20 Aug
Blog

Pioneer DJ HDJ-CUE1BT-R Headphones Review: Solid Sound

Pioneer dj hdj cue1bt r headphones review 1

Pioneer DJ HDJ-CUE1BT-R Headphones Review: Solid Sound, Customizable Style

"With a comfortable fit and multiple color options to make a style statement, Pioneer gets this right most of the time for $ 100."

  • Good audio reproduction

  • Multiple color options and adjustments

  • Cable and Bluetooth operation

  • Comfortable, comfortable fit

  • Feel cheap to build

  • Adjustments are expensive

It's hard to say what to expect from a $ 100 bluetooth on-ear headphone. Top tier features or even Active Noise Canceling (ANC) aren't options for cost reasons, but price should mean better build quality and strong audio performance go without saying. If these are my parameters, the Pioneer DJ HDJ-CUE1BT-R headphones – let's just call them CUE1 for simplicity – seem to be just the thing for you.

The CUE1 is designed for Pioneer DJs who are “beginner DJs and music enthusiasts alike”. He tries to balance style and performance for a very affordable price. Let's talk about whether they are successful or not.

What's in the box?

The CUE1 are simply packaged with the headphones and include an optional 3.5mm coiled cord that plugs into an extruded plastic tub insert. There is a plastic bag behind the tub with the relevant documents and instructions.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

There is a lot of plastic in this packaging. Aside from the tub, which should be recyclable in most places, there is a lot of soft plastics on and around the headphones. If you have the option to recycle soft plastics through your local grocery store, that's great! However, this is not the norm in most places, so much of this packaging will end up in a landfill. We don't like to see that.

We'll get into the build quality of the CUE1 headphones shortly, but as a spoiler, I think they need a carry case, and unfortunately, Pioneer doesn't come with one.

Design and build quality

I really like the color options for the CUE1. For this review I chose red because it's my favorite color, but they are also available in black or white. I was pretty torn when it came to choosing the color because another selling point of the CUE1 is that Pioneer DJ has a range of bespoke ear cups and a coiled cord that come in five additional colors – orange, yellow, Green, blue or purple – and none of them go particularly well with red.

I'm not particularly impressed with the materials.

The customization kits with the product name HC-CP08 cost an additional $ 30, which feels a bit high. The cups cannot be attached in a special way, but rely on the tension of the material to hold them to the plastic cans. For example, if the cups were magnetic or had a bayonet lock, maybe I could see the value. Unfortunately, this type of mug is cumbersome to put on or take off and feels like something I would pass on as a buyer. I wish Pioneer had thought a little more about this feature that I usually like.

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The CUE1 looks pretty good when worn. They have a matte color that goes with pretty much anything, and the red will be especially eye-catching.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

I mentioned earlier that build quality really dictates the use of a case, and that's because I'm not particularly impressed with the materials. This actually reflects our opinion on the high-end Pioneer DJ HDJ-X5 headphones. So it's not particularly surprising to see her here. Although there is metal in the adjustment strap that is held together by screws, the rest of the product is made from a tough plastic that feels like it would tear easily if dropped or made rough contact with my backpack.

I know Pioneer needed to cut costs somewhere, and that clearly came into play with the materials used here. That's why I'm going to loosen them up a bit, since the drivers in the cups are exactly what you find in the aforementioned Pioneer DJ HDJ-X5 headphones. More on what these are bringing to the table soon.

Control, convenience and connections

All controls, connections and a single microphone are located in the left auricle. There are a number of buttons for volume control and below that a single button that handles power, pause / play / skip, answer and end calls, and bluetooth connectivity. It seems to put a lot in a button, but it works well enough. The connection for the supplied spiral cable is located under this button. Below is the microphone.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

I'll say the included 3.5mm jack cable gets everything right. Not only does it stick to the headset via a rotatable bayonet lock, but the other side of the cable also has an L-shape that keeps the profile slim against a computer or mixer and reduces the chance of knocking cables out or damaging them. The cable is of high quality and the design is just right for the intended use.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

The ear cups both rotate to the side independently for use with one ear, real DJ style. However, they do not rotate so that they can rest comfortably on your collarbones when not in use. The cups only spin away from you and not towards you for some reason, which is disappointing. As a result, they are not particularly comfortable when you are not wearing them.

The CUE1 should stay firmly attached to you even during exercise if this is your traffic jam.

However, when you wear them they are comfortable enough. On-ear headphones tend to put a lot of pressure on my ears to cling to my head and this is no exception. While this pressure creates some wear and tear fatigue over time, it also ensures that they don't fall off during activities and that they have pretty good noise isolation as well. This is in contrast to the Jabra Elite 45H, which sounds great but struggles to stay on the listener's head during activities. The CUE1 are definitely better at it and should stay firmly connected to you during training if that's your traffic jam.

The bluetooth connection on these is solid and allows me to travel far away from my yard while leaving my phone on my kitchen counter.

The CUE1 offers a battery life of 30 hours, which is a matter of course for headphones without ANC. You can't touch the 50-hour runtime of the Jabra Elite 45H, but nobody can.

Sound quality

I mentioned earlier that the Pioneer DJ CUE1 uses the same drivers as the company's HDJ-X5 headphones that we praised for their quality, and I'm happy to say that the CUE1 does indeed sound great.

The highs, mids and lows are all well represented and balanced.

The highs, mids and lows are all well represented and balanced. For headphones that don't have app support to set the EQ, it's important that they sound fantastic straight away, especially for those bass-heavy beats that DJs want to hear clearly. The bass isn't overwhelming, but you definitely won't miss it in pop and EDM songs.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

I'll say that while the sound of the CUE1 is warm and approachable, it isn't particularly clear, especially in the higher registers. They do a great job of not confusing any of the tones with each other, which makes them very good for monitoring music like a DJ would, but on top of the ambiguity they certainly push the warmth beyond what I think it is would qualify real studio monitors. We had similar references to the HDJ-X5 in our review, and so I think Pioneer did a good job migrating those drivers to these headphones at a $ 50 discount.

How do they compare to another $ 100 set? It's near. The Jabra 45H can actually have a little more punch behind its bass output if you adjust its EQ in the app. Overall, the audio display is very tight between the two, but I'll nod the Jabra 45H for a little better clarity.

