When is a speaker also a work of art? Answer: When it’s the new Pantheon Obsidian that is a much a feast for the eyes as it impressive to the ears.

How many speakers have you heard of that are individually hand-crafted and named after a stone that’s formed when lava cools.

The minimalistic style and sculptured shape are striking – and this is even before we’ve even turned it on.

It is unlike any other speaker on the market – in looks, style and quality.

And the best thing is Pantheone is a 100 per cent award-winning Australian company flying the flag in the prestige audio market.

Available in black or white, the Pantheone Obsidian has a built-in rechargeable battery so it can be moved around the home so you can admire the design and appreciate the sound anywhere.

The build quality is obvious as soon as you lay eyes on it with top shelf materials and precise manufacturing. You will never question the quality – you will only appreciate it.

It’s not a small speaker – it’s about 36cm tall with a 25cm wide footprint. It also weighs 5kg. It’s not easily portable at this size – but its possible to move it but some may need help doing so.

On the audio side, the sound quality is stunning thanks to the DSP-controlled amplifier and high-excursion mid-bass driver.

Also under the hood is two tilted hi-fi silk dome tweeters which offers the detailed clarity to your music.

There is real authority to the sound with a decent scale that will fill a house not just the room.

And the clarity and detail are still there despite the big sound.

That’s all backed by just the right level of bass – the unit has the volume to really move some air, but the bass is not overpowering – it’s at just the right level.

This music quality fits the character of the speaker – it stands out but can be subtle as well.

The Obsidian has both wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity so you can simply stream music from your phone (Bluetooth) or play music from a music service in high quality (wi-fi).

With the wi-fi connectivity it’s also possible to create a multi-room system – if you can afford more than one.

If you have two Obsidian speakers, you can set them up as a stereo pair and really hear the left and right separation so your favourite music will sound amazing.

It’s also possible to have a line-in from your source as well.

Users can stream their music from Tidal and Spotify and other services through the Pantheone companion app as well as accessing your own music on your device.

And if you connect via Bluetooth, you can stream Apple Music and even hear your podcasts and audiobooks through the Obsidian.

It also has Apple AirPlay onboard so whatever you can play on your iPhone you can also play through the speaker.

The Pantheone Obsidian is not only beautiful and offers amazing sound quality – it is also smart.

Yes, it’s an Alexa smart speaker as well so you can ask it to play your music or your favourite radio station and include it into your smart home’s ecosystem and control your devices with your voice.

And with Alexa, the speaker can also access Amazon Music if you have an account or are an Amazon Prime customer.

The battery life is another impressive feature with up to 15 hours of playback on a single charge.

So who would buy the Pantheone Obsidian – this work of tech art?

For a start it’s someone who can afford it – the speaker costs $1,999.

If you have an appreciation for art and audio and is looking something that fits your home décor, then the Obsidian will appeal to you.

If you can fit this in your budget, you will have made an investment in beauty and quality.

The Pantheone Obsidian is priced at $1,999 and is available now from www.pantheoneaudio.com and retail stores including Len Wallis, Sight + Sound Galleria, Top3 and Audio Tailor.

VERDICT

The attraction of the stunning Pantheone Obsidian is it uniqueness. There is nothing like it on the market. Typically speakers are angular and boring. But the Pantheone Obsidian is anything but typical.

The post Pantheone Obsidian speaker review – a stunning work of art for the eyes and the ears appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Denon PerL Pro true wireless earphones are unique in a couple of ways – first they look a little different than regular earphones and second, they can create a personalised audio profile so it sounds better for you.

Denon is a brand we’ve known in the audio space but it has now turned its attention to personal audio with the PerL Pro earphones.

The most obvious thing you’ll notice is the slightly unusual design.

The buds have a flat circular panel that are quite noticeable. It’s about the size of a 10 cent coin.

But the section that goes in your ear is much smaller and fits securely and comfortably in your ear.

There is also a small fin that locks the PerL Pro earphones in once you twist them into place.

Part of the connection process when you pair the Denon PerL Pro earphones to your smartphone is to download the Denon app and optimise the audio based on how you hear music.

We’re all hear differently so a one-size fits all approach doesn’t always cut it.

Within the Denon app you can create a hearing profile so the audio output is personalised to suit the way you hear audio.

It does this by measuring your faint otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) which your inner produces (yes, your ears make noises!) when it hears various tones.

The earphones play a range of sounds to assess your OAEs and from this information it creates a profile to provide optimum output.

We created our own profile for our review and were able to hear our music with and without it.

The improvement in audio quality with the optimised profile was incredible.

These earphones already had an impressive sound but creating and using that optimised profile added so much space and character to the sound.

Bass was enhanced along with the clarity and depth of the music.

The difference between the regular sound and our personalised profile was like night and day.

Audio quality is higher thanks to a Bluetooth connection that offers less compression and offers a streaming experience like listening to a CD, so you’ll enjoy higher fidelity.

On the active noise cancelation side, the Denon PerL Pro earphones do a good job tuning out the ambient noise. Transparency mode – or Social Mode as it is called here – could be a little better.

The large button-shaped panel on the outside of the earphones come in handy for the touch controls to control your music and make and receive calls.

These can be adjusted with the Denon app as well.

Battery life is also excellent at up to eight hours with the buds themselves and another 24 hours from the full charged case.

One thing note about the Denon PerL Pro earphones is the price.

They are priced at $549. There are cheaper earphones on the market, but Denon is seen as an audiophile brand and truly offer a unique audio experience for every user.

VERDICT

The Denon PerL Pro true wireless earphones are a unique offering in both design and audio quality that can be tuned to suit your ears rather just taking what your given with other brands.

The post Denon PerL Pro earphones review – stunning sound that’s tuned to how you hear music appeared first on Tech Guide.

The new JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones offer some of the best value for customers who want to enjoy excellent audio quality and adaptive active noise cancellation and all for less than $200.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS have a neat, compact design that fit comfortably in your ears for hours.

They have an oval pill shape which makes them easily fit in ears of all sizes and remain comfortably in place for hours at a time.

Under the hood, JBL has done it again with its Signature Sound which is an impressive mixture of clarity and bass.

On the noise cancelling side, the JBL Live Free 2 TWS are adaptive which means they can adjust to your surroundings and adjust the level of noise cancellation on the fly.

If you’re on public transport or in any other loud busy area the level of noise cancellation will increase.

When you’re in a quieter area it will be reduced so you’re getting a consistent sound level for whatever you’re listening to.

JBL Live Free 2 TWS has six onboard beamforming microphones which can also pinpoint your voice and reduce background noise and wind, so your calls are loud and clear.

We used the earphones on a couple of radio interviews while walking along a busy street and there was no telling the difference in the sound quality.

There’s also an Ambient Aware mode for those times you need to hear exactly what’s going on around you.

TalkThru is another mode that switches on all the microphones so you can hear yourself and the person you’re speaking to even clearer without the need to take the earbuds out of your ears.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS also have another feature called VoiceAware which lets you control how much of your own voice you can hear during a call.

This is another way of monitoring how you sound to the person you’re speaking to.

The outside of the earphones has touch controls to navigate your music, answer and end calls and to switch between listening modes.

Users can also have the earphones linked to two devices with a multipoint connection called Dual Connect & Sync.

This lets you switch quickly between your phone and computer or tablet.

For example, you might by on your way to work and watching the latest episode of TV show or watching a movie on your tablet or laptop and you receive a phone call.

