One of the key advantages of Bluetooth LE Audio is Auracast: a way to broadcast content to connected devices in public settings. It will also allow you to easily connect multiple wireless speakers to each other with diving into an app. Perhaps most importantly, the barrier to entry is going to be very low since a dedicated Auracast app will be built into mobile platforms like iOS and Android. What's more, you'll select available channels like you would a Bluetooth device or a Wi-Fi network. It's simple, and it's presented in a way that people who've used a smartphone are familiar with. Auracast has been mentioned constantly by companies announcing their new audio gear at CES 2024, so here's what you need to know about it. 

What is Auracast?

Simply put, Auracast is broadcast audio over Bluetooth. An Auracast transmitter, which in public settings can be a pro-grade add-on to a TV or a box that looks like a Wi-Fi router mounted on the wall. You can also create your own channels from a phone or laptop to share music of the sound from a TV show. This means that you'll be able to have the audio from muted airport TVs beamed to your headphones or earbuds when traveling. Auracast will also allow you to keep tabs on flight and gate information without interrupting your layover entertainment. 

During its CES demo, Bluetooth SIG, the organization that defines Bluetooth standards, allowed show-goers to experience the aforementioned airport TV scenario. It was easy to switch between two sports broadcasts in a faux bar, simply by tapping one or the other in the Auracast menu. Another tap let us hear a private stream from a laptop, which was password protected so only the proper invitees can access it. There's also a use case where live audio from a lecture or performance can be broadcast via Auracast directly to earbuds, hearing aids or other Bluetooth listening devices. Impressively, there's no lag across any of the options as the visuals matched up perfectly each time. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

"The analogy I would use is very similar to setting up a personal hotspot," Chuck Saban, senior director for market development at the Bluetooth, explained about those private Auracasts. "You would set up a personal audio hotspot, it's going to be encrypted, and then anybody who is around me who has that passcode can listen."

Auracast will also help you link multiple Bluetooth speakers together at the press of a button. Until now, most companies had you select the devices in an app. But companies like JBL are putting dedicated Auracast buttons on some of their new devices. On the company's PartyBox line, for example, you'll press the button on the main speaker you connected to your phone and then all you have to do is press the button on successive units to link them. What's more, you can chain together an infinite number of speakers in this scenario. 

What devices is Auracast available on?

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Auracast is a feature of Bluetooth LE Audio that arrived with Bluetooth 5.2. So technically, any earbuds, headphones, hearing aids, speakers and other devices that have that version of the wireless standard will be able to tune into Auracast. However, Bluetooth 5.3 offers a more robust implementation of the broadcast audio tool. 

"What you get with 5.3 is the ISOC channels capability in the core that allows multiple independent channel capabilities," Saban said. "You effectively can parse out the left and right [channels] from the source itself." He further explained that the processing of all of that has been moved to the phone from the earbuds or headphones themselves, which extends battery life, performance and efficiency for Bluetooth devices. 

When will Auracast be available?

Plenty of Bluetooth devices support Bluetooth 5.2 or 5.3 and LE Audio. Since Auracast is part of Bluetooth, there's no extra tech needed to include it, the products just need to support the recent versions of the wireless standard. From there, it's up to the individual companies to flip the switch on LE Audio and Auracast. Over the course of 2023 and here at CES, tons of audio brands have said they are planning to add support for the feature via over-the-air updates later in 2024. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Gas, charcoal and pellet grills are great for taking your cooking outdoors, but a lot of people live in apartments and other spots where open flames aren't permitted. At CES 2024, Current Backyard debuted two all-electric grills that can be used in those places since the heating element for both isn't much different than an oven or stove. And because grilling has entered the modern age, both of these are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected, so you can monitor progress and adjust temperatures from your favorite comfy chair.

