Audio, Sound & Speakers News - Page 4

If you've ever looked at Apple's HomePod and thought that it would be way better if it had a display, you very much aren't alone. In fact, it now appears that even Apple would agree that its smart speaker should have a way to view content - because a new report claims that it's already testing one.

The report says that Apple is testing running the tvOS software on an iPad mini in an attempt to fathom how it would work on a touchscreen, something that is likely more complicated than just installing tvOS and leaving it to do its thing.

This report comes after 9to5Mac spotted that the latest tvOS 17.2 beta includes support for the iPad mini 6, a device that has no official reason for being listed. However, it's thought that Apple added support so that it can continue to test the latest version of tvOS on an iPad mini in an attempt to help develop a future HomePod with a display attached.

Apple's entire lineup looks set to get a big overhaul, according to a new report. The changes will touch every corner of the lineup starting with the base model AirPods and continuing through the AirPods Pro into the range-topping AirPods Max.

That's according to a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, citing unnamed sources who are reportedly familiar with Apple's plans for the earbuds and headphones Apple will make over the next year or two.

Starting with the AirPods, Gurman says that Apple intends to do away with the current AirPods 2 and AirPods 3 products, choosing instead to replace them with two new pairs of fourth-generation earbuds. Those new earbuds will be similar to AirPods Pro in appearance, with shorter stems. The two models will be differentiated by functionality - one will offer active noise cancelation technology like AirPods Pro, but the other won't. Neither pair will have ear tips like Apple's best earbuds, but will rather sit in the year like normal AirPods. Both new pairs will get a new charging case with support for the Find My network. Look to 2024 for this all to happen.

Google has finally announced that it has added support for playing YouTube Music audio via a HomePod for the first time. Although judging by the way it made the announcement it's possible that it was hoping that nobody would actually notice.

It's a feature that many people probably already assumed existed, and if you're on that list we wouldn't blame you one jot. But it's now here - YouTube Music subscribers can finally listen to their songs using their Apple HomePod and HomePod mini smart speakers. The news was announced with little in the way of fanfare, with an unassuming Reddit post handling the announcement.

That announcement confirmed that YouTube Music support for the HomePod is now available for all Premium and Music Premium subscribers, no matter where they happen to be. This global launch means that the feature should now be live for those who want to use it.

Buying a second-generation HomePod just got cheaper, assuming you're in one of a handful of countries and don't mind buying a refurbished model, that is.

Apple's online refurbished store is now selling the second-generation HomePod in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and a handful of other countries. The United States is conspicuous by its absence, but MacRumors points out that the smart speaker is indeed listed in the US refurbished Apple Store, you just can't actually buy one yet.

Buying a refurbished HomePod means that you'll save around 15% on the original asking price. As an example, UK customers would pay £249 for a HomePod that would normally retail for £299. While refurbished HomePods aren't available to buy in the United States just yet, the speaker will sell for $249 rather than the original $299 in Apple's own back yard, too.

When Apple announced the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max they also announced the terribly-named "AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C)." We're just going to call the USB-C AirPods Pro, but the real story is that they are the only earbuds that will support lossless audio when connected to the upcoming Apple Vison Pro headset. Nobody knew why given the fact that, bar that USB-C port, they weren't thought to be any different from the old earbuds. Turns out, they are.

Now, Apple has confirmed exactly why you'll need those new USB-C AirPods Pro to be able to enjoy lossless Vision Pro audio. And it appears that they are more different from the older Lightning model than you might think.

According to Apple's VP of Sensing and Connectivity Ron Huang, speaking in a YouTube video from Brian Tong, you will indeed need the new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 to get the best audio from Vision Pro. The reason? While both second-generation AirPods Pro models have the H2 chip inside, the newer USB-C model comes with something a little extra - support for 5GHz connectivity.

