Bass: some speakers have it, and some don’t. It’s like charisma or generational wealth, except probably less important in determining your future. I’ve never personally found bass to be the most important metric for whether a wireless Bluetooth speaker is worth the money, but I’m fully aware that not everyone shares the same taste in […]
JBL Grip Speaker Review: A Tiny Way to Be Big Loud
There are a lot of ways to be loud and annoying. For example, there’s snoring—a timeless classic that is not only loud, but also deprives you and others of sleep, killing two very depressing birds with one stone. Then there are more vestigial and niche forms of being obnoxious, like yodeling, which, if done outside […]
JBL’s Boombox 4 Speaker Can Pump Out Less Distorted Sound Thanks to AI
Sometimes you need a Bluetooth speaker that’s going to knock people’s socks off, not necessarily in terms of audio quality (though that’s nice too), but in pure, unadulterated volume. For JBL fans, there’s one wireless speaker that delivers on that promise in a package that’s not a total pain in the ass to cart around, […]
Marshall Now Has a Big Party Speaker That’s Perfect for Pretending You’re in a Band
Being in a band is hard. You’ve got to learn an instrument (time-consuming), organize your friends (a nightmare), and then harass everyone on Instagram to come out to your show on a Tuesday at 9:30 pm at least twice a month? Forget about it. That being said, looking like you’re in a band is still hella […]
Google’s Next Smart Speaker Is All About AI
Whether by accident or as a covert tease, Google showed a glimmer of what Google smart speakers have in store. This week, during Google’s annual Pixel hardware event, a never-before-seen speaker slipped into a prerecorded video, and now Android Headlines says it’s confirmed that said speaker is, in fact, of the Google Home variety. Android […]
Some Sonos Speakers Are Getting So Hot That the USB-C Port Melts
If you’re in the business of selling audio gear with a Sonos logo on it, you may be feeling a little more heat than usual. And if you’re a person who owns a Sonos speaker, you may be equally as hot, though potentially not in a figurative sense. According to a report from Bloomberg, Sonos has admitted […]
This Ultra-Repairable Bluetooth Speaker Addresses the Ugliest Part of Consumer Tech
Right to repair is a big deal lately, and there are plenty of new products that prove it. One of the best examples in the tech world is Framework, which has grown immensely by centering modularity and repairability in the ethos of its laptops and new mini desktop PC. And like any gadget trend worth […]
Soundcore Boom 3i Review: A Seaworthy Bluetooth Speaker That Dunks on the Competition
I love when gadgets have a schtick. Like Lenovo’s Tab Plus with an ungodly amount of JBL speakers, or Nothing’s Android phones with lights on the back. Schticks are great, and schticks that are practical and actually work are even better. For Soundcore’s $130 Boom 3i Bluetooth speaker, the schtick is all about throwing a […]
Bose SoundLink Plus Review: Big Bass, Big Beach Vibes, and a Big Price That’s Worth It
There are lots of different types of speakers out there for lots of different kinds of people. You’ve got rugged speakers for the outdoorsmen and doomsday preppers; you’ve got little speakers for anyone that needs to travel light; you’ve got party speakers for anyone that needs to annoy the ever-loving-shit out of their neighbors. And, […]
Bose’s New Bluetooth Speaker Looks Like a Solid Way to Annoy Everybody at the Beach
The only thing I love more than foisting my music on other people at the park is doing it with a speaker that delivers solid or above-average sound quality. While I haven’t had a chance to use Bose’s new portable Bluetooth speaker, it seems like it could be a great option for doing just that. […]