Current is a startup backed by W. C. Bradley Co., the parent company of established grilling brands like Char-Broil, Oklahoma Joe's and Pit Boss. As such, the electric grilling entity has the support of an organization with decades of backyard expertise. The first two grills from Current, both called Model G, have similar designs which can be customized with extra storage, either at the time of purchase or at any time afterwards. Even though they look nearly identical except for the front-mounted display, they're designed for two different types of cooking.

"There have been electric grills for a long time [and] they don't have the performance," Current Backyard CEO Tom Penner explained. "This is an infrared cooking system that uses both technology to control the electricity and to adjust the system to understand the cooking environment."

The Model G Dual-Zone Electric Grill has a cooking surface that's divided in half, allowing you to set two different temperatures if needed. Current says this is the only full-sized 110-volt electric grill on the market that can hit a max temp of 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the grate design, the company is promising fewer flare-ups than gas grills, which is also partially because there's no open flame. It also explained that you shouldn't need to dump the grease tray too often as much of that burns off during cooking, thanks to the infrared burners. And when there is too much buildup, a SmartClean mode can be activated either on the grill or inside the company's app. 

To cater to the flat-top trend, the Model G Electric Griddle can hit 600 degrees. In fact, Current says it heats faster and hotter than any other electric griddle in this category. The Model G is larger than the competition, too. An Auto-Seasoning feature helps you keep the cooking area ready for foods and the grill's cooking system keeps temperatures consistent. 

"It's a smart grill that we have dialed in the software and the algorithms to run the griddle separately, to keep that even temperature across the surface," Penner said. "And regardless of if you open or shut your lid, it's adjusting all the time." 

Similar to most connected grills these days, both of the Model G units work with Current's mobile app. Here, there are guided recipes to assist novices or to serve as inspiration for experienced outdoor cooks. The app will also display time, ambient temp and food temperatures, with the latter coming from two wired probes that ship with the grills. SmartClean and Auto-Seasoning modes can be triggered from the software and you can shut the grills down without having to venture outside. For safety reasons though, you still have to start both Model G options by setting the temp and pressing a button. 

Both the Model G Dual-Zone Electric Grill and Model G Electric Griddle are available for preorder now and will begin shipping on February 5. The grill starts at $899 and the griddle at $799, with those prices including the standard cart. You can upgrade to a storage cabinet for $100 more. The company says both models will be available in major retailers as well, so you'll likely be able to see one in person before committing. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

While MEMS drivers may be the next big thing in true wireless earbuds, the first models with the solid-state components still require a hybrid setup. These products pair a MEMS speaker with a dynamic driver to ensure proper bass performance. The current-gen driver from xMEMS, a California-based company that develops the audio components, is called Cowell and it's already available in earbuds from the likes of Creative and Noble Audio. 

The next-gen MEMS driver is called Cypress, and while it won't arrive in new products until 2025, I got a chance to hear the difference been it and Cowell at CES 2024 here in Las Vegas — and it's quite striking. With Cowell, there's bass, but it's subdued and the emphasis is on the highs and the mids. It sounds great, on both complete products and reference designs, offering punchy highs, full mids and great clarity. With Cypress alone though, there's a blanket of warm, bassy low-end that really fills out the soundstage. It will be a massive improvement for what MEMS drivers are capable of doing for wireless earbuds. 

"We moved to a sound from ultrasound principle where we have ultrasonic modulation and demodulation to deliver 30 to 40 times greater low-frequency pressure for anti-noise generation for ANC earbuds, while still delivering all of the benefits of our solid state speakers," xMEMS vice president of marketing Mike Housholder explained. "Wide dynamic range, with excellent low-frequency performance for deep bass and noise cancellation."

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Indeed, that 30 to 40 times louder bass response was clearly evident when on a Cypress reference design. The prototype was built to showcase the MEMS drivers on their own, without that secondary dynamic driver today's true wireless models require for bass. The results are the pristine clarity you'd expect in a send of high-end wireless headphones or even some audiophile-grade cans. The additional bass isn't loud and boomy, but instead it's warm and full, inviting you to stay and listen a while. And that I did: I had a hard time putting the Cypress prototype down even when I felt I'd overstayed my welcome. 

