Latest news with #audioQuality
Gizmodo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
JBL Clears Out Its Retro-Style Smart Home Speaker at Nearly 50% Off for Prime Day, Limited Stock Available
When you're looking for the perfect portable speaker, you probably have your own list of features you look for before locking in a purchase. And we're willing to bet it's not always just about how the speaker sounds, but about how it functions, too. Thats's why when you go to buy one, you should make sure it fits your aesthetic as well as your sound needs. And we've found one that can tick all the boxes. Check out Amazon for the JBL Authentics 200 for just $200, down from its usual price of $380. That's a discount of 47%, so you're scoring this bad boy for half off. See at Amazon This speaker is all about bringing the retro vibes. The quilted pattern on the front grill, the smooth leather-like texture, the rounded edges all make it look like it's a fun throwback from yesteryear. it's clearly designed with both performance and personality in mind. Of course, it sounds great, too. It has dual tweeters and a larger woofer that work together to deliver deep bass, warm mids, and crisp highs. Music sounds balanced and full, whether you're playing lo-fi jazz in the background or turning up the volume on your favorite playlist for a weekend get-together. It fills a room easily, and while it doesn't try to overpower with volume, it never feels thin or flat. The sound has weight to it. It also has a host of different smart features as well. Unlike most speakers that make you choose between Google Assistant or Alexa, the Authentics 200 supports both, so you can use whichever works for you. It also interfaces with AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Chromecast as well as standard Bluetooth. If you need help fixing the sound to fit your unique needs, you can always rely on the automatic tuning feature too. It adjusts the sound based on where it's placed, so it can sound its best whether it's on a shelf, in a corner, or out in the open. That kind of detail makes a difference when you're using a speaker like this every day. At just $200 (and a whopping almost half off discount), this smart speaker is more than just a solid deal. It's going to end up being the portable speaker you go to every time you leave your house. If you want your music setup to look as intentional as it sounds, this is one to keep an eye on. See at Amazon
Gizmodo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Amazon Smashes the Price of AirPods Max, Now at a New All-Time Price for Prime Day
The active noise cancellation headphone market is saturated with so many brands claiming to provide the best listening experience. Cutting through all the noise can be dizzying, but Apple has continued to lead the pack by offering a product that pairs breathtaking design with outstanding sound quality. The AirPods Max have always been a luxury offering, costing significantly more than rivals. That is until Prime Day brought the price down to an new record low level,. Currently, you can pick up the Apple AirPods Max for $449, reduced from their normal $549. This saving of $100 is one of the best deals you'll ever see on these Apple headphones. See at Amazon Apple's AirPods Max use a specially designed dynamic driver that provides high-fidelity audio that makes each note sound crisp and clear. Apple's computational audio is driven by the H1 chip and operates behind the scenes to fine-tune sound in real time. From listening to your favorite playlist to making calls, the AirPods Max provide a consistently good performance. The pro-level active noise cancellation is impressive and it can remove up to twice as much background noise compared to previous Apple models. This means you can truly lose yourself in your music, even in busy environments. If you want to stay aware of your surroundings, the Transparency mode lets in just the right amount of outside sound so you can have conversations or hear important announcements without taking off your headphones. Apple also offers Personalized Spatial Audio which adapts the sound to the unique shape of your ears and uses dynamic head tracking to create an enveloping, three-dimensional effect. This feature is very impressive when listening to Dolby Atmos tracks or movies. The headphones feature a knit-mesh canopy and memory foam ear cushions that form a tight yet comfortable seal around your ears. This improves the sound but also makes them a pleasure to wear for hours on end. The construction is undeniably premium, with a stainless steel frame and five colors – Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, and Orange (all of them are on sale at Amazon) – to suit your personal taste. If you want the ultimate listening experience with all the newest features, the $449 AirPods Max are tough to top. See at Amazon
Gizmodo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Missing Black Friday? This Bose TV Speaker Is Back at Its All-Time Low Price
