. (Ah, my favorite Bruce Lee movie – Ed.)

A USB-C headphone dongle can give your audio a big upgrade without a big expense, and the newly launched Qlink-C from Questyle looks like it could be a good budget buy. The Q-link-C hasn't made it to the brand's Amazon US page just yet, but it's launched in Japan with a price tag of roughly $26, and will hopefully be available to US buyers very soon.

Although dongles are generally used for headphones, you can also use them for anything that takes a standard aux input.

And while at this price you won't get a super-elite audiophile experience or enough power to drive the most demanding headphones, moving from compressed Bluetooth to uncompressed wired audio will make a noticeable difference on decent headphones – especially with the Hi-Res Audio-capable DAC at the heart of this one.

Questyle Qlink-C: what does this dongle do?

Questyle is one of those audio brands that aims to have a product for every kind of buyer, and its product range includes budget buys such as the QCC Dongle Pro for wireless headphones and the premium Sigma Pro amp and DAC.

The Qlink-C is at the budget end of the range but that doesn't mean it isn't delivering a decent specification. Its CX31993 DAC delivers Hi-Res Audio at up to 32-bit/384kHz, and it has a signal to noise ratio of 100dB. It's extremely small (12cm / 4.7inches) and very light, coming in at just 4.5g (0.17 oz), but it should be fairly tough: its cable is braided to withstand everyday use and has been tested to survive 15,000 bending cycles.

The challenge for Questyle is to stand out in what's already a very crowded market sector of the best portable DACs, with affordable dongles from the likes of UGREEN and Moondrop offering similar specs for similarly low prices – or lower if you don't mind topping out at 24-bit/96kHz.

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The Fiio JM21 is one of the best portable music players you can buy, especially if you're on a budget. And now Fiio has updated it for 2026. The JM21 2026 will launch in late January 2026 with a predicted price tag of around $250.

As before, the JM21 2026 comes with dual Cirrus Logic SC43198 DACs. But this time there's a bigger battery and more storage.

FiiO JM21 2026: key features

The JM21 2026 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, the same chip you'll often find in mid-range Android phones. As before, it's running Android 13 in a customized form. There's 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage – and, most importantly, support for microSD cards up to 2TB in size.

There's a good range of formats supported here including Hi-Res Audio at up to 32-bit/384kHz, DSD512, and then you've got LDAC, LDHC and aptX HD for high-quality wireless connections.

The battery in the 2026 model is 3,100mAh, up from the 2,400mAh of the previous version, and it delivers up to 700mW of output power for your headphones. There's a switchable three-way gain setting to cater for a wide variety of the best wired headphones and best wired earbuds.

Unless something's gone horribly wrong at the Fiio factory, you can expect a DAC/amp that punches way above its price tag: as we said in our JM21 review last year "it’s a composed, lively and admirably detailed listen... It hits hard at the bottom end, but with no lack of control: its straight-edged attack means rhythmic expression is confident and convincing."

Unless you turn it up to hearing-threatening volumes, it's a very impressive little device with an equally impressive little price tag.

The Fiio JM21 2026 will be available from 23 January 2026.

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But while I share his enthusiasm for speakers in a variety of sizes, I do wish that some of them were a bit more interesting to look at as well as to listen to: I'm writing this in a room containing three sets of rectangular vertical speakers, all of which came in a choice of black, black or black.

Hurrah, then, for the brands who decided to brighten up CES 2026 with speakers that are a bit more visually interesting than the typical sober stereo pairs.

From classic design cues to childlike joy, there were some really interesting and entertaining speakers for those of us whose budgets can't quite stretch to the very beautiful B&O Atelier models that probably cost more than my home. Here are six standouts from CES.

Samsung Music Studio 5 and 7

I really loved the design of Samsung's latest Music Studio speakers, especially the Music Studio 5 in white: like my colleague Matt Bolton, the first thing they reminded me of was Braun's Dieter Rams: they look like a long-lost relative of the Braun clocks I have in my home. And because they're Samsung, there's substance to match the style: the Music Studio 5 promises to punch above its weight in the bass department thanks to Samsung's AI Dynamic Bass control. It doesn't do Hi-Res Audio but the larger, louder Music Studio 7 does, and that one's built for spatial audio too.

IKEA Solskydd

Given their size and shape, I very much doubt that the new IKEA Solskydd speakers will deliver room-filling audiophile-approved sound. But with a choice of three sizes and the ability to put them pretty much anywhere the Solskydd are super cute, perfect for casual listening and, in the orange-y version pictured above, enjoyable to look at. And on the subject of brightly colored speakers…

Cambridge L/R active bookshelf speakers

Which speaker did you notice first in the image above? If it wasn't the orange one I'd be very surprised. Cambridge Audio's recently announced L/R Series isn't the first orange speaker by any means – we've seen plenty from the likes of KEF – but it's a departure for the audio brand and it's a great color. There are other, more sober options but as the former owner of an orange Apple iBook – still to my mind the prettiest computer ever made – there's only one Cambridge color I'd want in my house.

Harman Kardon SoundSticks 5 Wi-Fi

I had a set of Harman Kardon SoundSticks about a million years ago to go with my candy-colored Mac, so seeing this latest generation has taken me back in time to my happy place. There's nothing retro about the tech inside this new version: they're wireless speakers with integrated lighting and HDMI ARC.

IKEA Kallsup

Because I am a giant child, I can't read this product name without swapping the K for a B. But that's not the only childlike joy I'm getting from IKEA's titchy 10-buck Bluetooth speakers. They're LEGO for your ears, stackable, brightly colored cubes with Bluetooth 5.3 and the ability to play through 100 of them simultaneously. Admittedly that would mean shelling out nearly a grand, which would pay for considerably better speakers such as the Audio Pro A36. But do the Audio Pros come in lime? No, they do not.

Eversolo SE100

I didn’t set out to have an IKEA-themed speaker selection, but in addition to the retailer's own products we also saw the rather inspired Eversolo SE100 speakers, designed specifically to fit in the square spaces of the super-popular IKEA Kallax shelves. That's smart: IKEA Kallax are widely used as places to put turntables and to store vinyl, so having speakers made just for them (and their many imitators) is inspired. These square speakers have a serious spec, and unlike your Kallax, you don't need an Allen key and a friend to set them up.

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I’ve tested a lot of wireless speakers over my career, so I’ve got a lot of experience in both feature-packed superstars and no-frills Wi-Fi workhorses. But I’m also heavily invested in Apple’s ecosystem – I use an iPhone 16 Pro, MacBook Pro, Apple TV and Apple Music. That’s why there’s one feature that’s an absolute deal breaker for me: AirPlay 2.

So if you’re stepping outside of Sonos’s ecosystem for the first time and, like me, Apple gadgets are your go-to, let me explain why this is still a killer feature when picking up one of the best wireless speakers.

The argument for AirPlay

Peruse the specs of some wireless speakers and you’d be forgiven for thinking AirPlay 2 is a ubiquitous feature these days. But that’s not always the case. For example, Amazon’s Echo range doesn’t support the technology, not even in the lossless Echo Studio. And while carrying out the testing for my recent Sonos Era 100 VS WiiM Sound feature, I was surprised to find out that the latter didn’t have AirPlay 2. So it’s definitely not always a given.

But why does it matter? Well, for several reasons.

First of all, while many wireless speakers allow you to stream lossless and even hi-res audio direct from services like Tidal or Deezer, fewer devices can natively stream from Apple Music. So if you’re not using a HomePod or Sonos multi-room system, AirPlay 2 offers the only way to wireless enjoy lossless quality music from Apple Music.

It’s not just about streaming services though. A far bigger benefit of AirPlay 2 is the fact it allows you to wirelessly stream all kinds of audio from your Apple devices. Tired of your TV outputting insipid audio? With the Apple TV 4K, you can stream sound wirelessly to your multi-room speaker system. Playing Alien: Isolation on your iPad 11-inch (2025)? Then you can enjoy its creepy soundtrack with real depth by connecting to an AirPlay-enabled speaker.

I know first-hand just how flexible AirPlay 2 can be. Not only do I stream music and TV shows on my Apple devices but I often use them to create content too. When I’m producing music on my MacBook Pro 2017, being able to ping my sound to a high-res speaker like my Cambridge Audio Evo One allows me to hear what it sounds like on a different setup without having to faff around with wired connections. That kind of versatility really cannot be beat and the fact I can do this with any audio from my Apple devices really is invaluable to me.

So when you’re shopping for a new wireless speaker, yes, it’s worth looking out for fancy features like Dolby Atmos or automatic room compensation. But if you’re an Apple user, don’t sleep on AirPlay as it’ll add value in all kinds of subtle ways you might not even be able to predict yet.

