Headphones were the original piece of wearable technology and they remain as essential today as ever. But they are starting to change rapidly now, as things like noise cancelling and Bluetooth wireless technology enable the dream of completely cable-free living. What will the best headphones of the future look like?
The ATH-TWX7 compact earbuds announced today at CES 2024 include a Soundscapes mode that plays meditative sounds of nature or other calming sounds for when you just want to chill. The noise cancellation tech also has two modes for calls: Natural (for quiet, indoor environments) and Noise Reduction (for louder, outdoor environments).
The “splashproof” buds are priced at $199 and are available now.
MySmartPrice reports that Bose is getting ready to launch new wireless open-ear headphones at CES, over three years after it released the now-discontinued Sport Open Earbuds.
The open headphones feature a G-shaped design that hooks around the ear for a snug fit, similar to Huawei’s FreeClip earbuds. Pricing, specs, and a final product name should hopefully be available soon.
Sennheiser’s lauded IE 600 wired earbuds are down to $499 for Cyber Monday. Yes, that’s objectively a lot of money. But they normally run 700 bucks and are widely considered one of the best sounding pairs of earbuds on the market today. Here’s a detailed video review on them. No gimmicks. Just pristine audio.
If you take care of these buds, they’ll last many, many years to come. No need to worry about deteriorating battery life when you’re plugged in the old fashioned way — with a USB-C dongle nowadays, I guess.
If the IE 600s are firmly outside what you’re willing to spend, then consider the IE 200s, which have a similar sound tuning and can be had for $120 today.
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The internal email from Chief Product Officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin did not specify how many jobs will be lost. Per Bloomberg, the cuts will happen today, and are the result of “a shift in product strategy.” The email also disclosed that a team is dedicated to headphones inside Sonos, which might be behind the “major product in a new multibillion-dollar category” mentioned in yesterday’s earnings call.
Google announced the new feature, which turns on transparency mode and pauses music when you start talking, at its event last week, and now 9to5Google reports that the feature is rolling out as part of the 5.9 update for the headphones. It’s an optional feature, though, so if you don’t like it, you don’t have to use it.
Even though Apple has officially switched to USB-C, modder Ken Pillonel (who made headlines modding the port into the iPhone and AirPods) thinks there are still improvements to be made. He’s designed a replacement outer shell for the first- and second-generation AirPods case that’s designed to make it easier to open for battery replacements. He’s giving away the part for free (minus shipping) throughout October.
