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Cambridge Audio’s first AirPods Pro competitor has lossless audio, massive battery life
Cambridge Audio’s new Melomania M100 wireless earbuds are the U.K. company’s first model to offer active noise cancellation (ANC), a key feature of virtually every flagship model from competitors, including Apple’s AirPods Pro. The Melomania M100 are priced at $219 and are available starting on March 27 at Amazon and other retailers.
While ANC is a big addition, Cambridge Audio appears to have caught up with the market in a number of other areas, too. The M100 has a case that supports wireless charging, and thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform, the earbuds can receive lossless CD-quality audio from compatible smartphones, as well as lossy, hi-res audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
The M100 are also set to get a firmware upgrade to Bluetooth LE Audio, including support for Auracast, which will let users tune into public Bluetooth broadcasts as this technology gets rolled out.
Supporting that enhanced Bluetooth audio is a set of 10mm drivers — 30% larger than the ones used on the company’s previous model, the Melomania Touch. These are powered by class AB amplification, a technology normally found on full-sized hi-fi gear like Cambridge Audio’s amplifiers.
The company says that out of the box, the M100 are “tuned to deliver the acclaimed Cambridge sound – transparent and natural,” but there’s also a newly developed Melomania Connect app for iOS and Android that gives you a seven-band equalizer with six presets to provide greater control over the sound.
Battery life is another highlight. Cambridge Audio claims the new earbuds will get 10 hours of playtime on a single charge, but this increases to an astonishing 16 hours if you disable ANC. With the case’s capacity included, this yields a total stamina of up to 52 hours before needing to recharge the case and earbuds.
The M100 sport IPX4 protection from water, which is enough for workouts or the occasional rainy day run, and there are three sizes of silicone tips and two sizes of memory foam tips in the box to help you get a secure and comfortable fit.
Finally, Android and Windows users can take advantage of Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair to get the M100 quickly and easily connected to devices that use these two operating systems, and support for Bluetooth Multipoint means you can stay connected to two devices simultaneously.
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Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Skullcandy’s new earbuds mimic the AirPods Pro for just $100
Skullcandy’s latest wireless earbuds are packed with features, and in typical Skullcandy fashion, they’re priced much lower than the competition. The new Skullcandy Rail ($80) and Rail ANC ($100) look very similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, and in the case of the Rail ANC, they possess many of the same features. Both models are available on Skullcandy.com starting June 13.
Each Rail model uses the same shape and silicone eartips to seal your ear canal, with touch controls on both earbuds, however, the Rail ANC use transparent plastic for the inside half of the earbud, and they have an extra set of microphones. Here’s what you can expect from each Rail version.
Skullcandy Rail
$2,199 Hed Unity Wi-Fi headphones are the first to offer lossless hi-res audio
They won’t fit a lot of budgets, but if you’re an audiophile who has long wished for a set of wireless headphones that can deliver truly lossless, hi-res audio, the Hed Unity are the first product that can grant your wish. The over-ear cans use Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth and can store hi-res music within their onboard storage for access to those hi-res tracks even when you’re not at home on your Wi-Fi network. The price for this ultimate level of wire-free listening? $2,199 and you can order them starting April 12 at getunity.com.
The Unity is the first set of headphones from Hed, a Swiss audio company. The company calls the Unity’s Wi-Fi-based audio Full-Fidelity. “We believe that everyone should be able to listen to audiophile quality audio, whenever and wherever, simply and without compromise,” said Tim Degraye, Co-Founder of HED Unity in a press release. “It’s time to demystify the process. Once you hear the difference it’s impossible to go back.”
Bowers & Wilkins’ wireless earbuds get better battery life and longer range
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has released new versions of its two models of noise-canceling earbuds: the Pi5 S2 ($299) and Pi7 S2 ($399). They’re available starting January 25 and feature small but welcome improvements to their predecessors, the PI5 and PI7, which launched in 2021. The company says both new models have improved battery life and better Bluetooth connectivity.
The earbuds now come in new color options. The Pi7 S2 are available in Satin Black, Canvas White, and Midnight Blue. The Pi5 S2, which has seen a $50 price increase from the PI5, come in three new color options at launch: Cloud Gray, Storm Gray, and Spring Lilac, with a fourth color — Sage Green — coming later this spring.
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