When a company has been making headphones as long as Sennheiser has, you begin to expect certain things from it. In this case, that list includes class-leading sound quality and a comfy fit. What I don’t usually expect is jaw-dropping battery life and conveniences that typically only Sony manages to offer.

With the Momentum 4 ($350), Sennheiser has completely redesigned its flagship headphones, ditching trademark elements of the line for a more generic look. However, the company has also overhauled its active noise cancellation (ANC) and tossed in a few new features to make your life easier. On top of that, Sennheiser achieves a whopping 60 hours of listening time with ANC enabled, easily doubling what you’d get from competing sets.

Design

For the Momentum 4, Sennheiser completely abandoned the design it consistently used since the first model. I’m not handing the company a design award, but the metal sliding mechanism to adjust the fit gave these products a unique appearance whereas a lot of headphones tend to look the same. Now, Sennheiser has adopted an aesthetic that blends in with much of the competition.

Indeed, the mostly plastic Momentum 4 now has earcups that rotate flat for both storage and wearing them around your neck. The headphones no longer fold in on themselves before you dock them in their carrying case. The earpads are still a softer leather material with plenty of cushion, and the outside of the headband is wrapped in a woven fabric. The rest of the Momentum 4, though, is a lot of plastic. Meaning, it lacks the premium look of the previous models.

One thing I do like about the new design is the arc of the headband. A lot of headphones have a flatter curve, so they have a wide look. For someone like me with a big head, the straight-on appearance is a bit weird, and it reinforces that I have a huge noggin. That arc is slightly rounder on the Momentum 4, and the headband attaches to the top of the earcups rather than the outside. It’s probably not a massively important thing for most people, but this is one of the few headphone models where I noticed the difference in how they look when they’re worn.

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Another big design change for the Momentum 4 are the on-board controls. Up through the Momentum 3, Sennheiser offered reliable physical controls that saved you from the awkward feeling of having to repeat a touch gesture in public. This time around, the company went with touch controls on the outside of the right ear cup. The standard options are all here: play/pause (single tap), skipping tracks in both directions (swipe forwards/backwards) and volume control (swipe up/down). You can also alternate between ANC and transparency mode with a double tap. As frustrating as touch controls can be on headphones, these work well and I don’t recall any instances where I looked silly swiping or tapping over and over.

There’s one additional gesture – a pinch – that’s used to adjust the level between noise cancellation and ambient sound. Instead of going from 100 percent of one to all out on the other, this pinch or reverse pinch transitions at certain intervals, so you get a bit of both. For me, this is unnecessary because I’m all or nothing when it comes to those two settings. I never want some of both. Either I want to hear what's going on around me or I don’t, so going from one straight to the other is no problem. I can appreciate the inclusion by Sennheiser, I just wonder how many people will use it – or remember it’s even there.

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The lone physical button on the back edge of the right ear cup primarily summons your preferred voice assistant. It’s also the Bluetooth pairing and the manual power control. I specify manual here because the Momentum 4 will turn on when you take them out of the case or pick them up. They’ll also turn off automatically after sitting idle, if you have that feature enabled in the app.

Those auto power controls sound handy on paper, but I’d discover the headphones turn on when I moved them from one room to another, even if I didn’t put them on my head. There’s also this weird thing where if the headphones have automatically turned off, when I wake my MacBook Pro, they turn back on and reconnect just sitting on my desk. These frequent occurrences make what should be a handy feature rather annoying.

Between the lone physical button and the USB-C charging port, five white LEDs show battery level. When you get down to one lone red light, it’s time to find an outlet. They also pulse in sequence when the Momentum 4 is in pairing mode.

Software and features

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Similar to other recent Sennheiser audio gear, the company’s Smart Control app offers access to all of the settings on the Momentum 4. Here, you can customize the sound with dedicated EQ sliders for bass, mid and treble and save anything you like as a preset. There are also pre-tuned Bass Boost and Podcast sound modes. For ANC, there’s a slider so you can decide on a mix of noise cancellation and ambient sound, or 100 percent of either one. You can also disable Sennheiser’s Adaptive ANC, a feature that automatically adjusts to environmental noise. There’s access to more granular features like Wind Noise Reduction level or setting the headphones to automatically pause when you activate transparency mode.