On the whole, MEMS drivers offer a host of benefits over coil speakers that should all lead to better audio quality in your earbuds. They're more efficient in terms of mechanical response, with faster speeds there contributing to increased detail and clarity — something I certainly noticed on the Noble Audio FoKus Triumph wireless earbuds. This model pairs Cowell with a 6.5mm dynamic driver, but the boost in fidelity in the mids and highs is apparent. And getting a set of earbuds with MEMS drivers doesn't mean you'll pay more. The two models Creative has already debuted are $130 and $150. The same will be true for upcoming products with the ultrasonic Cypress drivers, according to Housholder. 

"We see ourselves going to market first in flagship products," he said. "As with our current products, we really see the sweet spot for our products anywhere 150 and up, [which] is easily achievable day one. And then over time and over volume, getting down to that $100 price point."

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

And that's really the big takeaway from me. For years, companies have offered true wireless earbuds with some of the features of more premium flagship models, but usually lacking the sonic performance of pricier options. With MEMS drivers, the audio quality is greatly improved in affordable models that are half the price of the top-of-the-line Sony or Sennheiser noise-canceling earbuds. And with Cypress, xMEMS can offer audio companies the ability to improve overall sound quality without having to raise prices. 

xMEMS has also developed what it calls a DynamicVent to relieve occlusion in sleep earbuds. The component can automatically open or close depending on if the buds detect ambient noise like a snoring spouse. When open, the DynamicVent offers a semi-open fit like AirPods, but when it's closed the ear will be completely sealed off. The open vent should also keep sounds of your own breathing or the earbuds rubbing against a pillow from disturbing your sleep. xMEMS is showing off the DynamicVent at CES in a set of reference sleep buds equipped with its Cowell MEMS drivers. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Sennheiser announced two very different sets of wireless earbuds at CES 2024 here in Las Vegas, extending its Momentum line with a fourth-generation flagship model and a high-tech sport version. The company's premium earbuds have offered excellent sound quality for a while now, consistently earning the best overall audio in our best wireless earbuds list. We paid Sennheiser a quick visit to see how the two new sets stack up. 

There's no need to mince words here: The audio performance on the Momentum True Wireless 4 is outstanding. I only listened to them for a few minutes, but I had a hard time walking away. The jazz demo tracks the company selected played to the earbuds' strengths with excellent clarity and pleasant, inviting tuning. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) also seems to be improved as I was able to silence a noisy hotel suite at the press of a button. Transparency mode is also better and more natural sounding, but you still don't get as much of your voice beamed back through the earbuds as you do on the AirPods Pro. 

Sennheiser clarified during my demo that its stated battery life on the Momentum True Wireless 4 of seven and a half hours is with ANC off. However, it explained that it has narrowed the gap in regards to noise cancellation impacting battery life as enabling it only reduces play time by 30 minutes. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

I'm also happy to report there's no discernible drop off in audio quality with the Momentum Sport. There's still crisp, clear sound that's evenly tuned despite the company's goal of "impressive bass" for workouts. There's ample low-end tone here, but it didn't seem to be cranked any higher than the Momentum True Wireless 4. The size of the Sport model makes them very comfortable to wear and the ANC seemed to do a solid job blocking the roar of CES surrounding us.

The Momentum True Wireless 4 goes on sale March 1 and the Momentum Sport will be available April 9. I'll be putting both sets of earbuds through their paces closer to their respective launch dates. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

My experience with smoking meat has been entirely outdoors, using a mix of grills that burn charcoal, wood or pellets. Not everyone has the space for one of those setups, but thanks to GE Appliances' latest device, you can bring the barbecue indoors. Plus, you don't even have to been there while it's cooking. At the company's CES 2024 booth in Las Vegas, I finally got a taste of that the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is capable of cooking.