Call quality

While the Pioneer DJ CUE1 is sufficient for phone calls, they don't do a great job with them. My voice sounded to me like I was in a closed pantry and wasn't very clear. In the end, the voice quality was great, and while I wasn't as clear as my listener wanted, we had an uninterrupted 20 minute conversation while I watered my garden.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

Our opinion

The Pioneer DJ HDJ-CUE1BT-R are good $ 100 headphones that offer a stylistic angle that few other headphones offer, especially at this price point. The finish of the interchangeable color options could have been better, but we still love to see it. They sound as good as their more expensive brother, the HDJ-X5, but they also have the same problems with durability and the lack of a carrying case. But for $ 100 they do enough right.

Is there a better alternative?

The Jabra Elite 45H headphones offer very similar audio quality as well as significantly better battery life and Bluetooth multi-point capability. The thing is, you get these features at the expense of the Pioneer DJ CUE1's better noise isolation, secure fit, and attachable cord. You should also consider the Audio BT-1 status or, thanks to the stronger bass, the Sony WH-XB700.

How long will they last?

Pioneer DJ offers a one-year warranty and we expect these to last longer with longer treatment. The thing is, you should buy a bag when you pick up these headphones to make sure they don't have excessive wear and tear while traveling.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The option to mix personalized colors into your headphones and get solid sound performance for $ 100 is a combination of options that leaves the Pioneer DJ CUE1 all but alone. They are definitely worth a visit.

Editor's recommendations




19 Aug
Blog

Know Calm Headphones Review: Not Unique, But Still Solid

Do you know quiet headphones

"The quiet isn't as different as it wanted to be, but they're still solid headphones."

  • Welcoming design

  • Good battery life

  • Clear, tasty sound

  • Effective active noise cancellation

  • Inconsistent touch controls

  • Special features are not noticeable

Know hit the portable sound scene with an unusual focus: these are not just headphones for music, as the company will tell you, but above all they are meant to be tools for knowledge, with functions and a long-term design, listening, podcasts and Can record audiobooks.

Standing out from a group of high quality headphones is a bold strategy, and it only pays off if Know can back up your claims with a high quality pair of cans. With the $ 250 (ear?) Value of active noise canceling headphones, we're going to answer this question: are these new headphones worth it?

Out of the box

If you regularly open as many product packages as I do, it becomes a bit monotonous. With headphones, there is a carrying case or pouch, a charging cable, possibly a 3.5mm extension cable, and definitely an excessive amount of reading material. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.

At least that's what I thought.

Do you know quiet headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

It's a refreshing sight to come across packaging like Know Calm's. Yes, all of these standard accessories are included, but they're wrapped in the box with a sense of creativity that I haven't seen that much with headphones on company. Plus, for some reason, Know includes both a notepad and a work of art in the mix, making it almost closer to a goodie bag than a collection of operating tools. I'm not saying every business should follow this out-of-the-box packaging style, but I'm saying this piqued my curiosity before I even turned on my pair of Calm cans.

When I turned them on, a very casual, non-robotic female voice let me know that the headphones had automatically entered pairing mode. After I found it and connected it to my phone, the same nonchalant voice told me that my device had been paired in the same tone a baker used on a quiet downtown morning to announce my order of donuts was ready. In other words, it's the calming presence you'd expect from headphones with this namesake.

The Know Calm are like most of the other headphones I've tried in that they have built-in Bluetooth 5 technology. At this point I expect them to be free of pairing issues and full range. Both sounded true again, and the quiet survived the endeavor in my back yard and back without getting out.

design

I usually don't talk about the tote bag first, but I'll make an exception here. The case for the Calm is more like a duvet for a luxury bed than a protective cover for headphones, and I mean that in a good way. The case is soft yet durable, with an outside pocket that I would assume could easily hold any cables you might need to bring with you. With a buckle on the back of the case for attaching to backpacks or luggage as a bonus, this really seemed like one of the better soft tote bags for headphones I've seen so far.

Do you know headphone caseNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The Calm are available in black, sage or plum gray. The ear cups and headband are so inviting and comfortable on your head that I was able to listen consistently for almost a full day without feeling any fatigue that less-friendly headphones could produce. And, I think, on the inside of the left and right cups reads “Left Ear” and “Right Ear”, in contrast to the traditional L or R. We mostly talk about small unimportant details here, but it's something that doesn't go unnoticed should stay. Every step of the way, Know seems to make a conscious effort to stand out from others. So far it works.

Every step of the way, Know seems to make a conscious effort to stand out from others. So far it works.

I don't really like the controls on the Know Calm though. Outside of the power / pairing button and the noise canceling button, which both work as intended, most of the controls for the Calm are done via touch controls on the right auricle. To be fair, some of the commands worked fine, e.g. B. swiping back and forth to switch tracks and I think these controls are altogether usable. But it was certainly annoying dealing with inconsistent responses to trying to pause a track or turn the volume down. It might be that my fingers aren't well suited for the calm touch sensors, but it was irritating in both cases. In comparison, the Razer Opus has buttons for each of these commands. Personally, this was far easier to operate than hoping your touch would be interpreted correctly.

properties

Know takes up to 24 hours of playback with a full battery charge, which is sufficient for this price range. This is better than the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, whose price is exactly the same and which are on a par with the cheaper Razer Opus. There are inexpensive cans like the JLab Audio Studio ANC that have better battery life, but you lose many other benefits along the way. Even so, 24 hours seems fair for the Know Calm at this price.

Do you know quiet headphones

The Calm can be charged using a Qi-certified wireless charger. This is not included, but you can use the included USB-C charging cable. In either case, according to Know, you can play for three hours on the charger after five minutes. Again, this is better than the Surface Headphones 2, as is the Beats Solo3 Wireless, and can potentially compete with the Sony WH-1000XM4, which gives you five hours of playback time after a 10 minute charge.

Know partially compensates for the irritating control problem with compatibility with Siri for Apple users and Google Assistant for Android fans. I can just say "Hey, Google" and quietly execute any commands I might have had minor issues with using the touch controls. I still think the touch controls should be tweaked to be as easy to use as possible, but the ability to get my smart assistant to carry out my bids fills the gap well enough for now.

The Calm is also equipped with a sensor that automatically pauses and plays when you take it off and put it back on. I caught them resuming playback while they were around my neck a few more times, but for the most part this was a useful addition to those headphones that worked just fine.