For calls, Sennheiser offers a tool called Sidetone. It’s a slider that gives you the ability to hear some of your voice so you end up yelling during conversations. You can set it between 0 and 100 percent, so it isn’t an all or nothing setting. Sidetone works much better than transparency mode alone, making calls much more enjoyable when you’re wearing headphones or earbuds.

Two of Sennheiser’s more advanced features require you to create an account in order to use them. I’m not a fan of companies doing this for headphone features, but I can also understand the need to do so when you’re dealing with things like location settings. First, Sound Zones will automatically adjust audio settings based on where you are. You can create up to 20 different ones, so when you arrive at the office or return home, the Momentum 4 changes to your preferred settings. Sony has been doing something similar for a while now, but Sennheiser debuted its take on it in March.

The other registration-required tool is Sound Check. This item helps you personalize the audio on the Momentum 4 with guidance on the best presets for the music you like to listen to. Sennheiser says you can use the feature repeatedly to create multiple modes for every genre, allowing you to get quite detailed in your customization.

Of course, the app gives you more basic things like battery percentage (in 10-percent increments) and connection management. A separate settings menu offers the ability to enable/disable on-head detection, automatic pausing and automatic power off. You can also choose between 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes and never for when the Momentum 4 will automatically turn off if you’re no longer actively using them.

Sound quality

Sennheiser’s earbuds and headphones consistently offer some of the best sound quality among all of the products I test – and that’s especially true of the Momentum line. The company has a knack for balanced tuning that still offers punchy bass where it’s needed and superb clarity in the details. It’s no surprise, then, that the audio profile on Momentum 4 is stellar. There’s a decent amount of customization in terms of sound in Sennheiser’s app, but the default tuning is so good I rarely activated any of it.

The first thing that struck me is how deep the sound is. In terms of both low-end tone and overall depth, there’s a wide soundstage where different genres are free to roam. Whether it’s the staccato synths and pulsing bass line on Sylvan Esso’s “Echo Party” or the myriad elements dancing on top of the driving beat of Beyoncé’s “Alien Superstar,” everything sounds like it was placed in an actual space, rather than just being compressed sound waves streamed directly to your ears. Even when there’s a lot going on at once, like that Beyoncé track, you can still pick out each element. Nothing ever feels like it’s been smashed together.

The Momentum 4 are the kind of headphones that you put on and you discover new aspects of songs you didn’t realize were there. On Maggie Rogers’ “Want Want,” for example, there’s a lot of atmospheric airiness to some of the instruments that doesn’t come across on some other models or earbuds. Things like the textured distortion of the bass guitar or the reverb on the drums.

When it comes to ANC performance, Sennheiser has made a big improvement. The noise cancellation on previous models was fine, but it didn’t come anywhere close to what Bose and Sony offer on their flagship headphones. With the Momentum 4, Sennheiser has narrowed the gap, especially with constant noise sources like sound machines and dishwashers. Bose and Sony are still better at blocking unwanted clamor overall, but the change from the Momentum 3 is obvious once you try this new version.

Call quality

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For calls, Sennheiser has equipped the Momentum 4 with two beamforming microphones per side. Much like the ANC, the headphones do a better job blocking constant noise during calls than things like background music or television. The person on the other end can still hear you loud and clear, it’s just obvious you’re talking over top of the roar. Your voice also sounds better than most headphones and earbuds overall, many of which offer the audio quality of a speakerphone rather than anything with a hint of mids and bass.

The Momentum 4 can automatically switch to transparency mode when you make a video or voice call. And coupled with Sidetone that lets you hear yourself speaking, these are a solid option for completing either of those tasks. Plus, multipoint connectivity means you can take a call on your phone and easily jump back to a podcast or music on your computer.

Battery life

Sennheiser promises a jaw-dropping 60 hours of battery life on the Momentum 4, and that’s with active noise cancellation enabled. That’s double what most of the competition offers, where a lot of premium models can typically only muster around 30 hours. Of course, sometimes those battery claims don’t always pan out. It’s not uncommon for a company to come up a few hours short. Incredibly, that’s not the case here.

Over the span of several days, which included powering the headphones off manually and letting them turn off on their own, I managed 57 hours of ANC use. Sennheiser says 60 hours is achievable at “mid volume level, but I kept the audio around 75 percent the entire time and still almost hit the company’s estimate. If, somehow, you find yourself in a pinch, there’s also a quick-charge feature that will give you four hours of playtime in five minutes.

