The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is the latest ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker from audio brand Tribit. This pint-sized speaker packs a surprising punch for its low price and diminutive size. The StormBox Micro 2 is the follow up to the original StormBox Micro, which proved you don’t need to spend big to get decent sound quality. …
Audio / Visual
Welcome to the Audio/Visual Tech category on our blog, where the sights and sounds of cutting-edge technology come to life. In a landscape where the line between reality and digital representation continually blurs, it’s never been more essential to make informed choices about your AV gear. This category serves as a comprehensive guide to the components that make up your home theatre system, high-definition viewing experiences, and auditory sensations.
AV Receivers
Relevant Brands: Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, Onkyo
The epicentre of any home audio setup, AV receivers function as the hub that brings your audio and visual components together. Brands like Sony and Yamaha excel in delivering feature-rich models, while Denon and Marantz are known for their audiophile-grade sound quality.
Surround Sound Speakers
Relevant Brands: Klipsch, Bose, Bang & Olufsen, KEF
Nothing immerses you in an experience quite like a set of surround sound speakers. Whether it’s the high-fidelity sound from Klipsch or the design elegance of Bang & Olufsen, this subcategory explores the nuances that each brand brings to the audio landscape.
Soundbars
Relevant Brands: Sonos, Samsung, LG, Bose
In spaces where a full surround sound setup isn’t practical, soundbars come to the rescue. From the versatile and intelligent offerings from Sonos to the feature-packed models from Sennheiser, discover how these sleek bars can pack a powerful auditory punch.
Subwoofers
Relevant Brands: SVS, JBL, Bowers & Wilkins, Polk Audio
The foundation of any audio experience is the bass, and a quality subwoofer makes all the difference. Brands like SVS and Bowers & Wilkins deliver earth-shattering low frequencies that add depth and dimension to your audio setup.
TVs, including OLED / LCD / Micro LCD
Relevant Brands: LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic
The choice of TV technology can dramatically affect your viewing experience. This section breaks down the pros and cons of OLED, LCD, and the emerging Micro LCD technologies. Whether it’s LG’s expertise in OLED or Samsung’s mastery of LCD, we’ve got the lowdown on what to consider.
Home Theatre Projectors
Relevant Brands: Epson, BenQ, Sony, Optoma
Turn your living room into a cinema with a high-quality home theatre projector. With brands like Epson and BenQ offering crystal-clear images and features like 4K resolution and HDR support, the big-screen experience is more accessible than ever.
Portable Projectors
Relevant Brands: Anker Nebula, LG, Epson
For the nomads and the adventurers, portable projectors offer the luxury of big-screen viewing without the constraints of location. Anker Nebula leads the charge with its compact and versatile projectors, while LG and Epson provide robust options with brighter outputs.
So whether you’re building a state-of-the-art home theatre or simply enhancing your TV’s audio with a chic soundbar, this category is designed to guide you through the complex world of Audio/Visual technology. Our goal is to provide you with unbiased, data-driven insights so you can make the perfect choice for your sensory satisfaction. Dive in and tune up your AV experience!
The Creative Zen Hybrid Pro is the latest wireless headphone from Creative. It comes in three versions: The key specs are otherwise the same across the models in terms of driver size, battery life, Bluetooth connectivity etc. The bundles add functionality through the transmitters. Creative Zen Hybrid Pro vs Classic vs SXFI Specification Design The …
The Creative Zen Air Dot was announced a few months ago and is the most affordable true wireless earbuds Creative has at a bargain price of just £30. These differ from the Creative Zen Air by having an open-fit design without silicon ear tips, similar to the Apple AirPods. At just 7g per earbud, they …
Shokz, formerly Aftershocks, may be the dominant brand in the world of bone-conduction headphones, but they are facing growing competition and the Creative Outlier Free range of headphones could be the best alternatives on the market. The new Creative Outlier Free Pro Plus are a particularly compelling choice as these are suitable for swimming thanks …
Creative Technology has unveiled its latest true wireless earbuds, the Creative Aurvana Ace and Creative Aurvana Ace 2, featuring advanced audio drivers that promise unparalleled sound quality. Cutting-Edge xMEMS Drivers Deliver Unrivalled Audio Precision At the heart of the new earbuds lies Creative’s groundbreaking xMEMS (microelectromechanical system) driver technology. The all-silicon MEMS-based drivers comprise tiny …
Following on from my review of the excellent Tozo Golden X1, I have been checking out their new OpenBuds. These are an open fit style of earbuds where the earbuds sit on top of your ear and are held in place with hooks that go around your ear. This design is a good alternative to …
Anker Soundcore launched the Soundcore Motion X600 earlier this year which was their first high-fidelity portable speaker, which has a combination of Hi-Res sound and spatial audio. It is also the first portable Bluetooth speaker with spatial audio that I am aware of. It was widely well-reviewed, and I personally liked it, but it drew …
In the realm of immersive gaming, the importance of high-quality sound cannot be overstated. The perfect headset doesn’t only enrich your gaming experience, but can also be the determining factor between a win or a loss. Sony’s PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 are both incredible consoles that deserve headsets capable of capturing every audio nuance. …
Anker’s smart entertainment brand Nebula has introduced two new portable LED projectors – the Capsule 3 and Mars 3 Air Google TV – with native Netflix integration. This makes them the first portable projectors capable of displaying high-resolution Netflix content in full 1080p. I have previously reviewed the Nebula Capsule 3, but this new model …
Following on from my previous Bluetooth guide, this article covers the main Bluetooth codecs used by various wireless earphones today. Lossy vs Lossless Audio Codecs Bluetooth earbuds currently use lossy audio codecs as the bandwidth available to Bluetooth can not accommodate lossless audio. Codec Comparison Table Bluetooth Codec Overviews SBC The Low Complexity Subband Coding …
I would say most people know roughly what Bluetooth is and use it regularly. But how much do you really know about this wireless technology that’s now over 25 years old? When buying a new phone or earbuds, are you aware of all the different technologies that can affect the performance of Bluetooth? This is …
Following on from my review of the excellent Creative Sound Blaster Katana SE, I have been checking out the Stage SE. This is a compact and affordable soundbar designed to sit below your monitor and enhance the audio from your laptop or desktop PC. It is a basic soundbar that lacks many of the features …
Soundcore, Anker’s premium audio brand, has announced the launch of the Motion X500 Portable High Fidelity Speaker. The compact speaker delivers powerful, immersive sound with spatial audio capabilities. This follows the recent announcement of the affordable Soundcore Motion 300, which has two 15W full-range drivers, and the Soundcore Motion X600 I previously reviewed, which was …
Anker Soundcore has announced the launch of its latest offering, the Motion 300 portable Bluetooth speaker. Engineered to deliver a high-fidelity audio experience, the Motion 300 boasts features such as wireless Hi-Res audio certification, LDAC codec support, SmartTune EQ, and an impressive 12-plus hours of battery life. Positioned as an ideal sound companion for outdoor …
Creative announced the Sound Blaster Katana SE in June, which sits between the Katana V2 and V2X in pricing. Unlike the other Katana soundbars, Creative have condensed all the speakers into the soundbar itself, omitting the need for a dedicated subwoofer and increasing the driver size and power to allow this soundbar to achieve impressive …
For home users that are interested in NAS devices such as Synology and TerraMaster, setting up a Plex media server is often one of the key features they want to use. As much as I love streaming services like Netflix and Disney, they are starting to get expensive, and it is not uncommon for me …