In this scenario you can switch the connection to your phone and answer the call before switching back to what you’re watching on your other device.

The JBL Headphones app also offers controls over the modes and can ensure you have the latest version of the software onboard.

There’s also an EQ within the app that offers optimisation for bass, jazz, vocal, club and studio and the ability to create your own.

We didn’t hear much difference in the sound – and we tried all of them.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones have an IPX5 rating which means they are water resistant so ideal for the gym or a run or walk. And there are no worries if you happen to get caught in the rain.

The earbuds can run for up to seven hours on a single charge and there are another 28 hours of power in the charging case.

The charging case is also Qi-compatible so they can charge while resting on the same charging mate you use to wirelessly charge your phone.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones are available now and are priced at $199. They are available in black, blue and pink.

VERDICT

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones punch above their weight when delivering impressive audio quality and adaptive active noise cancellation – they are probably the best value ANC earphones you can buy right now.

The post JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones review – excellent audio quality and amazing value appeared first on Tech Guide.

Apple’s AirPods Pro (second generation) just got even better with the introduction of a range of new features that have been enabled by iOS 17.

These new features include Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and Personalised Volume.

Since the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro announcement about the inclusion of USB-C, Apple has also released an updated AirPods Pro (second generation) earphones with a MagSafe Charging Case with USB-C.

Tech Guide has been using these new AirPods Pro (second generation) for a few days paired with an iPhone running the iOS 17 beta.

We understand the official version of iOS 17 will be out this week so users can enjoy these new AirPods Pro (second generation) features whether they own the current model or the brand new AirPods Pro that come with the new MagSafe charging case with USB-C.

If you already own the AirPods Pro (second generation) which came with the Lightning charging case, you can still enjoy these new features that come with iOS 17.

The earphones included with the USB-C charging case themselves are identical to the earphones included with the previous lightning case.

That means this review is as much about the AirPods Pro (second generation) with the MagSafe charging case with USB-C as it is about the new features which iOS 17 has made possible.

Adaptive Audio is a combination between active noise cancellation and transparency mode which can adjust the level of noise cancellation based on the noise around you.

This feature is powered by the H2 Apple silicon aboard the AirPods Pro (second generation) which can adjust the listening experiences as your environment changes.

The good thing about it is that is intelligent enough to be able to tell what sound to suppress and which to enhance.

For example, if you are cooking and using all your appliances, the adaptive audio feature will suppress the annoying blender sound while still letting you still hear when the doorbell rings.

It’s this same intelligence that’s applied throughout your day whether you are alone in a park, in the centre of a large busy restaurant or on your commute.

Another new feature is Conversation Awareness which basically means the AirPods Pro (second generation) with lower your media’s volume as soon as it hears you speaking.

And not only that, it will enhance the voices of the people in front of you and reduce background noise at the same time.

During our review we ran into a friend while listening to your AirPods Pro (second generation).

When we said hello the music lowered and our friend’s voice was enhanced so we could hear extremely clearly even without taking the AirPods Pro (second generation) out of our ears.

We also noticed the background noise had been turned down a few notches to make the conversation even clearer and easier to hear.

And then when we said goodbye, our media automatically returned to its original listening mode and volume.

Personalised Volume can take control of fine tuning your media experience by learning your listening preferences overtime and matching that with the conditions of your environment.

All of these new features or in addition to the outstanding active noise cancellation, remarkable transparency mode and the personalised spatial audio which changes the way you listen to your music.

The AirPods Pro (second generation) H2 chip also enables another feature – lossless audio with ultra-low latency.

And it can be used as a wireless audio solution with Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset.

The H2 chip in Apple’s Vision Pro will unlock 20-bit 48kHz lossless audio with a huge reduction in wireless audio latency.

This means AirPods Pro (second generation) will be a perfect companion for the Apple Vision Pro when it’s released next year.

Battery life listening with ANC is up to six hours and up 30 hours of listening with the case.

VERDICT

The already excellent AirPods Pro (second generation) just got even better with a number of new enhancements that will not only deliver stunning audio but also make the earphones to fit in with your life.

The post We take a look at the new features unlocked for AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) with iOS 17 appeared first on Tech Guide.

Do you need to tidy up your desktop, get yourself organised and charge your smartphone and earbuds at the same time? Then what you need is the ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat from Journey.

The desk mat (which is 68cm long and 37cm wide) has a magnetic edge on the left side so the charging pad (10cm x 37cm) can neatly attach itself.

The mat itself is made of felt and vegan leather and users can choose which material they prefer being on top by simply flipping it over.

It is a very generous size so it will cover most of a regular-sized desk.

The charging pad connects to power via a USB-C cable and can charge your iPhone if it has wireless charging or MagSafe, and any Android phone with wireless charging capabilities.

We tried it on our iPhone 14 Pro Max and the ALTI charging pad magnetically held it in place to ensure it was charging.

Other smartphones just need to be positioned correctly to receive a charge.

You can also charge AirPods Pro and AirPods with wireless charging cases – there’s a spot marked out so you know exactly where to put it.

Users can also charge the Galaxy Buds and other earphones that have wireless charging cases.

Having the charging pad only requires you to have a single included USB-C cable connected to a port on a wall charger.

This means no more multiple cables cluttering your workspace.

What also reduced the clutter is being able store papers and documents between the felt and vegan leather layers so they are out of sight but still literally at your fingertips.

It’s also an excellent work surface so you can still use your computer mouse accurately and it will also quieten your keyboard because it is on a softer surface rather than resting on wood.

And with the charging pad right beside you, you’re never going to miss any calls or messages.

If you would prefer your phone and earphones to be charging on your right side then you just have to turn the ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat upside down and attach the charging pad on the right.

The Journey ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat is available now in black or grey and is priced at $149.

www.journeyofficial.com.au

The post Keep your desk organised and your devices charged with the ALTI Wireless Charging Mat appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone is an out of the box solution for anyone who wants to get into the world of streaming or creating audio content like a podcast.

It is a cardioid condenser microphone that’s available on its own with a tabletop stand ($239) or with a three-point boom arm ($349) so you can mount it on the edge of a desk and position it comfortably in front of you.

For our review we received the version with the boom arm.

The microphone connects via USB-C to a Mac, iPad, Windows PC and Android devices.

Under the hood is a cardioid condenser capsule which can pick up your voice clearly and reject background noises.

It also has an all-metal construction so it its durable to use anywhere every day.

The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone has a built in hinge that allows it to be tilted at precisely the right angle.

And the boom arm also offers plenty of flexibility so you can adjust the microphone so it’s sitting at the right angle.

The controls are right in front of you as well and these include a soft mute button with an LED ring so you can tell at glance when it’s been activated.

There’s also a gain control, a headphones volume knob and a mix control to balance levels on both the microphone and the device.

There is a 3.5mm jack to plug your headphones directly into the microphone.

But it’s all still pretty simple to use.

Just connect the mic to your device with a USB-C cable.

And there’s no need for power – it gets that from your device when it’s connected.

Whatever application you’re using, whether it’s audio software, Zoom or Skype, you then simply look for Sennheiser Profile USB microphone and select it as your input and output device.

Users can choose to use the microphone in any orientation – when it’s mounted upside down on the stand or right way up – the quality and sensitivity will be the same.

The boom arm has an integrated cable management slot to help conceal the included 3m USB-C cable.

And when you’re done, there’s also a small pouch to store the microphone safely.