Enhancing your home entertainment system, you might be astonished to find that a good TV speaker can sometimes cost more than the TV itself. Premium soundbars and home theaters can easily get into the hundreds or even approach the $1,000 mark which for most families is a significant expense. That's where Bose tops the list by offering budget-friendly products that don't compromise on quality: Their TV Speaker is a good example: high-quality sound without the high price tag. Amazon is now selling this popular soundbar at an all-time low of $199, down from its original price of $279. This is a Black Friday-style deal and, given the popularity of this item, there's a real possibility of this selling out in short order. See at Amazon Our Favorite Budget Speaker The Bose TV speaker has a compact form that belies its powerful performance with two angled full-range drivers that create a wide, natural soundstage. This trickery of spatial audio provides the illusion of more realistic dialogue and sound effects and transforms your living room into a mini home theater. Many viewers struggle to hear dialogue clearly, especially in films or shows with plenty of background noise or action: The Bose TV soundbar addresses this issue head-on and uses advanced processing to improve vocals and ensure every word is crisp and easy to understand. Setting up the Bose TV Speaker couldn't be simpler: Just connect it to your TV using the included optical audio cable or an optional HDMI cable and you're ready to go in minutes. The soundbar's compactness (at slightly over 2 inches in height) enables it to be placed in front of your television or mounted on a wall with optional brackets. Despite its small footprint, the Bose TV speaker kicks out a great sound, engaging the room in detailed audio that surpasses most TV speakers integrated into the television. What's great is that the Bose TV speaker features Bluetooth connectivity so you can wirelessly stream music and podcasts from your phone, tablet or any other devices. It can remember three paired devices and will connect with the first device that is turned on. With multiple inputs (HDMI-ARC, optical, and AUX), you can easily switch between your TV, gaming console or other devices. Amidst a market saturated with expensive and complicated audio solutions, the Bose TV Speaker is a breath of fresh air. Don't wait, however: this offer doesn't get any better, and stock won't last long. See at Amazon
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Forbes
The Best Earbuds For Small Ears, Tested By Our Tech Editor
While it's not difficult to find a great pair of earbuds, if you have small ears, a regular earbud may be uncomfortable—or worse, fall out during your morning run. The best earbuds for small ears stay firmly in your ears, and though they're smaller in size than larger wireless earbuds, they don't sacrifice any audio quality. After extensive research and hours of testing, I found the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 to be the best earbuds for small ears. Not only are they comfortable in my own petite ears, but they also feature stellar noise cancellation and dynamic EQs that have a lovely audio quality. After extensive testing and research, we found the best earbuds for small ears. But if you're an iPhone fan, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 may be a better choice for you—they're designed with the iOS ecosystem in mind, and they feature extra small ear tips. There's also the JLab JBuds Pods ANC, a budget-friendly pair that includes wireless charging. Here are the best earbuds for small ears you can get today. Amazon Forbes Vetted Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence. Battery life: Up to 12 hours (without ANC), up to 8 hours (with ANC) | Wireless charging case: Yes | Waterproof rating: IP54 (buds), IPX4 (case) | Drivers: 11mm | Noise-canceling: Yes Best for: Skip if: The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are small wireless earbuds that left a pretty big impression during testing. They feature three ear tip sizes, and I ended up having to switch mine out from a medium to a large for mine to fit. That's great for small ears—they're designed to fit all ear sizes, and a tiny wing keeps them tucked firmly in your ears. Make sure you insert them and then slide that wing toward the back of your ear to ensure a secure fit. They have a small profile, too, resting almost discreetly in my ears. One feature I liked was the swipe controls included. Swipe forward on the earbud to increase volume, and swipe backward to reduce volume. The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 may be small, but they have a powerful, rich audio quality. The 11mm drivers pack a surprisingly powerful bass, which I appreciated when I tested lower frequencies across Ashnikko's and Kendrick Lamar's tracks. The Google Pixel Buds software, found in an app, also offers multiple EQs to customize your audio preferences. I found these were very hit-and-miss, depending on which one I chose. Ultimately, I opted to customize my EQs to reflect a more dynamic profile and to better hit all frequencies, which made the audio quality simply stellar. Battery life is solid at around eight hours with ANC on and 12 hours without. That ANC is pretty darn strong, which makes them great for travel; I found it on par with my Technics EAH-AZ100, which are the best wireless earbuds I've tested to date (the Technics are borderline too big for my own ears). The earbuds are waterproof rated at IP54, and the case is rated IPX4. Just keep in mind: These are Android earbuds, and so they work best with an Android device like a Samsung, Google or Motorola phone. If you have an iPhone, there are reports of lag during video chats and playback. While I didn't experience this during testing, your mileage may vary. If you want a pair of earbuds for iPhone, I go into detail about my top Apple pick below. JLab Forbes Vetted Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence. Battery life: Up to 8 hours (with ANC), Up to 56 hours with charging case | Wireless charging case: Yes | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Drivers: 11mm | Noise-canceling: Yes Best for: Skip if: For less than $100, I expect some kind of trade-off, whether that's super weak noise-cancellation technology, a mediocre audio quality or something else. The JLab JBuds Pods ANC therefore took me by surprise. Yes, the hybrid ANC could be improved, but for the price, the audio quality rivals that of high-end earbuds I've tested. You can swap the ear tips for a smaller fit; I