Audio quality

Know has a fascinating technology called "Mindshine Technology". Basically, this feature processes audio to mimic how your ears naturally process the sound. According to Know, there is no need to adjust the ears to a simultaneous wave pattern, but rather the sound is reflected around your head to create the effect of you hearing it as you might hear it from an external source.

Do you know quiet headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

It's not easy for me to see the weight of this technology when I compare the sound quality of the Calm to similar headphones. With some selections it seems more tangible, with others it's hard to distinguish. The truth is, it may not really matter: no matter how much that technology goes into the sound quality of the Calm or not, these headphones sound really good.

I would put these headphones next to comparable alternatives like the Razer Opus in terms of sound. The Calm are remarkably clear and provide a great sense of stereo separation when playing songs like The Doobie Brothers' Listen to the Music. Part of Know & # 39; s pitch, of course, is that the Calm headphones are designed to do more than just listen to music. As an avid podcast listener, I can attest that they sound great for hearing the spoken word. Especially at a time when podcast interviews are conducted over Zoom calls and audio quality is degraded, I was able to listen to my weekly dose of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend and Crime Junkies with incredibly clear sound.

The calm are remarkably clear, with a good sense of stereo separation.

I don't think the Calm is the budget alternative to the Sony WH-1000XM4 when it comes to sound, although most headphones at this price point are understandably difficult to compete with, and as they are much cheaper she probably shouldn't. That said, I think the Calm offer solid audio quality for what they cost, and I don't think anyone will be disappointed with how these headphones sound.

Active noise cancellation

In addition to Mindshine technology, Know has another technology that I hadn't heard of before. It's called Hush Active Noise Cancellation and, according to Know, it is the first ANC technology that treats "noises in the medium to high frequency range as well as in the low frequency range that conventional ANC headphones deal with".

Do you know quiet headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

I can't say this is the first technology to put both ends of the frequency range in its crosshairs, but what I can say is this: After testing the quiet in various environments, these headphones have above average, effective active noise cancellation. I'm not exactly able to take a flight during the world's current climate, so I didn't get a chance to see the quiet respond to aircraft engine drones or other low frequencies, but rather with socially distant steps in the park and on busy roads These headphones have proven themselves very well when it comes to blocking out neighboring conversations and unwanted traffic noise.

T.These headphones have proven to be very effective when it comes to blocking out neighboring calls and unwanted traffic noise.

There are three settings available with this active noise canceling button: low, high and off. Plus, you can put your hand over the right ear cup to add outside noise when you need to speak to a passer-by quickly, pretty much the feature we see in the Sony XM4s. It's a bit of a cumbersome gesture, but it works well and rounds off an effective ensemble with active noise cancellation. It's not up to Sony standards to be sure, but who is it these days?

Our opinion

With his Calm headphones, Know made targeted decisions with various details and design aspects to make his cans stand out from the crowd. Functionally, there is nothing that completely blows competitors out of the water, so I cannot say that they are successful in this endeavor. But the Calm are solid headphones for the price, and they should be treated as such.

Are there any better alternatives?

For just listening to music, I could go for the Razer Opus as it offers similar features for $ 50 less. However, if you regularly listen to more than music, I would prefer the clarity of the calm. Or, you could spend an additional $ 100 and buy the best headphones available today, the Sony WH-1000XM4.

How long will they last?

Know has a one-year limited warranty and a 45-day guarantee that you will love these headphones or your money back. The company is confident these headphones will work for the foreseeable future, and I see no reason to doubt it.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Unpacking the Know Calm headphones gave me hope that these would be different from anything else I tested. While testing dampened the reality of this idea, it nonetheless proved that these headphones have solid features and audio quality. If you have $ 250 to spend, you won't be sorry if you choose the quiet.

Editor's recommendations




04 Jun
Blog

Sonos Arc Review: A Solid Soundbar For The Dolby Atmos Era

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbar

"With Dolby Atmos and Voice A.I., the Sonos Arc is the Swiss Army knife for sound bars."

  • Excellent surround sound

  • Simple and easy setup

  • Decent Dolby Atmos from a single speaker

  • Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant

  • No HDMI inputs

  • Not ideal for all music genres

When Sonos launched its first soundbar, the Playbar for $ 699 in 2013, it received the praise it deserved. As an absolutely simple but somewhat expensive way to give your TV a massive audio upgrade, almost everyone succeeded except one front: Sonos' decision to equip the playbar with a single optical input meant that the playbar would work forever Get away from the growing world of surround formats like Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos – something that reviewers at the time described as a disadvantage of an otherwise excellent product.

Seven years later, Sonos returned to the full-size home theater soundbar arena with the $ 799 Arc, a Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker that shows everything the company has learned since the Playbar debut. Did Sonos push the envelope far enough this time or did he just catch up? Let's take a look.

Beautiful design

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

I have already said that the best designs in soundbars do not attract any attention at all. After all, your visual focus should be on your TV, not your soundbar.

Whether your primary aesthetic is the reserved Darth Vader or the reserved Stormtrooper, there's a Sonos Arc to suit your taste

However, if you don't draw your eye negatively, it doesn't mean that your soundbar should also be a boring plastic sheet. In a classic Sonos way, the Arc exudes subtle elegance when not partnering with your TV, and almost disappears when it's time to dim the lights and start the show.

I owe this chameleon-like performance to the matt black finish of our test device. It worked for me – but for the first time, Sonos also has a full-size soundbar that you can also buy in matte white. Whether your primary aesthetic is the reserved Darth Vader or the reserved Stormtrooper, there's a Sonos Arc to suit your taste.

The design of the one-piece wrap-around speaker grille, made up of hundreds of tiny holes, gives the Arc the same subtle monolithic look as the company's other latest products, such as Move, Sonos One, One SL, and the updated Sonos Five.

Sonos placed the Arc's touch controls at the top of the soundbar. This seems to be a more logical position than the more cumbersome controls on the Playbar. However, this placement means that if you push the arc fully under your TV, you will have little or no access to these controls. However, this may not matter, because with all Sonos products, you can fully control the speaker from your phone, tablet, or computer.

Just like the Playbar, you can place the Arc in front of your TV where you need at least 2.5 inches of space if you want it to sit just below the screen. It can also be mounted on the wall, but is prepared for a sticker shock: the optional steel bracket costs a whopping $ 80 – a full 10% of the price of the Arc itself.