The tabletop version includes a small stand and a 1.2m USB-C cable.

The best thing about the Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone is that you don’t need to be an audio engineer to get a good result.

The mic produces impressive audio quality for podcasters, gamers, live streamers and one else who wants to come through loud and clear on their next video call.

The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone is available now and is priced at $239 (table-top) and $349 (boom arm).

The post Sennheiser’s Profile USB Microphone offers impressive quality for podcasters and streamers appeared first on Tech Guide.

LG not only make great TVs and home appliances they also offer excellent earphones as well including the Tone Free T90 which now includes Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking – a world first.

So they are useful for enjoying your music, movies, TV shows and games which are now using Dolby Atmos audio to create a soundscape that comes from all directions.

And with Dolby Head Tracking the sound is pinned in front of you putting you at the centre of the scene.

As you move your head the sound stay in the same position relative to your head.

It like you’re at a concert and the stage is in front of you. If you turn your head to the left your right ear is closer to the stage and that’s where you hear the sound.

The T90 earphones do an amazing job with head tracking and, when combined with Dolby Atmos, you have a pair of headphones that add a whole new dimension to your listening.

The earphones have a short stalk but are fairly compact and offer a comfortable fit.

The charging case is also one of the smallest as well so it’s no effort to take the T90 earphones wherever you go.

On the audio side, the T90 sound excellent with plenty of detail and a generous helping of bass that carries across your music, movies and TV shows.

Under the hood is an 11mm driver which provides both the power and clarity.

It picks up all those sounds whether it’s the tinkle of broken glass or the sound of a guitar string which just adds to your enjoyment.
LG has once again partnered with Meridian which brings its Headphone Space Processing (HSP) technology which provides the acoustic qualities of a high-end speaker and shrink it down to fit inside an earphone.

The onboard Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) does a great job eliminating ambient sound so you can focus on your content. It’s not the best we’ve heard but it still does the job for your commute on a bus or a train or if you’re hopping on a flight.

And there’s also a Listening Mode for those times when you want to hear your surroundings.

There’s also Conversation Mode to amplify the voice of the person you’re speaking to, so you don’t need to remove your earphones. Useful whether you’re talking to someone in your office or ordering a coffee and the earphones can stay in the whole time.

Call quality was also above average so we could be heard clearly and the people we were speaking to also came through loud and clear.

The LG Tone Free T90 also have whisper mode so if you’re on a call you can remove the right ear bud, hold it close to your mouth and use it like a microphone.

The case also offers some features on its own – it can kill bacteria and wirelessly connect other devices.

The case includes UVNano which can kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria to keep things hygienic. This takes about 10 minutes and only works when the charging case is closed.

LG’s case is also a Bluetooth dongle which can connect devices like gym treadmills, TVs, computer and in-flight entertainment systems.

You connect a 3.5mm to USB-C cable and you will be able to listen to those devices wirelessly.

You get up to nine hours of battery life – that’s with ANC off but we got about up seven hours with ANC on. And there’s 29 hours of charge in the case as well.

The LG Tone Free T90 earphones are available now and are priced at $319.

VERDICT

The LG Tone Free T90 earphones offer excellent audio quality that is topped off with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking for a unique listening experience.

The post LG Tone Free T90 Dolby Atmos earphones review – an excellent audio experience appeared first on Tech Guide.

When it comes to wireless earphones there’s not much that distinguishes one from the another, but the JBL Tour Pro 2 are absolutely one of a kind because it includes a display on the charging case.

JBL, one of Australia’s leading audio brands, is offering a unique user experience with the Tour Pro 2 earphones.

With the display on the charging case, users can control their music and all the settings without the need to open an app or touch their device.

And the impressive thing is the JBL display case is about the same size as a regular charging case.

The earphones are compact and fit securely in your ears with a small stalk extending about a centimetre from your ears.

The panel of the stalks also provide touch control so you can toggle between ANC (active noise cancellation) and Ambient Aware mode so you can clearly hear your surroundings.

And the JBL Tour Pro 2 sound amazing.

They offer stunning spatial sound and such crisp detail.

But what impressed us even more was the boss-level bass which rounded out the excellent listening experience.

The spatial sound goes beyond simple left and right stereo sound. It sounds like your surrounded by sounds that’s coming at you from all directions.

The True Adaptive Noise Cancellation with Smart Ambient has four noise sensing microphones to adjust the level noise cancellation to suit your surroundings.

Even calls on the JBL Tour Pro 2 earphones were load and clear – we could hear our callers clearly and they could hear us just as well.

But let’s talk about the amazing charging case.

It has a 1.45-inch colour display that offers tremendous functionality.

Users can wipe through 10 screens that allows users control playback, control the volume, switch between listening modes, change equaliser modes, set a timer, adjust spatial sound, screen brightness, change the display’s wallpaper, turn on and adjust Voice Aware and set Auto Play and Pause.

And across the top of the display at all times is the charge level of the left and right earbuds and the case itself.

We found the case to be instantly responsive when it comes to navigating our music, adjusting the volume, switching between noise cancellation and ambient mode and changing the equaliser modes.

The screen is large enough to easily adjust the settings and modes on the move.

There was one occasion when the listening mode changed with the case in our pocket because we didn’t lock the screen.

We found opening the case lid and closing it again can lock the screen so there are no accidental pocket adjustments.

You can still use the JBL app to do things like check your fit and to find your earbuds and select your voice assistant.

The earphones will have a Bluetooth 5.3 connection in the coming months through a firmware update which means an even more stable and secure connection.

On the battery side you can up to eight hours of listening time with ANC, 10 hours with ANC off and 40 hours in total from a completely charged case which takes two hours to full recharge.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 is priced at $329.95 and is available now.

VERDICT

The JBL Tour Pro 2 are among the best sounding earphones we’ve heard but on top of that, the smart charging case with a display adds a whole extra layer of control and convenience to make them an irresistible purchase for anyone who appreciates audio quality.

The post JBL Tour Pro 2 earphones review – excellent quality and charging case has its own display appeared first on Tech Guide.

It’s appropriate the new Sonos speakers are called Era because they are heralding the start of a new ear for the brand with improved audio quality and design.

The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 are more powerful and simply sound better.

The speakers maintain the essence of what makes Sonos speakers so appealing to existing customers but also have the quality and connectivity to bring new customers to the table.

The Sonos Era 100 ($399) and Sonos Era 300 ($749) can stream your audio via wi-fi or Bluetooth and can also connect directly to other audio devices using an auxiliary cable and the Sonos Line-In adapter.

And with Trueplay, the Sonos app can also optimise the speaker to suit its surroundings and sound the best it can.

And the Sonos Era 300 introduces a new design and Spatial Audio that adds a whole new dimension to your music.

SONOS ERA 100

This is a small speaker but the sound it produces truly belies its size.

Having a small footprint also gives you lots of options on where you can place the speaker in your home.

The Era 100 is a redesign of the Sonos One speaker and has improved acoustic performance.

Under the hood are two angled tweeters and a large midwoofer and the result of crisp audio with an impressive level of detail.

Those angled tweeters also offer stereo sound with distinct left and right output to add another layer to the enjoyment of your music.

But what really impressed us was the level bass you get from the Era 100 – it’s the deepest and best bass we’ve heard from a speaker of its size.

SONOS ERA 300

Sonos has made a breakthrough with the Era 300 in both design and acoustic performance.

