John Higgins is a Los Angeles-based senior reviewer at The Verge covering TVs and audio. Before joining The Verge, he’s been the Senior Editor of AV at Digital Trends and Managing Editor, Tech at Reviewed. During his 20+ year career in publishing, he’s written reviews and features for the New York Times’ Wirecutter, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, Business Insider, CNET, Sound & Vision, IGN, T3, Projector Central, and Home Theater Magazine, where he got his start in 2003. He is also an ISF Level III-certified display calibrator. Away from his desk, John is a musician with a Masters degree in piano from University of Southern California. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife and son, or playing D&D or video games. Signal: johnhiggins.01
8
Verge Score
Wired earbuds are making a small comeback, and Bose is capitalizing on it — with ANC this time.
8
Verge Score
With better sound, better ANC, and Wi-Fi audio streaming, the Ace Ultra are finally worthy of the Sonos name.
Last night I saw a few episodes of season 3 of Color Matters, a YouTube series from Portrait Displays that explores the often underrated role of the film colorist, and how color affects what we feel. Highly recommend all seasons for anyone curious about the use of color in films.
8
Verge Score
Alongside solid ANC, the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro include a triple-driver design and a unique switch for studio pros.
As confirmed by Beats product manager Jeff Bruksch, the new Beats 360 headphones use a true wireless architecture with each earcup containing its own battery, antenna, and processing components. It allows Beats to “significantly reduce the cabling between the two sides,” according to Bruksch.
Because we don’t have the traditional system including a charging case, we have a cable for power supply and power management between the left and right sides so that you don’t have to charge both sides and the left and right sides power on/off together.
Having a cable for power management only explains the lack of audio support through the USB-C.
7
Verge Score
With swappable ear cushions and IPX4 water resistance, the Beats 360 should stand up better to sweat than most headphones.