Limited connectivity

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sonos prides itself on its commitment to simplicity and the Arc embodies this through its extremely simple setup: a single HDMI ARC / eARC connector on the back of the speaker is all you need to connect it to your TV. Simply plug one end of the included HDMI cable into this connector, the other end into the HDMI ARC / eARC connector on your TV, plug in the power cord, and off you go.

The rest of the setup process is done in the Sonos app. It only takes a few minutes and includes Sonos' Trueplay tuning feature. With Trueplay, Sonos gains an understanding of the acoustics of your room. It can then optimize the Arc's EQ for better music and probably better Dolby Atmos. The problem is that TruePlay is only available for iOS and the microphone is required on an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Android users are out of luck.

Sonos points out that you can borrow an iOS device for TruePlay on your system at any time. However, this seems to be a cold consolation to those who have chosen not to go into Apple's well-kept, walled garden.

Sonos prides itself on its commitment to simplicity and the Arc couldn't be easier to set up and use.

Ironically, Sonos' desire to keep things simple has also caused some inconvenience. HDMI ARC / eARC is a great concept because it allows you to send digital audio and video to your TV while sending your digital audio back to your soundbar or A / V receiver. However, the Sonos Arc uses this connection for itself and only converts it into an audio output.

This is because, unlike almost every modern sound bar on the market, the Arc has no HDMI input. All of your source devices such as game consoles, cable boxes, streaming media devices or Blu-ray players must be connected directly to one of the other HDMI inputs on your TV. This leads to two potential problems.

First, in addition to the HDMI cable required for the Arc, you need to connect one HDMI cable per device to your TV, unless your source device is a stick-style device like a Fire TV Stick. Depending on your home theater installation, this can be difficult.

Second, only a few televisions are supplied with more than four HDMI inputs. Once you've connected the arc, there are only three. If three inputs are not enough, you will need an HDMI switch to convert one of these three into two or more additional connectors.

If you can get by with just three ports (or if your TV initially has more than four) and you don't mind laying a few more HDMI cables, don't think about it. On the other hand, if you were hoping to replace an A / V receiver with six or seven inputs with the Arc, you will need to do some homework before placing your order.

I should note that if your TV doesn't have HDMI ARC, you can use the included optical HDMI adapter, but you won't be able to receive Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby TrueHD and therefore not Dolby Atmos. Dolby Digital 5.1 will still sound amazing, but it won't use the full range of the Arc.

Sensational surround sound

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Like any other speaker Sonos makes, the Arc delivers a larger and richer sound than its compact body suggests. Bass – the main ingredient for home theater sound – is remarkably thundering for a sound bar. The uninitiated looks around the room for the subwoofer that is simply not there.

The bow's ability to reproduce dialogues is equally impressive. It is clear and precise even without activating the optional dialog enhancement mode. This is a testament to Sonos' understanding of what television is fun for. You can have the most impressive multi-channel sound system in the world. However, if you don't understand what the actors are saying due to the muddy dialogue, your viewing experience will be significantly affected.

Bass – the main ingredient for home theater sound – is remarkably thundering for a sound bar.

Thanks to its channel drivers with upward height and its phase-controlled loudspeaker arrangement, the Arc also creates an expansive sound stage, which makes it an ideal solution with a loudspeaker for much better TV audio.

Most users use the Arc with Dolby Audio in either 2-channel stereo or 5.1 audio, as these two formats represent the majority of the available streaming and broadcast content. The Arc does an excellent job with both and easily fills larger rooms with expansive, exciting sound.

Dolby Atmos for beginners

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The same outstanding audio experience also applies to the Arc, Dolby Atmos heading function, but you need to soften your expectations a bit. The Arc uses a pair of upward-facing speakers to bring the treble of a Dolby Atmos soundtrack back into your viewing position. This is the same technique used by all Atmos-enabled sound bars and even some dedicated Atmos speakers.

How effective this system is depends on the geometry of your room. In my basement TV room with 7.5-foot ceilings, I was definitely aware of the heightened sense of 3D space, but it was more of a subtle effect than something that grabs your lapel. There is no visual indicator on the arc to let you know that you are listening to Dolby Atmos. If you are not sure, you will get a quick look at the app.

I tested the Arc's Atmos chops with current action-oriented favorites like Ford vs. Ferrari, Avengers: Endgame and John Wick, Chapter 3: Parabellum. No matter whether it is roaring racing cars, thundering spaceships or ricocheting balls, the Arc can help you to focus on the action.

A warning here: At the moment, the Arc only supports Dolby Atmos, not DTS: X. DTS: X offers Atmos a similarly impressive experience, but is not so well supported by Blu-rays or streaming services. If you still need it, you have to look elsewhere.

Add a sub and surround

I think the Sonos Arc is great on its own, but if you're looking for an even bigger and better sound, you can have it. Sonos allows you to expand the Arc's capabilities by adding a Sonos Sub for $ 699. You can use any matching pair of Sonos speakers as surround satellites – even a pair of Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf speakers for $ 99.

I recommend both upgrades. The Sub will bring the Arc's impressive bass from good to gigantic (and it's the only subwoofer compatible with the Arc), while a pair of surrounds will help the Arc fill in some of the sounds it doesn't quite bounce off can reproduce audio towards you. I've tried a number of Sonos One SLs – which was amazing – but I think any pair of Sonos speakers would give the Arc a helpful boost.

Music performance

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Soundbars are primarily about delivering better TV audio, but the Arc is not just a soundbar. As a full-fledged Sonos speaker, you get all the advantages of the Sonos system: a brilliant mobile app that gives you complete control over your music sources, your speakers and your entire home if you want to switch to multiroom audio.

If you need your soundbar as the primary music source for double-duty, the Arc can do it. The only limitation is that since the Arc is set to give optimal results for TV audio, it doesn't have the same sound signature as other types of speakers or even other Sonos speakers. The same emphasis on higher frequencies and lower frequencies that provide such convincing film magic does not always go well with all music genres.

Vocal forward tracks from Adele, for example, are definitely improved. Billie Eilish's Bond theme, No Time To Die, is another example of a track that takes advantage of the Arc's theater-inspired acoustics. But jazz standards, classic compositions and even some straightforward pop and rock songs can feel a bit trapped due to a lack of definition in the midrange.