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Elegant and Supreme. According to Edifier, those are the two words that define its ‘ES’ line of speakers. So, as you can imagine, my hopes were pretty high for the Edifier ES60 – a Bluetooth speaker that promises “immersive” and “high-quality 360-degree sound”.

And in some ways, it met my expectations. Especially in regard to its ‘Elegant’ side. Yes, this is a very nice-looking speaker. Its retro-style design – which is clearly pretty Marshall-inspired – is a hit, with its golden details, faux-leather casing, and appealing speaker grille winning me over.

Sure it’s not the lightest speaker in its size-class, and its IP66 waterproof rating has been outdone by many of the best Bluetooth speakers, but it’s still highly portable and able to withstand a good splashing.

I wasn’t totally convinced of the ES60’s supremacy, though, especially in the audio department. This is a solid-sounding speaker in general, with clear overall audio output and punchy enough bass. However, it lacks the nuance that many similarly priced rivals offer. Vocals don’t sound beautifully separated, and it's not as expressive or energetic as models like the JBL Flip 7. The treble is also a little overzealous, and sounds particularly harsh at higher volumes.

The ES60’s suite of features is also a bit of a mixed bag. I’m a fan of the customizable ambient lighting, USB-C audio passthrough compatibility, and inclusion of a built-in mic for hands-free calls. However, the EQ options are very basic, and there’s no custom option, which I would’ve used to temper that treble a touch.

Also, you only get nine hours of battery life from this model, which is underwhelming compared to much of the competition in this price range. For instance, the aforementioned Flip 7 can live for as long as 16 hours, and the Marshall Emberton III can go for up to 32 hours.

When you consider that the Edifier ES60 typically comes in at $199.99 / £119.99 / AU$199.99, it just doesn’t feel like great value for money. Rivals outdo it in too many crucial areas, including audio performance, battery life, and waterproofing. It’s still a solid speaker overall, with an especially eye-catching design, but unless it’s on sale, I can’t recommend it outright.

Edifier ES60 review: price and release date

• $199.99 / £119.99 / AU$199.99
• Launched in March 2025

The Edifier ES60 launched in March 2025 as part of Edifier’s ‘ES’ line, which also includes models like the palm-sized Edifier ES20 and larger Edifier ES300. It typically sells for $199.99 / £119.99 / AU$199.99, but I have seen it going for less than $150 over on Amazon US on occasion. You can grab the ES60 in either Black or Ivory.

Edifier ES60 review: specs

Edifier ES60 review: features

• Attractive customizable lighting
• Limited EQ options
• Nine-hour battery life isn’t great

Under the hood the Edifier ES60 has a fairly standard configuration for a speaker of its size. It’s packed with a single 18W mid-bass driver, alongside two 8W tweeters. That means you’re getting a maximum power output of 34W – similar to that of the JBL Flip 7, but quite a bit more than its main rival, the Marshall Emberton III.

So, how good does it sound exactly? I’ll get onto that later – let’s take a look at its list of features for now.

You get a lot of the usual stuff here, such as multi-point connectivity, dual-speaker pairing, and companion app compatibility. However, you do get a few neat extras, including a high-sensitivity microphone, which enables you to take hands-free calls. This even has integrated noise-cancelling technology, which can carve your voice out from busy surroundings.

Another notable inclusion is EQ settings, accessible via the Edifier ConneX app. In honesty, these are pretty basic. You get the default music tuning, alongside a game, movie, and outdoor calibration. There are no genre-specific alternatives, and there’s no custom tuning available. That last part is a real shame – if there’s a specific sound I’m aiming for, I always appreciate the option to implement it.

Another negative for me was the speaker’s battery life. It only delivers nine hours of listening, which just isn’t that much for a speaker in its size class. By comparison, the JBL Flip 7 delivers as much as 16 hours, while the Marshall Emberton III provides a colossal 32 hours.

It’s not all bad news, though. One of the best things about the Edifier ES60 is its integrated LED lighting. This emits from the underside of the speaker, and can shine onto a surface to create a bit of ambience. You can customize the color and effect of the lighting in the Edifier ConneX app, which is a nice touch. This can also be disabled entirely if you want to focus on conserving battery life.

You can also access wired audio via the speaker’s USB-C port, which opens up higher-resolution, more stable listening. That’s an enticing inclusion, and something that a lot of Edifier’s rivals skip on.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Edifier ES60 review: sound quality

• Decent at mid volumes, with solid bass output
• But treble can sound a little overeager
• Not the best in terms of nuance and instrument separation

I absolutely adored the sound signature of the Edifier ES60’s smaller-sized sibling, the Edifier ES20, so I had pretty high hopes for this one. On top of that, Edifier itself claims that the ES60 plates up a “superior sound performance” with “deep, punchy bass”, so I was pretty excited to get into my listening test.

With I Just Wanna Stop by Gino Vannelli, the overall sound was fairly pleasant at mid-volumes, with clear vocals and well-balanced bass. However, I did sense that drums in the treble range were a tad overstated, which was only emphasized as I cranked up the loudness.

It was a similar sort of story in the more upbeat Keep the Fire Burning by Gwen McCrae – bass was tempered but clean, but those higher-pitched percussive elements were a little over-eager. Again, vocals were quite clear, but not beautifully separated. More generally, instrument separation isn’t incredible on the ES60 – it doesn’t feel as if every individual element can express itself fully.

After this, I tried something a little different, with the bass-heavy Fascinator by Max Dean. I was fairly impressed here, with the deep, pumping bass in the build-up sounding agile and decently regimented. Those highs were pretty aggressive again, and they could potentially get grating over long listening periods, but vocal chops in the midrange were balanced quite well, and didn’t sound obscured.

M-High’s 12 O.C Riddim was also handled pretty well. Bass gets very dark in this track, and although the ES60 couldn’t quite muster up the full-bodied low end might required to replicate that, it certainly produced a meaty effort. At higher volumes, though, bass does thin out quite a bit, and there’s very obvious compression – that treble goes from overzealous to shrill, and vocals lose tonal accuracy.

Another positive is that the ES60 sounds pretty good from every listening angle. I tried walking around our music testing space and office, and the speaker remained fairly consistent at all times.

But how does this model compare against the competition? Well, I tested the ES60 alongside the JBL Flip 7 – a speaker with a similar amount of power, and similar price (in the UK at least). And this comparison hammered home why the Flip 7 sits atop my guide to the best Bluetooth speakers.

The key difference I picked up on was the Flip 7’s ability to carve out vocals and bring them to the fore, creating a truly emotive listen. In Ned Doheny’s I’ve Got Your Number, strumming guitars were beautifully weighted on the Flip 7 and sounded as if they occupied their own pocket, while soulful vocals came through with clarity and direction. The ES60 delivered a more one-note performance, which never sounded harsh or unpleasant – it just lacked the nuance of JBL’s speaker.

Meanwhile, Love At First Sight - Kid Creme Vocal Dub by Kylie Minogue just had a bit more energy and drive on the Flip 7, a speaker that ultimately surpasses the ES60 in terms of control, instrument separation, and expressiveness. So, even though Edifier’s speaker sounds solid overall – especially in the low end – I just don’t think its audio performance can stack up to some big-name rivals.

If the ES60 had a custom equalizer or even some more presets to play around with, it may well be able to compete more effectively, but as I mentioned in the ‘Features’ section, the options at your fingertips are very limited.

It’s also worth flagging that this model only supports the most basic SBC audio codec – there’s no fancy stuff like LDAC or aptX Adaptive on-board, and not even any love for AAC. That means you won’t get the most insightful, high-resolution listen around if you’re streaming over Bluetooth.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Edifier ES60 review: design

• Appealing retro-style aesthetic
• Decent IP66 waterproof rating
• Pretty solid feel

The category in which the Edifier ES60 arguably excels the most is design. Sure, it’s clearly inspired quite a bit by Marshall’s Bluetooth speakers, in particular, the Emberton line, but Edifier has pulled off the retro style nicely here.

It’s got an attractive speaker grille, faux-leather casing, and golden details, which help it stand out from much of the crowd. You can also grab this model in either Black or Ivory, and both colorways complement the speaker’s luxury look beautifully.

On the top side, this model has a simple and effective array of buttons, which allow you to adjust lighting, playback, or power in an instant. You’ll also find a USB-C port on the reverse side of the speaker, which can be used to charge it up or access wired audio.