used the medium and felt they were comfortable. Connect them to the JLab app and you get access to three EQs: JLab Signature, Bass Boost and Balanced. You can also create your own customized profile and, if you prefer, you can turn on Safe Hearing modes. The drivers are fairly large, so for the most part, it can hit deep basses while keeping other frequencies balanced. The stem offers programmable touch controls. The case also offers wireless charging, which again, at this price point, feels like it should have not been included. There's also Bluetooth multipoint technology and an IP55 waterproofing. My only concern? They may be too big for the absolute smallest ears, but you can adjust the ear tips to a smaller size. When I tested, I kept the medium that comes pre-installed, but the small should suit most users just fine. Apple Forbes Vetted Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence. Battery life: Up to 5.5 hours (with ANC), up to 30 hours with charging case | Wireless charging case: Yes | Waterproof rating: IP54 | Drivers: 11mm | Noise-canceling: Yes Best for: Skip if: The Apple AirPods Pro 2 may look bulky for those with small ears, but they come with something that appeals to many Apple fans: extra small ear tips. While a lot of the best wireless earbuds I tested come only with small, medium and large ear tips, Apple adds another size designed for extra small ears. The silicone tips are good enough that no matter how much I jumped around, they didn't shift in my ears. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have stems for easy-access controls and offer multiple sizes of its ... More oval-shaped silicone ear tips for a comfortable fit. The audio quality is stellar—frequencies and balance sounded lovely during Florence + the Machine tracks, and it nailed the deep, punchy basses when I tested across Ashnikko and Kendrick Lamar albums. Don't expect any ability to adjust the EQs, though. Apple offers a minor EQ adjustment via the Accessibility tab, where you have to listen to a short amount of EQ presets to find your preferred balance. But for now, you can't manually adjust to a customized EQ. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 tuck nicely into my small ears. A few other features help make this a standout pair of wireless earbuds. Conversation Detection registers when you're speaking and automatically turns on ambient mode so you can hear around you. Once you stop, the AirPods register that you're finished speaking and turn noise canceling on again. It's nifty, but it's not without flaws: It registered my husband speaking with his parents in another room and automatically turned on the aware mode. If you plan to watch movies on your iPhone, you can expect spatial audio, which is nice. That said, these are the most expensive AirPods on the market at around $250 before a sale. Best Buy Forbes Vetted Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence. Battery life: Up to 8 hours, up to 24 with charging case | Wireless charging case: Yes | Waterproof rating: IPX4 | Drivers: 8.2mm | Noise-canceling: Yes Best for: Skip if: The Beats Studio Buds have a small profile that just barely jutted out of my ears during testing. Like the rest of the earbuds on this list, they come with multiple ear tip sizes so you can find a comfortable fit. The oval shape also makes it easy to tuck and twist in your ear for a secure fit. One of my favorite features about the design was the physical controls: You can play, pause, fast forward and rewind your music using these buttons. Long press to activate the ANC. The Beats Studio Buds use physical controls and don't have any kind of stem. Because they're built for iPhone, it's a seamless setup experience, but you can use these with Android if you download the Beats app. For iPhone users, open the case and the earbuds automatically find and ask to pair with your iPhone. For most, the out-of-the-box sound suits just fine, and I was pleasantly surprised. Note the low profile of the Beats Studio Buds in my ear. I found some minor drawbacks to these affordable earbuds. For one, they can't quite hit the lowest bass frequencies. They also don't have the absolute best ANC—it can drown out some noise, but I could still hear children playing outside my apartment window. If you can stomach these minor tradeoffs, then the Beats Studio Buds are just fine. Amazon Forbes Vetted Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence. Battery life: Up to 8 hours (with ANC), up to 44 with charging case | Wireless charging case: Yes | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Drivers: 10.2mm | Noise-canceling: Yes Best for: Skip if: The JBL Tour Pro 3 are, simply put, a stellar pair of earbuds that are great for traveling. The earbuds may feel a little bulky, and the case feels pretty darn hefty, but it's all worthwhile: The earbuds can last up to eight hours with active noise cancellation on, and up to 11 hours without. Tack on the multiple recharges available from the case, and you can get up to 44 hours on these earbuds. While the JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds are a little bigger, I still found them comfortable to wear for ... More long periods. The case itself is unique in that it acts as a hub if you don't want to unlock and find the app on your phone. You can see a slew of at-a-glance information, including listening modes, EQs, spatial audio, screen brightness and more. The case also offers something I've yet to see in any other pair of wireless earbuds, too—a flashlight. It's pretty bright, too, so it can help in a pinch to find a dropped earbud between a plane seat, for example. The audio quality is pretty darn good, and it comes with LDAC, which left me impressed. There were a few different EQs that wowed me, while others underwhelmed