The Top Headphones and Speakers This Season | Curated Mint

With so much choice in the crowded market of headphones, earphones and speakers, it can be hard to sift through the choices and find your perfect audio gear. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite audio tech around that you should consider buying.

Earphones

Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2

Bowers and Wilkins pride themselves on making aesthetically pleasing gear and the C5 Series 2 earphones are no exception. The main body of the earphones is encased in black metal, giving them a really premium finish. The steel “Micro Porous filter” on the end of the earphones not only looks great, but adds extra depth and detail to your music. The sound quality on the C5 Series 2 is immense, with the bass packing a serious punch. One of the best features of these earphones is the flexible plastic loop which fits in the curvature of your ear and holds them in place. They may not look it, but the loop is actually very comfortable.

It is fully adjustable meaning they will fit on anyone and keeps them steady for clear hearing, making them great for going on a run or working out. The C5 Series 2 also comes with a stylish case which is a lot better than the usual, poor quality excuses for cases that many earphones come in. Overall, these are a great pair of premium earphones that both look fantastic and have excellent sound quality.

Find your Bowers And Wilkins earphones on our website.

UrBeats3

Beats are back and better than ever. Introducing the new UrBeats3 – stylish, easy and comfortable. The wired beauties in-ear earphones feature the finest fine-tuned acoustics made for exceptional listening. The sound is synchronized from the regions of the diaphragm to provide ambient tonality across all genres.

Designed for an ergonomic fit for all day wear and comfort, the UrBeats3 are also tangle-free so you never have to worry about struggling to untangle your earphones every time you take them out of your pocket. They come in a range of sleek colours: matte gold, matte silver and matte black, so you’re bound to find a swanky pair to appease you. We found the noise cancellation on the UrBeats3 to be really effective and allows you to dig into work without any distractions. The latest earbuds have a lightning option for the newer iPhones, so if you’re the lucky person with an iPhone 7 or 8, then these are tailored to you.

Get your UrBeats3 on the Apple or Beats website.

Sol Republic Amps Air Wireless Buds

These are free from cables giving you unrestricted movement whether you’re working, or working out. Sol Republic has designed the ultimate wireless earbuds to fit your lifestyle. Dive into the signature sound with immersive bass and incredible treble. Both sweat and rain resistant, these are perfect for the toughest of workouts. They’re designed to sit snugly in your ear so you’ll be able to go about your routine without worrying about losing an earbud or getting the wires tangled in the machinery – ouch.

The wireless earbuds come with a charging case and up to 3 hours of playtime per charge. This means that it wouldn’t be convenient for any long-haul journeys. The wireless buds come with a stylish travel case with a built-in battery, allowing you to recharge them for more than 45 hours of playtime and acts as a handy portable phone charger which is a great feature. Being rain and sweat proof, super lightweight and not having wires to tangle yourself in makes them great for an active lifestyle. The size is small and discreet so you avoid attracting any unnecessary attention, unlike other audio companies.

Find your pair on the Sol Republic website.

Headphones

Even H2

Designing headphones tailored to each listener’s ear, Even’s H2 audio quality is excellent. The ergonomic wireless design features retro styling and quality materials fit for comfort. The H2 are beautifully designed – it features a wood grained finish on the back of the earcups, opposite sweat resistant leatherette in black.

These headphones feature integrated Bluetooth and up to 20 hours of battery life making them perfect for long journeys and prolonged everyday use. Even H2 offers immense sound quality as well as EarPrint technology which allows you to adjust the way you listen to music to your personal preferences. You can keep track of this and store the data on your devices with the H2 app. This is a really unique feature of these headphones and makes it stand out from many others available. They also come with a carrying case for you to fold them up and store in a small compact space; great for taking on the go.

Check out more on the Even H2 headphones on their website.

Bowers and Wilkins PX

The headphone market is a pretty competitive place but the unbeatable Bower and Wilkins have delivered with a new set of noise cancellation headphones. The noise cancellation is extremely impressive so you can be in your own personal bubble when you’re out and about.

With a very aesthetically pleasing build, the PX does not disappoint as the streamlined design is compact and portable for everyday use. The PX has smart sensors and changeable ear cushions, meaning Bower and Wilkins have created a very adaptable pair of headphones with the ability to cater to your individual comfort needs. Coming from a brand with a great pedigree, their sound quality is excellent and never compromised.