Earlier, I discussed the speaker’s LED lighting, which conjures up a little bit of ambience for immersive listening sessions, and is customizable in the Edifier ConneX app.

So, I’m a big fan of the layout and look of the Edifier ES60, but how does it fare in terms of practicality? Well, not too badly. First of all, it's not the lightest of speakers, coming in at around 2.3lbs / 1kg. However, it’s just about small enough to carry around one-handed, and there’s a fabric strap included if you’re traveling a short distance.

The ES60 is also IP66-rated, meaning that it’s fully dustproof, and able to withstand powerful jets of water from multiple directions. That rating is decent overall, but a lot of the competition goes further, with the JBL Flip 7, for instance, holding an IP68 rating, making it able to survive a dunking under 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.

Still, this is a solidly built model, and should survive the odd drop when you’re out and about. Combine that with its swell look, and the Edifier ES60 nets plenty of points in the design department.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Edifier ES60 review: value

• Fairly pricey, especially in the US
• Better value rivals out there
• Still, by no means a bad speaker

Though the ES60 exceeded in the last category, it falls a little flat in terms of value. It’s quite a pricey model, coming in at $199.99 / £119.99 / AU$199.99. That’s especially pricey for the US buyers out there, although I have seen it going for a bit less from time to time – it’s actually selling for around $149.99 on Amazon US.

Even so, that’s quite a bit to shell out on a speaker of this size, especially when you consider the imperfect audio quality and feature-set on offer. Don’t get me wrong, this is a nice-looking speaker, and it doesn’t sound bad by any means, but the competition is just too hot.

Take the JBL Flip 7, for example. It's regularly available for less than the Edifier ES60, plus it sounds better, has superior waterproofing, and offers much more playtime. Even the Marshall Emberton III – which this speaker draws inspiration from – delivers great audio, stereo sound capabilities, and an even more luxurious look.

As a result, the Edifier ES60 isn’t the value marvel of its sibling, the Edifier ES20 – and until it gets a juicy sale, I won’t be able to recommend it outright.

• Value score: 2.5/5

Should I buy the Edifier ES60?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Edifier ES60 review: also consider

How I tested the Edifier ES60

• Tested over the course of one week
• Mainly used in the music testing space at Future Labs
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent hours upon hours testing out the Edifier ES60, listening to a ton of music and fiddling around with its various features. During my time testing it, I tried all of its light customization and EQ options, and made sure to try it in a variety of settings.

For the most part, though, I used the ES60 in the music testing room here at Future Labs. When listening to tunes, I went through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a range of genres. But I also sifted through a bunch of songs from my personal library – mainly via Tidal, but sometimes on Spotify instead.

More generally, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones, earbuds, soundbars, and more here at TechRadar, where I have a particular focus on audio-visual technology. I’ve tested most of the ES60’s competition, so I know what it takes for a speaker to stand out in a highly convoluted market.

• First reviewed: January 2026
• Read more about how we test

Going forward, it's difficult to tell what's in store for Spotify this year, given the facelift that it's had over the past 12 months. But there's always room for improvement.

While I start diving right into the first month of 2026's year in music, I'm also reflecting on what new features I want from Spotify. Some of them are reasonable requests, but others are my own personal (albeit unrealistic) yearnings.

1. Lyric translations and synchronization upgrades

When it comes to lyric features across music streaming services, Spotify’s is by all means one of the weakest for a number of reasons.

For starters, not every song on Spotify has synchronized lyrics, and even the ones that do often run into synchronization issues. As for newly-released songs, you have to wait at least a few days before you can view their accompanying lyrics, whereas services like Apple Music are very on top of this – plus, it offers lyric translations.

Spotify has been falling behind on the lyrics front for a while, so it’s time to make some changes.

2. Profile customization

Spotify prides itself on its music personalization features, but I wish I could have more creative freedom with how my account profile looks. With platforms such as Letterboxd, and even the lesser-known Musicboard, paying users have the freedom to add a pop of personality to their profiles. Now, imagine that for Spotify.

At the moment, there’s nothing eye-catching about the current state of Spotify profiles, it’s a simple format displaying your profile picture and short catalog of your recently made playlists, and it could do with some zhuzhing. Perhaps some custom profile frames and music artist banners are the next step?

3. Lift restrictions on playlist and album pins

Pinning playlists and albums to your Library is a godsend for quickly finding what you want to listen to instead of scrolling through Spotify’s cluttered interface. It’s a helpful feature that I’ve come to use quite often, but you can only pin four playlists and albums at a time – a huge inconvenience for users who yo-yo between multiple playlists.

4. Group chats for Messages

Earlier this week Spotify unveiled two big upgrades to its Messages tab, bringing a Request to Jam button and real-time listening activity to chats. Messages hasn’t been my favorite of Spotify's new features, but the possibility of group chats coming to the service is interesting.

I use other platforms for group chats of course, but adding them to Spotify Messages would create a designated space for users to discuss all things music with their friends, and share song recommendations and new artists without having to take the conversation elsewhere.

5. SongDNA

I do more than use Spotify for music streaming, I like to use it to learn more about the geniuses behind my favorite songs. Spotify’s song credits have been a great way to familiarize myself with songwriters and producers, but it could be building this by taking inspiration from Tidal Credits, which offers a way to discover new music by navigating through the credits of songs.

Back in October, reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong noticed a feature called ‘SongDNA’ in a code in the Spotify app, sharing it to social media before Spotify quickly removed it. So what does it actually do?

Apparently, SongDNA will come in the form of a visual mind map allowing you to see what other songs artists have appeared on, and will feature the whole network behind the songs. Despite Spotify’s radio silence on the matter, we’re pretty convinced that SongDNA is very much in the works – now it’s just a waiting game.

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TechRadar shares our New York office space with colleagues from assorted other tech websites, but while everyone knew Bowie's 1969 classic Space Oddity, but no one could identify the Bluetooth speaker. They asked if it was a Beats device. I told them no, but I understood the confusion.

My tiny Jawbone Jambox was from the early days of stereo Bluetooth speakers, and a forerunner of many of today's best Bluetooth speakers – a metal and rubber-encased dual tweeter device capable of driving surprisingly loud, clear, and bass-filled sound for its size.

To be honest, I hadn't used the Jambox in years, and I wondered if it still worked. I found a microUSB cable and let the device charge until the small red charge indicator/power button shut off.

A design ahead of its time

While I waited, I marveled once again at the design – certainly something worthy of Beats or even Apple (the Jawbone sold for a time through the Apple store). The metal, wrap-around grille has a sort of topographical geometric pattern design, and the base and bottom are rubber.

It's a small gadget – roughly one-inch by six inches by two inches tall – with a minimum of ports: one for charging and the other a 3.5mm headphone jack for a wired audio input. There's the power/pair button, and then on top the rubber volume buttons, and one for calls and status.

I recall that it shipped with cables and a rather unusual carrying case that featured a hard, yet foldable, frame; sadly those have been lost to the sands of time (or my disorganized basement).

Pump up the volume

With charging done, I pushed the power button up and held it until the Jambox entered Bluetooth pairing mode. Like almost every other activity, Jambox loudly announced that it was entering pairing mode, and when I paired it with my iPhone 17 Pro Max, there was a clarion call of success.

A moment later, I was playing Space Oddity off of YouTube. As I pushed the speakers and listened to Bowie sing "This is Ground Control to Major Tom…" I took note of the still-impressive audio quality. Even now, the highs and mids are sharp, and the bass somehow vibrated the small but dense box in my hand. I even noticed a couple of my coworkers smiling as they listened. But the sound was carrying well beyond our small warren, and so I cut Bowie off.

IKEA sparks a memory

I can tell you why I pulled Jawbone's Jambox out of mothballs. Last week at CES, I fell for IKEA's dirt-cheap ($10) Kallsup cube speakers. Rolling one of the plastic cubes over in my hands, I wondered why it seemed oddly familiar. Then I remembered the Jawbone Jambox.

Granted, while the Kallsup will cost you approximately what you pay for a large Starbucks Iced Latte, the Jambox was $199, which back then was considered pretty pricey in the relatively new world of portable stereo speakers.

When I got the Jambox as a gift in early 2012, it moved into my office and serenaded me with music (and some Howard Stern) virtually every workday. Battery life was decent, usually lasting 10-12 hours per charge. It could also double as a speakerphone, but I can't remember ever using it in that way.

The Jambox was so popular it spawned a $299 Big Jambox that I reviewed (and loved) and a Jambox Mini. Jawbone was also a hot commodity, producing the Jawbone Bluetooth headset that everyone seemed to have, and even a very early wearable healthband called the Jawbone Up. I had that too, and liked it enough to buy a matching band for my wife.