On the design side, Sonos has made a huge swing here and produced a unique hourglass shape that houses its new acoustic architecture to provide stunning spatial audio.

It doesn’t look anything like any other speaker and doesn’t sound like any other speaker either.

It is compatible with Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos on Apple Music and Amazon Music and the results are incredible.

We had some issues connecting the speaker to our account – and explain why. But several attempts later we finally had success.

For this review we listened to all types of music that were both regular and spatial audio tracks on Apple Music.

Most regular tracks sounded great but some weren’t a challenge for the speaker.

These actually sounded a little tinny because it didn’t have enough information for the speaker to process.

Don’t get us wrong this is a fine sounding speaker but not playing spatial audio tracks on this speaker is like only driving a Ferrari to pick up milk instead of on an open highway.

When we played Dolby Atmos/spatial audio tracks we had so much more to listen to with audio coming in several layers and from different directions.

There was so much more to hear it became an even deeper experience that created a deeper emotional connection to the music.

Placement of the Sonos Era 300, in our opinion should be somewhere in the middle of a room to get the most out of the spatial audio.

But even in a corner or against a wall, the speaker still sounded amazing.

If you have two Era 300 speakers you can even pair then with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2) soundbar and use them as home theatre rear speakers.

We didn’t get the option to do this, but we have no doubt it would sound great.

VERDICT:

The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speakers are remarkable and offer an improved experience for music lovers. The Era 300 has created an all-new standard for us to enjoy our music more than ever before.

The post Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speaker reviews – improved audio quality and design appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 wireless noise cancelling earphones deliver everything you’d expect from this respected audio brand – great build quality and a truly excellent sound.

They come in three colours – Satin Black, Canvas White and Midnight Blue and a priced towards the higher end of the market at $649.

The Pi7 S2 earphones, as you would expect, from the moment you pick them up exude a touch of luxury and you can appreciate the sleek design and quality workmanship.

The earphones have an aluminium polished cap above the 9.2mm two-way drivers and an angled tip to a fit that’s comfortable for several hours.

Even the charging case has an elegant design and a two-tone look just like the earphones themselves.

If this was a beauty contest, the earphones would definitely make the final, but it’s what’s under the hood that will put a smile on your face when you’re hearing your favourite music.

There is a true 24-bit connection between both earbuds to offer constant high sound quality along with high resolution wireless audio that is always being adjusted to provide the best performance.

The 9.2mm two-way driver units do all the heavy lifting to provide the excellent audio quality.

Bowers & Wilkins has basically shrunken down its high-performance speakers into these earphones to give the listener the same rich, warm and immersive sound.

When you’re listening to music you can distinctly hear an added layer of quality with a wide soundstage that can handle the loudest cymbal crash to the precision a violin string.

The depth that you’re hearing is like being at a concert and being able to pick out every instrument and the vocals in this vast audio range.

And it can handle mids and highs levels with ease while tempering that with a strong and authoritative bass that’s not too overpowering.

And if you subscribe to a hi-res music streaming service you’re not going to be disappointed thanks to the Pi7 S2 support for Qualcomm aptX adaptive which will make that higher quality music really pop.

On the active noise cancellation side, the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 do an impressive job reducing ambient sound so you can focus in on the content you’re listening to.

They can even react to your surroundings and adjust based on the level of noise around you.

We couldn’t detect major differences in the level of noise cancellation during our review.

The level of noise cancellation falls behind what we’ve heard on the Sony and Bose ANC earphones and the Apple AirPods Pro.

That’s not to say these don’t do a good job but we’ve experienced better active noise cancellation on other cheaper competitor brands.

The Bowers &Wilkins app doesn’t bring much to the table apart from the ability to adjust from ANC to Transparency mode and back again and to see your battery level.

On the earphones there is capacitive touch control to play and pause and skip your music without the need to touch your device.

The included charger case also has an added function as an audio re-transmission system.

The best use case for this is connecting to an external source like an inflight entertainment system with the USB-C cable.

The case will then transmit the signal via Bluetooth to the Pi7 S2 earphones.

Battery life on the Pi7 S2 runs at up to five hours of listening time and a quick 15-minute charge can provide an additional two hours of listening.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earphones are available now and are priced at $649.

VERDICT

If you love your music then a pair of earphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 can provide the sort of quality that will do it justice and make it sound just as the artist intended.

The post Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earphones review – listen to music as it’s supposed to be heard appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless noise cancelling headphones are designed for audio lovers who don’t want to make any compromises when it comes to listening to their music.

These headphones have set a new reference standard for not only sound quality but also build quality in the active noise cancelling wireless headphone market.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones are made from quality premium materials including diecast aluminium and feature diamond cut bright metal detailing along with Napa leather on the ear cups and headband.

These are extremely comfortable headphones and we wore them for entire international flights without any issue.

Under the hood, the Px8 headphones have an all-new bespoke, ultra-high resolution carbon cones that are angled in such a way within each year cup to offer the lowest possible distortion and reference quality audio resolution.

And Bowers and Wilkins know a thing or two about those audio cones.

The ones aboard the Px8 headphones were inspired by the units used in the Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series loudspeaker range.

They’ve shrunk them down for these headphones to offer the ultimate combination of ultra-fast response plus low distortion throughout the entire frequency range.

For our review, we were blown away by the quality and the detail that the Px8 offered.

We thought the Px7 S2 set a new standard but our appreciation of audio reached even greater heights as we listened to the true sound through the Px8 which would be just as the artist intended.

Listening to hi-res audio on services like Tidal and Qubuz and lossless audio on Apple Music with the Px8 gives you an even greater appreciation of audio quality and what’s possible with a pair of headphones.

Part of the secret sauce with the Px8 is the Qualcomm aptX adaptive wireless technology which creates the best possible connection and quality from the latest smartphones, tablets and computers.

On the noise cancelling front, the Bowers &Wilkins Px8 have the same active noise cancelling wireless platform as the PX7 S2 headphones but, thanks to the 40mm carbon cone drive units, they hit new heights of detail, resolution and scale.

Audio purists are not always the biggest fans of wireless connections and the Px8 headphones come with the USB to 3.5mm cable so you’re able to plug into your traditional sources like high resolution players and audio systems.

There are some physical controls on the ear-cup so it makes it easy to navigate your music without the need to touch your device.

These are conveniently located and have different textures allowing you to find the right button and adjust the controls without looking or taking off the headphones.

There are six high performance microphones that work together to measure the output of each driver unit.

Two are used to react to the ambient noise and two are used to supply voice clarity with enhanced noise suppression.

We found the active noise cancellation to be among the best we’ve ever experienced.

And that ANC also came into play when we were making phone calls – not only was the call reasonably clear but any background noise was also reduced.

The companion Bowers & Wilkins Music app offers a few features and settings including switching between ANC and pass through to hear your surroundings. There’s a shortcut button for this on the headphones as well.

It also lets you set streaming quality limits if you need to reduce the amount of data you use on cellular networks and on wi-fi networks.

For the record, we set these at the highest possible settings – we had plenty of data and didn’t want to reduce the quality one bit.

Within the app you can even dabble with the treble and bass equalisers to tailor the sound more to your taste.

On the battery side, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones provided an amazing 30 hours of playback which is more than enough to last an entire international flight or a week’s worth of commutes.

There’s even a quick recharge feature where you can plug in for 15 minutes to get another seven hours of playtime.

Priced at $1,149, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless noise cancelling headphones are not for everyone.

