As great as portable bluetooth speakers are, they aren't for everyone. A lot of people have existing 5.1 stereo systems that they'd love to be able to use with their iOS devices. Amazon has a bluetooth audio receiver that solves this problem.
Declutter your workspace by hanging those bulky headphones on the adhesive Sound Stripp headphone hook.
For the mobile podcaster or musician, you won't find much better recording quality and ease-of-use than the super-portable Apogee MiC.
The upcoming Amp case for iPhone houses dual speakers and a Cortex-M4 processor to pump out crystal-clear audio no matter where you are, and provides an extra power boost when you need it.
The Bose OE2i on-ear headphones aren't the sort of thing that would please a hardcore audiophile, but they sound quite good for how portable they are, especially if you enjoy a little bass. They're comfortable too, with their slim headband and memory foam ear cushions. The in-line mic and remote are the cherry on top. They were $150 on Amazon just a…
Earbuds should obviously make your music sound good, but there's no reason they can't also look great doing it. These House of Marley in-ear buds are quite stylish and sound excellent to boot. They're a bit on the bass-heavy side, but I'm okay with that. The buds are fashioned from earth-friendly materials such as recyclable aluminum and polished FSC-certified sapele and maple…
One of the major annoyances with my new car it is that it supports Bluetooth, but not Bluetooth audio. Thankfully, the car at least has an AUX port. I could use a 3.5mm cord, but I wanted to ditch cords altogether. The Miccus Mini-jack RX solves this problem. It plugs into the AUX port, then connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It's battery powered,…
The JayBird BlueBuds X — recently recommended by our editor Shawn Blanc — are an awesome set of Bluetooth earbuds to run with. They sound great (especially if you replace the default rubber tips with these Comply memory foam earbud tips) and aren't likely to fall out during your workout, especially since there's no cable between the buds and your iPhone to…
The SpeakerSlide is a Kickstarter project that reminds me of the SoundBender from a while back, but modernized for today's iOS devices. It plugs into your Lightning port, placing a curved space directly over the device's speaker so that its audio redirects to you rather than going sideways out into the air. No more cupping your hand over the speaker like an…
I don't know why, but our household is apparently cursed when it comes to headphones. In the last couple months, my Apple EarPods and two (!) pairs of on-ear headphones have lost audio on one side due to issues within their cables. Honestly though, I get sick of dealing with headphone cables anyway—especially on walks or when I'm cleaning around the house…
Marco Arment's long-awaited podcast app for iPhone, Overcast, is now available on the iOS App Store. While it won't be luring me away from my precious Pocket Casts anytime soon, it does have some very cool features, namely Smart Speed (which dynamically shortens silences in podcast episodes) and Voice Boost (which normalizes the audio for all shows). The app itself is free,…
I love my Apple EarPods in most cases, but they're not ideal for jogging. When they're not falling out altogether, I'm still having to constantly readjust them for comfort. I would prefer to focus on the run itself, thank you very much. The Sol Republic Relays look like a great alternative. According to The Wirecutter's recent review, they're not the best-sounding headphones…
If you're like me and have trouble sleeping at night, listening to relaxing music, nature sounds, or spoken-word materials can be a real sleep aid. The thing is, using headphones and earbuds while lying down gets uncomfortable quickly, especially if you prefer sleeping on your side. This is where AcousticSheep's SleepPhones come in. They're basically a soft fleece headband with two embedded…
If you record podcasts with a RØDE Podcaster USB mic, you should consider adding the RØDE PSA1 boom arm to your setup. After mounting to your desk, the PSA1 allows you to easily reposition your mic when needed, and also helps isolate it from noises you make while typing or moving around at your desk. It can rotate a full 360 degrees,…
The Sound 1 by 11+ are a beautiful set of Bluetooth speakers that won't break the bank. A lot of thought has gone into their design and packaging, as you can see in Andrew Kim's review on Minimally Minimal. The bottoms of both speakers are cut at an angle so that the speakers tilt toward you for better audio projection. Underneath each…
Every day, it seems like more and more people are looking to turn their iPads into mobile recording studios. Whether they're playing music or podcasting, a good mic is absolutely essential — and the Blue Microphones Spark Digital doesn't disappoint. While the Blue Spark is perhaps not quite as portable as the Samson Meteor mic if you count the included metal stand,…
I own a set of Skullcandy headphones and I've also listened to friends' sets, and while they usually look pretty cool, I would never have describe them as having "top-notch" sound. So when I heard about the Skullcandy Aviator Headphones and their supposedly awesome sound the other day, I was a little dubious. But apparently these things really do sound good! The…
Podcasting is something I've been considering getting into lately, but I primarily work on-the-go from my iPad and most of the setups I've read about are designed with a stationary Mac in mind. Now, thanks to a recent blog post by Fraser Speirs – co-host of the Out of School podcast with Bradley Chambers – I've been made aware of the Samson…
The Phiaton Chord MS 530s are a Bluetooth 4.0-enabled, 98% active-noise-canceling pair of headphones that look great, sound great, and allow you to pair with two devices simultaneously. The audio driver unit is titanium-coated for better sound, a microphone cable is included for phone call usage, and the headphones can be used for up to 30 hours before needing to be recharged…
This morning, Sonos announced its newest wireless speaker, the PLAY:1. Like the rest of their lineup, the PLAY:1 will easily integrate into any Sonos setup, and although we haven't gotten our hands on one yet, we bet it sounds great too. The main difference between the PLAY:1 and Sonos' other offerings is that it's lot more compact and affordable, making it the…