#SOUND
#1 SOUNDCORE Q20i
If you’re after ANC but don’t want to pay through the nose for the privilege of blocking out the world, this latest update of Soundcore’s surprisingly competent budget noise-cancellers is worth a look. Although they might look a little basic, they’re consistently comfy, very well built, feature astonishingly strong ANC for the price, and have a generous amount of passive noise cancelling to back it up.
$119, soundcore.com
#2 EARFUN AIR PRO 3
EarFun is the very definition of a contender brand, sneaking up on the big boys with fully up-to-date kit that does its job well. In fact, switch out ‘sneaking’ for ‘stomping’, because the Air Pro 3 buds, with their Bluetooth 5.3, aptX Adaptive compatible Qualcomm QCC 3071 chipset and huge 11mm drivers are making quite the noise. With ANC too, and a price point that often dips, they’re well worth a listen.
$119, myearfun.com
#3 DALI KATCH G2
There’s no great reinvention found in the second generation of the Katch, but the 2016 original didn’t really need it. It remains a uniquely pretty Bluetooth speaker, Dali gold coin branding and all, and it continues to hide some significant power inside. The Bluetooth jumps to 5.0 with aptX HD support, the battery expands to keep rocking for a solid 30 hours, but the quality sound at its core remains the highlight.
$799, dali-speakers.com
#4 CHORD MOJO 2
The Mojo in the name is apparently a portmanteau of the words mobile and joy, but don’t discount the voodoo that Chord’s sequel to its 2015 DAC stalwart can do to your tunes. Internally reengineered but keeping the jellybean buttons and tough aluminium shell of its predecessor, the Mojo 2 advances the already outstanding sonic performance of its predecessor, whether it’s in your pocket or hooked up to your hi-fi.
$799, chordelectronics.co.uk
#5 JAMO S7 17B
For resurrected Scandinavian brand Jamo, it’s all about the angles – though the slight upward point is not only an aesthetic touch. The plinth beneath these bookshelf wizards holds the crossover, isolating it from any potential noise, and Jamo says the tilt time-aligns the acoustic centres of each drive unit. That’s a lot of design effort for a set that’s so affordable, and some heavyweight hardware too.
$999, jamo.com
#6 SONOS ERA 300
The T3 Awards 2023 Gadget of the Year earned that accolade through its sharp design, quality connectivity, and superior sound. Sonos’ compact and curvy loudspeaker is the streaming audio device to beat, and while its price may seem steep compared to rivals, it earns every penny of it and more besides. If your budget stretches to only one speaker, make it this – and if it goes further, buy a pair.
$746, sonos.com
#7 KLIPSCH R-50PM
If you’re looking to invest in everything you need to turn a signal from basically any source into big music-shaped vibrations, you could happily stop at the R-50PMs. Not only do these pump out the tunes, they amplify them internally, feature a phono stage, Bluetooth and digital inputs, and put out what Klipsch hopes is a perfectly clean output. And they are absolutely gorgeous.
$1,199, klipsch.com
#8 APPLE HOMEPOD
Smart speakers are everywhere, but Apple rules the roost in the areas that count. This second stab at the HomePod sounds impeccable, defying its relatively small size. It offers smart home connectivity that others don’t, acting as a Matter hub for the next generation of smart devices. And you won’t find a more seamless phone-to-speaker transition anywhere else.
$469, apple.com/au
#9 PRO-JECT T2 W
Pro-ject’s turntables are favourites here at T3 towers, so news of this sequel to the minimalist and capable T1 – and the company taking one more step toward needing to have a trademark talk with our lawyers – has us excited. There’s a brand new phono stage, a redesigned tone arm, a striking glass platter, and (most excitingly) Wi-Fi connectivity, which opens up a world of wireless streaming possibilities.
$TBC, project-audio.com
#10 NOTHING EAR (2) BLACK
Not only has Nothing firmly established itself in the phone market, it has made a splash in the audio world too. Okay, maybe this is just the Ear (2), only black this time
