Best for the long haul

JBL Live Beam 3

Two days is a long time to be listening to music, but that's exactly what the JBL Live Beam 3 offers. What's more, the way it reproduces sound makes two whole days and nights fly by.
On top of impressive battery life and endlessly engaging sound, JBL has included a nifty touchscreen charging case, so you don't even need to open the JBL control app to access volume, playback, or ANC modes.

From ±R3 800, jbl.com

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100

Rely on Cambridge Audio to go to town when designing and specifying a new pair of wireless over-ear noise-cancellers. Yes, the Melomania P100 look good, feel good and even smell pretty good straight from the box —but more importantly they sound great and cancel noise splendidly.
And even more important for the power users among us is the epic battery life: 100 hours with ANC switched off and 60 hours of blissful noise-free listening is easily achievable.

From ±R7 000, cambridgeaudio.com

Cleer Audio Enduro ANC

To be fair, it's possible to buy on-ear headphones that are a little more comfortable than the Cleer Audio Enduro ANC — but what's much harder to come by at this sort of money is similarly chunky sound quality, a comparable control app, or battery life that comes anywhere close.
If you need to enjoy top-quality isolation for 60 hours at a stretch, the aptly named Enduro have you covered. They're small but have some very big numbers attached.

From ±R6 000, focal. com 

Best for audiophiles

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

The new Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are the best-sounding true wireless in-ear headphones you can buy, and they are exceptional noise-cancellers at the same time, which shouldn't come as any surprise.
What's a little unexpected about these brilliant earbuds is the agricultural appearance of previous Bowers Er Wilkins models is gone, replaced by a sleek and understated design that even David Beckham doesn't mind having in his ears. Just because you're an audio geek doesn't mean you don't want to look good...

From ±R7 000, bowerswilkins.com

Focal Bathys

Nothing's perfect, of course, and in truth the Focal Bathys are in the 'very good' rather than 'great' category when it comes to noise-cancellation.
But the sound they produce makes up for it, in spades - this is a superb-sounding pair of headphones, so good that you'll find yourself checking they're not hard-wired to a source of music. Add in great looks, luxurious build and impeccable finish, and you'll take 'very good' noise-cancelling all day long - guaranteed.

From ±R20 000, focal.com 

Marshall Monitor III ANC

The third generation of Marshall's Monitor ANC wireless on-ear noise-cancellers is its best yet - and that's saying something.
Unmistakable looks combine with huge battery life, the sort of active noise-cancellation that makes every journey serene, an audio quality that combines the usual Marshall virtues of punch and drive with a slightly less predictable helping of insight and refinement —so in every respect, these are brilliantly capable headphones.

From ±R6 000, marshall.com 

Best for style

Apple AirPods Max

This isn't the first Apple audio product to have the 'style' thing covered, but it's the one that backs it up with the most substance.
The AirPods Max sound uncomplicatedly excellent, they cancel noise with something approaching fanaticism, and the way they're specified, designed and finished is basically shorthand for 'look at me, I'm a very discerning and sophisticated individual'. Not every pair of wireless headphones can do this, of course, and even fewer can do it with quite such panache.

From ±R10 000, apple.com

Final Audio UX3000

The Final Audio UX3000 make their modest price look like a misprint. Here's a compact, elegant, nicely styled and interestingly finished little pair of wireless on-ear headphones, light and comfortable, with specification out of all proportion to the asking price.
Add in some very effective noise-cancellation and confident, articulate and convincing sound, and the combination of positives adds up quickly. If 'style' is interchangeable with 'understatement', you won't go wrong here.

From ±R2 800, snext-final.com

Montblanc MTB03

The casual six-pointed star that adorns each of these small, understated true wireless earbuds is more commonly found gracing some of the most luxuriously upmarket luggage, pens, watches, sunglasses and what-have-you that [lots and lots of] money can buy.
But the MTB03 are no mere frippery —these are serious earbuds that sound superb and cancel external noise with determination. So, it's the same with the MTB03 as with every other Montblanc product.

From ±R8 300, montblanc.com

Best for your budget 

Audio Technica ATH-CKS30TW+

Audio Technica is no stranger to value-for-money true wireless earbuds, but with the ATH-CKS30TW+ it may have surpassed itself. No matter which aspect of the 30+ you consider: sound quality, ANC performance, battery life, build quality, standard of control app, you name it - the Audio Technica are among the very best pound-for-pound performers out there.
These earbuds look, feel and sound way more expensive than they actually are —which makes them one of the biggest bargains around.