Those devices now live in a box in my basement, and Jawbone went out of business in 2017. All that's left of its glory days, I guess, is this Jambox. It's still an awesome product, and a reminder of a bygone era when stereo Bluetooth speakers were young and special.

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JBL is known for a wide range of audio products: from budget buys to some of the best earbuds on the market. The JBL Vibe Beam, not to be confused with the similarly named Live Beam, is on the more affordable side of the spectrum.

However, that doesn’t mean they're without any perks, including the aforementioned battery life of up to 32 hours, comfortable fit and solid audio quality. Of course, they won't compete with the top-end options from the likes of Bose or Sony, but if it's cheap and usable buds you're after, these are hard to beat for the price.

Today's best cheap JBL earbuds deal

The JBL Vibe Beam last up to 32 hours between both the buds and the case. That’s more than a full day of listening – more than likely two, since many people use earbuds for only a portion of the day. If you need playback fast, you can even get two hours back with 10 minutes of speed charging.

The Vibe Beam also have an IP54 rating for the buds themselves, which should be able to survive splashing and rain, and keep out debris like sand on the beach.

We haven’t tested the JBL Vibe Beam, but we have tested numerous other JBL earbuds that we’ve recommended on the site. With that in mind, the JBL Vibe Beam makes a great travel buddy with the value it offers for under $30. You also get three sizes of eartips to customize your comfort and a USB-C to USB-A cable for your convenience, too.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for with the JBL Vibe Beam buds, so you won’t get premium features like active noise-cancellation or Spatial Audio. If you want the best of the best (and are ready to pay for it), check out our picks for the best earbuds and the best noise-cancelling earbuds.

We don't often cover concepts on TechRadar, but I'm happy to make an exception for this brilliant little Bluetooth speaker design: Jinkyo Han has created something that mixes Teenage Engineering's design cues with a bit of Dictaphone and OG Sony Walkman to create something stunning. I absolutely love it, and this is my way of willing a company into making it real.

It may be retro on the outside but Han's design is perfectly modern on the inside, with both wired and wireless audio and a hi-res DAC. It looks like a great combination of old-school design and contemporary circuitry.

You spin me right round

As Han explains on Behance: "Reminiscent of a retro cassette tape, the design recreates the image of a tape spinning on a circular shelf as music plays, translating the materiality of the past into a contemporary object." The front of the device features a perforated speaker grille and a spinning circle that looks like an old reel-to-reel tape recorder.

I think it's strongly reminiscent of the FiiO KA15 portable DAC, which I happen to be testing at the moment. That pretends to be a cassette player – and it's part of a retro-modern trend that's also seen FiiO bring back the portable CD player and the portable cassette player in some style.

I think Han's design is even more fun, and while I very much doubt the moving parts would be duplicated in any production model because of the cost, the hit on battery life and the potential noise and pocket lint collection, I'd love to see more hardware with this same kind of design: it really reminds me of 1970s sci-fi movies such as Silent Running, and of shows such as Space: 1999.

This isn't the only fun audio design in Han's portfolio: there are also some cool-looking wall-mounted speakers that wouldn't look out of place in IKEA's recent speaker catalog and a more industrial-looking Bluetooth speaker based on the portable cassette recorders of the 1970s and 1980s – you might want to check out Han's portfolio.

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Austrian Audio make some superb headphones, such as the five-star Hi-X20: as we said in our review, the company has "an extraordinarily impressive strike-rate where affordable over-ear headphones are concerned."

The firm also makes very expensive open-back headphones such as 2023's The Composer – and now it's moving into a relatively mid-range space with the new The Arranger headphones.

The Arranger are reference-grade audiophile headphones with a price tag less than half of the premium The Composer model. They're still pretty pricey, but these headphones come in at £899 (about $1,205 / AU$1,795).

According to Austrian Audio, they're made to fill the rather large gap between the firm's affordable (£119 for the Hi-X20) and premium (£2,199 for The Composer) headphones, offering "more resolution, scale and refinement than the Hi-X range, while remaining more accessible than The Composer in price and system requirements."

And £899 certainly splits the difference there, making them Austrian Audio's mid-range option – even if most people would probably still put that price well into the 'premium' bucket.

Austrian Audio The Arranger headphones: key features and price

The Arranger features an open-back, over-ear design with a newly developed 44mm dynamic driver. That driver has a diamond-like carbon-coated diaphragm for rigidity and a proprietary ring magnet system, which Austrian Audio says delivers fast transient response, low distortion and consistent linearity.

The Arranger headphones are also made for easy servicing, so The Arranger should last for a long time: all the key wear components including ear pads and headband are user-replaceable. Those ear pads are made from soft leatherette, and the foldable headphone frame is lightweight metal with "robust" metal hinges. Total weight is a relatively light 310g, so they should be comfortable for even the longest listening sessions.

The Arranger headphones have a frequency range from 5Hz to 30kHz, impedance of 25 ohms and sensitivity of 110 dB. Their cable connects via a 4-pin symmetrical socket that supports the supplied TRS cable as well as optional balanced cables with 4.4mm and 5-pin XLR connections.

The Arranger will be available in the UK from February 2026 with a price of £899 (about $1,205 / AU$1,795).

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Music industry legend Roland has announced a brand-new model in its Cube Street range of portable speakers, and it delivers a very impressive specification for a very reasonable price.

Although the Cube range is made for musicians, you don't need to be a musician to be familiar with it: it's the go-to choice for buskers, pop-up venues and – in my city, at least – fire and brimstone street preachers.

The new Cube Street Mini should delight all of those potential buyers – and because it's also a Bluetooth speaker, it's ideal for listening to tunes when you get back home.

Roland Cube Street Mini: key features and pricing

Roland is the parent company of guitar effects great Boss, and some of that FX expertise is evident in the Cube Street Mini's built-in reverb, delay and chorus effects. Power output is 10W and the speakers are a 5-inch woofer and two 0.5-inch tweeters.

It's a dual-channel system so you can connect a mic and an instrument at the same time, and the 2.1 speaker system promises wide sound dispersion. The main channel is designed for a guitar, mic or stereo instrument, and the second is a mic channel with an XLR/TRS input.

You can also stream via Bluetooth 5.2, and there's a stereo mini output jack for headphones or connecting to a recording device to capture the performance. The Street Mini has an integrated tip-back stand and a carrying handle, as well as an optional carrying case.

This kind of style is really popular right now – the excellent LG Stage 301 was designed for performers, while the upcoming Fender Audio Elie speakers (which impressed my colleague Matt Bolton after an early listen at CES) is also packed with instrument connection options.

One of the key reasons for the Cube's popularity is that battery power means buskers and other performers don't need to find a power socket to perform. And the battery life here is a solid seven hours, recharging via USB-C.

The Cube Street Mini delivers impressive volume from a very portable case: excluding its carry strap it's 274mm wide, 110mm deep and 192mm high and weighs 2.2kg / 4.85lbs.

The Cube Street Mini has a street price of $199 / £169 (about AU$339).

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OpenAI might be best known for its ChatGPT chatbot, but we also know that the artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer has teamed up with former Apple design guru Jony Ive to develop a set of wearable products – supposedly including an AI-powered pen – all driven by its AI algorithms. Now, a fresh revelation has shed light on exactly what OpenAI could be cooking up in its secret labs.

That’s because a new leak on X has revealed a mysterious new OpenAI device codenamed ‘Sweetpea.’ This is allegedly a behind-the-ear wearable that’s powered by AI and aimed squarely at taking on Apple’s popular AirPods earphones.

However, don’t expect them to look like your standard set of in-ear headphones. Instead, the leaker – who goes by the moniker Smart Pikachu – claims that much of each Sweetpea module will be worn behind your ear. That might make them more closely resemble a set of hearing aids than a traditional pair of earphones.

The behind-the-ear segment could include the product’s battery and processor, with the benefit that positioning them this way might enable the use of a larger battery. Considering the AI device will always be on and ready to assist you, longer time on one charge could be a real selling point.

Aside from that, Smart Pikachu says that Sweetpea will feature a custom chip to “replace iPhone actions by commanding Siri.” The timing is fortuitous, as Apple has just brought Google Gemini on board to help power the upcoming AI overhaul of Siri, meaning this could be another way that Apple’s virtual assistant gains new functionality in the future.

And as suggested by Wareable, the Sweetpea image that Smart Pikachu included contained references to an ‘ultrasonic transmitter’ and signal pickup sensors. This, Wareable notes, means that the device “could offer environmental sensing or contextual awareness, rather than just acting as a passive Bluetooth receiver for ChatGPT.”