The customer who will purchase these headphones is someone who has a deep appreciation for music and the quality which it should be played.

These audiophiles are seeking to hear the music exactly as it was meant to be heard by the artist and the Px8 easily delivers that quality.

And they are more than willing to pay for that quality.

VERDICT

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless active noise cancelling headphones deliver a true and uncompromised audio experience for those want to get every ounce of quality from their music. These are one of the best headphones money can buy.

The post Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless headphones review – quality and luxury listening appeared first on Tech Guide.

True fans of audio – the top tier of audiophiles – believe in cables so when Focal released its first pair of wireless noise cancelling wireless earphones – the Focal Bathys – it made a lot of people sit up and take notice.

Including us.

Focal has been producing loudspeakers, car speakers and wired headphones and investing in acoustic research since 1979 so its credentials in the audio space are well established.

It’s a big deal that Focal has finally cut the cord with the Bathys Bluetooth active noise cancelling headphones.

The most ardent audio fans still look down their nose at Bluetooth because it can’t match the resolution of traditional sources like CDs.

But with Bluetooth 5.1 and its compatibility with SBC, AAC, AptX and AptX Adaptive codecs and the fact customers can still connect a cable when they want to, the Focal Bathys wireless noise cancelling headphones have a much wider appeal.

And the headphones don’t just sound good, they look good as well. Wearing them is a statement.

They have retained the traditional design of the Focal wired headphones with what looks like a speaker grille on the outside, magnesium arms and luxuriously padded ear cups and head band.

The Bathys design comes from the Focal open and closed back headphones.

And the flame logo on the outside of the earcups glows when the headphones are on.

There are controls on both ear cups. On the right is the power/pairing button, volume controls and a 3.5mm jack.

On the left is a button that allows users to toggle between noise cancellation and transparency mode when you need to hear what’s going on around you.

What we really liked with how deep the earcups are which makes the noise cancellation even better but also provides a nice amount of space to stage the audio from the 40mm drivers and aluminium/magnesium dome.

And they sound amazing.

There is plenty of power onboard so you don’t have to have them up to full volume to enjoy your music.

It’s good to know there’s plenty of headroom at your disposal for those times when you want to crank it.

And the level of noise cancellation is excellent but it’s about at the same level and quality as the ANC from the cheaper  Sony, Bose and Sennheiser.

We were listening to lossless music on Apple Music and heard a pleasing deep bass with crisp and defined high and mids that offer the level of detail that will be appreciated by even the fussiest listeners.

And don’t forget you can also use USB-DAC mode so you can connect the included USB-C to USB-C cable to your smartphone or audio player.

The Focal Bathys headphones also come with a 3.5mm cable as well to connect to your other sources.

So when you’re connected to a hi-res audio sources like Tidal and Qobuz you’re hearing the full quality of the file and every bit of the audio.

The Focal + Naim companion app offers some control like switching modes as well showing you the battery charge level and an EQ to slightly tweak the sound to your taste.

And it can also deliver any firmware updates – during our review there was an update available and the app made it possible to install it in a few minutes.

Battery life is excellent at more than 30 hours which is enough time to listen all week or on a long flight.

It also has a quick charge mode which adds five hours of listening time after just a 15-minute charge.

The Focal Bathys wireless active noise cancelling headphones are aimed at the higher end of the market with a price tag of $1,199 and they have capabilities beyond cheaper wireless noise cancelling headphones thanks to its wired connectivity as well.

If you’re happy with just listening to your music wirelessly on streaming services then the Focal Bathys may not be for you.

But if you value every note of your music and want to squeeze out every last drop of quality for an uncompromised listening experience, the Focal Bathys are definitely worth the investment.

VERDICT

The Focal Bathys headphones offer quality inside and out with stunning audio quality that will make audiophiles sit up and take notice.

The post Focal Bathys wireless headphones review – an uncompromised listening experience appeared first on Tech Guide.

The new Bose QuietComfort II earbuds offer excellent audio but the sound can also be personalised to suit the unique way we hear sound so it will be even better for you.

One thing about Bose earbuds is they were always on the larger side.

But the Bose QuietComfort II earbuds have had a makeover and each bud a third smaller than the previous version.

They are still slightly larger than other earphones and will not fit all users.

For our review we had to battle to get the earphones securely in our ears.

The bud has not only a silicon tip to go into your ear canal but also a wing designed to catch and lock when twisted inside your ear.

The actual buds – the part that rests inside your ear – are still a decent size and there’s a short stalk that rests outside your ear.

While we’re pleased about the reduced size of the Bose earbuds – they are still larger than your average earphones which manage to fit comfortably inside your ear.

But that aside, the Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds deliver amazing results whether you’re listening to your favourite music, audiobook or podcast.

The custom tune sound calibration uses a proprietary tone played through a microphone inside the ear bud so it can measure your ear canal’s acoustic response.

We all hear sound differently and Bose can take this information and use it to tweak the audio and noise cancellation.

It all happens in the Bose Music app and takes less than a second.

The result is a sound profile that fits the unique properties of your ear, so your eardrum receives the sound exactly as the artist intended.

This also improves the Active Noise Cancellation – not that it needed much help – it’s already one of the best ANC we’ve heard on earphones and can truly isolate you away from the noises of the outside world when you’re on public transport or on a flight.

And when you do need to hear what’s happening around you, that’s when Aware mode comes into play.

A new feature in Aware mode is ActiveSense makes that transparency even better so it can bring in a level of noise cancellation so that you’re not being exposed to unusually loud noises.

And it does all this thanks to the four microphones in each earbud that can measure outside noise and respond with an exclusive algorithm to offer the precise opposite signal in a fraction of a millisecond.

Sound quality is second to none so you can hear generous detail in your music and a balanced level of bass that all combines to provide a stunning audio experience.

Call quality is also excellent – this is an important feature for customers who are streaming their music from their phone and often need to answer calls without the hassle of having to remove the ear buds.

Thankfully, the features that provide excellent audio and brilliant active noise cancellation combine to give you a crystal-clear call every time.

The Bose earbuds have capacitive touch controls on each earbud which allow you to do the basics like play and pause your music as well as controlling volume and answering and ending calls.

The controls are quite sensitive, and we found ourselves pausing our music while we were making an adjustment.

When we were more familiar with the best way to handle the buds, we were able to pause the song only when we intended to.

The earphones are running Bluetooth 5.3 which means you’re getting an excellent wireless audio connection.

And there’s no worry where you can use the Bose QuietComfort II earbuds thanks to the IPX4 rating for sweat and water resistance which means they can be your companion in the gym or on a walk or run in a light shower.

Battery life is at 6 hours for the Bose earbuds with another three further charges from the charging case.

And we love it how the earphones tell us the battery level every time we put them on.

The case, like the earphones themselves, has also shrunk down to a size that could now easily fit in your pocket.

The Bose QuietComfort II earbuds are available now and are priced at $429

VERDICT

The Bose QuietComfort II earbuds provide stunning audio quality and excellent noise cancellation that can be personalised to the way you hear sound. They are a lot smaller than the previous earphones but still larger them its competitors.

The post Bose QuietComfort II earbuds review – stunning audio quality and noise cancellation appeared first on Tech Guide.

The great thing about Sonos is there is a speaker for every customer and every situation including the new Sonos Sub Mini which adds some punch to your music and movies.

The Sub Mini’s design is based on its big brother – the larger original (and more expensive) Sonos Sub.