From ±R1 300, audio-technica.com

Sony WH-CH720N

Sony remains the absolute king of this sort of thing. For comfortably less than £100 it will happily sell you a pair of properly made, expertly finished and attractive wireless over-ear headphones that look and sound the part - and that have noise-cancellation chops good enough to embarrass any number of more expensive alternatives from other brands.
Where value for money is concerned, you'll find it hard to do any better than the WH-CH720N.

From ±R2 000, sony.com

JBL Tune 670NC

If the Sony WH-CH720N are on the bulky side for your purposes [and if you fancy one of several different colours], then meet the JBL Tune 670NC. They're smaller and lighter than the norm, have impressive battery life [up to 70 hours if you're careful about volume levels] and feature very effective noise-cancellation along with eminently listenable sound.
The fact that they're compatible with one of the best control apps around is the cherry on an already quite tasty cake.

From ±R1 800, jbl.com

Best for travel

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

If you often find yourself on a plane or a train, you know that effective noise-cancellation is a must if you're going to ignore the drone of the vehicle [and of its passengers].
And there's no two ways about it: the best noise-cancellation in the business has the word 'Bose' attached. With the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, the company has added 'excellent sound quality' to 'predictably brilliant ANC' to deliver the only pair of over-ear headphones a frequent flyer will ever need.

From ±R3 8OO, jbl.com

Anker Soundcore Space One Pro

Anker's noise-cancelling option represents supreme value, with excellent pound-for-pound performance, cracking battery life and supreme portability. These headphones will last for over 110 hours on a single charge, and that's with ANC switched on —turn it off and it's over 60 hours.
Their super-foldable design takes up very little of your baggage allowance. And the active noise-cancellation is so effective that any kind of background sound is taken out of the equation.

From ±R4 000, soundcore.com

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

You can go ahead and assume that everything written above about the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones applies to the Ultra Earbuds too — great sound, ace noise-cancellation and more.
Which would be enough to make the Ultra Earbuds a no-brainer if they had nothing else going for them - but these earbuds are among the lightest, most comfortable and most discreet around. Which means your fellow passengers might not even notice that you're ignoring them entirely.

From ±R9 000, bose.com

Best for luxury

Yamaha YH-E700B

First things first: the Yamaha YH-E700B are either on-ear or over-ear wireless headphones - it really depends on how big your head is, because they're pretty small by over-ear standards and quite large by on-ear standards.
No matter the size of your head, though, it will feel the benefit of being inside a pair of these —the sound they make is excellent, the way they cancel ambient sound can't be argued with, and they're luxurious enough where materials and finish are concerned to back up their discreet good looks.

From ±R6 000, yamaha.com

Devialet Gemini II

French maximalist Devialet is more commonly known for its bonkers range of madly high-performance wireless loudspeakers, but it's similarly uncompromising when it comes to true wireless in-ear headphones.
You might think a product as necessarily small as this can't offer the chance of authentic luxury, but the Gemini II look and feel as good as they sound. And you can get an 'Opera de Paris' version that's finished in 211-carat 'moon gold' for just R12 000...

From ±R10 000, devialet.com

Bowers & Wilkins PX8

It's one thing to enjoy high-quality sound and top-notch active noise-cancellation, it's quite another to have your other senses indulged at the same time.
This is what makes the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 such a treat for the eyes, the nose and the fingertips as well as the ears —the quality of the materials used here, from the leather to the burnished aluminium, is almost enough to provoke sensory overload. And you can't say that about any old pair of wireless over-ear headphones.

From ±R13 000, bowerswilkins.com

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Universal communications, or UC, is just the fancy term for video calls and virtual meetings, which are now a much bigger part of many people’s working life. Unsurprisingly most modern headsets do put more focus on the microphone system, including high tech tricks to improve voice quality when you’re at your desk or on the move in noisy environments. The Voyager Surround 80 UC takes this to extremes replacing the usual boom mic with an array of built-in microphones for active noise cancelling.

The music performance is also deeply satisfying with its detail and depth, directly rivalling the audiophile brands. It doesn’t support any of the high-resolution audio formats, but it sounds so good you might never notice. Wireless connectivity is superb using the latest Bluetooth 5.3 which gets you the most stable connection and superior battery life of more than 20 hours. This is the complete package offering great aesthetics, reliable connectivity, fuss-free superior voice communication and overall acoustics that will delight the discerning music listener.