When might we see Sweetpea? Smart Pikachu reckons the release date will be “near September” 2026, with 40-50 million units expected to be shipped. That’s an ambitious target for OpenAI’s first-ever wearable, but given the success of ChatGPT, it might be possible.

But be warned, as the leaker states that the price could be high. That’s because the price of Sweetpea’s materials and components is close to the cost of a smartphone, with the added factor that its “device function [are] said to be stronger.”

Still, Sweetpea lines up with a trend we noticed at CES 2026, where increasing numbers of companies were pushing AI-first wearables as the next big thing. Perhaps OpenAI’s Sweetpea project will finally be the device to make the breakthrough and take these products mainstream.

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Another price hike is on the way for Spotify Premium members, and it’s coming sooner than you think – February to be exact.

Users in the US, Latvia, and Estonia will be the first regions hit by the platform’s next price increase, and it’s a kick in the teeth, especially if you’ve only just signed up to the music streaming service.

This marks the third price hike since 2023, and members in the US will now have to pay $13 a month from their next billing date, while the updated prices for Estonia and Latvia can be found on Spotify’s sign-up page.

The last time Spotify raised its US fees was in July 2024, with its Premium tier rising from $10.99 to $11.99 a month.

When the lastest price chane kicks in, Individual Premium fees will increase from $11.99 to $12.99 a month, but this isn’t the only tier that’s affected. As well as the standard Premium tier, Duo Premium will increase by $2 from $16.99 to $18.99, as will the Family plan ($19.99 to $21.99). Even Spotify’s cheapest Student tier will get a price hike, increasing from $5.99 to $6.99.

Are we surprised that another price hike is looming? Not entirely. In November 2025, we spotted predictions that another price hike was to hit US Premium subscribers in early 2026 thanks to a report from the Financial Times ($/£). At the time we were certain that it was going to happen (and it is), but we had no idea which tiers would be affected, nor how much their new monthly fees would be.

So why is Spotify raising its prices again? Users are putting it down to one thing in particular, Spotify Lossless, which is not only one of Spotify’s most recent upgrades, but its biggest and most ambitious one yet. As well as Lossless, Spotify has rolled out a slew of other tools to increase the scope of its user experience, but with that comes increased operational costs.

We've only just entered 2026, and there's no doubt that Spotify has even more surprises up its sleeve this year (it hasn't long trial-launched the new Prompted Playlist feature in New Zealand). How long will it be before the streamer throws in price hikes for users in other regions?

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Talented recording artists just trying to earn a crust are finding themselves directly up against AI-generated musical spam, seemingly with very little help from streaming platforms.

But as Spotify continues to deny that it is flooding users' recommended feeds with AI music, bemoaning "it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between AI and non-AI music", Bandcamp has quietly issued a concise and simple policy entitled 'Bandcamp's Mission and Our Approach to Generative AI'.

The policy effectively bans any AI generated music or audio on its site. It reads as follows:

Today we are fortifying our mission by articulating our policy on generative AI, so that musicians can keep making music, and so that fans have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans.

Our guidelines for generative AI in music and audio are as follows:

• Music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted on Bandcamp.

• Any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited in accordance with our existing policies prohibiting impersonation and intellectual property infringement.

If you encounter music or audio that appears to be made entirely or with heavy reliance on generative AI, please use our reporting tools to flag the content for review by our team. We reserve the right to remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated.

With this policy, we’re putting human creativity first, and we will be sure to communicate any updates to the policy as the rapidly changing generative AI space develops. Thank you.

Was that so hard, Spotify?

I shouldn't just dig out Spotify on dragging its feet here. YouTube Music users are also furious about the prevalence of AI music clogging up their recommendations at the time of writing, with one user taking to the YouTube Music subreddit community to post that "six out of ten News recommendations were AI slop".

So, even as Spotify users rage about no longer trusting Discover Weekly, the big green music streaming machine is far from the only villain of the show.

Dear Google, that's not, what I'm paying for. AI slop is really getting out of hand. from r/YoutubeMusic

Great, so you forcefully banned AI slop – now how do you enforce it?

Here's the thing: imposing this kind of ban is going to be incredibly hard for Bandcamp to actually implement.

Don't get me wrong, it's a huge win – and very much on-brand – for the online record store and music community, but when rival Deezer announced last November that 34% of new music on its platform was AI-generated (or over 50,000 AI-made tracks being uploaded to the site every single day) perhaps the most chilling stat was actually that according to a separate study (also commissioned by Deezer), 97% of listeners couldn't tell the difference between AI music and human-made tracks.

So, simply stating that such content is forbidden and asking listeners to report it when they hear it won't work. It's also worth noting that Bandcamp is in a stronger position than many music sites to be banning AI content, since Bandcamp doesn't rely solely on streaming for revenue. It sells vinyl, CDs, merch and cassettes as its main gig – which is good for me, since I'm very much into cassette tapes lately, as part of a digital music detox this year.

So Bandcamp is in a position to demand more. I hate to point to AI's implementation by humans to generate harmful images and US Senators calling out for Grok to be banned entirely, but humans are tricksy. They like to get around rules using artificial intelligence – and since AI has no agency (it cannot feel emotion such as malice or shame; it won't do anything without a prompt) it's ultimately humans causing the issues here.

Remember last year, when Playboi Carti fans accused the rap star of using an AI model of his own voice to complete the album MUSIC, a record loyal devotees had waited nearly five years for? As my colleague and professional DJ Jamie Richards pointed out at the time, "what worries me is, I wouldn’t be able to tell".

Accountability at the source must surely be the way

The thing is, Playboi Carti is under no obligation to divulge whether or not he used an AI version of his own dulcet tones to complete his tracks. Currently, no artist (nor producer of said artist, nor record label) is obliged to disclose whether or not what we're hearing was ever actually uttered from a human mouth, or played by human hands.

And AI use isn't always so clear cut. In the Playboi Carti example, Bandcamp's policy wording could call into question whether or not the album (if indeed it does include AI generated content) actually falls foul of the the ban. Was the AI model used "wholly or in substantial part", for instance – or just in one or two backing vocals, on one track? And when Bandcamp states that "Use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited in accordance with our existing policies prohibiting impersonation and intellectual property infringement", it rather suggests that if you're an artist using your own generated voice, rather than using it create "other artists or styles", that's not an issue.

And yet to fans, the idea that they weren't listening to the actual Carti clearly was a problem.

As my colleague Rowan Davies reported at around the same time as the Carti AI accusations began to fly last year, a coalition of more than 1,000 musicians released an album consisting of silence and studio ambience to protest the growing threat AI poses to music and the music industry. It was titled Is This What We Want? and for me, listening to deathly quiet recording studios (because no musicians can afford to record in them) is a pretty compelling protest and prediction for the future.

So what's the answer? Accountability. At a Bluesound hi-res music streamer release I attended a few years ago, the team identified 17 potential points of change in any recorded audio signal path. So, from the moment an artist sings into a mic to a listener hearing it (think mic level, patchbay, audio interfaces, processing etc.) an authentic sound can be doctored plenty, even without the use of AI. The possible solution floated at the event was a requirement for more metadata on recordings – a roll call of the production team, declaring the mixing suite used, an index of samples and even a kind of tapping-in system on the door of recording studios, thus revealing who was in the room when track-specific decisions were made on the use of AI. How's that for accountability?

I think it's clear that leaving this issue to listeners as something to call out when they hear it won't work as a solution. As a starting point, I’d like to see some kind of mandatory warning label on tracks – like the “E” icon to denote explicit language – to alert us of the use of AI in a track. That might be a start, because then we wouldn't be seeing it on Bandcamp…

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Sony has posted a mysterious teaser online, announcing a new product unveiling for next Wednesday, January 21. The tagline is promising "a new form of listening", and we think that means new wireless earbuds are on the way.

The teaser was originally spotted by The Walkman Blog, but some extra context added by the tipsters at Dealabs suggests that we're going to get the Sony LinkBuds Clip earbuds at this particular launch event – so not the Sony WF-1000XM6.

We've seen plenty of rumors around the Sony WF-1000XM6 in recent weeks, and considering how much we loved the Sony WF-1000XM5 we're very much looking forward to these wireless earbuds too. However, they're more likely to launch in February.

Instead of the Sony WF-1000XM6, we're getting the Sony LinkBuds Clip, according to those in the know. We've seen several pairs of earbuds in the LinkBuds series in the past, including the Sony LinkBuds Open.