Sub Mini is cylindrical instead square, but it still does inherit the same technology with dual opposing woofers that can be seen through the oval-shaped opening on the front and back of the unit.

This placement helps reduce distortion so you’re getting a clean bass response.

The Sub Mini is just 30.5cm tall with a 23cm diameter and a weight of 6.35kg.

For our review we paired the Sonos Sub Mini with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar. It will pair with the Sonos Ray and Sonos Arc soundbars as well.

This is all done through the Sonos app which recognised the Sonos Beam in our system along with the Sonos Sub Mini.

Part of the connection process was tapping the top of the Sonos Sub Mini with our iPhone like we were making a payment with our digital wallet.

This use of NFC (near field communication) brought across all the necessary information rather than scanning a QR code so the connection took just a few minutes.

There are individual controls within the app for the Sub Mini and the first instinct would be to crank it, but this delivers an overcooked bass response that’s not as clean as you would prefer.

We had the Sonos Sub Mini set up in a large open room and it did well to punch up the dinosaurs footsteps in Jurassic Park, the booming battles in Star Wars and the bass guitar in Queen’s iconic track Another One Bites the Dust.

But it’s probably better suited to a smaller area so its output doesn’t get lost in space.

And unfortunately you can’t pair two Sub Minis to your system to expand the sound.

So, if you have a large open plan area and want to add a punch to suit that size area then we’d recommend opting for full size Sonos Sub which can take control in those larger spaces.

In a smaller room and in an apartment, the Sub Mini would be just right.

And the beauty of the Sub Mini is that it has a small footprint and its design means it won’t look out of place in loungerooms, bedrooms and smaller media rooms.

What customers love about Sonos is the ease of control of their systems and the ability to customise the audio to their space with Trueplay that works through the app. But it’s still only an iOS app function.

Trueplay definitely makes a difference and, to our ears, it made the Sonos Beam soundbar and the Sonos Sub Mini work together and combine for a smoother result.

If you own the smaller Sonos One speakers, they can also be paired as rear speakers with a Sonos soundbar and the Sub Mini to create a satisfying cinematic audio experience at home.

The Sub Mini is priced at $699 but a lot cheaper than the full-size Sub which is $1,099.

VERDICT

The Sonos Sub Mini is a great addition to your Sonos soundbar to add some beautiful bass to your movies and music.

The post Sonos Sub Mini review – add some punch to your music and movies appeared first on Tech Guide.

The new AirPods Pro have had one of the biggest improvements from one generation to the next that we’ve ever heard with improved audio, better spatial audio and transparency mode and excellent noise cancelation.

It’s been almost three years since the original AirPods Pro were introduced and it’s obvious Apple has been working away since that time to deliver a second-generation model that is dramatically better across the board all the way down to the charging case.

Design-wise there isn’t much different apart from a couple of slightly relocated sensors and vents.

Apple has included four soft ear tips so you can find the perfect fit for your ears.

We found them to quite comfortable and secure so there was never a feeling that they were going to come out of our ears.

For the first time there is now volume control – all you need to do is place your thumb on the base of the stalk to hold it still and then rub your index finger up and down to turn the volume up and down.

This means you don’t need to touch your device.

All the changes are under the hood with Apple’s new H2 chip which powers all the quality and improvements you’ll hear.

H2 has more than double the transistors of the H1 at more than a billion.

So how does a new chip make the AirPods Pro better?

H2 unlocks the potential of the Adaptive EQ to create better, richer sound across a wider range of frequencies and does the heavy lifting when it comes to improving transparency, noise cancellation and voice quality during calls.

Let’s start with audio quality.

From the minute you put the AirPods Pro in your ear you can hear the improvements.

The music has a bolder and larger scale with impressive bass levels to go with it.

Now it’s one thing for the earphones to sound good but there are sounds around you that threaten to ruin what you’re listening to.

That’s not an issue with the AirPods Pro because the active noise cancellation has been elevated to the point where it’s as good, if not slightly better, than the level of ANC you get from dedicated audio brands like Bose and Bowers & Wilkins.

When we activated ANC on the AirPods Pro with a long press of the stalk, it was like the ambient sound was sucked out of the room.

With ANC turned on we were able to enjoy the quality of every note of the music we were listening to and every word of the podcast or audio book.

But equally impressive was the Adaptive Transparency which lets the world back in when you need to talk to someone or hear your surroundings.

Transparency sounds remarkable – like we weren’t even wearing the AirPods Pro.

But the Adaptive part of this features means it will adjust to not give you the full onslaught of nearby loud noises like building sites, loud traffic and more.

Another brilliant feature is Spatial Audio which delivers your music like the band is playing in the same room.

The various elements of the song appear to be fixed in space so when you turn your head they stay in that position.

For example, if you’re hearing the vocals are coming from in front of you and you turn to the right you will hear it more in your left ear – and when you turn to the left, you’ll hear it in your right ear.

So any song on Apple Music that is marked with Dolby Atmos offers this Spatial Audio experience that’s quite remarkable.

It offers a way to listen to your music, even music you know very well, like never before.

But Spatial Audio gets even better because you can now personalise it to suit you.

You do this by taking a photo of your head and your left and right ears (you’re guided through the whole process) so the AirPods Pro can optimise the Spatial Audio effect for you.

We make a lot of calls and being able to answer them while we’re wearing earphones is important.

The AirPods Pro were so clear and cut out enough background noise that the person on the other end thought we were talking in the phone.

In fact, we did a few of our radio interviews while out on our morning walk and the quality was so good the hosts didn’t say a word.

The AirPods Pro charging case has also been updated.

It is now sweat and water resistant and can also be tracked like an AirTag if you misplace it.

You can even play a sound through the speaker on the case to make it easier to locate.

Battery life is about six hours – and that’s with ANC turned on. And with the case that’s a total of about 30 hours.

What we liked was the fact you can now charge the AirPods Pro case with Apple Watch charger as well as wirelessly on any other Qi charging mat.

The AirPods Pro go on sale on September 23 and are priced at $399.

VERDICT

The AirPods Pro second generation might look like the same as the original, but they offer vast and easily noticeable improvements across the board including audio quality, noise cancellation, transparency and Spatial Audio. They offer the quality and experience that no other earphones can offer.

The post AirPods Pro 2 review – a stunning improvement and a unique audio experience appeared first on Tech Guide.

Sony has continued the tradition with its iconic noise cancelling headphones – the latest model – the WH-1000XM5 has not only improved its audio quality but has a fresh new look as well.

For years the Sony headphones have always sounded great – but they looked the same.

This time the WH-1000XM5 has a fresh new design with more curved and soft touch surfaces.

It appears to be all plastic – no metal to be seen – another move towards a softer look and feel.

And it’s not actually plastic – its ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) that’s made from recycled materials.

You can still feel the quality of the headphones despite the lack of premium materials.

There is luxuriously soft memory foam on the earcups and on the headband so you can comfortably wear them for hours on end.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones still fold flat and come in a wedge-shaped case that’s easy to slide into a backpack or bag.

Customers will buy these headphones because they sound good.

And the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones sound even better.

They have reached another level of clarity and sound a little more expansive.

Whether you’re listening to hip hop or classical music, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones can handle the mids and highs with ease and relay everything with buttery smoothness.

Bass is also brilliantly handled without being too over the top.

The DSEE Extreme engine can upscale music to higher almost hi-res quality.