40mm drivers, ANC, 10 mics, BT5.3. R6 170

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Phones

Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro
This is a phone for serious techies and it comes with a superb 120 Hz refresh OLED screen, a quality 108 MP camera, great speakers and masses of processing power. Fast charging is a nice bonus.
R14 000  

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
The best-value phone below R10 000, this has truly outstanding AMOLED screen with 120 Hz high refresh, and an equally impressive triple camera set-up. It has tough Gorilla Glass on the front and is the only phone at this price with 1P67 waterproofing.
R7 499

Oppo A74 5G
There’s not much changed from the excellent A72 that it replaces, but it does just enough to stay on our list, thanks to the 90 Hz high refresh 6.5″ screen and the remarkably effective fast-charging abilities.
R7 099

Samsung Galaxy A22
This Samsung budget beater includes a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with a 90 Hz high refresh rate, and a quad-camera set-up, which produced superb results whatever we threw at them. Add in Samsung build quality, and you’re winning here.
R4 000

Honor X8
Thin and light and easy to handle, it feels built for the long road, and that won us over. Despite its large 6.7-inch high-refresh screen, it was a delight to hold and pocket, but there is no 5G and only average cameras.
R5 000

Laptops

HP Envy X360 2019
This model ticks all our boxes for a versatile and convertible ultrabook that does not break the bank. We enjoyed the powerful battery-saving AMD CPU and graphics in this revamped model. Stylus included. AMD Ryzen 7, 13.3″ screen, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, 1.3 kg.
R22 000

Acer Swift 1
This well-built thin and light model weighs just 1.3 kg and has a fanless CPU, which saves your battery, but at the cost of some processing power. But it’s a versatile model that will satisfy many kinds of users, and for an excellent price. Celeron CPU, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD.
R7 000

Asus Vivobook 15 M513
This mid-priced model has a great balanced build with generous storage, loads of ports and, to top it all, a spectacular 15-inch OLED screen. It also comes with a built-in fingerprint sensor. AMD Ryzen 7, 16 GB RAM, 1.8 kg
R15 000

Apple Macbook Air M1
Apple’s highly regarded M1 chipset brings a huge boost in power and battery life to the new Air. Although it looks little changed from previous models, the build quality and horsepower means it will outlast most competitors. Al CPU, 13″ screen, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage
R19 000

Lenovo IdeaPad C340
This well-priced two-in-one won us over with its sturdy yet slimline design, generous 14″ screen and low weight. It could have scored even higher with more processing power and RAM. i5 (8th gen), 14″ screen, 4 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 1.6 kg.
R12 250

Accessories

Gizzu 8800 mAh Mini Dual DC UPS
Reduce loadshedding stress with this simple gadget: a powerbank with a variety of cables to power both your internet point and WiFi router, so your broadband keeps going when the power goes down.
R1000

DeskStand Laptop Riser
Save yourself a lot of neck- and back pain by lifting your laptop screen up to the height of your eyes using this simple but sturdy birchwood deck. It’s designed to let you use your full-sized mouse and keyboard below.
R600

Samsung Smart Monitor M5
Adding WiFi and speakers to a large 27-inch monitor means it can download streaming apps and function as a space saver TV or a hi-fi when you’re not doing computer work.
R5 200  

Anker PowerCore 13000
Not all power banks are equal. This one packs a 13 000 mAh battery into space half the size of competitors, but weighs just 250 g. It also has two 3A outputs for fast charging, which is intelligently optimised for any device.
R650

Astrum USB-C to HDMI
For work-from-home, this simple, affordable gadget solves the problem of losing your laptop’s USB-C port to plug in a monitor. It converts erl to HDMI for your monitor but also provides an extra, full-sized USB-A port and another USB-C port.
R270

Best hi deals

Samsung A32
Available in blue, black or purple
Now R4 499  

Samsung A13
Available in blue or black
Now R2 999

Oppo A16
Available in blue or black
Now R2 699

Hisense U50
Available in green
Now R1299  

Itel Vision 1 Pro
Available in blue or Cosmic Shine
Now R1699

Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM5
The new version of Sony’s acclaimed headphones again delivers superb listening, and lifts its noise-cancelling to another level. They’re heart-stoppingly expensive, but for sheer listening pleasure and cutting-edge innovation, they’re almost impossible to beat.
R10 000

Logitech G335
We especially like the fuss-free nature of these cans that offer no USB or surround-sound effects but just get on with the job of delivering great sound and long-term comfort across games, music and movies.
R1200

Sony WF-0500
A downscaled version of Sony’s much more expensive buds, you give up the noise cancelling and some other high-end features, but these are easy to use, fit snugly and will delight music lovers and audiophiles on a shoestring budget.
R1000

Samsung Galaxy Buds+
Our favourite true wireless buds have been upgraded with more refined soundstage, better quality on voice calls and much-improved battery life while keeping the great shape that made them easy to handle and wear.

