With the Rival, the Austrian manufacturer Ready2Music want to cater to every taste. Their flagship wireless headphones come in eight gaudy designs and can even be personalised for an extra charge. But they also offer comfortable listening pleasure in other ways, with a slightly pronounced bass that is warm and melodious overall.
With the FreeBuds 4i, Huawei introduce a cheaper and technically slimmed-down version of the FreeBuds Pro. The new headphones offer a sleek design, active Noise-Cancelling and long battery life. On the other hand, they do without the dynamic ANC of the FreeBuds Pro. Here we take a look at what the other differences are.
Lypertek's SoundFree S20 have an appealing minimalist design and a straightforward, functional performance. The aim is to offer great-sounding True-Wireless headphones without an app and noise cancelling, but at an attractive price.
With the Dime, the US company Skullcandy offers great-sounding, cable-free in-ears at an attractive price. They are characterised by an ultra-portable design in a pocket-friendly format and offer extensive device control via remote button.
The Finns are an exceptional lot: they are the world champions of coffee drinking, EU champions of sustainability and have over two million saunas. They also love the silence of their 188,000 lakes. Perfect conditions for developing noise-cancelling headphones while chilling in the far north, you would think?
It must have been around 1988 when I bought my first pair of Koss Porta Pro, on the recommendation of an audiophile friend. In fact, for many people of my generation, the Koss Porta Pro was a widely used upgrade to the bog-standard headphones that came with the first Discman (or worse, the Walkman headphones that could be found on every teenager's bedroom floor).
Creative's Outlier Air V2 cable-free in-ears feature outstanding battery life, are universally tuned for everyday use and support high-quality audio codecs such as aptX or the AAC format in addition to the Bluetooth 5.0 standard. On top of all this, a "holographic" listening experience using Super X-Fi technology can be set up via connection with the app.
The Master & Dynamic MW08 are True Wireless in-ears that not only want to score points with their excellent sound, but also with their active noise cancelling and a long battery life. We find out whether they succeed.
The Indy ANC wireless in-ears from Skullcandy offer a high level of functionality. These fast-charging earpieces feature active noise cancellation, ambient mode for outdoor awareness and various sound customisation options including three EQ modes as well as a personal sound profile that can be generated via a listening test in the accompanying app.
JVC's sporty In-Ears with Aero Slim design impress with very pleasant wearing comfort, even while jogging, plus an above-average functionality and rich sound.