Rumored specs

More info from Dealabs suggests that the LinkBuds Clip earbuds are going to have the model number WF-LC900, and will look similar to the Huawei FreeClip or the JBL Soundgear Clips that were just unveiled at CES 2026.

That means some kind of hook that goes behind your ear to keep the earbuds in place for extended periods of time, while still feeling lightweight. At the same time, the open-ear design will allow ambient sounds through, apparently.

The earbuds are said to be coming with three different listening modes, plus support for 360-degree reality audio and spatial sound personalization. Battery life is reportedly nine hours for the earbuds on their own, with an extra 28 hours provided by the case.

They'll be IPX4 rated for protection against splashes and sweat, according to Dealabs, and four colors are predicted: black, green, purple, and cream. The launch price mentioned in the article is $229.99 (about £170 / AU$345).

Whatever Sony unveils next Wednesday, you'll be able to read about it right here, so stay tuned.

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Sony has announced a new pair of limited edition earbuds in collaboration with the popular virtual idol Hatsune Miku.

The LinkBuds Fit Hatsune Miku Limited Edition come with an exclusive bundle of Miku goodies, including a special acrylic earbuds stand complete with cute artwork by illustrator 荻pote. If you look at the design closely, you'll spot Miku wearing her very own pair of LinkBuds Fit buds – which is absolutely adorable.

This is complemented by codes for a digital Hatsune Miku model and a virtual performance of the song Believe Day that you can watch in glorious augmented reality (AR) via the HoloModels smartphone app.

The song, which has music and lyrics by Vocaloid giant HarryP, was created for this Sony collaboration when it launched in Japan last summer.

Mean green buds

Of course this is huge news if, like me, you'll buy literally anything that has 'Hatsune Miku' written on the box, but this limited edition doesn't seem to differ from the standard buds aside from the inclusion of those extra goodies.

You get the standard green colorway here, which does at least line up the idol's iconic verdant hair. Still, with a retail price of $249.99 (compared to the usual $179 / £179 / AU$348 rate) I would've expected at least some kind of special decal on the buds or case themselves to set them apart.

If you do choose to invest in this limited edition release, you are at least getting a capable music listening tool for your money. We consider them to be some of the best workout headphones around, with our Sony LinkBuds Fit review praising both its bold sound and cute, lightweight design.

You could certainly choose worse headphones to blast your ears with World is Mine while you're lifting weights at the gym.

The limited edition earbuds are available now exclusively via the Sony website.

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Pro-Ject has introduced two new headphone amps, the Head Box DS3 B and the Head Box S3 B. These are the first models in a new generation of amps, and they are fully balanced.

By fully balanced, Pro-Ject means that you don't just get balanced connectors for your headphones. The entire audio journey is balanced, and that should reduce noise and improve the stereo separation between the left and right channels. The result, Pro-Ject says, is cleaner, more detailed and more spacious audio.

The amps work with unbalanced headphones too, of course, and there are line-level inputs with RCA and XLR for easy connection to other devices.

Pro-Ject Head Box DS3 B and Head Box S3 B: key features and prices

These are both powerful amplifiers, although Pro-Ject says they're more interested in real-world performance than big numbers on a spec sheet. Nevertheless the Head Box S3 B delivers up to 820mW into 30 ohms, while the Head Box DS3 B is even more powerful with 1.5mW into 30 ohms, more than enough for even very demanding headphones.

The key difference between the two amplifiers is that the Head Box S3 B has an integrated amplifier while the Head Box DS3 B has a fully discrete amplifier design promising extra warmth and more power. Both are made in all-metal enclosures and come in a choice of black or silver.

The RRP of the Head Box S3 B is £329 / €399 (about $442 / AU$660) and the DS3 B is £629 / €699 (about $845 / AU$1,265). Both models will be available this month, January 2026.

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Spotify always seems to be running into controversy in some way, shape, or form, whether that’s not paying artists what they deserve or taking its time to release a much-needed upgrade (looking at you, Spotify Lossless).

As for its latest dispute, music fans are angrily drawing attention to AI-generated music flooding the Spotify app, claiming that the platform is forcing AI music into features such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar. I covered this recently, shedding light on a Reddit post that attracted a hefty response from users who have experienced this AI slop.

The crux of the post was to call on Spotify to implement a filter system that flags whether a song has been generated using AI tools, which other music streaming services, such as Deezer, have already jumped on.

So what does Spotify have to say about this heat? While the platform has yet to explain why AI music is still an occurrence in its ecosystem, we reached out for a comment, and they got back to us with the following statement:

“AI is a fast-moving shift for the entire music industry, and it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between ‘AI’ and ‘non-AI’ music. Spotify is focused on actions that guard against harmful AI use cases, including removing spam and deceptive content, strengthening enforcement against impersonation and unauthorized voice cloning, and supporting industry-standard AI disclosures in music credits. Spotify does not create or own any music, and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools.”

Back in September, Spotify issued a post listing its plans to strengthen its AI protections, which included Improved enforcement of impersonation violations, a new spam filtering system, and AI disclosures for music with industry-standard credits. It’s been four months since, and the AI overflow is still there for some users.

With that in mind, why is it so hard to eradicate AI-generated tracks from music platforms? Well, it’s not. While Spotify claims that it’s doubling down on its attack against AI music, it doesn’t seem to be working. Rival platforms are already tackling this, and Bandcamp has just banned AI music altogether, announcing this move via a Reddit post.

Although AI music has been banned, the platform isn’t blind to the fact that it can still slip in. That said, Bandcamp is encouraging users to use its reporting tools to flag any AI-generated music or audio they may run into. It’s a very direct way of tackling unwanted AI rubbish, and one that could help Spotify gain back user trust.

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Fender doesn't just make fantastic guitars. It also has the Fender Play platform, a great video-based learning system that can teach you guitar, bass or ukulele. It's been available on computers, smartphones and tablets for some time now – it launched in 2017 – but it's never been available as a TV app, until now.

Fender has teamed up with Samsung in an "exclusive global partnership" to bring Fender Play to Samsung TVs in 2026. There's no launch date as yet but Samsung says it'll arrive in the first half of this year. And it should be available pretty much everywhere: Samsung says it's coming to 49 countries across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

The app isn't just a port of the Fender Play app. Samsung says that a built-in "jam mode" will deliver Samsung-enhanced video and Dolby Atmos audio.

The twang's the thang on your Samsung TV

I'm a gigging musician and I really rate Fender Play: if you're a beginner with an acoustic, electric or bass guitar, or a ukulele, it does a really good job of teaching you the basics. Our music pals at Musicradar agree, giving the service four and a half stars out of five.

The big benefit of having Fender Play on your TV is that it gives you a much bigger display, so it'll be much easier to see what's going on. And it's much more structured than trying to find lessons on YouTube, so it can help you progress more quickly.

I think that’s important, because many would-be players give up when they find learning frustrating. According to Fender's own figures, some 90% of guitar newbies give up within the first year.

That's one of the reasons Fender made Play; the more people stick with guitar (and bass and ukulele) playing, the more likely they are to be like me and buy lots of Fender guitars. As Fender's CEO told Musicradar a few years ago, "we did the math. The 10 per cent of the salmon that make it through the dam have a lifetime value of $10,000 [each]. They buy five to seven guitars, they buy multiple amps, they drive the hardware side of the business. We felt if we could reduce the abandonment rate by just 10% we could double the size of the [guitar] industry."

Fender Play is a subscription service and currently costs $19.99 / £19.49 (about AU$39) per month, although Fender often runs promotional offers and paying annually can save you a lot. We don't yet know whether Samsung customers will be offered a discount when the platform comes to their TVs.

If you're into making or listening to music, Fender is one to watch in 2026: the firm's aggressively expanding into new sectors such as Bluetooth speakers and headphones, and we're very impressed with what we've heard so far.

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My Instagram feed is awash with folk half my age announcing a resolve to delete their entire internet presence and get a landline, then celebrating brick buildings full of books because (and I quote), "There's no AI in libraries."

When faced with news that Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Google are among those helping fund a $300m ballroom in the White House, while independent bookstores are pointing out that they donate to food banks, opting out of online music and media subscriptions in 2026 feels like a correct response to troubling times.

And that's before I mention the backlash surrounding Spotify's payment models or former CEO Daniel Ek's questionable investments, the rising costs of online cloud storage due to a massive demand surge from AI data centers, the DRAM chip shortage (which will likely drive up the cost of TVs soon – so even if you have Netflix, you may struggle for a screen on which to enjoy it), or the prevalence of AI slop music on streaming sites…

Oh, and then there's the omnipresence of big brother. No, not the TV show, the fact that every time we stream something, it's being logged by your AI DJs and the like for further algorithmic recommendations – and to generate your all important Spotify 'listening age'.

