The edge’s favorite audio equipment: headphones, speakers and more

Ever since Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville recorded an almost indistinguishable version of the French song “Au Clair de la Lune” in the mid-19th century, it’s clear that the technology you use to produce and listen to sounds, can affect your experience. . Even now, about 150 years later, the quality of your equipment can make the difference between a thin, almost unrecognizable noise or a fully realized listening experience.

As you can imagine, the people here at The edge spend a lot of time listening to a variety of digital sounds – whether it’s online meetings, music, podcasts, videos or audio surveys of their own multimedia productions. We asked the staff what their favorite devices are to listen to, amplify or produce their digital sounds. Here’s what they talked about.

Plantronics Explorer 500 Bluetooth Headphones

About six years ago, I checked out a mid-range Bluetooth headset from Plantronics (now Poly) called the Explorer 500. It was a small, nicely built single-ear headset and had a short USB cable with points that magnetically snapped together becoming a loop. At the time, I thought it was a pretty good piece of technology, so I bought one – and I’m still using it. Of course, it’s not ideal for music (it only uses one ear), but it’s incredibly comfortable to hang on a loop in my suitcase so I can grab it for a quick call or if I want to listen. ‘ a podcast. And surprisingly, the battery still holds a reasonable charge. One of these days I’ll have to invest in a fully wireless headset so I can also have fully mobile music – but until then, my Explorer 500 serves me well. – Barbara Krasnoff, editor of reviews

AudioQuest Dragonfly USB DAC

AudioQuest’s portable portable digital-to-analog converter (DAC) delivers higher quality audio to your devices. Most laptops, tablets and smartphones do not have great DACs or support high-resolution files like FLAC (nor do they tell you when they are not), but with the Dragonfly you can listen to uncompressed audio up to 24-bit / 96 kHz. There is also an LED light on the device that changes color to indicate which sample is currently supported. AudioQuest makes three separate models: the basic Dragonfly Black; the Dragonfly Red, which uses a higher performance DAC chip; and the Dragonfly Cobalt, its best model.

To take full advantage of the Dragonfly, you also need an adapter for your phone with a Lightning-to-USB-A adapter for an iPhone or a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter for a Android device. Portability is the biggest feature here – swapping between my phone and my laptop is why I recommend it to anyone who wants one device that allows you to listen to high volume on any device. – Andrew Marino, Sound Engineer

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones

Okay, yeah, I know these are virtually all of the internet’s favorite earphones. But seriously: I’ve had mine for six years now, and they held up excellently. Sure, the diaper on the headband is starting to flake off, and I had to replace the earbuds a while back, but it sounds just as good as the day I got it. I find that music just sounds nice to them – not too analytical, as my DT-770 Pros can sometimes be. The Audio-Technicas certainly do not refer to headphones, but this is probably not what most people are looking for.

It was also a good price, especially compared to their Bluetooth counterparts. And honestly, I fell in love with wireless headphones for anything other than exercising, although that’s probably a problem with me, not them. Either way, the newer version, the ATH-M50x (the ATH-M50 has been discontinued), has a removable cable, so you do not have to worry about the ridiculously long cables that sometimes come with luxury headphones. (Another version, the ATH-M50xBT, has the cable completely gone.) – Mitchell Clark, news writer

Antlion Audio ModMic USB Microphone

It seems like everyone is getting big standalone microphones for their desks during the pandemic, but I do not want to give up any precious real estate. One solution that works better in my needs is the ModMic USB microphone from Antlion Audio. It’s cleverly designed. First, stick a small circular base (about the size of a large chocolate chip) on the side of your headphones, then the microphone itself can be magnetically attached and detached. I like to be able to quickly turn my headphones into a game chapter, or to get ready for a meeting, and then return to regular headphones by loosening the microphone. I use one with my Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones with an open back and it helps me get more out of the kit I already own.