See more of Bowers and Wilkins on their website.

FINANCE TMA-2

AIAIAI is now launching the H05, the new smart headband for the TMA-2, and it works when plugged into any TMA-2 speaker unit enabling high-quality Bluetooth transmission. They offer high-resolution audio with up to 16 hours of battery life, which is a good length of time for some fantastic sound quality. The headband can be purchased individually as an add-on to a current configuration or as an option when buying a new configuration.

What we found most convenient was that you had the option to actually build your own headphones, choose from a range of parts and configurations to fit you best. Choose from the different headbands moulded for different grips or soft foam comfort or speaker units. The S04 offers a more detailed sound, whereas the S02 is more suited to amplifying deeper basses. This variety and adaptability to produce your own set of personally tailored headphones make them extremely distinctive in the crowded market of headphones.

Read more on the AIAIAI headphones on their website.

Speakers

Bose SoundLink Revolve

Delivering true 360° sound for consistency, the SoundLink Revolve is one of Bose’s greatest performing portable speakers. The speaker has up to 16 hours of battery life which may not sound like a lot compared to other speakers but for a high-performance speaker, this goes a long way. The multifunction button controls everything from music playback to activating voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant. The SoundLink revolve is also water resistant (although not fully waterproof) and rugged enough to withstand bumps and knocks thanks to its rubber shock absorbers on each end – so it should be able to handle those gatherings that you’re planning.

Bose also lets you pair two Revolve speakers to use for stereo or amplification – a feature that will work up to a decent range of 10m. What we loved most about the Revolve speakers was that wherever you position yourself in the room, you can still hear the audio being played at a substantial quality. The only downside to this was that the Revolve speakers were a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for in terms of sound quality. Bose have been leaders in this aspect for a number of years and these speakers are no exception.

Find your Bose speaker on their website.

Fugoo Style

Unrivalled in durability, Fugoo represents the next generation of wireless speakers with up to 40 hours of battery life, a heavy duty waterproof rating and immersive audio quality. The Fugoo Style comes in two options with the Fugoo XL and Fugoo S. The XL is much larger for optimum 360° sound, so this would be ideal for any BBQ cookout or trips to the beach, as it’s packed with two mid/woofer drivers for midrange sounds and bass tones for a remarkable listening experience. The best thing about the Style speakers? It is completely water, snow, mud and shockproof to withstand any torrential terrain, so you’ll have no worries bringing these bad boys to your ski trip.

We love the Fugoo Style speakers, however, there was one key problem. To view battery life, you would need to count the blinks on the led lights which we found rather inconvenient. It would be much better if it had a standard battery icon like on a phone or other device. However, this may have compromised the immense durability of the speaker which is the standout feature of the product. Apart from this, we think the Fugoo Style Speakers are one of the best, ultra-durable speakers on the market – impeccable for anyone who has an active lifestyle to bring their music on the go or for those action-packed adventures in the summer!

Read more about the Fugoo Style speakers on their website.

Anker SoundCore Boost

Perfect for the outdoors or boosting your audio for your laptops or TVs, Anker has done it again with the SoundCore Boost Bluetooth Speaker. Some handy features include a built-in microphone which turns the Boost into a hands-free speakerphone, while an external USB port allows you to listen and charge your devices simultaneously.

The minimalistic design looks great and will fit in anywhere around the home. If you’re somebody who craves bass, then you’ll love this next feature. With a simple touch of the “UP” button, your tracks will play with extra bass and give a boost to your favourite bassy tracks. The speaker is jam-packed with 12 hours of battery life, which is decent for the size and cost of the product. Simple yet very effective, the SoundCore Boost is good value for a small speaker.

Find out more about the Anker Soundcore Boost on their website.

On That Note

From in-ear to on-ear and wireless to noise-cancelling designs, there are so many earphones, headphones and speakers that you can choose from. We hope by reading this article it has given you an insight into the many pieces of audio equipment on the market, as well as giving your our inside thoughts on the products. Everyone will want to find different things in a speaker, so whether you’re looking for something for the home, something for your exercise/sport, or even something to take on holiday or to the beach, we have you covered. Now you have the best chance to find the right item for you, so get looking, and get listening.

Feature image from Pinterest