Audio Equipment Reviews

The Bose SoundLink Max is a robust Bluetooth speaker that creates punchy, assertive sound with a sturdy design to ensure your party goes off with a bang. It can attract marks, though.

Closed-back reference headphones at an affordable price

The Sony XB100 offers good quality omnidirectional sound for a low fee, but it lacks the character of some of its near rivals.

These light and comfortable in-ear monitors plate up meaty audio with elegance.

Sonos's first headphones are class-leading in some ways, but not the one that matters most

The AONIC 3 make a statement with sharp separation and nifty passive noise isolation.

Nothing Ear earbuds are the Ear (3) in all but name, and they bring some welcome upgrades over the Nothing Ear (2) but a low maximum volume is a problem.

Mini Review If you don’t want to spend a lot on great-sounding buds, these these are the ones you should buy.

The Pure Classic C-D6 packs a whole lot of punch, combining a DAB radio, CD player, aux-in and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity into one versatile retro box.

The Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless want put the cat among the midrange big-brand pigeons, but there are more dynamic options for less money readily available.