Bit of a mess, isn't it? We're only two weeks into 2026 and it seems millennials (and people much older – i.e. me) want to cancel their media rental subscriptions to enjoy simpler times. And that means owning and enjoying music in physical form, without the constant feeling of being watched, judged and studied…

You can keep your new year, I'll pick an old one

Today, I'd like 1997, please. And I absolutely can have this year, in the shape of Now That's What I Call Music! 37 – a double-cassette compilation album comprising the "41 hot new hits" of the year. I should clarify, this is the UK variant of the compilation series, not the later US series, which came out in 2011 and featured songs such as Rihanna's Only Girl (In the World) and Pink's Raise Your Glass – although that compilation also sounds like a vibe and year I'd also want to get into, on another day.

Reader, I found this delightful little time capsule of tracks, alongside Now 29, Now 31 and Now 33 in my other half's childhood bedroom. I discovered it while staying at his folks' place over Christmas, in a cache of assorted albums on cassette including East 17's Walthamstow and Steam (who knew he had such a thing for the London lads, back in the day?), The Verve's Urban Hymns, Fatboy Slim's We've Come a Long Way, Baby, and Blur: The Best Of.

How much?!

One of these cassette tapes (Catatonia's breakthrough creation, International Velvet, released in 1998 and home of absolute belters Mulder and Scully and Road Rage) still bears an old £10.99 Smyths Musique price tag. Yes, that much! Because we used to pay quite a bit of money for our own little 12-song copy in physical form, so that it could be ours forever – or at least until the tape got chewed up.

The internet tells me that £10.99 in 1998 is the equivalent of £25.85 in January 2026's money – and here we are, complaining about having access to virtually every single track in the known world for £12.99 per month (£25.85 is about $34.82 or AU$51.90, and you probably know that Spotify costs $11.99 per month in the US, or AU$15.99).

It's time to meet the players

Regular readers may remember the FiiO CP13, because I've written about it in various guises: whether it's the blue ode to 1979's TPS-L2 Sony Walkman, (I was indeed alive then, thank you very much), the transparent version or even the Barbie in-line skating flavored option. And rival brand We Are Rewind has been unveiling various themed portable cassette players for a while now, including a sparkly Duran Duran-themed player and even one with 'ELVIS' emblazoned across the front in red, each with a re-issue of their adjacent album bundled with your purchase.

This particular FiiO player, while perfectly functional, is presented in your basic landlord beige not because I'm adhering to Pantone's 2026 Cloud Dancer missive (I am not; Phtalo Green for me all year long), but because I really want the cassettes and what they mean in the current climate to take center stage.

Can you tell me who will still care? Mmmbop… 

I slam Tape 1, side 1 of Now 37 into the player, realising my poor old Gen X hand has never forgotten how to do this quickly and efficiently. The first track is Hanson's MMMBop. Have you ever noticed how melancholy the lyrics are, given what feels like such a whimsical and carefree chorus? There's also a slightly off-center feel to the soundstage here, like you've just walked in on a bunch of kids jamming in their parents garage – and actually, they're pretty good.

We're on to the next song, which comes in a little too soon for my liking, such is my reverie on those lyrics, but anyway: Eternal's I Wanna Be the Only One, feat. Bebe Winans. I'm jiggling my shoulders and singing those "Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah… protect you from the rain!" BVs like I've never experienced a social media presence, Apple Pay or coronavirus – but I have to clear my schedule for Top of the Pops this Friday because apparently they're doing it live.

There's the slick modulation; there's jubilation. I remember that this track helped me walk into the studio on my first day at ballet college. Why was I doing this? Why, because I wanna be the only one!

Ever listened to Owen Cutts' take on old music in his weekly radio show, or watched him wherever you get your reels fix? That's what this compilation feels like for me and my internal monologue.

Yes, Queen

My other half picks up the box beside me, aware but only vaguely interested that I snaffled it, and plenty like it, from his bedroom over Christmas. I mention that there will now be a gap at the bottom of his old corner shelf, next to the Lynx Africa. "Wait, this one's got Paranoid Android as the final track," he muses, adding, "It's like Now went, 'You know what this compilation needs? Some depression.'"

He picks up another. We confirm a piece of lore both of us remember from back in the day (because Queen's Too Much Love Will Kill You is the first track on Now 33), that Freddy et al's people had agreed to Queen being in these compilations only on the proviso that they would appear in the coveted first song spot. That's how important these timely audio roundups were.

I wish I could find my own Now! That's What I Call Music collection, which spanned 15 to 21. I remember because 15 kicks off with I Want It All by Queen, followed by Simple Minds' Kick It In and then Fine Young Cannibals' Good Thing.

If we do this, we also need to show up in physical form

Of course, there are issues with all of this. Cassettes, vinyl and CDs are all great to collect – and you can find plenty in thrift stores (or charity shops, as we say in the UK) – but we need to remember the artists. Yes, most big acts tend to release new music on vinyl, CD and in some cases on cassette too, but it's important to remember that no matter how many times I play it on my FiiO CP13, Joaquin "Quino" McWhinney and the rest of Big Mountain aren't getting any more money when I dance around my living room to Baby I Love Your Way on Now 29. I know they'd only make a fraction of a cent if I streamed it, but it's still more than the square root of zip.

So, if we're going offline and seeking our music fix second-hand (and physical), we need to stan. And by that I mean we need to show up physically too – at gigs and ideally wearing a bit of official merch. This is how we remunerate the bands we love, so that they can keep releasing new music. I've booked tickets to four gigs this year, including My Chemical Romance at Wembley Stadium (the last time I saw Gerard & Co. live was in April 2005, at the London Astoria, sadly no longer there).

You can also, if you feel inclined, sign the petition calling on Parliament in the UK to change the law to fix music streaming, so that music makers get a fair share of the revenue, via the Musician's Union.

As covered by NME just over a year ago, in the UK nearly £2.5billion was spent on music in 2024, but the Musician’s Union stated that shockingly, almost half of all working musicians in the UK earned less than £14,000 in that same year. To clarify, according to the Office for National Statistics, median gross annual earnings for full-time employees across all professions the UK were £37,430 in April 2024, so it's shockingly low.

Don't think being a musician is a 'real job'? Think back to lockdown and all the music you listened to – think about your commute and how much easier it feels with your headphones on. We need to show up for humans playing music, if we want them to keep creating it for us.

A lasting future

Last thing: a bit on the kit. As I'm listening to "my" new cassettes on this little analog system, without the interruption of songs I won't like, emails, whatsapp messages or any of the distractions that come with streaming on my phone, it strikes me that my wired Campfire Audio Clara IEMs and this player could last for the rest of my lifetime – unlike every set of wireless earbuds I own.

Yes, you can tell me these elite IEMs are too good to endure the hiss of magnetic tape all you like, but I love the detail and space they deliver. And I love that they don't contain the li-ion batteries that give their wireless alternatives a hard shelf life.

I hope you also buy audio products that are built to stand the test of time – because despite my initial reservations, almost every track on my new little stash of 90s music has. Some tracks are more relevant 30 years on than they've any business being. As Michael Stipe sang in What's the Frequency, Kenneth? (which features on side 2 of 1994's Now 29), "Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy."

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The obvious problem with this plan is: speakers vibrate, and turntables need to be kept steady. Putting the latter on top of the former seems like asking for trouble.

So at CES 2026, I tracked down Victrola to get not only a first listen to the Soundstage, but also to get my hands on it and feel whether the vibrations are a concern.

As you'll have seen, it's a nice-looking bit of gear, available in walnut or black finishes. The styling, size, and finishes are an exact match for Victrola's Wave turntable, though you can use it with anything that fits on its 42.95 x 38.37 x 8.95cm frame.

There's an RCA connection for your turntable, plus a 3.5mm jack, USB-C audio, and Bluetooth – making it a nice modern music center as well as a vinyl addition.

Let's start with the bass rumble. The Soundstage has a system Victrola calls the 'Symmetric Drive Woofer' to deliver bass, and it's a force-opposed dual-diaphragm bass system, firing up and down simultaneously from a single driver.

It's very much like the Sonos Sound Motion bass driver used in the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar (you can read all about the development of that speaker here), in that it's designed to provide big bass in a small space, but with a force-opposing configuration to avoid vibrations.

