101 GADGETS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
#SOUND
#1 JBL FLIP 6
If you really want to take your audio wherever the party’s happening, the newest revision of the Flip has it where it counts. It’s portable (of course) and powerful, boasting a super-agile and plenty loud soundstage, which can be tweaked to your liking with in-app EQ. And if things get too raucous, it’ll withstand both the elements and a dip in the pool, thanks to its IP67-rated protection.
£129, jbl.com
#2 MARK LEVINSON NO. 5909
These are audiophile headphones for audiophile money, so they’ll not be within everyone’s reach. But if you want access to sublime closed back audio quality at home, as well as the ability to wear your cans out and about and take advantage of adaptive ANC while you’re at it, the 5909s are ready to serve. 40mm beryllium-coated drivers, expertly tuned audio response, high-end design – they’ve got it all.
£999, marklevinson.com
#3 PHILIPS FIDELIO T1
How dare Philips just turn up in the true wireless ear buds space and drop something as good as the Fidelio T1? These very rudely pack 10mm drivers into that chunky outcropping which allows them to deliver some massive sound, they impudently contain what is an already accomplished ANC engine, and they disrespectfully last nine hours on a single charge. They’re unforgivably good – though they could be cheaper.
£249, philips.co.uk
#4 SONY WF-C500
Fine. There’s no ANC here, and battery life that’s just okay. If that’s enough to put you off, move on – but if you want the best of Sony’s audio expertise distilled into a pair of super comfortable ear buds that cost less than a meal out, the WF-C500s have it. They absolutely don’t feel like Sony has cut any corners – the sonic experience is impressively neutral and handles dynamics nimbly.
£59, sony.co.uk
#5 CHORD MOJO 2
The Mojo 2, a long-awaited sequel to the long-revered stalwart of the portable DAC market, retains the esoteric and sometimes tricky to grasp jellybean interface of its predecessor but ties it to even more agile tech: Chord includes a 104-bit DSP, which it calls lossless, cuts out coupling capacitors for greater accuracy, opens up the soundstage and adds USB-C connectivity and extra battery.
£495, chordelectronics.co.uk
#6 JBL TUNE 660NC
The very dictionary definition, at least in particularly specific dictionaries, of chuck-’em-in-your-bag headphones. The JBL Tune 660NC on-ears are cheap enough that you won’t care too much if something happens to them, foldy enough that not much is likely to happen in the first place, and noise cancel-y enough that you’ll be doubly surprised at their price. A perfect second pair of headphones.
£58, jbl.com
#7 NAIM MUSO QB 2ND GENERATION
The newest Muso Qb isn’t actually that new now, but it’s still at the top of the all-in-one audio tree. It’s a true sonic experience, a selection of superb drivers squashed into a handsome box that does incredible things with sound, and which supports enough formats and protocols that there’s no need to replace it anyway.
£899, naimaudio.com
#8 Q ACOUSTICS CONCEPT 30
What makes a great bookshelf speaker? If you were sketching a blueprint, you could do worse than using Q Acoustics’ flagship affordable pair as a reference. They look great, they’re undeniably compact, and they sound smooth, tight and, if you like, massive. The drivers, which borrow heavily from the premium Concept 500, don’t hurt either.
£899, qacoustics.com
#9 SONY WH-1000XM5
There’s an argument that the never-ending battles in the ANC headphone space are all Sony’s fault, because it keeps firing ever-better audio salvos. We’re quite happy for things to continue as they are: the comfortable and perfectly poised XM5s beat the XM4s, which already had Sony’s competitors cowering, and (depending the side of the fence you sit on) they might even smash the AirPods Max.
£379, sony.co.uk
#10 PRO-JECT AUTOMAT A1
The Automat A1 may be the most foolproof of any modern record player: it’s Pro-ject’s first fully automatic spinner, using a mechanical needle-drop method that should leave playback unaffected by electronics, and includes a pre-set OM 10 cartridge and a built-in moving magnet phono stage. Just set the speed and go.
£369, project-audio.com
#11 SONOS MOVE
Why settle for a stock smart speaker? For our money there’s