Lousiville-based chef and Food Network Chopped champion Dallas McGarity is with GE Appliances at CES this week. He explained that he's been using the Smart Indoor Smoker in his restaurant for infusing flavor in everything from spices to cheese and deviled eggs. Of course, when most people think of smoking foods, they think of meat. McGarity prepared a one-bite sampler to showcase the type of flavor we can expect from the device: beef tenderloin with a sweet and spicy rub, roasted garlic barbecue sauce, Southwest breadcrumbs and scallions. An elevated taster, for sure, but not too far from something you might prepare at home.

After just a couple of hours in the Smart Indoor Smoker, the beef had noticeable flavor from the wood pellets. McGarity was also preparing a pork butt, but it still had several hours to go before it would be ready. Given my experience with outdoor smokers, even just one bite gave me a sense of what the GE Profile model was capable of. My main concern was the amount of smoke flavor it would impart, and it was great to see that the device managed infuse an ample amount in a limited time period. That bodes well for an 8- to12-hour low-and-slow smoke session. 

One other aspect of the Smart Indoor Smoker that I was able to see in action was the Clear Smoke function. Or, I should say, I got to see what happens when you don't use it. McGarity was keeping the beef bites warm in the device and, rather than make me wait 10 minutes for the cooking chamber to clear of smoke, he opened the unit and smoke wafted up in the air. Ideally, you wouldn't want to do this in your kitchen, but he worked fast and the cloud was minimal. Even still, the Smart Indoor Smoker recovered quickly, getting back to its target temperature with visible smoke returning in seconds. 

The cooker costs $1,000 and, unlike many other gadgets launched at CES, is already available at some retailers. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Audio-Technica's earbuds have run the true wireless gamut. The company has built separate models over the years that individually offer long battery life or ultra affordability, but it has yet to construct a complete package. At CES 2024 in Las Vegas, the company is launching its latest entry, the AT-TWX7, which offers active noise cancellation (ANC) in an all-new AirPods-like stickbud design. Audio-Technica combines 5.8mm high-resolution drivers capable of 24-bit/96 kHz LDAC audio with a compact design and a number of conveniences for $199.

I'm going to start with calls. A lot of people use wireless earbuds for calls, either because they're on the go or want to keep their hands free while having a chat. Every earbud company promises crystal clear voice performance but few actually deliver. Audio-Technica offers two voice modes for calls, Natural and Noise Reduction, that aim to keep you sounding your best in any environment. What's more, there's a Call Test built into the company's companion app that lets you record up to 10 seconds of audio before you hop on the line. When I tried this, the Natural Mode provided above-average results while the Noise Reduction Mode did well to combat a roaring A/C unit, albeit with reduced voice quality. 

In terms of sound quality, those 5.8mm drivers offer the clear, warm audio I've coming to expect from the company. It's quite pleasant to listen to across genres, and the great clarity means you'll pick up on finer details — like string noise in Charles Wesley Goodwin's country tunes and the texture of the upright bass laying down the rhythm. There are four audio presets if you don't like the standard tuning and the company gives you the ability to make your own with manual adjustments to a five-band EQ. The ANC setup did well to block most of the noise from that raucous hotel A/C unit, but I could still hear it faintly at low volumes. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

There's a transparency or Hear-through mode you can activate with a long tap on the left earbud, a gesture that also cycles between ANC and off along with the ambient sound. Audio-Technica has managed a quite natural-sounding profile for Hear-through, although it's still not as good at what Apple manages on AirPods. You don't hear quite as much of your own voice as you do on Apple's gear. However, A-T provides and additional Talk-Through option that can be activated with a long tap on the right earbud. This is meant to lower or pause content while focusing on human voices. There are two settings for it, Natural and Strong, that differ in terms of primary function: reducing noise or enhancing environmental sound pickup. 