The competition

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Despite Sennheiser’s mix of stellar sound and insane battery life, the Momentum 4 doesn’t quite have enough to dethrone Sony’s WH-1000XM5. Sony simply offers more features, like automatic pausing when you start talking, though it's clear companies like Sennheiser are catching up with tools like location-based sound settings. The M5’s noise cancellation is better and Sony includes compatibility with its LDAC and 360 Reality Audio, on top of DSEE Extreme upscaling. Of course, the Momentum 4 has double the battery life and at full price Sennheiser’s offering is $50 cheaper.

I’m also a big fan of the ​​Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2. They offer more of a refined look than the Momentum 4, with impressive sound quality and better than advertised battery life. These are some of the only headphones I consider to rival Sennheiser in terms of audio. ANC works well and the Px7 S2 are plenty comfy to wear for long periods of time, but the headphones could use a little more polish with features like the ambient sound mode and customizable EQ. They’re also the same price as the M5, so Sennheiser is the more affordable option once again.

Wrap-up

The Momentum 4 is Sennheiser’s most complete set of headphones thus far. The company improved its ANC performance so it matches up better with the outstanding sound quality that was already a staple of the Momentum line. Conveniences like Sidetone, automatic pausing and Sound Zones make your life easier, but besides stellar audio, the main attraction here is the battery life. Sennheiser has doubled up much of the competition there and, perhaps even more impressively, has managed to do so while keeping noise cancellation active. The design is what it is, but everything else combines for a worthy contender.

The gaming audio market has focused on headphones for years, leaving you to rely on familiar brands like Logitech and Klipsch if you prefer speakers. SteelSeries thinks it can shake things up, though. It's introducing its first desktop speaker line, Arena, and promising a few standout features aimed at gamers. The flagship Arena 9 (pictured at middle) is billed as the first gaming speaker setup to deliver 5.1-channel surround sound through USB. There's still a 3.5mm jack if you like, but you won't need a nest of wires to immerse yourself in games on a PC, Mac or PlayStation. You can expect synced RGB lighting, too.

All models also tout the first "pro-grade" parametric EQ aimed at gamers through the Sonar Audio Software Suite, SteelSeries claims. While we'd remain cautious about the company's boasts, this might prove useful if you're more interested in accurate-sounding explosions than nuanced music.

The other two Arena models aren't quite as elaborate, but could make more sense if price or desk space are concerns. The entry Arena 3 (shown at right) is a simple two-speaker offering with four-inch fiber cone drivers and Bluetooth audio support. Buy the 2.1-channel Arena 7 (left) and you'll get a subwoofer, optional USB audio and RGB lighting.

SteelSeries' speakers are available now with prices of $150 for the Arena 3, $330 for the Arena 7 and $600 for the Arena 9. You can also buy a $100 Arena Wireless Mic with a cardioid, noise-cancelling microphone to provide voice chat without donning a headset. None of these prices are trivial, but SteelSeries is clearly betting that you'll pay extra for speakers built more for Call of Duty than Claude Debussy.

Logitech has introduced a new audio solution specifically created for the Meta Quest 2: It's called "Chorus," and the company says it can deliver a "new level of immersive, ultra-realistic audio." Chorus features rotating speakers and an open back form factor that lets ambient sounds in. It was designed to slide onto the Quest 2's headset strap until the speakers are positioned over the user's ears. In fact, it will make the VR device look similar to the Valve Index, which comes with two near-field speakers, after installation. According to The Verge, the Chorus is compatible with both the stock strap the Quest 2 ships with and Meta's Elite strap.

The accessory maker says Chorus' big open-back audio drivers ensure users can hear both the "big moments and the smallest details." And while the add-on is not an original part of the Quest 2, it's meant to stay in place instead of being removed after every use. It connects to the headset's USB-C port and draws power from the Quest 2 itself, but since it was designed to stay plugged in, it supports USB-C passthrough. That means users can keep their headset charged or can connect other devices to it while Chorus is also plugged in. As The Verge notes, though, Chorus has little noise isolation and probably isn't the best choice for those who want privacy while watching movies or exploring new experiences in VR.