R2 800

Xiaomi Mi TW Earbuds Basic 2
These buds were a delight, from the proper rumbling bass ending in a well-balanced sound, to the physical control buttons, which we prefer over touch sensors. For the price, these are truly an unbeatable budget buy.
R300

Tablets

Apple iPad mini 6
The iPad still reigns supreme, offering masses of processing power, a superb screen and build quality that sees it easily outlast most other tablets. This smaller size is more affordable. 8.3″ screen, 293 g.
R10 000

Xiaomi Pad 5
The perfect size for learning, gaming and video bingeing, this near-4K screen also boasts 120 Hz fast refresh, so movies look great and socials scroll smoothly. 11″ screen, 511 g
R8 000

Nokia T20
It’s light, cheap and cheerful with a decent screen and solid build quality you can feel in hand. And Nokia promises years of Android OS updates. 10.4″ screen, 465 g
R4 000

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
For reading documents, newspapers and books, the Kindle has no equal, thanks to the pin-sharp, passive, greyscale screen that doesn’t blast hard blue light at your retinas. 6.8″ screen, 208 g
R5 000

Microsoft Surface Go 2
Designed as a full-strength business tablet, it runs proper Windows and has a USB-C port for plugging in add-ons, which road warriors will appreciate. 10″ screen, 544 g
R10 000

Wireless Speakers

UE Wonderboom 2
This party-starting, go-anywhere speaker has multiple full-range drivers and delivers surprising amounts of bass for its size. It’s a rugged construction and fully waterproof, so it’s ideal for the beach, the park or the poolside, and comes in funky colours.
R1500

Astrum BT220 receiver
This tiny, inexpensive receiver connects with your phone over Bluetooth to pipe your music into your hi-fi and there’s minimal audio distortion using the aptX protocol. Or connect to your TV to listen on your Bluetooth headphones.
R380

Logitech Z407
These look fantastic and deliver wonderfully rich sound for a great price. Ideal for music lovers with limited space, the compact subwoofer delivers some real thump. The wireless dial lets you control your music from 20 m away, and you can Bluetooth your phone into the mix too.
R1500

Bitty Boomer
It’s no boom box, obviously, but this pocketable egg-sized dual-driver speaker is the most convenient way to share your tunes. It comes in loads of funky pop-culture designs and you can use the power button to remote-fire your phone camera.
R375

LG Xboom PL7
For rap and dance music fans this ghetto blaster-style speaker does not disappoint. The 30-watt output gets your party started with remarkably undistorted bass that you can feel as much as hear. Then there’s a RGB light show bling and IPX4 splashproofing too.
R2 000

Fitness

Garmin Venu 2
Our top tracker combines tons of detailed, accurate workout data with useful smartwatch functions in a cool, office-friendly design. We especially like the improved Body Battery function, which helps you balance rest and play.
R7 800

Xiaomi Mi Watch
With a very cool design, large colourful screen, solid tracking data (with GPS) and excellent battery life, this watch is a winner. Consider that it costs half as much as most competitors, and you can see why Xiaomi is now the industry leader in wearables.
R2 300

Huawei Watch GT2e
This update to the excellent GT2 has the same extraordinary two weeks of battery life with full GPS support, but it’s more sport focused with VO2 Max and SP02. It’s also a more streamlined shape, and has 4 GB music storage on-board.
R3 500

Xiaomi Band 6
The sharp and colourful screen is the winning feature here, along with exceptional battery life and decent step, heart- and sleep metrics. At this price, the lack of GPS won’t bother casual gym-goers.
R800

Huawei Band 6
Our favourite budget tracker doesn’t have built-in GPS, but the bright and sharp colour screen is a treat, and you’re getting SP02 and stress metrics in the mix. Great build quality at a fantastic price.
R1700

Prices correct at the time of print

Photography: Courtesy Images

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PC/PS4/Xbox/Switch, 50 mm drivers, virtual 7.1 surround sound, removable mic, R1 500

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20 hours battery (claimed), 35g in case, R500

TECH BUYER’S GUIDES – Top tech tested and compared on features, price and build quality by the experts at Tech Magazine
PHONES | HEADPHONES | LAPTOPS | TABLETS | HEALTH TRACKERS | WIRELESS SPEAKERS | GAMING | TVS | ACCESSORIES

The post Xiaomi Mi TW Earbuds Basic 2 review appeared first on TFG Media.

Overall the sound signature is on the lively side, and electronic dance music-friendly. The X3 support the aptX protocol for high definition playback over Bluetooth, which actively preserves music quality. Our one reservation is that the case is very flimsy indeed and so compact that we struggled to get the buds out without spilling them. Our technique did improve over time, but the case never felt like it was up to rough treatment riding in a jeans pocket, for example.