Force-opposing speaker systems mean that you have two identical diaphragms facing opposite directions. When speakers play, they push air forward, which means there's an equal force pushed the other way, into the speaker enclosure, in the form of vibrations. But in a force-opposed system, those vibrations then meet the exact same vibrations coming the other way from the other diaphragm, so they cancel each other out, and you end up with no major shaking at all (or close to it, and the rest can be absorbed by a well-built enclosure).

The double bass driver has the effect of giving this speaker a surprising amount of thump for something not very tall, but placing my hand on the sides, back, and top of the unit, I could barely feel any vibration in it. There is some, but nothing different from what you'd expect if you had your turntable on top of a piece of furniture with two speakers on either side of it.

You can feel a lot more vibration on the front of the unit, where the forward drivers are, but since I couldn't feel the effect of this heavily on the sides and back, it seems like the bracing and build of the speaker can absorb this well enough without it passing it through to the turntable (which will have some protection against vibration of its own, of course).

Victrola says of the front speakers that a "Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) technology delivers exceptionally wide, even dispersion, creating a spacious, natural stereo image that stays clear and detailed anywhere in the room" and my experience with this is that there's very little stereo on offer here, despite these promises – if that's your priority, you've got to go with separate speakers.

But Victrola told me that even dispersion around the room was a big focus for the speaker system, and it absolutely nails this – I moved around to really off-center positions to see if the sound balance would alter drastically and weaken, and actually, it barely changed compared to being right in front of it.

That's impressive, and makes it super-flexible for listening positions, which again, makes sense for something designed for people with little spare space.

As for the overall sound itself, I would say that it's quite warm – leaning into vinyl's tendency that way, perhaps – and trends somewhat bass-ward. Mid-range and treble seemed present and correct enough, but I didn't get the sense of there being a ton of fine detail and expression from my demo.

Naturally, we'll reserve judgment until we can test in a proper environment, but my initial impression is that you may get finer hi-fi results from a pair of active stereo speakers matching the $349 price of the Soundstage, but probably less deep bass. It may be a question of choosing the fullness and impact of the sound versus the resolution and imaging.

But in some ways, that dilemma also misses the point: this compactness. This speaker sits under the turntable, with no extra space and no extra components needed. In that way alone, it might be exactly what you've been looking for.

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“AI is a fast-moving shift for the entire music industry, and it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between ‘AI’ and ‘non-AI’ music. Spotify is focused on actions that guard against harmful AI use cases, including removing spam and deceptive content, strengthening enforcement against impersonation and unauthorized voice cloning, and supporting industry-standard AI disclosures in music credits. Spotify does not create or own any music, and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools.”

Original story follows:

It’s not news that Spotify is invested in all things AI given its slew of algorithm-based music-discovery tools, from Discover Weekly to Daylists that are updated five or six times a day.

While it's worked hard to secure its place as one of the best music streaming services, it seems to have gotten carried away with AI music recommendations – and now it’s infiltrating users’ Discover Weekly playlists.

Paying Spotify subscribers have been flagging the platform’s push of AI music for a while, but now they’re drawing a line, with many calling on the streaming giant to roll out filters to identify which songs have been generated by AI.

While I haven’t experienced this in my own Spotify Premium account, many users are using Reddit as a place to air their frustration in posts like the one below, which has garnered a slew of responses from similarly frustrated users.

Spotify really needs an AI filter already. from r/truespotify

Discover Weekly catches the AI plague

A common complaint is the overhaul of AI-generated music in users' Discover Weekly playlists, which updates every Monday to recommend new artists from your most-streamed genres. Users have been reporting on this for quite some time, but are noticing that it's only getting worse, and AI music is becoming more of an occurrence in Discover Weekly, as well as Release Radar playlists.

Comment from r/truespotify

I’ve been one of the lucky ones and haven’t been subjected to the creeping AI plague, and I’d like it to stay that way. I discover a lot of music by listening to the radio, and I add lots of the songs I hear to my playlists, and as a result my Discover Weekly has stayed clean of anything remotely AI-generated. Plus, I enjoy creating playlists from scratch, which is another big help with avoiding the issue.

However, the problem doesn’t lie solely with AI music itself. What’s annoying users the most is what users frame as deception on Spotify’s part, claiming it's not being transparent with its paying members, while platforms such as Deezer have systems that can identify and visibly label AI-generated music.

So where are all these AI-generated artists coming from? Well, some users are convinced that it’s an intentional move from Spotify.

Comment from r/truespotify

Coincidence, or secret business strategy?

Comment from r/truespotify

Spotify doesn’t have the best reputation for paying its artists, and as more users are running into unwanted AI music, there’s more cause for them to believe that Spotify is doing this deliberately in order to further avoid paying artists. It’s become too much of an occurrence to the point where it no longer looks coincidental.

Comment from r/truespotify

The more Spotify pushes AI music, the fewer ‘real artists’ it has to worry about paying, resulting in higher profits for the streamer, but at what cost? It only eradicates artistic integrity and legitimate talent.

Will Spotify follow in the steps of Deezer and flag AI-generated music? Fat chance. However, as many have pointed out in the Reddit thread, Spotify is now the biggest music-streaming service user-wise, and because of its influence on the industry there’s more for it to lose – and now that it's losing heaps of trust from its existing customers, it needs to do some rethinking.

I've reached out to Spotify for comment, and I'll update this story if and when I receive a response.

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What do the best DACs, the best Hi-Res Audio players, the best TVs, and the best soundbars all have in common? They're all facing component shortages and price hikes – not because of tariffs, but because of the AI-driven shortage of memory and storage chips. And the pain's going to be particularly pronounced at the more affordable end of the market, where profit margins are already razor-thin.

As you're no doubt aware, the AI industry is buying a lot of memory for its data centers: as Reuters reported back in October, just one AI firm, OpenAI, intends to order 900,000 semiconductor wafers in 2029. That's around 40% of the world's entire production. And there's plenty more demand in the industry.

As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, "The rapid build-out of infrastructure for artificial intelligence is consuming a large portion of available supply of NAND flash memory, DRAM memory and hard drives. That has resulted in a shortage of memory for other markets such as PCs and smartphones."

Audiovisual devices aren't the same as PCs, and don't typically need as much memory as smartphones. But they still need some memory in order to do what they do. Everything from smart speakers to smart TVs to in-car entertainment systems use RAM alongside their processors, and some of them use NAND storage too, because they're all just small computers at heart; both of these components' prices are rocketing.

We've already seen Samsung warn that its TVs' prices may rise due to comopnents shortages, while there are warnings about smartphone makers scaling back their specs for this year's mobile phones, cutting their memory to cut the cost of manufacturing.

And according to NPR, memory prices are expected to rise even more this year. As Avril Wu of the consultancy Trendforce told NPR, "I keep telling everybody that if you want a device, you buy it now."

How AI could affect AV

AI data centers don't use the same memory chips as a DAC or a Hi-Res Audio player: they use High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), not the DDR RAM you'd find in a PC or PlayStation. But those differing chips are made from the same kind of semiconductor wafers, and those wafers are in ever-increasing demand because HBM uses roughly three times more of those wafers than DDR5 RAM does.

They're also much more profitable to sell, and as a result many firms are shifting focus from consumer memory chips to data center ones – so for example Micron, one of the big three memory makers alongside SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, has shut down its long-standing consumer memory business, Crucial, "to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments". In other words, AI.

As some manufacturers shift focus, new capacity for other kinds of memory isn't coming on board fast enough to cover the demand. So for example in October SK Hynix announced that it "has already secured full customer demand for its entire DRAM and NAND production for next year", and that it'll need to expand its production to cope with the market demands – but even the equipment to make the chips are set to rise in price.

In the shorter term, that means higher memory prices. Much higher prices. CNBC reports that RAM prices are expected to rise "more than 50% this quarter compared to the last quarter of 2025." And the Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute says that "DRAM prices have also surged 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold, while DDR5 spot prices have quadrupled since September 2025. DRAM and NAND prices doubled in a single month".

While capacity is being added to existing production plants and new plants are being built, that capacity isn't expected to come online until 2027.

That's likely to have two key impacts on the AV hardware market. The first is that we'll see price increases down the line, especially at the budget end of the market where manufacturers can't simply swallow the increased cost: there's a lot less margin on a $300 smart TV than a $3,000 one.

The second is that manufacturers may go back to the drawing board as some smartphone firms have done, limiting their next products' specifications to compensate for shortages and price hikes. It may also persuade some firms to postpone their product plans altogether until market conditions are more favorable.

We've been here before, of course: I remember the completely fruitless search for in-stock AV receivers after chip production had shut down during COVID lockdowns. At least this time we know the component crunch is coming, and can make purchasing plans accordingly.

Our picks of the best AV gear across different categories

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