Downsides? If you frequently switch between 33 revolutions per minute and 45 rpm, then the T1 BT might be frustrating. Unlike most turntables, there’s no simple switch that toggles between speeds. Instead, you need to remove the glass platter, hook the belt drive to a different part of the motor pulley, and put the platter […]
New York–based, fashion-forward company Master & Dynamic makes headphones that make audiophiles drool. Its audio products have a distinctive, mid-20th-century retro vibe and sound even better than they look. Unfortunately, the headphones are often priced accordingly. But this week the company is holding a Family and Friends sale. Through April 19, you can take 25 […]
Connects to Amazon Alexa If you aren’t in it for the music, the Amazon Echo Dot With Clock (4th Gen) and Google’s Nest Mini (7/10, WIRED Recommends) will give you most of the perks of owning a smart speaker, and you can use them to smarten up existing speakers on the cheap. The sound is […]
You’ve probably already shelled out for a nice big TV, and maybe a streaming gadget to play your Netflix, but what about your audio? It doesn’t matter how large your screen is or how much it cost—it probably sounds awful. You’d be surprised by how much more you enjoy those Netflix Originals with a halfway […]
They may not be smart, but Bluetooth speakers still have a place near and dear to our hearts. It’s fun and easy to ask an Amazon Echo or Google Nest speaker to play your favorite track or tell you the weather, but smart speakers have a few crutches—first and foremost, stable Wi-Fi. By (mostly) forgoing […]
I watch so many movies and shows when testing TVs, soundbars, and various other home theater toys that I begin to get jealous of the perfectly sculpted universes in them. Sci-fi doors slide open with puffy whisps; stereos are perfectly recessed into custom-made walls; and showers are each the size of a single car garage, […]
Bass loves to hide in corners, so try to set up your speakers far from them—ideally in the middle of a wall. If you’re wondering where to place them relative to your usual listening position, keep this in mind: The ideal stereo image (big, wide, live-sounding audio) comes when your head forms an equilateral triangle […]
Before the pandemic began, I had one record. It sat atop my red Ikea bookshelf, collecting dust. The Great Ray Charles. I picked it up at an event I attended a little more than a year ago, in the Before Times. I figured I’d find a way to play it at some point. But then, […]
So your abode now has a Nest Audio or Nest Mini speaker. Or maybe someone gifted you a Google Home or Google Home Max from a couple years ago. (The names may be a bit confusing, since Google decided to rebrand its smart home speakers and displays last year, but don’t worry, they all work […]
I was ridiculously excited to review the HomePod mini, Apple’s latest small smart speaker. I pestered my colleagues about it for weeks, in a completely nonchalant and not-at-all annoying way. Just like how it’s hard to review a kid product honestly without having a kid or two to test it on, it’s also hard to […]