In addition to those long taps, tiny physical buttons on the ATH-TW7 offer access to volume and playback controls. The smaller overall design of the earbuds leads to a more comfortable fit, especially for longer periods of time. What's more, the company gives you two different types of ear tips with four sizes of each: soft for comfort and standard for a secure fit. Bluetooth multipoint pairing is available for easy switching between devices as well. And lastly, Audio-Technica promises up to six and a half hours of listening on the earbuds with another two full charges in the wireless case. 

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 is available now in black, white and gray color options.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

I'm convinced that CES is a grilling show now, and Weber is the primary reason for that. In 2020, the company demoed its SmokeFire pellet grills and Smart Grilling Hub, both of which are powered by its Weber Connect platform. The Wi-Fi-enabled tech brought remote monitoring, step-by-step guidance and other conveniences to the company's product lineup. Weber has since expanded those smart features to some gas grills, and at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, it's adding two more models to the Connect roster. 

The Searwood is an all-new smart pellet grill that will replace the SmokeFire in North America. Besides doing low-and-slow smoking and high-heat searing like most pellet grills can, this model is also designed to be used with the lid open. This allows you to use griddle inserts for breakfast and smash burgers. The Searwood has a dedicated mode that you'll enable when you need to keep the lid up, and you can set the heat level (1-10) rather than setting an overall grill temp. According to the company, a 2 would be good for something like pancakes, while a 7 might work well for bacon and 10 could be used to put a finishing sear on a steak. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

The company redesigned the controller on Searwood, building it to constantly monitor and adjust to better maintain the target temperature during the cook. The display offers larger numbers for the grill temp, while also showing food probe temperatures and cook time on the same panel. The larger Searwood 600 XL also displays pellet levels so you know when you need to replenish the hopper. Searwood has a wide temperature range of 180 degrees Fahrenheit to 600 degrees, so it's still capable of slow-smoked brisket, high-heat seared proteins and everything in between. 

As part of the new design, Weber opted for a cast aluminum construction for the Searwood like it has used for its gas grills. That brings enhanced weatherproofing, but it also helps with more even distribution of heat. The company's Flavorizer bar is still inside and a reconfigured pellet hopper helps with fuel loading. Weber also brought over its Pull and Clean drip pan system to this pellet grill, making grease and ash removal easier. The company even says you won't need a shop vac to clean Searwood, a claim I look forward to testing. 

The Searwood 600 and Searwood 600 XL will be available for $899 and $1,199 this spring. Both of those are cheaper that the second-gen SmokeFire models the company currently offers. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

In addition to a brand new smart pellet grill for CES, Weber also added tons of connected smart features to its high-end Summit gas grills. Before now, if you wanted access to remote monitoring and the step-by-step guidance of built-in Weber Connect while cooking with gas, you had to buy a Genesis model. The company has greatly expanded its smart features for the Summit, via tech it calls SmartConnect. This setup allows you to use either your phone or the grill's large, full-color touchscreen display to set and change grill temp, select your cooking method (direct on indirect) and monitor quick start and preheating so you know when the grill is ready. You can also keep tabs on fuel levels, continuously view cooking progress, get alerts when food is ready and shut down the grill without touching it. 

Depending on which cooking method you select, the display will show you where you need to place your food to achieve the proper results. You do still have to approach the grill to turn it on, which is done with a single press after you set your desired temperature. All of the old burner knobs are gone as the new Summit automatically sets the level based on your temp and cooking method selections. There are up and down buttons for manually adjusting the burners though, as well as a dedicated button for igniting the top-mounted infrared broiler. But, you can also do that by swiping right on the touch display. The adjustable top grate also has the cooking area for the broiler outlined so you know where to place food for the best results.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Another aspect of the SmartConnect tech is the ability to control gas flow to individual burners. The setup constantly monitors and immediately reacts to temperature changes to maintain the desired level and prevent over or undercooking foods. There's an integrated electronic gas valve system that serves as the foundation for SmartConnect, continuously sensing flame presence across both the main burners and the broiler. It can also automatically trigger re-ignition as needed or shut the grill down when it isn't achieved. 

