Earbuds

Boutique audio brand Astell&Kern is known for pushing the music hardware envelope in terms of tech and price, but its titanium-housed Luna earphones bump things up a notch with a price tag so high it will send your bank balance into orbit.

When we tried the first true wireless earbuds almost 10 years ago, battery life for continuous listening came in at around 2 hours. The latest buds from Soundcore last for 12 hours, or 192 hours with a charging case that could also juice up your phone.

If you're gonna be inserting an object into one of your orifices anyways, why not have it check up on you while it's in there? That's exactly what the OpenEarable 2.0 earphones do, using integrated sensors to measure over 30 physiological parameters.

Fiio has announced its flagship in-ear monitors. Three different types of driver are squeezed into the high-end titanium housing of the FX17, making a total of 13 in each earpiece for the promise of "a bigger soundstage and more natural sound."

The second of three rugged phones announced at CES 2025 in January has now been launched. Following a Kickstarter for the monstrous WP100 Titan, mobile tech brand Oukitel has revealed the direct-to-sale WP200 Pro – with a rather unusual feature.

Qualcomm caused a ripple in the audiophile universe back in 2023 by revealing XPAN, a mobile sound platform that made use of Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. Now the first wireless earphones rocking XPAN have been announced.

Apple just took the wraps off the new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds, designed for fitness enthusiasts who want more than just music out of their audio gear. The $250 buds pack heart-rate monitoring, wireless charging, and active noise cancellation.

Bud-style earphones can be uncomfortable for some mobile music lovers, but there are plenty of over-ear, open-ear and bone conduction designs to rock with instead. Audio-Technica offers another option that ditches the bones and aims for cartilage instead.

A pair of $139 brainwave-synching earbuds uses your body's data to shape your sleep. Whether it's a peaceful night or quality power naps, they stand to be a game-changer for anyone who has trouble getting enough shut-eye naturally.

If you're an audiophile looking for an inexpensive new fix, this one's for you. Hidizs has packed a tiny but capable DAC into a USB-C cable that connects to IEMs, so you can enjoy greater detail in lossless audio from your phone or laptop on the go.

Many of us will serve up our favorite tunes using a smartphone, but may be left wanting for sound quality. That's where a portable headphone amp/DAC can help, and the latest model from Fiio promises to satisfy with desktop-level power and performance.

Precious few airlines currently offer Bluetooth connectivity from their in-flight entertainment screens – but that's no longer a problem, thanks to a nifty new breed of wireless earbud that connects to anything with a headphone jack.