A surprisingly powerful music performance make these our best budget buy for true wireless earbuds.

aptX, IPX5 waterproof, CVC8.0 noise-cancelling mics, 24 hours battery (claimed), 50g in case, R1000

TECH BUYER’S GUIDES – Top tech tested and compared on features, price and build quality by the experts at Tech Magazine
PHONES | HEADPHONES | LAPTOPS | TABLETS | HEALTH TRACKERS | WIRELESS SPEAKERS | GAMING | TVS | ACCESSORIES

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What it does do is deliver excellent, balanced sound across games and every music genre, and it does so with no fuss at all. It uses a standard 3.5mm jack which means it is compatible with every gaming platform, across PC, console and mobile phone. Made entirely out of tough plastic they are incredibly light too.

Thanks to a slight swivel action in the cups, the generous padding and breathable mesh covering, the G335 cans are extraordinarily comfortable, and the suspension headband keeps the clamping force against the head just perfect. They’re also available in a couple of colours with brightly coloured reversible headbands.

These are not dripping in the latest tech and they are priced slightly above budget sets, but we find this no-fuss approach to gaming headphones refreshing compared to the overdesigned alternatives.

40mm drivers, fold-away boom mic, Discord certified, 240g, R1000

TECH BUYER’S GUIDES – Top tech tested and compared on features, price and build quality by the experts at Tech Magazine
PHONES | HEADPHONES | LAPTOPS | TABLETS | HEALTH TRACKERS | WIRELESS SPEAKERS | GAMING | TVS | ACCESSORIES

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TECH BUYER’S GUIDE, December 2023 – Best headphones tested and compared on sound, price and build quality by the experts at Tech Magazine

PHONES | HEADPHONES | LAPTOPS | TABLETS | HEALTH TRACKERS | WIRELESS SPEAKERS | GAMING | TVS | ACCESSORIES | STREAMING | MOUSES | GAMING MOUSES

1. Sennheiser Momentum 4

We rate these the best overall headphone experience, for sheer sound quality. The listening experience is effortlessly flawless with all frequencies perfectly balanced across all music genres and the overall comfort with customisable noise cancelling and app support is top notch. R6 300

2. WINX VIBE Pure ANC Wireless

Being light and extremely comfortable, these quickly earned their place as our go-to headphones for all-day office work. They also offer a relaxed, but balanced, sound profile, with a surprisingly good soundstage and no-fuss one-button noise cancelling. The low price just sealed the deal. R1 200

3. Sony WF-C500

A downscaled version of Sony’s much more expensive buds. You give up the noise cancelling and some other high end feature, but these are easy to use, fit snugly and will delight music lovers and audiophiles on a budget. R1 000

4. Sennheiser CX TW

These are our first-choice buds for near audiophile-quality sound that’s rich, but balanced, and also affordable. There’s no frills, no fuss and no noise cancelling, but they are supremely comfortable. They’re also splashproof. R3 000

5. Xiaomi Mi TW Earbuds Basic 2

These buds were a delight, from the proper rumbling bass ending in a well balanced sound to the physical control buttons, which we prefer over touch sensors. For the price, these are truly an unbeatable budget buy. R300

BUYING GUIDE

How to buy noise canceling headphones:

To stay in the productivity zone, you need to be able to enjoy the silence. Active Noise Canceling (ANC) headphones enable you to block out the world and melt into your tunes, it feels like magic but how do they work? And what should you look for when buying a pair?

BATTERY POWER: ANC requires power. While this can be drawn from a USB or lightning cable, it’s not possible to supply enough juice through a 3.5 mm jack. Given that they already carry a battery, you’ll more commonly find ANC on wireless audio devices; if you’re looking at a wired solution, check to see where that battery is located. Even if you’re going wireless, bear in mind that activating the ANC engine will increase your device’s battery draw, and so cutting the between-charges lifespan of Bluetooth headphones.

CUP PADDING: When shopping, beware that ‘noise cancelling’ can also (somewhat deviously) be used to refer to the foam padding on over-ear headphones or the silicone rubber on the earbuds. Instead, be on the lookout for ‘active noise cancelling’.

ANC TECH: There are two main types of noise cancelling. Feedforward is the most common and uses a mic on the outside of the headphone cup to catch the sound of unwanted noise. Then, before that sound can reach your ear, the ANC engine creates the opposing wave to cancel it out, all in the milliseconds it takes the sound to get from the mic into your ear. Hybrid ANC uses a mic on the outside and the inside of the cups.

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