Headphones

In the running for best budget headphones of 2026, OneOdio's Focus A1 Pro outperform what you'd expect from a pair that'll set you back US$34.99. While they won't outshine premium audio tech, they leave the competition in their price bracket for dead.

Czech automaker Škoda took on an interesting side quest recently to improve road safety – but for bicycles instead of cars. The company's bike bell is designed to make a sound perceptible to pedestrians strolling with ANC headphones on.

Apple has refreshed its AirPods Max headphones with new internals for better performance, as well as a handful of features that bring it in line with current-gen over-ear models – for the same price as the original.

I can't find a single pair of wireless over-ear headphones from a legit brand that boasts as much battery life as the new Headphone (a) from Nothing. This pair claims a whopping 135 hours – that's a whole five days uninterrupted, and then some.

Ecoute Audio made a splash with its TH1 headphones aimed at hi-fi enthusiasts back in 2023. The upcoming TH2 is bringing back the same vacuum tube preamp architecture, along with thoughtful upgrades for rich, warm full system sound.

Virtually every headset for immersive content is about as subtle as a foghorn in a library. A South Korean hardware brand is trying to make them a little less conspicuous by sneaking a headset into a pair of mostly nondescript headphones.

Individuals with limited hearing struggle in situations where multiple people around them are speaking at once. New headphone tech could help, by boosting the voice of the person they're talking to based on the rhythm of the conversation.

They've got "Studio" in the name and specs that sound too good for the price – 120-hour battery life, LDAC, and lag-free wireless. But does the OneOdio's Studio Max 1 really pull off pro-level sound?

Bone conduction offer the freedom of listening to music while staying aware of your surroundings – and now you can take this tech underwater with Jabeees' 7Seven headphones. And, at US$79.99, they keep pace with many of their more expensive competitors.

Audio gear maker Cambridge Audio launched a pair of wireless ANC headphones last year that hated being plugged into a wall outlet for a recharge. Now the company has refined the sound, improved on the long-haul comfort and introduced a new colorway.

The new OneOdio Focus A6 noise-canceling wireless headphones are a surprise package, delivering many features on par with sets that cost three times as much and outperforming its competitors in its price range. Expect to be pleasantly surprised.

Unlike current translation devices that focus on one speaker, researchers have just developed a pair of headphones that can determine how many people are speaking, follow them through space, and translate each person's words as a separate stream.