me. The good news is that if you like to change your EQs while you listen, again, just use the case instead of your phone. But the JBL app is equally intuitive, too, if you prefer to make any adjustments on your mobile device. Could the noise cancellation be stronger? Absolutely. But if you like to watch movies, the case can also double as a dongle for watching movies on a plane. The Forbes Vetted team has published hundreds of tech and electronics guides that leverage our hands-on testing and research. We also have specialized audio stories for all of your listening needs like wireless headphones, wireless earbuds, outdoor speakers and more. To find the best earbuds for small ears, I narrowed my options to top-rated brands like Google, JLab, Beats and more. From there, I put my shortlist to the test. The best earbuds for small ears should be, well, small, and feel comfortable and secure in your ears. They should also ideally have some kind of water-resistance, especially if you plan to take them on a run or on the go. This was where the bulk of my testing came into play. No matter what genre you're listening to, your audio quality should have a good balance of bass, mids and treble frequencies. None of these frequencies should sound muddled or distorted during listening sessions, and so I looked for crystal clear clarity and smoothness among the frequencies. I cross-checked audio quality across a variety of songs. I also considered differences across multiple EQs and noted how well EQs sounded, noting where I could create a customized EQ profile. Some of the genres that I listen to include alternative, rock, classical, audiobooks/podcasts and more. Specifically, some of the songs I tested each pair of earbuds include: When you're listening to your music, you want to be able to listen for hours without interruptions. While I wore each pair of earbuds for a minimum of ten hours, I tested each earbud for 30 minutes, logging battery percentages at the beginning and at the end. I also cross tested this across multiple frequencies and volumes to see if there were any changes as I shifted features. This way, I could get a sense of whether each pair lived up to its claims. What Are The Best Earbuds For Small Ears? Based on our testing and research, the best earbuds for small ears are the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. They're designed to fit all ear sizes and include three ear tip sizes to help achieve the best fit. Despite their small size, the earbuds offer impressive ANC and a powerful bass. Which Earbuds Are Most Comfortable For Small Ears? The most comfortable earbuds for small ears are lightweight, have a small profile and feature different ear tip sizes for adjustability. 'Look for designs that rest gently in the ear concha without creating pressure,' says Huang. 'Long-term comfort often comes down to weight distribution and how deep the earbud inserts—lightweight and shallow is better.' How Do I Get Earbuds To Stay In Small Ears? 'Try memory foam tips—they mold to the ear for better grip and seal,' says Huang. 'You can also use ear hooks or silicone stabilizers that loop into the ear ridge.' When inserting earbuds, Huang also recommends rotating them slightly to help lock them into a more stable angle.
Gizmodo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Sonos Move 2 Drops to Such a Ridiculously Low Price, It Almost Feels Like Amazon Made a Big Pricing Error
Sonos has made a name for itself with sound-playing Wi-Fi speakers that are perfect for immersive sound around the house. But a few years ago, Sonos tossed convention aside and created a Bluetooth (and Wi-Fi) portable speaker that you can carry with you wherever you go whether to the beach, a backyard barbecue, or the pool. The result is the Sonos Move 2 that combines the legendary Sonos sound with total portability. Today, this tough speaker is hitting its all-time best price on Amazon, and it's an amazing deal to prepare your summer holidays. Usually, the Sonos Move 2 retails for $449 which is on par with other premium portable speakers. But with a 25% discount on Amazon, you can bring it home today for just $336. That's a $113 discount and the lowest price this speaker has ever been which makes it an elite deal for a speaker of this caliber. See at Amazon Outstanding Audio What sets the Sonos Move 2 truly unique is its exceptional audio quality: Sonos has reimagined the acoustic design for this new model. Instead of a single tweeter, the Move 2 features two which unveils a genuine stereo soundstage providing crisp vocals and detailed instruments. The bass is deep and dynamic and it is powered by a precision-tuned woofer that brings music to life with the emotional energy of a live performance. You will also love Sonos' automatic Trueplay tuning built right in: This mode uses the internal microphones in the speaker to keep listening to its surroundings and adjust the sound on the fly. Whether you find yourself in a large backyard or a cozy little living room, the Move 2 tunes itself to deliver you the best sound you can have. You don't have to futz with settings or worry about where to put it as the speaker does it all for you. Due to efficiency gains across the board, you can now have a maximum of 24 hours of uninterrupted playback from a single charge which is double the last generation. It means you can party throughout the day and well into the evening without running out of power. When the time comes to recharge, simply place the Move 2 on its included wireless charging base, now featuring a detachable power cord and shrinker adapter. Its IP56 rating guarantees that the speaker is spill-proof, splash-proof, rain-proof, dirt-proof, and dust-proof. If you love music wherever life takes you, this is the speaker to choose. See at Amazon