Atmos music

However, my reservation has one limitation: Dolby Atmos Music. Fortunately, Tidal added the ability to stream Dolby Atmos Music from its Apple TV 4K app the same week I spent my time with the Sonos Arc.

Dolby Atmos music on the bow is a joy. Tracks that have been mastered (or remastered) in Atmos Music can give you a completely new appreciation of music, depending on the song. A great example are the classic Riders On The Storm by The Doors. The rain and thunder, which have always felt overwhelming to me when listening to stereo, suddenly become an intimate and essential part of the music. Jim Morrison's already haunting lyrics and vocals get a trembling, ghostly echo after lines like "It's a killer on the go".

I don't know if these elements have always been part of the song or not, but with the combination of Atmos Music and Arc you can't ignore them. Not every Atmos Music title is equally fascinating. However, if you can afford the $ 20 monthly Tidal HiFi subscription level and have a compatible streaming device, I highly recommend it.

AirPlay 2 and voice assistants

Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Sonos Arc doesn't have Bluetooth – a feature that almost every other soundbar offers – so you can't connect directly from your phone. Instead, you can use Apple's AirPlay 2 technology to connect from your Apple device over WiFi. As much as this frustrates Android users, in practice there is only one situation where there is a problem: playing music that only works on your Android device.

What the Arc offers that no other soundbar (apart from Sonos & # 39; own beam) can offer is the choice of Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant as a voice assistant. I've had some issues setting up Google Assistant, but I'm going to attribute this to the beta software I'm using. Alexa worked perfectly.

Having a voice assistant in a soundbar is actually a pretty big deal. Aside from the obvious benefits of a smart speaker (playing music, controlling smart home devices, and getting answers to your questions), you can use various voice commands to turn the TV on and off, since the Arc is connected to your TV via HDMI or off adjust the volume. Your particular TV may support more commands, depending on the model and whether it's compatible with Google Assistant or Alexa.

Our opinion

The Sonos Arc for $ 799 is the home theater upgrade that Sonos fans have been waiting for. It offers great surround sound, a good, if subtle, Dolby Atmos experience, and all the benefits of a smart speaker and Sonos' unique multi-room audio system. Only the lack of HDMI inputs and the slightly degraded music quality prevent it from being a perfect soundbar for the price.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want an Atmos-enabled soundbar with a choice of voice assistants and the ultimate flexibility of Sonos' multiroom audio system, there is simply no second option at all costs.

The Sennheiser Ambeo is a more effective system with a loudspeaker for those who are looking for first-class atmosphere and music. Of course, it's huge and costs $ 2,500. That's even more than the Arc, a Sonos Sub and a pair of Sonos One SLs.

When you're ready to step into multiple speaker units, you can achieve a more compelling Dolby Atmos experience by spending more. Vizio's 5.1.4 system is available for $ 1,000, or you can buy the LG SN11RG for $ 1,700 for even more power. Both also have multiple HDMI inputs.

How long it will take?

Despite the fact that Sonos has recently discontinued support for some older devices, you can expect the Arc to last for years, if not decades. Sonos products are well built and the Arc is no exception.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Sonos Arc is a breeze for Sonos users. It costs $ 100 more than the playbar it replaces, but offers better sound, Dolby Atmos, AirPlay 2, voice assistants, and more. As long as you need to use your TV's HDMI inputs or an HDMI switcher to connect your video sources, the Arc will reward you with excellent home theater audio for less than $ 1,000.

Editor's recommendations




27 Apr
Blog

Gears Tactics Review: Solid Tactics in a Rich Universe

Gear Tactics Rating Grainy Grub Fun Gearstactics 00

Gears Tactics Review: New genre, same bloody Gears chaos

"… Gears Tactics doesn't have to keep up with the latest major series game to convey the franchise's big ambitions in terms of global conflict."

  • Deep yet accessible gameplay

  • Feels like a natural extension of the franchise's best features

  • Another interesting kick for the constantly evolving tradition

  • A new way to take in an old world

  • Some control and camera problems

  • The texture popup remains

  • The presentation looks and feels a bit boring

Gears Tactics is another attempt to lure viewers into the longstanding franchise that has Microsoft's Xbox 360 firmly on the map. After more than 14 years of harsh voices and plump biceps, turn-based death and destruction wrapped around the series' signature sauce are the most exciting addition to the saga since Gears of War 2.

What we have here is a turn-based strategy title that deals with the favorite band of all block-headed brothers and their struggles against the infamous Locust horde.

Commanding a tiny but high-spirited team to splash freaky lizards feels familiar, yet different enough to free Gears veterans from their third-person roots, and to offer strategy fans the kind of odds with small odds of which you live.

Gears Tactics doesn't hold your hand, but it will inspire you to follow the maggot control strategies that your online friends would normally mess up. It is evidence of a franchise that has perfected the bloody struggle from the start, and this tactical approach to its format should have been done years ago.

Gears Tactics gameplay

Gears Tactics is a prequel set 12 years before the first game when Gabe Diaz takes over the reins. His team's job is to murder Ukkon, the enigmatic engineer behind the legendary monstrosities of Brumak and Corpser, and he's not afraid to use his grotesque creations to stop you.

Scratch 12 maggots

To defeat Ukkon, recruit and replenish heroes and foot soldiers, with roles determined by one of the five legendary weapons they prefer.

It may not sound like a lot to play around with. Still, the tight design helps keep the core elements of the fight simple, with more sophisticated strategies emerging from the direction you choose to take your unique talent trees as they advance in battle.

Since a cutscene only occasionally drives the narrative forward, you almost always compete against the enemy. There is very little menu fluff to get stuck in. This is good because the menus on a cell phone are not out of place.

As soon as you are outdoors, all hands are on deck. No matter which of the four types of missions you are in, your squad of four or fewer units will land in the same position, and the fog of war will cover almost everything until you advance through the mud.

There is a decent amount of variety when it comes to mission goals, but they all boil down to the same thing: kill some crazy lizards.

Every turn looks, feels and sounds like a Gears of War battle.

Each unit consumes a limited amount of AP per round between offensive and defensive actions, and you can cycle through your team to optimize your budget.

Performances return and are encouraged to make the most of your team's strict action limit. Without them, it really wouldn't feel like a Gears game.

