Shanling M3X
The 2001 invention of iPods was a brilliant thing. Suddenly you were able to listen to your own music library on the go. With the appearance of smartphones and their ability to store your music library, this kind of specialised portable music player initially disappeared from the shelves. For some years now, however, they have been made a comeback, offering a wealth of technical possibilities that are almost as good as home stereo systems, focusing on increased sound quality. Has the portable music player's time come again?
Jabra Elite 3
With the Elite 3, Jabra want to expand their target market: these new in-ears are the manufacturer's most affordable True Wireless headphones to date and, at a reasonable 79 euros, they are aimed at an audience for whom noise-cancelling or wearer recognition is less important than modern sound tuning. Do they succeed in their task?
Koss TWS250i
In April of this year, Koss already earned an editorial recommendation for the smallest model in their Bluetooth in-ear series. Back then, it was the TWS150i that earned our recommendation thanks to their decent price-performance ratio. Now the next model up in the series reports to the kopfhoerer.de command centre for testing, and naturally, and they want to leave at least as good an impression as their predecessor – if not a better one. And of course, we were happy to give these little earbuds the chance to take the stage (or the ears, as the case may be) to try to impress us.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EQ
The long-established Danish manufacturer of high-quality consumer electronics B&O tout the latest addition to their True Wireless portfolio as offering precise, powerful playback and effective suppression of outside noise, with the Beoplay EQ claiming to combine high passive isolation with hybrid Adaptive Noise Cancelling.
Korg NC-Q1
With the closed NC-Q1, Korg is initially targeting musicians and DJs and aims to offer them a pleasant listening environment and protection from levels that are too high with a specific combination of passive external insulation and active noise cancelling. At the same time, these headphones can be used as a mobile accessory via Bluetooth. With a recommended retail price of 349 euros, Korg confidently enters the market with a robust design and lush features.
Beats Studio Buds
Studio Buds are the first True Wireless headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats. With their debut, the manufacturer wants to delight the iOS community with a low-cost AirPods alternative, as well as convince Android devotees with an almost identical feature set.
1more PistonBuds
With the PistonBuds, 1more have come up with a pair of budget-friendly in-ears. But, do these affordable headphones deliver the goods when it comes to sound and features?
Waves NX Headtracker
Music today is increasingly consumed through headphones, but usually produced on and for loudspeakers. While playback on headphones can seem impressive and wide-ranging, it has little to do with the stereo image of well-positioned stereo speakers. The reasons for this lie in our perception of time differences, filtering and reverberation by our hearing and the corresponding evaluation by our brain. For a more natural reproduction of stereo and surround sound on headphones, a different solution is needed. Binaural stereophony has proven to be a suitable answer and is used by Waves NX, tested here in combination with the optional Headtracker.
Razer Opus X
As the smaller version of the Razer Opus, the Razer Opus X aims to offer roughly comparable quality for a significantly lower budget. But how do they manage to achieve this?
Razer Hammerhead True Wireless X
Razer's Hammerhead True Wireless X support Bluetooth version 5.2 and offer a latency-reduced wireless connection for mobile games as well as movies in Gaming Mode, while flexible touch control and sound customisation can be made via an app. The optional illumination of the wireless earbuds in the form of the three-headed snake logo can also be individually configured.
