Latest Audio Reviews
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Reviews
Review: 9 Rugged Bluetooth speakers for travel and outdoor use
With summer on its way, the temptation to take your music on the go is getting hard to resist. Here are seven Bluetooth speakers designed to take the kind of abuse your handset can't.Reviews
Review: B&W’s Z2 is an impressive AirPlay speaker and iPhone dock
Bowers & Wilkins's Z2 is both an AirPlay speaker and a Lightning-connector speaker dock. And it's very, very good.Reviews
Review: B&W’s A7 AirPlay speaker offers outstanding sound
Bowers & Wilkins' A7 AirPlay speaker is, put simply, acoustically incredible.Reviews
Review: InCharge X5 charges 5 iPads, iPhones, and iPods
The appeal of the InCharge X5 is plain: It's a compact, no-cable-clutter place to stash up to 5 devices for charging and storage. The debut of Apple's Lightning connector takes a bit away from the X5's self-contained appeal, and bulky cases won't fit, but it otherwise does its job well.rnReviews
Review: Bose SoundLink Air offers good sound, but few features
Bose's SoundLink Air is an AirPlay speaker that lacks some basics and requires a separate purchase for portability. But it's easy to use and it sounds good.Reviews
Review: Google Maps for iPhone drives competition with Apple
The much-awaited Google Maps for iPhone will please many users who are disappointed with iOS 6's Maps and may even win some converts. Most of all, though, it steps up the mapping competition.Reviews
iLuv iEP515 Earphones are easy to recommend for those on a budget
The iEP515 is a great candidate to replace Apple's earbuds, or if you're just looking for something that will be inexpensive to replace if lost or damaged. At $20, the iEP515 is very easy to recommend.Reviews
Review: Pioneer’s A3 XW-SMA3-K is a solid AirPlay speaker system
The Pioneer A3 XW-SMA3-K is a rechargeable, portable AirPlay speaker with several powerful features, hampered somewhat by a clunky interface.Reviews
Review: Time Command is a spartan iOS alarm-clock dock
Stem Innovation's Time Command marries an iOS app with an alarm clock, with mixed results. But it does manage to throw at least one unique feature into the mix.Reviews
Review: Libratone Zipp is the portable AirPlay speaker to beat
The Libratone Zipp is stylish, offers excellent sound, and allows you to configure ad-hoc AirPlay networks when no other Wi-Fi is available. The only real catch is that such great features come at a price.Reviews
Hands on with Apple’s Lightning to 30-pin Adapters
Nearly a month after they were announced, Apple's adapters for using older, 30-pin accessories with the latest iPhone and iPod models are available. We've been testing them for compatibility; here's our full report.Reviews
Review: iPod nano (7th generation) combines the best of its predecessors
With the seventh generation of the iPod nano, Apple has taken the best of the previous two generations and combined them into an iOS-inspired player that for many people will be the best nano yet.Reviews
Review: Fluance FiSDK500 speaker dock offers good sound, attractive design
Fluance FiSDK50 Two-way High Performance Wood Speaker Dock Music System for iPod/iPhone is a big, serious-looking system. It sounds good, too.Reviews
Review: Apple EarPods
Apple's new headphones, called EarPods, ship with the iPhone 5 and the latest iPod models, but they're also available for purchase separately. Are they worth your money? Here's our full review.Reviews
Hands on: Apple’s new EarPods headphones
Apple's new headphones, called EarPods, ship with the iPhone 5 and the latest iPod models, but they're also available for purchase separately. Are they worth your money? Here's our first look.Reviews
Review: Velodyne vPulse headphones offer big bass without offending
The vPulse is the first headphone offering from subwoofer specialist Velodyne, and as you'd expect, it offers big bass. But as with its subwoofer siblings, the vPulse's bass is high quality and doesn't get in the way of the rest of the music. Combine that low end with a lovely midrange and a functional design and you get a headphone that's easy to recommend in the $100 price range.