The way Gear's legendary action sequences translate seamlessly into this turn-based formula creates combat dynamics that are shockingly accurate to the starting material, while offering a welcome new perspective. The idea of ​​taking over an existing Gears game and simply moving the camera up makes sense here.

Gears tactics passive skills

Each round looks, feels and sounds like a Gears of War battle that takes place from a different angle. Units slip into cover and shoot (and miss) from behind, and the cinematic kill cam occasionally goes over the shoulder of a unit to bring you closer to the action.

Loot caches scattered across each battlefield award random weapon accessories and gear at the end of the mission, filling up the time between tasks with numerous character customizations. Once you recruit more allies, spend a good five to ten minutes between each mission to ensure that their equipment and capabilities are aligned.

Banging a boomer's head and bursting wretches with his grenade launcher is just the icing on the cake, and throwing a pineapple into an emergence hole still feels worthy of a high five from anyone nearby.

Tactics on the battlefield, strategy in the menus

The progression of history and mandatory side missions ease the need for reserve troops. You cannot retrieve a unit's equipment if it is used even once in a multi-mission chapter. Hence, loot management is another thing you should keep an eye on. Once you get to some of the later acts, the Wonky customization menu starts to complicate things.

Gears Tactics effectively communicates the franchise's great ambitions with regard to global conflicts.

If you are not a master tactician, it is not easy to remember the dozen passive and active skills of each unit. A list of the characteristics of each unit can be obtained, but trying to get the most out of each round is serious mental training that can strain newbies.

It's the kind of information overload veterans of the series have to fall in love with, and one that wouldn't be quite as problematic if you could involve the same team in every mission.

Gears Tactics gameplay

Gears Tactics' slower turn-based pace breathes new life into the franchise, which is about an almost endless war of wear. The series has started to feel more open, but instead of exploring before another big fight, Sera's decimated world helps it feel more alive than ever when it has the time to move during an ongoing battle.

As with the previous entries, Gears Tactics is still plagued by texture pop-in issues, and everyone except the lead actors see and sound a bit stiff. Once things are loaded properly, Gears Tactics effectively communicates the franchise's great ambitions in terms of global conflict.

You are more likely to cheer for a good grenade throw or a happy critical hit than to complain about technical quirks or methods of calculating hits.

Just like with Gears 5, my keyboard and controller constantly struggled to take control of the action and caused conflict between the camera and cursor. Coupled with the inability to check the enemy's chances of hitting just to leave the line of sight, I sometimes felt that the game was not entirely fair.

But on a lower difficulty level there was far more jubilation about victory than tears of fear. There were gameplay sessions that, along with a menu that feels touch-like, can easily be transferred to mobile devices at some point in the future. XCOM did it and I wouldn't mind getting Tactics on the train.

Our opinion

Gears Tactics has been my favorite Gears game for years. It's not nearly as feature-rich as the main series titles. Still, the slower pace is an exciting new way to enjoy Sera's crumbling civilization, whether you're a longtime fan or a newbie looking for a new strategy title on a budget.

Aside from a couple of technical issues, this has revived my love for a franchise that I really thought would not survive the leap of the next generation. It turned out that it wasn't the increasingly complicated story that distracted me from the franchise, but the same tired gameplay loop that it has used in the past decade and a half.

Gears Tactics is a brilliant next step for a series that hasn't seen much innovation since its launch. It's not very ambitious, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Is there a better alternative out there?

It is XCOM in the Gears universe. Both games have many years of history behind them that are not necessary for their fun at all, so they are the same at the moment. You get the same core experience. It's more a question of which world you prefer to dive into first.

How long it will take?

A couple dozen hours, sure. It all depends on how much preparation you put into each round. There are several difficulty levels with important modifiers for strategy games to increase the warmth. If you want to face a challenge, you will continue to play it for a long time.

Should you buy it

Depends on. As a Microsoft IP, every game in the franchise is somehow available on GamePass. For hardcore gears fans, it's worth the $ 60 price and absolutely worth a few dollars to get through quickly if you're new to the franchise.

Editor's recommendations




07 Apr
Blog

Final Fantasy VII Remake Review: Solid Story, Archaic Design

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review 2 vii 03

Final Fantasy VII Remake Review: Thundaga can't strike twice

"… although the entire Final Fantasy VII story is a fascinating, emotional globetrotter adventure, this first 40-hour romp is anything but."

  • A well-written extension of one of the most popular game stories

  • Visually striking when history demands it

  • Generously expressed and magnificent with solid performances all round

  • Fight tries to be too much at once

  • Level design consists of corridors, platforms and stairs

  • Extremely linear gameplay with little exploration

  • Too much fluff between the good things

Final Fantasy VII Remake is here to take things in a new direction more than two decades after the original gave us a hero and villain almost as recognizable as Mario. While this eagerly awaited update is brave and sometimes beautiful, it is the latest victim of a company that places too much trust in its experienced designers.

Square Enix changed the game landscape with the seventh iteration of the Final Fantasy franchise 23 years ago. Final Fantasy VII has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of children and adults. His warm welcome influenced a CGI feature film that expanded his story, as well as some interesting spin-offs.

I only played this cultural milestone a decade after its release at the request of a close friend who was caught up in Clouds and Sephiroth's dreamy polygonal appearance.

Getting off the train as Cloud, a young mercenary with a grudge against Shinra, overlord of the world, is still a fantastic opening all these years later. Aside from the money on the table, it will be a long time before we fully understand why he is helping a militia detonate a bomb in a nuclear reactor. Nojima, the writer of the original story, lets Cloud's enigmatic personality emerge during the 40-hour campaign at the behest of his gripping cast of characters, but we as gamers have been responsible for the bleak teenage heartbreaker for so long that he's stale far too soon.

Example of a fight in Final Fantasy VII

The early introduction of repetitive gameplay elements will not help. Every time the story decides to take a breather, you're exposed to some really outrageous sections. Between the captivating cutscenes that shame the 2005 film, it's a slow, highly scripted adventure through dark tunnels and corridors with lots of glacier crossings and incredibly uninspired switch and platform sections.

Midgar, the industrial city in the sky that this whole story is about, is huge. But apart from a pizza trip and light identity theft, you can hardly see it. Of course there is a reason for this. They spend most of their time in the slums below, but even the shadow of this steel state is little more than long, narrow paths with impressively written but graphically overwhelming shantytowns.