Vadim Kogan, Logitech's head of AR/VR, said "Chorus enhances the fit and comfort of Meta Quest 2, while allowing those who love long play sessions to stay immersed in their favorite games and experiences through the audio integration in a comfortable design built for the VR gamer."

Chorus will soon be available from Logitech's website and other retailers for $100.

Sennheiser hasn't refreshed its over-hear Momentum noise-canceling headphones since 2019, but that changes today. The company has announced the Momentum 4, a new take on its flagship headphones that includes an exterior redesign, new features and a whopping 60 hours of battery life. What's more, Sennheiser is offering this host of updates for $50 less than the Momentum 3 at its debut. 

First, the design Sennheiser had carried through much of the Momentum line since its introduction is gone. The mix of metal and leather with visible cables has been traded for a more simplified, more plastic affair. The new look is decidedly less premium than previous Momentum models. However, what the Momentum 4 may lack in aesthetics is offset by increased comfort. The company notes the new hinge easily adjusts and doesn't exert too much pressure on your head. Earcups also rotate flat now, which makes storage a bit easier. Another big change is the on-board controls: most of the physical buttons have been replaced with a touch panel on the right side.

Sennheiser

Inside, Sennheiser says it opted for an "audiophile-inspired acoustic system" that relies on 42mm transducers for the sound. The company explains the setup creates "brilliant dynamics, clarity and musicality," plus you can use an EQ, presets and a new Sound Personalization feature to further adjust the tuning. Sound Personalization takes into account your personal preferences and adjusts "the listening experience" accordingly. 

Of course, these are flagship headphones so active noise cancellation (ANC) is on board. The company says its updated adaptive ANC works to maintain sound quality even in the noisiest of surroundings. Transparency Mode is available as well and there's a slider control between it and ANC in Sennheiser's app. In other words, you're not just left with one or the other, so you can mix in a dash of environmental noise if needed. This model can automatically change sound settings based on your location too, a feature Sennheiser first debuted in March.

Sennheiser also offers a feature called Sidetone, which allows you to adjust how much of your voice comes through during calls. It's a tool that helps you feel less shouty and it works on top of automatic wind noise suppression for the Momentum 4's beamforming microphones during voice and video chats. 

Sennheiser

Sennheiser says you can expect up to 60 hours of battery life on a charge, and that's with ANC turned on. A quick-charge feature gives you six hours of use in 10 minutes. To help you conserve battery, the Momentum 4 is equipped with both automatic pausing and automatic on/off. The company says the headphones will power off when you leave them unattended and turn back on when you pick them up.

The Momentum 4 will be available for preorder in black and white color options on August 9th before shipping on August 23rd. The headphones are priced at $349.95, which is $50 less than the Momentum 3 when it debuted in 2019. 

If you missed the chance to pick up an Echo smart speaker during Prime Day last week, you have another opportunity to do so today. Amazon's full-sized Echo is back down to a record-low price of $60, which is 40 percent off its normal rate. The Echo Show 5 is also on sale for $40 right now, which is only $5 more than it was on Prime Day. The Echo Dot, on the other hand, is currently 20 percent off and on sale for $40.

You may just think of Amazon's Echo as a way to get Alexa into your home, but it's a pretty capable speaker as well. We gave it a score of 89 when it came out and it remains one of our favorite smart speakers. We like its spherical design and its bottom light ring that changes colors depending on what it's doing. Inside the Echo are a three-inch woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters that work together to help the speaker get quite loud and pump out sound with solid bass and powerful mid-range frequencies. It does a better job filling a room with sound than Google's Nest Audio or Apple's HomePod mini, which will be important for those who want to use it as their primary living room speaker.

In addition to asking Alexa to play music from various sources like Spotify or Apple Music, the Echo can be used as a Bluetooth speaker if you prefer. It also has a 3.5mm audio jack, which takes both input and output. Plus, if you buy two of the speakers, you can pair them together to play sound in stereo mode as well.

The Echo can also act as your main smart home hub thanks to its built-in Zigbee capabilities. Instead of buying a separate hub or bridge to connect things like smart lights, switches and more, the Echo can act as the central point in your home. And if you primarily get IoT devices that work with Alexa, you'll be able to use voice commands to control them, too.

