Awesome Audio

Bose’s flagship headphones are now available in all black. The QuietComfort 25 has excellent active noise cancellation powered by a single AAA battery. It also has an inline mic and remote for iOS and Android devices.

Gramovox updates its retro Bluetooth speaker with a dual-driver design. The Gramophone now has a 2.5″ low frequency driver hidden in its base, powered by a 2W amp, to go with the 1.5″ mid driver that’s aimed at the horn.

Designed in collaboration with DJ Tiësto, The Clublife Adagio in-ear headphones offer big, bold and dynamic sounds in a compact package, thanks to their powerful, but well-balanced 9mm drivers. Includes an inline mic for phone calls, and a leather storage wallet.

The HiddenHUB sound system dynamically adapts to the shape of the room you set it up in, and can be wirelessly connected with other HUBs and HiddenRadio2s to create a whole home audio system. Audio can be controlled via its smart dial, or via your wireless devices.

The new Play:5 has three mid-woofers and three tweeters and can be set up in three orientations. It will also work with the upcoming Trueplay app, which will automatically optimize Sonos speakers based on the room they’re in. Drops Q4 2015 for $499.

The YSP-5600 not only has a whopping 46 speakers, it also uses Dolby Atmos technology to bounce sound around the room. The result is a convincing emulation of a 7.1.2 setup that left folks at the IFA trade show dumbfounded. Drops 12/15 for $1700.

Bang & Olufsen’s new BeoPlay A6 home speaker has a curved design for a wide soundstage, and a swappable front grill with a wool fabric cover. It has two 5.5″ 60W woofers, two 0.75″ 30W tweeters and a 1.5″ 60W full-range driver. Drops 10/15 for $999.

Peculiar but versatile closed-back headphones. The new HD 630VB gets its name from its variable bass. It has a dial on the right earcup for adjusting the low-end and controlling mobile device playback. It also has an inline mic and removable earpads. More at Head-Fi.

The SoundLink II Around-ear headphones eliminate its predecessor’s bulging Bluetooth dongle. They can also connect to and switch between two Bluetooth sources. The headphones last up to 15h per charge and come with an audio cable for wired usage.

Cloud Media’s latest all-in-one media player is the first of its kind to have XLR outputs. It also supports 4K video, has a built-in hard drive tray and can boot into either its Linux-based interface or into Android.

A sound system capable of playing practically any digital audio file, from MP3s to DSDs. Inside the AKT1’s aluminum body are two 0.75” tweeters, two 2” midranges and two 6.5” woofers, two Cirrus Logic DACs and a touchscreen console.

Vifa’s home speaker is as unassuming as the Copenhagen. Its 43″ long and has four 4″ woofers, two 3″ mids and two 1″ tweeters. It streams via Bluetooth aptX, Wi-Fi and AirPlay. It also has 3.5mm, optical and USB inputs.

Helix is a pair of Bluetooth earphones with a carrying case in the form of a stylish bracelet, making storage convenient and tangle-free.  The headphones last up to 3 hours per charge and have a built-in mic and playback controls.

An updated version of the Eames-inspired speakers. The Ray-S also has a laminated beechwood and leather cabinet with a walnut finish, a 4″ midrange driver and 1″ tweeter, but it now has an 8″ Xmax woofer.

An Android 5 smartphone for audio enthusiasts. Specs include: two front-facing speakers, dual 3.5mm outputs, a Wolfson WM8281 sound chip, a global equalizer, 4.7″ IPS 720p screen, 8MP camera, removable battery and microSD slot.

The entry-level iOS device now has the same A8 CPU that’s in the iPhone 6, albeit at a lower clock speed. It also has an 8MP camera with 120fps 720p slow-mo video, burst mode and more. Its maximum capacity is an impressive 128GB.