Fast, fluid, faulty

Unless you choose a more relaxed difficulty level, the battle in Final Fantasy VII Remake is almost entirely in real time. It's a big difference from the turn-based system of the original and one that doesn't always give the best results. Stylistically it's absolutely great. Attacks have real weight and flair. And while summoners with little fanfare feel thrown in, it is almost enough to tear them out of their assigned material and let them wreak havoc to interfere with some of the harsher realities of this otherwise tortuous combat system.

If you have the chance to put everything into a fight, there is no better feeling. Boss fights, like the Airbuster Mech, are as magical as they are stressful. There are numerous cases of these well-fought battles, but they're almost always hidden behind multi-monster brawls that seem to play by their own rules. If you are not being fought over by off-screen opponents, the target system stabs you in the back. It is almost impossible to know the outcome of a strike. Tifa will happily throw herself in the air to box a bird with her bare knuckles, but will try to use a stronger skill and she will land on the ground again so as not to swing.

Final Fantasy VII remake

In such a real-time action title, we're used to the idea that everything can be perfected. But that's not how it feels here. Try toppling the scales in favor of a more exciting attack strategy, and you could end up switching off from your main target, botching a powerful spell, and getting hit by something you either couldn't see or could adapt to for half a second. This is a series of small battlefields and narrow camera angles, but it could be improved with a simple target list of wands.

If everything goes well, the fight feels incredibly rewarding. Tifa and Barret are doing shockingly well to the point where I actively try not to control Cloud whenever I can. You can choose which character you want to control from the start of a fight. If the scenario does not require this, you as Mr. Moody Mercenary will cross the overworld for a long time.

It is cold under the steel sky

What is waiting behind all the fluff is pretty convincing. Most non-player characters (NPCs) aren't nearly as graphically great as the main characters, but that doesn't mean they're not worth a look. Far from it. The area around the seventh heaven is full. It lives. Everyone has something to say about their day, a personality that is immediately noticeable.

Children practice dance routines, jocks discuss hitting girls, and rumors spread left and right. It's like Square Enix hired every voice actor on the planet to breathe life into these tiny hamlets. But as soon as you leave Wall Market behind and try to return to Aerith's house, you'll be reminded of how little scenery there is to explore. You'll get a glimpse of something bigger when you stray from a beaten path for a side quest, but after another four, you'll realize that the full Final Fantasy VII story, while a fascinating, emotional adventure around the world, is this first 40 hours romp is anything but.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a fraction of the whole story. More will come, but we don't know when. After 20 years of hardware development, Midgar still doesn't feel as big as we have always felt. I can only hope that the time spent cutting off so many corners here has been spent on designing a far more ambitious follow-up. The world of Gaia will feel terribly small if you rely on the practices presented here.

Kazushige Nojima, who wrote the original of Final Fantasy VII and the subsequent side stories, returns to the baby he created over two decades ago. Between writing FFVIII and the tearful Kingdom Hearts series, the man spent years working out his world in spin-off titles, books and the popular film. With Remake, he worked it out further and expanded a fairly tame and tiny part of the original game into a section that is almost as heartbreaking as the entire chronicle.

New in this retelling are characters that come from subsequent side stories. Leslie from the Advent children's prequel book The Kids Are Alright makes direct contact with Cloud this time, which means that one can assume that the original FFVII is no longer completely canonical. There is more to this evolution once you delve into the details, but Remake is more than a simple extension of what was before – it's a completely revised narrative that will undoubtedly sink its claws into subsequent releases and that still has a lot of possibilities should captivate those who have already invested in FFVII traditions. Nojima's big story was a catch for a younger self. His efforts have shaped the series ever since. Anyone who is able to make some archaic game design decisions can look forward not only to storytelling, but also to eyes and ears. Mostly.

While Nojima does what he does best, composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki join colleague Nobuo Uematsu to resume the game's classic soundtrack. New additions like the hip-hop sound of the grubby Collapsed Expressway and the completely revamped Wall Market theme are two bops that I can't wait to add to my playlist.

Visually, Final Fantasy VII remake looks incredible. No stranger will be blown away if they catch a glimpse of it on a YouTube ad, but considering that its real-time cutscenes outperform the pre-rendered footage of the mid-2000s Advent Children film, it's incredibly exciting to see how far we have come. It's just a shame that no amount of stories or catchy melodies can offset this boring attempt to wrap a playable game around his script. World building is not the drawback of this game – it is still one of the greatest game stories ever told. The questionable, outdated game design that is widespread everywhere makes Final Fantasy VII Remake fall flat.

Our opinion

After years of waiting, it hurts to say that Final Fantasy VII remake doesn't really impress. The classic plot – or at least what is offered here – benefits greatly from generous and outstanding speech, but how you extract the story of a generation is nothing short of a shame. Running up and down corridors and stairs for dozens of hours is a burden, and while the combat system can sometimes offer fights that embarrass MMO raids, mountains of fluff, and a combat system that can't be committed to a single style leaves this like feel a little step back from the already problematic Final Fantasy XV. There is very little freedom of movement here. Just a linear campaign that doesn't have much else to offer.

If we take into account the polarizing reception of Final Fantasy XIII, it is clear that Square Enix's weirdly long development times have resulted in a track record of games that just don't count the number of hours of work going into them.

Is there a better alternative out there?

If you're looking for an emotional roller coaster, two names come to mind. If you prefer a more in-depth experience, Persona 5 is really worth a look. It's almost three times as long as Final Fantasy VII, but it knows what it does with that extra time. However, a closer comparison is Nier Automata with its action-oriented combat system.

How long it will take?

Right now? Give or take forty hours. This also applies to all side quests, of which there are not many at all. Apart from an option for hard mode and some additional additions for Colosseum quests, there is little to prevent the repeat value.

Should you buy it

If you have had problems with Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV, you will find the same errors here. Perhaps you support a creator by watching the playthrough instead. If you played Final Fantasy VII as a kid, you will get a kick out of this lengthy story experience, but you will feel challenged.

Editor's recommendations




06 Apr
Blog

Shure AONIC 215 Review: Solid Sound in a Unique Package

Shure AONIC 215 headphones

"The Shure AONIC 215 are comfortable and have a soft sound, but only a few functions."