Overall, the Echo is one of the best smart speakers you can get at the $100 mark, so it's an even better buy when you can get it for less. If you prefer a device that has a display to show things like weather forecasts and even security camera feeds, the Echo Show 5 is a solid option. It's the smallest of Amazon's smart displays, but that means it works well as a smart alarm clock of sorts. We like its surprisingly solid audio quality and its tap-to-snooze feature, too. As for the Echo Dot, it's the smart speaker to get if you're on a tight budget or want something that allows you to use Alexa voice commands without taking up too much space.

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Android audio switching is finally a practical reality — provided you have the right earbuds. Google has started rolling out the automatic toggle to Android devices paired with the Pixel Buds Pro. If your phone or tablet supports Bluetooth multipoint connections, Android will intelligently switch sound from one product to the other using a priority system. You'll switch from your tablet's audio to your phone for an incoming call, for instance, but you won't have to worry about incoming notifications. You can always switch back through a notification if the OS made a mistake.

The feature will expand to JBL and Sony headphones sometime in the "coming weeks," Google said. The functionality will also reach non-Android platforms in the future, although the company didn't provide an exact timeframe. You can enable switching by using Fast Pair to connect your headphones and link them to your Google account.

The concept isn't unique. Apple devices paired with AirPods have offered audio switching since 2020, and Sony has offered a similar approach. It's a welcome addition if you want to use one set of Bluetooth earbuds for all of your Android gear, though, and Google's technology won't restrict you to any one headphone manufacturer.

Ultimate Ears brought its in-ear monitor (IEMs) expertise to true wireless earbuds in 2020 with the UE Fits, a set of buds with fancy tech that molds the tips to fit your ears. Despite the interesting premise, the earbuds didn't deliver on a lot of the basics you expect from an audio accessory these days, namely subpar audio and limited features. The Logitech-owned brand is back with a new take on custom-fit buds, only this time the company is making the process more like how you would order a set of IEMs with the UE Drops.

Indeed, the main attraction of UE Drops is the custom fit, which is coordinated via the company's FitKit. Once you place your order, Ultimate Ears will ship you a FitKit that the company says includes the "technology and information" to guide you though the process of taking your "earprint." More specifically, the kit shows you how to take impressions of your ears with an app, just like you would if you were ordering a set of the company's CSX IEMs. A set of eartips are molded to your ears with a warming process that looks similar to the light and heat method for UE Fits, only this time they're attached to a contraption you plug in. You then return the impressions and your pair of UE Drops are built to those specifications. You can expect to receive your pair about 2-4 weeks after the FitKit is received back at the factory. 

Inside, 9.2mm drivers power the sound the UE describes as "revered by music professionals and music lovers alike." There's no active noise cancellation (ANC), but the custom-fitting tips should provide better passive noise isolation than most off-the-shelf earbuds. However, there is a transparency mode, allowing you to tune into your surroundings as needed. Dual beamforming microphones on the water- and sweat-resistant buds are there for calls, plus handy features like on-board controls, in ear detection and wireless charging are here too. 

Ultimate Ears says you can expect up to eight hours of battery life with 14 additional hours in the case. A quick-charge feature offers one hour of use in five minutes. You can check your battery status in the UE Drops app, where you can also choose between sound presets, manage connected devices, configure voice controls and more. 

The UE Drops are now available in the US via the Ultimate Ears website for $449, which means you'll pay a premium for that custom-tailored fit. The company says UE FitKit and UE Drops apps are available for both Android and iOS devices. 

Amazon Prime Day brings a great opportunity to grab a new pair of cans or wireless earbuds for yourself or someone you love. A plethora of audio gadgets are on sale for a members-only shopping event, including some of the best models from Sony, Bose, Beats, Jabra and others. Now's the time to pick up a pair of active noise cancelling headphones if you've been running your non-ANC cans into the ground, a set of water-resistant earbuds to accompany you on your toughest workouts or a new portable speaker for your backyard setup. Here are the best deals on headphones, earbuds and other audio gadgets we could find for Prime Day 2022.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Billy Steele/Engadget

Sony's excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones are down to a new low of $228 right now. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.

Beats Fit Pro

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The Beats Fit Pro are 20 percent off and down to $160. We gave them a score of 87 for their comfortable, water-resistant design, good sound quality and ANC and long battery life.