On the noise cancellation front, the Sony WH-1000XM5 also come into their own and are among the best you’ll find in a pair of headphones at this price.

The Processor V1 does all the heavy lifting with the help of some additional microphones – there are now eight – which do a better job detecting the ambient sound and blocking it out.

We wore the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones on our recent flight to and from the US which is the ideal way to test the ANC which easily erased the drome of the engines so we could focus on the content we were watching on our tablet and the music on our phone.

But there is also an Ambient mode so you can shut off ANC with a press of a button to let the outside world in.

Speak to Chat will also pause everything and switch to Ambient mode when it hears you talking so you can talk to a colleague or go and order a coffee.

Another handy feature is Wear Detection so the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones detect when you take off the headphones – even when you take off one ear cup – and pause your music or movie.

When a flight attendant wanted to know what we wanted to drink, we removed one ear cup and our movie was paused automatically.

And when we placed the headphones back on again, the movie resumed without us having to lift a finger.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones also allow users to connect to two devices via Bluetooth at the same time so you can be watching a movie on your tablet and still answer a call on your phone.

Call quality is also impressive and that’s due to Sony’s Voice Pickup Technology that has beamforming mics and AI-controlled noise suppression.

On the battery side, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones offer up 30 hours of playback with noise cancelling turned on and 40 hours without it.

That means we could have travelled to US and back and had noise cancellation activated without the need to charge the headphones.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are available black and silver (silver actually looks beige) and are priced at $549.

VERDICT

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are still at the top of the line when it comes to premium noise cancelling headphones – they deliver stunning audio quality and excellent noise cancellation to make them one of the best headphones you can buy.

The post Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones review – fresh new look and brilliant sound appeared first on Tech Guide.

Jabra has released its latest earphones – the Elite 5 – which have been designed to deliver impressive audio while eliminating ambient sound so you can focus on your music and content.

The Jabra Elite 5 earphones have Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation, which is powered by the Qualcomm QCC Bluetooth SoC (system on a chip).

Microphones are used inside and outside your ear to accurately detect outside noise and eliminate it.

The Jabra Elite 5 earphones are smaller than most earphones on the market and are shaped to fit comfortably in your ear when twisted into place.

And they hardly protrude from your ears so it will look like you’re not wearing earphones to other people.

They are dust and water resistant (IP55) so they are ready to be worn at the gym or on a run or in the rain.

Pairing them is easier than ever with Google Fast Pair so they appear on your Android smartphone’s screen for a one button connection.

iPhone users will need to go to Bluetooth in the settings to pair.

And is has Bluetooth Multipoint which means you can be connected to two devices at the same time and switch between them seamlessly.

Tech Guide has been using the Jabra Elite 5 and found the noise cancellation to be quite effective.

As a result we were able to hear the podcast or music we were listening to very clearly while the background noise faded away.

It’s not far off the level you come to expect from the more expensive brands so it’s certainly punching above its weight.

But if you need to hear everything going on around you can do that with a tap of the earphones for those times when you want to order a coffee or hear the traffic on a busy road.

The Jabra Elite 5 get their quality from the finely tuned 6mm speakers which deliver crisp and sharply defined sound which can be heard at high volume with no distortion.

But we would have loved a little extra bass.

The bass is OK but fans of certain music genres will be wanting a little more.

The Jabra Elite can handle SBC, AAC, and Qualcomm’s aptX codecs to enjoy superior quality.

Within the Jabra+ app you can access an equaliser to adjust the bass, mid-range and treble to customise your sound.

Users can easily control their music and answer their calls with the touch controls on the outside of the earphones.

Another standout feature was the call quality thanks to the six microphones which cut down wind and external noise so you can hear and be heard clearly.

The Jabra Elite 5 can also be used to access Google Assistant and Alexa with your voice.

On the battery side, the Jabra Elite 5 can offer up to seven hours of playback – and that’s even with ANC turned on.

The charging case can be charged wirelessly or via a USB-C cable and offer a total of 28 hours of power.

And if you’re in a rush, a quick 10-minute charge can give you an hour of playback.

The Jabra Elite 5 earphones are available now and are priced at $219.

VERDICT

The Jabra Elite 5 earphones continue the tradition of audio quality with a comfortable design and features to suit the modern user who want to effortlessly stay connected to their music and calls for the whole day.

The post Jabra Elite 5 ANC earphones review – stay connected to your music and calls appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless noise cancelling headphones have improved the standards customers have come to expect from the respected audio brand.

With Advanced Noise Cancellation onboard, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones creates your own private listening space by eliminating ambient sounds.

Design-wise the Momentum 4 headphones have a sleek look with padded earcups and headband which reduces the pressure on your head so you can wear them for hours.

For our review, we wore them on our flight to New York and had no issues.

In fact, they were so comfortable we were able to sleep on the flight while we were still wearing them.
The mechanism allows you to expand the headphones to fit any size head – we’ve got a big head and it fit perfectly – while the swivel earcups sat in the perfect position.

And when you’re done, the Sennheiser headphones fold flat so you can safely store them in the included hard case which also holds the 3.5mm audio cable and airline entertainment system adaptor and the USB-C charging cable.

OK, let’s talk about audio.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones well and truly deliver.

This is thanks to the onboard 42mm transducer that powers the audio performance to deliver the detail and brilliance of what you’re listening to.

The headphones get it right with solid highs and mids and just the right amount of bass so as not to overpower anything else.

It’s like mixing a cocktail – the ingredients are right and blend together admirably.

Adaptive Noise Cancellation lives up to its name and executes to the level required make a difference so it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.

For our review, the main use of our noise cancellation was during a flight so the ANC only had mainly one frequency to block – the sounds of the engine.

As a result we were easily able to hear the movies and TV shows we watched on an iPad Air even at lower volumes as well as the inflight movies on the in-flight entertainment system.

This level of ANC is in the same ballpark as that of similarly priced Bose and Sony headphones.

For us to sleep on a plane we need to have earplugs in to block the sound of the engines and let our circadian rhythm do its thing.

Our understanding is that the sound of a jet engine is at a frequency that can disrupt our circadian rhythm and prevent you from falling asleep.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 ANC was so good we were also able to easily fall asleep while we were wearing the headphones instead of using a pair of soft ear plugs that usually do the job of blocking out the sound.

We also like the fact that whenever we took of the headphones or just removed one ear cup, whatever we were watching or listening to was paused and resumed when we put the headphones on again.

The Transparency Mode is also handy for those times you want to hear your surroundings – like when we were asked if we wanted a drink on the flight or our meal choice.

The gesture to go from ANC to Transparency mode is to spread your fingers apart on the right touch sensitive earcup.

And to go back to ANC you have to slide two fingers together

This was tricky and took a few tries to get it to work.

It’s easier if you pause your music before you try it – which is just another step you need to take to hear your surroundings or to get back to ANC.

It would have been easier to make this feature accessible by hitting the button on the right earcup. That activates your voice assistant instead.

We feel this important feature should be easier to access.

Those touch sensitive control is also activated if you happen to brush it accidentally with your hand.

We found ourselves pausing our music when we didn’t want to while making minor adjustments to the headphones.

The panel also allows users to adjust the volume by sliding their finger up and down.

You can answer calls by sliding forward and reject the call or hang up by swiping backwards.

The Sennheiser Smart Control App has as customisable EQ, preset EQs and lets set up to 20 Sound Zones so the headphones adjust EQs, ANC and transparency based on where you are whether it’s at home, in the office or in the gym.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones have an impressive 60 hours of battery life.