Weber redesigned its fuel-monitoring tech underneath the Summit too. Now there's a scale of sorts that more accurately measures gas levels. There's ample storage space underneath and a built-in rotisserie base along with a side burner for cooking sauces and sides. The Summit works with Weber Crafted accessories like a pizza stone to expand the capabilities of the grill even further. 

The 2024 Weber Summit grills will be available this spring in the US starting at $3,899. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

CES has increasingly become a grilling show, with companies constantly finding ways to bring more tech to your deck or patio. One company that's added a dash of AI to its spice rack is Seergrills, a UK-based startup comprised of engineers and product developers. Its flagship model, the Perfecta, can cook a one-inch-thick ribeye steak in 90 seconds. Overall, the company says the grill, a unit that looks more like a see-through counter-top oven, cooks foods around 10 times faster than conventional cooking methods. 

Inside, dual vertical infrared burners cook both sides simultaneously, which not only expedites the process, but it also eliminates the need to flip. Seergrills says the burners top out at 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit and the unit can even ensure edges are crisp thanks to 360-degree heating. A built-in AI chef takes the desired doneness and sear level into account, calculating the proper cooking time and temp based on the food. Sensors detect the thickness of things like steak and chicken to prevent over or undercooking and the burners automatically move toward and away from foods as needed during the process. The entire smart setup is what Seergrills calls NeuralFire, with a quad-core processor and host of sensors for gathering cooking data.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

The vertical orientation nixes any flareups, according to the company, as only smoke and water vapor are exhausted out of the top, with fat and grease collected in a dishwasher-safe drip pan at the bottom. The Perfecta also has oven and rotisserie modes, so you can cook pizza and roasted chicken with ease. There's a Chef Mode too, offering full control over the unit. Plus, the company has designed a grill cart for a full outdoor setup. Due to the power of the burners, the Perfecta runs on gas, with a 12-volt electrical cord for the onboard electronics. Those include a touch screen for entering your desired cooking parameters. Since this is an outdoor grill after all, we weren't able to see it cooking at a tradeshow table. but the company says it will be available to early buyers before the end of the year. 

Seergrills is planning to ship the Perfecta in Q4 of 2024 at a price of $3,500. Early adopters can save $1,000 through the end of CES. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

There are earbuds aplenty at CES 2024 and today Sennheiser revealed its two latest models in Las Vegas. The company has updated its flagship Momentum line with a new premium model, the Momentum True Wireless 4, while also debuting its first tech-filled set of fitness earbuds in the Momentum Sport. Both sit at the top end of the company's lineup and will cost you $300 or more when they arrive later this year. 

Sennheiser says it took over three years of work to build the Momentum Sport, combining fitness tech with its trademark sound quality. Inside, a photoplethysmography (PPG) heart rate sensor and a body temperature sensor can send workout biometrics to apps like Apple Health, Garmin Connect, Strava, Peloton and Polar Flow. The earbuds only send body temp info to that last app though. Sennheiser says the Momentum Sport marks the first time ever that a non-Polar product will be able to leverage the data analytics of Flow for real-time analytics. What's more, the Momentum Sport's stats work with the Polar Vantage V3 watch and you can have training audio (Smart Coaching) sent from the company's app to the earbuds. 

The company did a live demo of the Momentum Sport earbuds with the Vantage V3 watch and the Polar app. Someone rode a Peloton and sent live biometrics to the app in real time. The integration is seamless, as you would expect across a smartwatch and app from a company worked closely with to develop these wireless earbuds. The team-up means Sennheiser didn't have to develop its own fitness app to make the most of the Momentum Sport's sensors. 