AirPods Pro

The AirPods Pro with the MagSafe case have been discounted to $170. These remain Apple's best sounding earbuds, and we liked them for their solid sound, powerful ANC and hands-free Siri capabilities.

AirPods (2nd gen)

The original AirPods are down to $90. While they're a bit outdated at this point, these are still decent earbuds that we liked for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.

AirPods Max

Billy Steele/Engadget

The AirPods Max are on sale for $449 right now. These headphones earned a score of 84 from us for their excellent, balanced sound, solid ANC and good battery life.

Sony WF-1000XM4

Billy Steele/Engadget

Sony's WF-1000XM4 earbuds are down to $198 right now. We gave them a score of 86 for their excellent sound quality, good ANC, wireless charging capabilities and improved battery life.

Bose QuietComfort 45

Billy Steele/Engadget

Bose's QuietComfort 45 headphones have dropped to $229, or 30 percent off their normal price. We gave them a score of 86 for their clear, balanced audio, improved ANC and long battery life.

Sony WH-CH710N

Billy Steele / Engadget

Sony's affordable WH-CH710N wireless headphones have dropped to a new low of $68 for Prime Day. These are a great option if you want deep, punchy bass, solid ANC and 35-hour battery life all in a budget-friendly package.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

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Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 have dropped to $100, or 33 percent less than usual. These much-improved earbuds impressed us with their better audio quality, adjustable ambient sound mode and tiny, comfortable design.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

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Samsung's high-end Galaxy Buds Pro are on sale for $120, which is 40 percent off their normal price. They earned a score of 85 from us for their comfortable fit, wireless charging and good sound quality.

Bose 700

Billy Steele / Engadget

The sleek Bose 700 headphones are on sale for $269 right now. We gave these cans a score of 90 for their remarkable noise cancellation, improved, more comfortable design and easy to use touch controls.

Jabra Elite 85t

Billy Steele/Engadget

Jabra's Elite 85t earbuds are on sale for $115, or a whopping 60 percent off their normal price. We like these true wireless earbuds for their strong ANC, comfortable size and wireless charging case.

Jabra Elite 3

Billy Steele/Engadget

Jabra's excellent Elite 3 earbuds have dropped to $50, or $30 off their normal rate. These already affordable buds earned a score of 88 from us for their impressive sound quality, good battery life, reliable touch controls and comfortable fit.

Jabra Elite 45h

Jabra

Jabra's Elite 45h headphones are half off and down to $50. We like these cans for their solid sound quality, voice assistant access, compact design and 50-hour battery life. 

Bose QuietComfort earbuds

Billy Steele/Engadget

Bose's QuietComfort earbuds are down to $179. These are some of the company's best true wireless earbuds and they earned a score of 87 from us for their clear sound, powerful ANC and comfortable size.

Beats Solo 3

Beats

Beats' Solo 3 wireless headphones are 43 percent off and down to $115. These cans have a streamlined design, Apple's W1 chipset and a 40-hour battery life.

Jabra Elite 7 Active

Jabra

Jabra's Elite 7 Active wireless earbuds are on sale for $120, or 33 percent off their normal price. These buds are designed to withstand your sweatiest workouts with their IP57 rated design, plus they have adjustable ANC and four microphones for clear calls.

Sony WF-C500 earbuds

Sony

Sony's already affordable WF-C500 earbuds have dropped to $58, or almost half off their usual rate. These buds have an IPX4 rating, a 10-hour battery life and support for 360 Reality Audio.

Sony SRS-XB13

Sony

Sony's compact SRS-XB13 Bluetooth speaker is down to just $48, which is nearly half off its regular price. Not only does it come in a bunch of fun colors, but this tiny speaker also has a waterproof IP67 rated design, punchy bass and a 16-hour battery life.

Amazon Echo

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Amazon's Echo smart speaker has dropped to $60. It earned a score of 89 from us for its solid audio quality, attractive design and its inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack.

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Sony's WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones have been some of our favorites since they first came out in 2020. While the company has since moved on to the XM5, which build upon the solid foundation of the XM4, the 2020 version remains a great options for those who prefer over-ear headphones and want strong ANC in a comfortable package. Thanks to Amazon Prime Day deals, you can pick up the WH-1000XM4 for only $228, which is a new record-low price and $120 off their usual rate. Those who like wireless earbuds more can also snag the WF-1000XM4 buds for only $198 right now, too.