This particular microphone has two modes in which you can switch: omnidirectional (made for broadcasts) or unidirectional, which only helps to capture your voice when you are in a noisy environment. The sound quality of a voice recording made with the ModMic is very good – much better than most of the game headphones I’ve ever tried. The microphone is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, PS4 and PS5.

The downside is that this model costs about $ 70. If your headphones are wired, it can be difficult to insert the wire of this microphone into the fight. For me, the price is worth it. Antlion also makes a wireless rechargeable microphone for $ 120, if you want to follow the trail, which also has dual microphone modes and can hold your adhesive to your headphones. – Cameron Faulkner, author

AirPods

I love my AirPods and have had them since my first pair. They are lightweight, they charge quickly in their case and sound good enough for what I need them for, which are mostly audio notifications, listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos. It helps that I’m an iPhone and Mac user, because they work very well with both devices.

However, I think I like the original AirPods more than for the benefits. While the benefits offer welcome upgrades like active noise cancellation and resistance to water and sweat, they just do not fit so well in my ears. The original AirPods never fell out, but the AirPods Pro will slowly slip out when I talk or eat, and sometimes when I run. That means I constantly adjust them when I do anything other than sit completely still. (To be honest, I’m sitting very still at the moment.)

We hope the next version of the Pros will fit my ears just a little better. If they do, they’ll probably become one of my favorite Apple products ever. – Jay Peters, news writer

Red RodeCaster Pro podcast production

This four-microphone audio interface from Rode makes it significantly easier to set up a complete podcast session with a design that mimics a live mixing board. You can record multitracks on your computer or internally on a microSD with a USB-C connection.

As someone who mostly mixes podcasts after they are recorded, this setup is more appealing to me for live streaming on Twitch or YouTube. You also get built-in, customizable audio banks, compression and EQ settings, multiple monitoring outputs and an intuitive design for traditional live mixing.

Fun tip: this is also a great way to record call interviews by pairing the RodeCaster Pro via Bluetooth with your smartphone. – Andrew Marino

HyperX QuadCast Microphone

I wanted to upgrade my microphone for a long time, but I was not sure which product I would go with. A few friends recommended the HyperX QuadCast, and this is what I finally bought.

Previously, I used a Blue Yeti microphone, but I felt that the sound quality on my part was unsatisfactory. I wanted to make sure I buy a microphone that is not too cheap and not too expensive, and, most importantly, has a long cable so I do not have to rearrange my desk. Compared to the Blue Yeti, I found that the HyperX QuadCast had a lot of clarity and picked up the subtle details of my audio output.

I really enjoy the somewhat unconventional design of the QuadCast; it comes with straight control panels, a stand and a shock mount adapter for boom frames if you want to mount the microphone closer to you. I also find it handy that the mute button is on top of the microphone. It makes it easy to mute myself quickly while I’m on Zoom or Discord. —Taylor Lyles, author

Sonos Five Speaker

I have never found one smart speaker that sounds better, and I like that there are no microphones inside. These are the main points why I’ve had a Sonos play: 5 – recently refreshed as the Sonos Five – on my desk for a few years now. For a speaker that does not have a 360-degree design, the Five still delivers a very satisfying soundtrack that can fill most rooms. It can kick out enough bass without overpowering the height and height of your music. It takes two of most other smart speakers put together to get anywhere near what the Sonos Five can deliver. (Granted, that sounds like $ 500 better.)

Almost every audio app under the sun is supported by the Sonos app, including hi-fi options like Tidal and Amazon Music HD. The Sonos Five works with Apple AirPlay, and there’s a 3.5mm auxiliary input for wired playback. (You can also use it to connect a turntable to your Sonos system.)

No, there is no built-in voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant. But some people will appreciate the absence of microphones that always listen. And it’s easy to add an assistant to the mix, either via another Sonos speaker like the One or simply by connecting an Echo Dot or Nest Mini.

It’s just a shame that the white and black combination Play: 5 is no more; I think it was the most beautiful speaker Sonos ever made. – Chris Welch, News Editor