We've been hearing things about the unannounced Samsung Galaxy Buds FE for a few weeks at this point and while Samsung itself is yet to confirm anything, it now looks increasingly likely that we should expect them to debut within the next few weeks. And they've just leaked again, with more information becoming available including an expected price.

The Galaxy Buds FE were always expected to play at the budget end of the market given that FE moniker and that looks very much to be the case right now. The Galaxy Buds FE will reportedly sell for $99.99, assuming retailers don't discount them even further. That's according to a new WinFuture report that also details some other pre-release information, too.

According to that report, the new Galaxy Buds FE will come in two colors; Graphite Gray and White. No matter which color you choose you can expect to get earbuds that can have their media playback controlled by touching the outer surface. On the inside, a 12mm single driver will be used with Samsung saying that we can expect improved bass playback, but we'll need to test these things before we can comment on that.

You might be forgiven for thinking that all Apple announced during its September 12 Wonderlust event was a set of new iPhones, but you'd be wrong. Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, not to mention an interesting pair of AirPods Pro 2.

We already had AirPods Pro 2 on the market, of course. But things are different with this new pair because they come with USB-C built in, ditching Lightning for the first time. The result is that the AirPods Pro 2 now have USB-C, which is cool, But while Apple didn't mention that there are new earbuds as well, there absolutely are. And they're causing some confusion thanks to a new feature that will offer so-called lossless sound when connected to Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset.

The USB-C AirPods Pro were thought to be identical to the previous model, bar that new connector. But Bloomberg's Mark Gurman confirmed with Apple that the new losses Vision Pro audio support is indeed limited to the new release, leaving older AirPods Pro 2 owners in the lurch.

Apple is getting ready to hold a special event on September 12 with the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all expected to be announced officially. The new iPhones will make the move away from Lightning to USB-C of course, but they won't be alone. Apple's accessories will need to follow suit and a new report claims to know which will be the first.

Apple's earbuds and headphones will of course also need to use USB-C sooner rather than later and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that it'll be the AirPods Pro that make the jump first.

Writing as part of a larger look at the September 12 event and what will be announced, Gurman says that the AirPods Pro will get a new USB-C version next week although the rest of the lineup will have to wait. That means that the entry-level AirPods earbuds and the high-end over-ear headphones AirPods Max will not get a new USB-C refresh until 2024.

Nacon has lifted the lid on its new premium RIG wireless gaming headset - the RIG 900 MAX HX. As expected, it's stacked with features, including support for Xbox (headsets need a special license to work on Microsoft's consoles). It also introduces Dolby Personalized Audio into the gaming headset realm.

It's a feature that builds on the Dolby Atmos 3D Audio capabilities of the headset by linking to a Dolby Personalization App on your smartphone, which can then tailor the Dolby Atmos experience via analyzing your ears, head, and shoulders and creating a personalized audio profile to match your noggin's particular dimensions.

Will it make a massive difference to the sound quality of the RIG 900 MAX HX when playing a game like Starfield on PC or Xbox Series X|S? Time will tell, and it's a feature we'll check out in our review. In the meantime, hit the jump to check out the new RIG's full specs and other features.

Apple's getting ready to announce the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series' of devices at an event that is now confirmed to take place on September 12. Now, a new report claims that the new iPhones and refreshed Apple Watches aren't the only things that will debut at that event.

Writing for Bloomberg, the usually well-connected Mark Gurman says that we can expect Apple to also unveil at least one new pair of AirPods during that same event. The new earbuds will come with a USB-C port included, ditching Lightning just as the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max will. Gurman stopped short of saying which AirPods will be refreshed, but all models will eventually need to make the USB-C switch. Thanks before a 2024 EU law kicks in that requires all similar devices use a common charger - with USB-C being the charger that has been chosen.

That means that the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max will all need to be updated to remove the Lightning connector, although it isn't clear whether that will be the only thing that changes as part of these refreshes. Again, Gurman didn't get into details but some models are more likely to get a proper refresh than others.