We gave the WH-1000XM4 a score of 94 when they first came out. We liked their comfortable design with padded earcups and headband, and the new matte finish they have. You'll be able to wear them for hours on end, and their battery life will support that, too. The XM4 should last up to 30 hours on a single charge, so you could wear them a few hours a day for more than a week before they'll need more juice.

These headphones also excel when it comes to sound quality and ANC. Audio is immersive with excellent clarity and detail, plus these cans support Sony's 360 Reality Audio as well. ANC is strong and adjustable via the companion app, and you can even turn on a feature that will automatically change the ANC levels depending on your location.

Sony added a few new features when it debuted the XM4, namely multi-device connectivity and Speak to Chat. The former lets you connect to two devices at once, switching between them as needed. This feature works quite well as you can seamlessly go from listening to music on your laptop to taking a call on your smartphone. Speak to Chat, when enabled in the mobile app, will automatically pause audio when the headphones' mics sense that you're speaking.

We should note that Sony's new XM5 did dethrone the XM4 as our current favorite pair of wireless headphones. The $398 cans have all of the same features as the XM4, but they have a more refined design, additional mics and even better sound quality and ANC. But those upgrades do come at a hefty price, so if you're willing to skip them, you can get an excellent pair of cans for much less right now.

As for the WF-1000XM4, they are the true wireless earbud equivalents to Sony's over-ear headphones. You'll get a lot of the same features on these buds too, including 360 Reality Audio support, solid ANC, great sound quality and a formidable battery life.

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As it does every year around this time, Sony has introduced new entries in its wireless speaker lineup. The company debuted three new models today, all of which are designed to be used outside thanks to both portable sizing and the proper dust and moisture protections (IP67). The trio is also a part of Sony's X-Series, which features non-circular "X-Balanced" speakers for more sound pressure and less distortion.

First, the largest option in the group is the SRS-XG300. The combination of a tapered cylinder shape and a retractable handle give this speaker more of a boombox-like design in a much smaller package. To give you multiple sound options, the XG300 packs a Mega Bass feature that boosts the low-end response, ClearAudio+ for "the most balanced sound" and Live Sound Mode that simulates the effect of being at a venue. Plus, Sony's Music Center app gives you the ability to adjust the EQ how you see fit and the option of connecting multiple speakers for Party Connect or Stereo Pair modes 

Inside, two X-Balanced speakers, two tweeters and two passive radiators handle the audio while the company's trademark customizable light rings shine on either end. Sony says the XG300 will last up to 25 hours on a charge and you can get up to 70 minutes of use after plugging in for 10 minutes. The company has also included Echo Noise Cancelling for more natural sounding calls should you need the speaker for that purpose. This technology allows two people to talk at the same time without cutting each other off. The XG300 will be available July 12th in gray and black color options for $350. 

Sony

Next up is the SRS-XE300. Sony opted for a pentagon shape for this mid-size model, or as the company describes it, an ergonomic "grab and go" design. The XE300 is equipped with what Sony calls a line-shape diffuser that gives the speaker a wider listening area for those X-Balanced drivers by blasting sound more evenly. Sony's Party Connect and Stereo Pair features allows you to sync multiple speakers for more sound and the on-board controls include a microphone mute button for calls. Echo Noise cancelling is onboard, too. In addition to the dust and waterproof IP67 rating, this speaker is also shockproof, adding another later of protection against drops. This speaker gives you up to 24 hours of battery life on a charge and plugging in for 10 minutes will give you 70 minutes of listening time. The XG300 will be available July 12th in gray, black and blue color options for $200.

Lastly, the most compact option of the three is the SRS-XE200. It's smaller than the XE300, but features the same shape and overall design. The only aesthetic difference is the XE200 has an attached carrying strap. Like the XE300, this model packs in a line-shape diffuser for a larger listening area and it's also shockproof in addition to its IP67 protections. You can link up multiple speakers via the company's Party Connect and Stereo Pair setups. Sony says you can expect up to 16 hours of listening and, once again, a 10-minute charge offers 70 minutes of use. For calls, Echo Noise Cancelling is here too, as is a handy mute button among the other on-board controls. The XG300 will be available July 12th in gray, black, blue and orange color options for $130.