  • Clear, balanced sound

  • Comfortable, light design

  • Exceptional call quality

  • No volume or track controls

  • No active noise cancellation

If Shure's mission with his Aonic 215 headphones was to create something strikingly different from the popular rivals in his field … well, mission accomplished. The audio company's new $ 279 real wireless buds stand out from the crowd. This is evident in everything they find from their design and fit to the package they are delivered in. But is that a good thing?

I wish I could bluntly answer yes or no and storm the gates with an explanation of how much better or worse these headphones are due to their comparable uniqueness. But it's just not that easy with the Aonic 215.

Out of the box

I wouldn't go so far as to call it the industry standard, but there is some perception regarding the package in which a set of earphones comes in. Usually, but not always, it's small and square.

Shure AONIC 215 packagingNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Enter the Aonic 215 headphones, which come in a large, circular package, as if they were going to set the tone immediately. Lifting the lid reveals the headphones, which rest on a foam bed and whose charging case sits in the middle of the pair. Also included: a micro-USB-C charging cable, a selection of replacement earplugs (I replaced the foam tips supplied with the buds for a pair of smaller soft-flex tips) and a quick guide. circular in line with a growing trend here.

The Bluetooth pairing process was the only segment of the initial setup that reflected other earbuds. The Aonic 215 should automatically switch to pairing mode when switched on and should be easy to find in your phone's Bluetooth settings. If it doesn't, Shure includes a manual option to connect. I didn't need it to pair it with my smartphone, but it was nice to know that it is available as a failover.

design

The over-the-ear style of the Aonic 215 means that the headphones have a larger footprint than, for example, the Samsung Galaxy Buds +. However, they are pleasantly light and comfortable, at least after you have played around briefly to attach the stems of the buds behind your ear.

Shure AONIC 215 headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The part of the headphones that actually sits in your ear – which to me was a teal blue, but is available in black, white, or clear variations – is so understated that you might forget that they were there, if not for the rest the headphones stick to the ears.

That brings me to the hot button problem here. The design of over-the-ear earphones is somewhat polarizing. Some people love them, others can't stand them. I had always considered myself connected to the latter because most of the ones I used were heavy and my ears felt cramped. The Aonic 215 are just the opposite.

Her style also suits a lifestyle on the go. I haven't seen a single shift when I walked through the park while jogging, while traditional earphones haven't stayed in place more than a handful of times.

The case is the outlier in terms of design. Most earbuds have taken on a compact, pills-like look for their charging cases, but the Aonic 215 is in a circular case that's closer to the size of a wallet. It's by no means an uncomfortable size, but not as pocket-friendly as other models available.

characteristics

Compared to other earphones in (and below) their price range, it's hard to overlook how little the Aonic 215 has in the functional department. To be clear, the features they have are solid. But it's 2020. For almost $ 300, it's a mistake to omit coveted capabilities like active noise cancellation.

Shure AONIC 215 headphone caseNick Woodard / Digital Trends

According to Shure, the Aonic215 is equipped with sound-insulating technology that blocks up to 37 dB of noise, as well as an environmental mode that introduces noise from your surroundings. In my experience, both worked well. However, active noise cancellation in products such as the Sony WF-1000XM3 and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 is superior.

The Aonic 215 is said to last up to eight hours on a single charge, with three additional charges built into its carrying case. These specifications were checked during testing during my time. But unfortunately for Shure, the bar was raised. When the Samsung Galaxy Buds + can last up to 11 hours at a half price, I wanted more. Especially a pair without ANC, which shortens playback times, as is the case with both Sony and Sennheiser.

I had no connection problems thanks to the Bluetooth 5 technology built into Aonic 215, except a few times when my phone was connected to the headphones but did not play any media through them. However, I am using an older phone in a Google Pixel 2, so it may be more Google than Shure to blame.

My biggest problem with the functionality of the Aonic 215 is a very basic function. Or rather, it should have been. The buttons on the bottom of each headphone work well for what they are designed for. It takes a lot of pressure, but you can play and pause music effectively, answer and end calls, turn ambient mode on or off, or activate your voice assistant. What you can't do, which frankly confuses me about the price, is adjusting the volume or switching between tracks. They are two very simple commands that you won't really miss until you are forced to jog through an entire pit bull soundtrack.

Audio quality

Shure AONIC 215 headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Shure has been in the audio business for almost a century and has a product line that ranges from budget options to price tags that only an audiophile can love – this is a company with a proven track record of producing great sounds, from microphones to headphones .

After listening extensively with the Aonic 215, I can say with certainty that these headphones do justice to the family tree of their brand. They are remarkably clear and some of the more balanced buds I've dealt with. Testing with a variety of genres was a lot of headache to the point where I looped songs like "Red Hot Chili Peppers" Under the Bridge just because it sounded so crisp.

In my view, these are not well equipped for a good low-end. They are useful, but for songs like Brothers Osborne's rum, where a low note is the backbone of the entire track, I found that the bass is not as critical as I am used to. The equalizer in the associated ShurePlus Play app helped, but was not a miracle worker.

The call quality was exceptional, although for some reason some conversations only had audio in my right bud. It is by no means a deal breaker, but it was a remarkable quirk.

Do these sound better than the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2? In a word, no. Is that a fair comparison? Usually it shouldn't be, but that's the type of weight class the Aonic 215 fights in thanks to its cost. Do they sound better than cheaper alternatives like the Galaxy Buds +? Absolutely, although I'm not sure if the average listener can say that it sounds twice as good.

Our opinion

With the Aonic 215, Shure has produced a pair of comfortable, soft-sounding headphones that are easy to grip and carry. Given what competitors with similar prices have to offer, they dropped the ball in the feature section.

Are there any better alternatives?

Yes. The Sony WF-100XM3 are regularly retailed for $ 229. Although they are a bit older, they offer better functions. The same goes for the $ 299 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, and they're our pick for the best-sounding real wireless earbuds. If you already want to spend money at the Shure headphones at the baseball stadium, it's worth spending the extra $ 20 on the Sennheiser.

How long will they last?

Shure is not approaching the 100-year mark by making products with a short shelf life. Expect these headphones to be durable and ready for the long haul.

Should you buy them

Only if you are specifically looking for over-the-ear headphones with great sound. Otherwise there are better buds, often at much better prices.

Editor's recommendations