Mac Gems
BeQuiet keeps your Mac’s speakers muted
BeQuiet ensures that your Mac's external speakers stay muted, which is especially helpful when working in a quiet environment.Playlist
Audyssey’s Lower East Side Audio Dock Air is a compact, good-sounding AirPlay speaker
The Lower East Side Audio Dock Air sounds amazing and doesn't take up much space, but it's not without some odd design choices.Reviews
Review: Four desktop amplifiers/DACs
We tested four desktop amplifiers, each with a built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC), aimed at turning your Mac into a quality desktop audio system.
Reviews
Review: Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air offers impressive AirPlay sound
The AirPlay-ready G-17 Air from Klipsch isn't cheap, but it doesn't sound cheap, either.Reviews
Focal XS Book provides great sound at moderate price
The Focal XS Book is a 2.0 desktop speaker system that provides rich sound without a lot of extras.Reviews
B&W C5 In-Ear Headphones offer impressive design, but a bit too much bass
B&W's C5 In-Ear Headphones offer good sound quality and impressive design, but bass is emphasized enough to detract from the overall performance. Still, if you like C5u2019s design, have had trouble with in-ear-canal headphones falling out, or want good sound with an abundance of bass, the C5 is worth a look.Reviews
Tunebug Shake turns your bike helmet into a loudspeaker
The Tunebug Shake will turn your helmet into a loudspeaker, so you can safely listen to music while riding your bike. And it works, for the most part.Reviews
Review: Denon RCD-N7 Network CD Receiver with AirPlay packs a lot of functionality into a compact package
The Denon RCD-N7, an AirPlay-enabled receiver, packs a heck of a lot of functionality into a compact package.Playlist
Review: JVC UX-VJ3 Micro Component System
JVC's UX-VJ3 Micro Component System can dock an iPhone and an iPad at the same time, and its detached speakers offer very good sound. But those features are somewhat offset by some questionable design decisions.Playlist
Grace Digital Bookshelf Micro System doesn’t quite gel
Grace's Bookshelf Micro System offers audio from a fair number of streaming sources but navigation, control, and the sound of the bundled speakers aren't very good.Reviews
Sonos Play:3
Sonos' latest portable amplified speaker is highly portable, sounds great for its size, and best of all, at $299 is a reasonably affordable way to enjoy Sonos' multi-room music streaming experience.Reviews
Denon AH-C560R in-ear headphones
Just about anyone would enjoy the AH-C560R. Its audio detail is good without brightness or harshness, and the overall balance is good enough that the slight emphasis on lower frequencies won't offend most listeners.Playlist
Altec Lansing Octiv 650
Altec Lansing's Octiv 650 offers impressive sound quality for the price along with powerful programmable EQ options. It's a sleek, well-made, good-sounding system.Reviews
Future Sonics Atrio m5 Professional Earphones (2010 version)
If you're a closet bass-headu2014or you just appreciate visceral reproduction of lower frequenciesu2014but you've been depriving yourself because you don't want to sacrifice the bass detail and higher-frequency performance of good canalphones, the Atrio could be your new favorite.Game Room
Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Sigma
Creativeu2019s $90 Sound Blaster Tactic3D Sigma is one of the best headsets to use if you want to tune out the world around you.Playlist
iHome iA100
The iHome iA100 is a respectable alarm clock and speaker system, with a handful of extras that you may or may not need in your bedside system. Of course, those features come at a price, but if youu2019re looking for something that goes that extra mile–for example, if you love the idea of being able to make phone calls from your bed, or if you really want to dock your iPad–then the iA100 might sway you to cough up the dough.Reviews
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) Zeppelin Air
Five after Apple positioned the iPod Hi-Fi as a "home stereo replacement," to much criticism, B&W's Zeppelin Air really can replace a home audio system for many listeners.Reviews
Jays a-Jays Four and t-Jays Three