Sennheiser explains that it created an all-new 10mm transducer for the Momentum Sport, aiming for the type of "vivid sound and impressive bass" most people desire for workouts. The company also included an acoustic relief channel that relieves the occlusion effect or feeling that your ears are plugged and stressed with pressure. Sennheiser says that design element also reduces breathing noise, footstep thunder and other body noises that could be distracting during a session. 

The Momentum Sport has a semi-open design that lets a bit of your surroundings in naturally, but you can also opt for transparency mode to stay fully in tune. There's also active noise cancellation (ANC) when you need to focus and an anti-wind mode to combat the breeze when you're outdoors. Sennheiser manages an IP55 rating for the earbuds to withstand moisture and dust, while also using a shock-proof construction and clog resistant eartips so any wax buildup won't be a problem. The charging case is IP54 rated itself and offers wireless charging. 

Sennheiser promises up to six hours of battery life on the Momentum Sport, but doesn't specify if that's with ANC on or off. There are three additional charges in the case and 10 minutes of charging can give you 45 minutes of use. Of course, these earbuds also work with the company's Smart Control app for tweaking the sound profile and a variety of settings and there's a collection of ear tips and fins to find the ideal fit.

The Momentum Sport will be available on April 9 for $330 (€330) in black, green and graphite color options. 

Sennheiser

The Momentum True Wireless 4 is the follow up to the company's Momentum 3 earbuds that debuted in 2022. Sennheiser says it added over a dozen upgrades to this model, including Qualcomm's S5 Sound Gen 2 platform with ​Snapdragon Sound in addition to support for Bluetooth 5.4, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive Audio, LE Audio, LC3, Auracast and more. A six-microphone setup improves call quality and ANC performance, according to the company, while an adaptive EQ monitors sound input consistent audio across both musical styles and content types. Sound Personalization, Sound Zone and Sound Check features are available here once again through the Smart Control app. 

Sennheiser says it updated the design of the ear tip and nozzle to better protect against ear wax. It also includes a "comprehensive" fit kit that offers a smattering of ear tips and fins, along with a fit test in its app, to ensure that you're not sacrificing performance with the wrong components. In terms of the sound quality, the company promises "evolved tuning," with "smoother treble response, extensive bass and effortless midrange." Sennheiser has consistently built some of the best wireless earbuds in terms of overall sound for years, so we have every reason to believe these claims. 

The Momentum True Wireless 4 offers up to seven and a half hours of battery life on the buds (ANC not specified) with another three full charges in the wireless charging case. What's more, the company explains that it upgraded battery performance over time with a battery protection mode that optimizes charging cycles. 

The Momentum True Wireless 4 will be available to preorder in black copper, metallic silver and graphite on February 15 for $300 (€300), $50 more then the previous model cost at launch. The earbuds will begin shipping on March 1. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Sennheiser just introduced its more affordable Accentum noise-canceling headphones in September, aiming to offer some of the best parts of its pricier Momentum cans at a lower price. At CES 2024, the company is already adding a second Accentum model, the Accentum Plus, that carries much of what made last year's installment an attractive alternative to flagship headphones. Sennheiser has spilled all of the details in Las Vegas, and thankfully, the 50-hour battery life remains from the previous version. 

While the design is still inspired by the Momentum line, the key difference on the Accentum Plus is the addition of touch controls. Gone are some of the physical buttons that adorned the 2023 model, for better or worse depending on your preference for sorting playback and calls. Taps and swipes now handle media, volume and transparency mode. The company has also added automatic pausing for added convenience. 

Most of the DNA of the Accentum remains, including the 50-hour battery life, 37mm drivers, audio customization and multipoint connectivity. Where the first version had hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC), this model has hybrid adaptive ANC than automatically adjusts to changes in your surroundings. The fast-charge feature on this model gives you five hours of use in just 10 minutes. 

The Accentum Plus will be available on February 20 for $230 (€230). That's $50 more than the regular version, which makes them a bit less attractive compared to the 2023 model. They'll be available in black and white color options at launch. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.