From streaming music and audiobooks to live audio rooms and podcasts, every major player in tech is trying to own a chunk of the listening experience. Spotify is expanding beyond music streaming, YouTube is becoming an audio-only destination, and Apple Music is hoping to stand out with spatial audio while Tidal, Pandora, SoundCloud, and so many more scramble to set themselves apart.
Before, it only took one step to eliminate audio processing and extend battery life on newer AirPods.
Apple removed the “Off” toggle from the default modes after introducing hearing protection features to noise control in iOS 18. To restore it, open the Settings app, tap your connected AirPods, and toggle on “Off Listening Mode.” They will still default to Transparency mode when you connect, however.
The company is expanding its Music City Bluetooth speaker lineup with three new party models that introduce RGB lighting that syncs to the music playing.
The Vegas, Miami, and New York speakers also feature a mic for karaoke and three dedicated buttons that play airhorn, record scratch, and applause sound effects in case the lights aren’t getting the party started fast enough.
The 200W wireless speaker also puts on a beat-synced light show and includes two wireless mics with vocal enhancement and reverb effects to improve your next karaoke performance.
The Anker brand also announced a smaller 140W Soundcore Boom 2 Pro speaker at CES that’s dustproof, waterproof, and floats, so it can join you in the pool, not just beside it.
The next version of JBL’s Bluetooth alarm clock features a larger design with two 1.5-inch speakers paired with dual passive radiators for improved sound. If you’re looking for a more gentle way to drift off or wake up, it can play relaxing nature sounds like ocean waves, or slowly illuminate a room with a built-in light to “help regulate circadian rhythms.”
The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro is an all-in-one party pod that combines 210 independently controlled LEDs with JBL’s audio technology. The lamp is portable and rechargeable, with customizable lighting that can change between vibrant colors and warm or cool white lights to suit your personal vibe.
There’s no word on pricing yet — we’ll know more when it launches sometime in late Q2 2025.
A former Sonos executive is looking to disrupt the smart speaker market with a new standard for Wi-Fi speakers.
The LG Radio+ streaming service is available on LG smart TVs running webOS 6.0 and above. It’s offered through a partnership with Radioline, and available in the US and South Korea, “giving users an all-in-one audio platform allowing effortless access to news, sports, music, and more,” including live stations and podcasts such as NPR, CNN Radio, Fox Radio, and The Joe Rogan Experience.
Though I like the idea of wirelessly connecting to a record player, I rarely use that function. If you do, let me know why!
The $15 SoundSlide solves a problem that few would consider an actual problem. It replaces a computer’s volume buttons with a customizable touch-sensitive slider that can be operated using finger swipes. For those who miss volume wheels, it might be worth the upgrade. For everyone else, sacrificing a USB-C port for the SoundSlide might be too big an of an ask.
Borrowing the design of Bose’s open-style earbuds, the JVC Nearphones attach to the side of your ear and position a 10mm driver inside so you can hear your music plus everything else around you. They’re smaller and lighter than the $299 Bose Ultra Open, and at $99.95 they’re a more affordable solution if you find regular earbuds uncomfortable.
DJI will potentially reveal its Mic Mini during a “Carry Less, Capture More” event teased on its website for November 26th. But leaker @Quadro_News has shared unboxing and hands on videos comparing the new DJI Mic Mini hardware to the DJI Mic 2 so you can see how much smaller the microphone transmitters, wireless receiver, and charging case really are.
The company recently partnered with Kith for its Ultra Open Earbuds, but this time Ronnie Fieg is helping to redesign Bose’s 901 speakers which originally debuted in 1968, but were discontinued in 2016.
We don’t know pricing or availability details, but Fieg, who’s working with furniture designer Mark Jupiter, shared images on Instagram of the limited edition and wonderfully retro redesign.
Reliable leaker @JasperEllens has shared more images and details of DJI’s next compact wireless mic system. The DJI Mic Mini on its own, which connects directly to devices over Bluetooth, will start at €59 (around $63) but will also be available with a wireless receiver for €89 (around $94). A bundle featuring two mics, the receiver, and a charging case will be €169 (around $178).
0The hardware is chunky and the software is clunky, but this is the best portable audio player I’ve ever heard.
The images shared by @Quadro_News and @JasperEllens seem to indicate DJI could soon be announcing a follow-up to its wireless Mic 2 system that debuted earlier this year. Details on functionality and pricing aren’t known yet, but the clip-on DJI Mic Mini will potentially be smaller, lighter, and more discreet than its predecessor, and available in black or white.
After expanding from smartphone cases to wireless earbuds, Speck has introduced its Gemtones Infinity Speaker featuring Bluetooth 5.3, RGB LED lighting enhanced with an infinite mirror effect, and the ability to sync and pair up to 50 of them.
It’s available in three sizes with 10W, 20W, and 25W of power and ranges in price from $79.99 for the seven-inch Mini to $129.99 for the 11-inch Max.
B&W’s iconic Zeppelin iPod speaker has evolved over the years, culminating in today’s new £699 / $799 Zeppelin Pro Edition. It now comes in gold and gray finishes, a more colorful downlight to set the mood, and new tweeters paired with midrange drivers and a subwoofer that are said to improve the overall sound. It can be used in a multi-room setup and supports AirPlay2, Bluetooth aptX Adaptive, and Spotify Connect.
At $449, this all-in-one Google TV projector is a good choice if portability is important and you already own a battery with USB-C PD 3.0 output. The speaker is good enough, and the auto-positioned 1080p image looks best at night but remains watchable during the day. A $499 bundle incudes a wobbly PowerBase Stand for about two hours of playback. Mine toppled over onto concrete but the projector survived!
The new “Series” category should make it easier to filter narrative-driven shows (which are like audiobooks, but broken down into episodes) from other styles of podcasts.
Apple Podcasts is also launching a “Top Series” chart to track the most popular offerings, and a “Series Essentials” spotlight to showcase a series every month that defines the category — starting with Tristan Redman’s Ghost Story.
[Apple Newsroom]
Elago has updated its AW5 Hang Case so that the silicone Game Boy homage is now compatible with the Apple AirPods 4 featuring active noise cancellation. The $18.99 case doesn’t play any retro games, but it will help protect the AirPods 4’s charging case from scuffs and damage if dropped, while still allowing features like wireless charging and Find My to continue to work.
For audiophile’s wanting both higher quality audio and the convenience of wireless headphones, FiiO’s $44 BT11 dongle adds Bluetooth 5.4 support to phones like the iPhone 16, plus codecs like aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless.
You’ll also need a subscription to a high-res music streaming service, and headphones that support those HD codecs, to actually take advantage of it.