We flew from Sydney to New York with ANC turned on – that’s about 18 hours of flying – and we still had 70 per cent battery remaining.

You can also charge the headphones for 10 minutes and get up to six hours of listening time.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless noise cancelling headphones are available now and priced at $549.95.

VERDICT

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless noise cancelling headphones offer superb audio quality that will please the fussiest listeners and give you hours of comfortable listening on your next flight, commute or when you’re just kicking back to block out the world and listen to your favourite tunes.

The post Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC headphones review – quality and comfort appeared first on Tech Guide.

The new Google Pixel Buds Pro have active noise cancellation and provide better audio quality than its predecessors and, naturally, they work brilliantly with Android phones.

They still can be paired with an iPhone via the regular Bluetooth settings so you can hear your music and podcasts.

But Android users can take advantage of Google Fast Pair, so the Google Pixel Buds Pro appear on your home screen as soon as they are detected via Bluetooth to take you through the pairing process.

For Android users this also includes a test to ensure you have the right sized ear tips as well. There are three pairs in the box in differing sizes.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro have a similar size charging case to the previous Pixel Buds but the earphones themselves are slightly larger.

They have a tapered shape so they can be twisted into place in your ear.

But they are slightly larger than other earphones on the market and they won’t fit everyone.

if your ears are on the slightly smaller side, then these might not be the earphones for you.

For us, they fit quite snugly and were locked in place when we twisted them into position.

They are designed to create a passive seal with the ear tips while the active noise cancellation does the rest of the heavy lifting to ensure outside noises are virtually eliminated.

There are even built-in sensors that measure the pressure in your ear canal to ensure long term comfort.

This pressure release means you’re not going to feel like your ears are blocked and you won’t hear your footsteps in your head if you’re walking or running.

The Active Noise Cancellation is the result of a custom six-core audio chip that runs a proprietary Google algorithm to eliminate ambient sound.

We were quite impressed with the quality of the ANC but it’s not quite the level of noise cancellation produced by other more expensive earphones.

There is also a Transparency mode for those times where you want to hear the outside world Which can be accessed with a long press on either earbud.

This worked really well, and we were able hear things around us as if we had nothing in our ears.

Now let’s talk about audio quality.

The Google Pixels Buds Pro offer a rich, full-bodied sound through the onboard 11mm speaker drivers.

The bass levels are pretty conservative – we would have liked a touch more, but they still offer a very satisfying sound.

And you can play the Pixel Buds Pro quite loud without any distortion thanks to built-in Volume EQ which adjusts on the fly as you turn up the value to maintain the quality of the highs, mids and lows.

So even if you crank these all the way you’re still going to hear a clear sound.

The outer surface of the Google Pixel Buds Pro also acts as your control panel with the ability to navigate your music and even control the volume.

Adjusting the volume involves swiping forward to increase the volume and swiping backwards to reduce it.

Depending on how the Pixel Buds Pro fit inside your ear will determine how easily you can access these controls.

For us the earbuds sat inside our ears at an angle so the surface area we could access was slightly smaller.

We still managed to control our music but did find them a little too sensitive at times.

Sometimes when we toggled between ANC and Transparency we stopped the music.

Brushing forward and back to adjust the volume also triggered a song pause or change.

It took a little while to get used to the sensitivity but we’re now at a point where the Google Pixel Buds Pro are doing just what we want them to do.

You also have Google Assistant at your beck and call to find information, find directions and do things like respond to text messages completely hands free. You just have to say Hey Google and you’ll hear the Google Assistant in your ears.

And when making calls, the Google Pixel Buds Pro provide clear sound that does a good job suppressing background noise.

The people we spoke to said we were coming through loud and clear.

It was of one of the better experiences we’ve had making calls on earphones and headphones.

The earbuds also have multipoint connectivity so you can connect to two devices at once – like your computer and a tablet or a laptop. This works with Android and iOS devices and PCs and Macs.

The Pixel Buds app on Android devices offers some limited controls and a way to update the firmware and adjust the touch controls.

But there are no preset EQs or one you can customise for yourself.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro have an impressive 11 hours of battery life in the earbuds themselves without ANC and up to seven hours with ANC. And the charging case provides up to a total of 31 hours of listening.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are available now in three colours – Charcoal, Fog and Lemongrass – and are priced at $299.

VERDICT

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are an impressive pair of earphones which not only offer excellent sound but a range of features that fit in seamlessly with our day-to-day life.

The post Google Pixel Buds Pro review – a big bold sound and active noise cancellation appeared first on Tech Guide.

Just the mention of Bowers & Wilkin conjures thoughts of high-quality audio and its new Px7 S2 noise-cancelling wireless headphones deliver exactly that.

These are the follow-up to the Px7 and have improved not only on the audio quality but the build quality as well.

The Px7 S2 have a more premium look and luxurious feel with patterned fabric around the earcups and headbands and finished with stylish aluminium caps emblazoned with the brand name.

They headphones are also complemented with ultra-soft leather-covered memory foam on the earcups and headphones to provide a new level of comfort.

And what about under the hood?

The Px7 S2 offer high resolution audio through its new custom designed 40mm drive units that are purpose-built for headphone listening.

There’s also the powerful Bowers & Wilkins designed DSP (digital signal processing) with 24-bit high resolution sound quality from popular streaming services.

The result is a crisp and clear sound with a level of warmth that will put a smile on your face.

Bass is not over the top but still holds its own without taking over.

The soundstage is wide enough to accurately allow all kinds of music to shine.

It’s the amount of detail that immediately caught our ear all volume levels and without any distortion.

The Px7 S2 headphones was always surprising us.

The noise-cancellation the headphones is impressive and does a good job of not letting any ugly outside sounds spoil your listening.

It didn’t block out every sound but did the trick to keep the focus on the music.

There is a Bowers & Wilkins companion app as well but there wasn’t much you can do with it part from slightly adjusting bass and treble, seeing your battery level and switching between noise cancelling and passthrough modes.

Call quality was also impressive through the Px7 S2 when we received a call – not the clearest we’ve heard but more than enough to take a call and not have to remove the headphones.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 earphones don’t have any touch controls of any kind on the large areas on the outside of the earcup.

The good news here is that accidental touches are not going to interrupt your listening.

Instead the Px7 S2 headphones have physical controls on both earcups.

On the left is a solitary button that allows you to toggle between noise cancelation and passthrough.

But all the action is on the right earcup where the on/off/pairing switch is located above two volume keys and an action key.

The action key is between the volume up and down buttons and can be found by feel thanks to its textured surface.

This key can control and navigate your music and answer and end your calls.

What you won’t find on the Px7 S2 is a 3.5mm jack to attach a cable.

You can still attach a cable, but you need to do that through the USB-C port which also doubles up as the charging port.

In the case is a USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and a USB-C to 3.5mm jack to connect it to a device or an inflight entertainment system.

Battery life is superb at 30 hours on a full charge – that’s more than enough for a flight to Europe or the US and to get you through day when you’re back on the ground.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 noise cancelling headphones are available now in three colours – grey, black and blue – and is priced at $599.95.

VERDICT

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 noise cancelling headphones are beautifully designed and delivers superb audio quality for the discerning listener. These are one of the best headphones you can buy right now.

The post Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 headphones review – true quality for the discerning listener appeared first on Tech Guide.