Jaysu2019 a-Jays Four offers a nifty design, mixed ergonomics, and a relaxed, smooth sound, along with an iPhone-compatible inline remote/mic module. The company's t-Jays Three gives you an attractive design and great sound but at a price that makes it more expensive than a number of quality competitors.Playlist
Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S715i
Logitech's Rechargeable Speaker S715i offers portability, a built-in rechargeable battery, and impressive audio quality.Playlist
Altec Lansing inMotion Air (IMW725)
At $200, the inMotion Air faces tough competition in the Bluetooth-speaker market. But compared to its more-compact competition, it plays notably louder and offers more playback controls; a wireless remote; and more connection options.Playlist
Portable Sound Laboratories iMainGo X
The iMainGo X is the latest in Portable Sound Laboratoriesu2019 line of portable speakers for the iPhone or iPod. Itu2019s versatile and offers both protection and good sound.Reviews
Nocs NS200 Aluminum
The NS200 is a thoughtfully designed set of canalbuds that will appeal to minimalists.Reviews
V-Moda Vibrato
The Vibrato, the successor to V-Moda's Vibe II, offers clear design improvements over the Vibe II, as well as over its V-Moda sibling, the Remix. It also bests the Remix when it comes to audio quality. However, the Vibe II, which sounds very similar, is still available from some retailers at a substantial discount over the Vibrato and may be a better value, even if it's missing a few of the Vibrato's features. You may also prefer some of our less-expensive favorites.Playlist
Logitech Wireless Speaker Z515
Logitech's Wireless Speaker Z515 offers multiple wireless-connection options, a built-in rechargeable battery, and travel-friendly size. But its sound quality doesn't match its versatility.Reviews
SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Headset
SteelSeries' Siberia Neckband is a solid attempt at providing a single headset for multiple activities, but that versatility isnu2019t enough to make up for poor sound isolation and comfort.Reviews
Sennheiser MM 70 iP
With a street price of around $100, Sennheiser's MM 70 iP has quite a bit of competition in the canalbud market when it comes to sound quality. However, few of its competitors offer comparable microphone performance or are as comfortable.Playlist
Audyssey Laboratories South of Market Audio Dock
If youu2019re looking for a high-end iPhone or iPod speaker dock, Audysseyu2019s Audio Dock is definitely worth considering. It takes up a small amount of space but manages to provide very impressive sound.Playlist
iHome iP39 Kitchen Timer and FM Alarm Clock Radio Speaker System for iPhone/iPod
An iPod dock-speaker made especially for the kitchen, the iHome iP39 doesn't take up too much counter space and it cleans up easily. If you don't already have any way to play your iPod in the kitchen, the iP39 is worth a look. But it's missing some basic features, and it won't win any awards from audiophiles.Playlist
Philips Fidelio Docking speaker DS8500/37
Although its remote could use some improvements and the on-board controls are limited, the Fidelio 8500's design and audio quality are exceptional. It's an excellent dock with outstanding sound quality.Reviews
Thinksound ts02+mic
The ts02 is a great headset with a beautiful design, a warm and relaxed sound, a great microphone, and a unique emphasis on envrionmentalism. There are a number of very headsets at similar prices that compete well with the ts02, but for some people, the ts02's environmentally friendly design and packaging will take precedence over relatively minor differences in sound quality and style.Playlist
Creative ZiiSound D5 Wireless Bluetooth Speakers
The ZiiSound D5 isnu2019t inexpensive, but it delivers great physical design, outstanding audio quality, and exceptional versatility. It's as well-implemented a Bluetooth audio system as weu2019ve seen.Playlist
Cambridge SoundWorks i525 AM/FM Table Radio with iPod Dock
In a world where many "iPod alarm clocks" top out at $100, the i525 is on the pricey side, but itu2019s got bang for that buck. Between the excellent sound quality and the broad assortment of features, you'll be hard pressed to find a better bedside unit.Reviews