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If you want an example of an arms race in the audio world, check out the drive to create the best wireless noise-canceling headphones. Now a new challenger has entered the race, in the form of the Elite 85H headphones from Jabra.

Despite what you may think, computer speakers are not the same as regular speakers. They’re designed to work in close proximity to the ears, and while this sounds easy, it’s often quite tricky to get right.

To more established headphone companies like Sennheiser and AUDEZE, it must have felt like getting hit with a freight train. When French speaker manufacturer Focal made the decision to push deep into the market, few would have predicted their success.

Jack Wu is one of the most creative audio designers around. His company, Woo Audio, is the place to go for incredible tube amps. But this time, he’s released something a little different.

The survival of digital audio players is actually quite extraordinary. Despite the fact that we carry around phones that can do everything, standalone digital audio players continue to sell.

Portable speakers are booming, with new models popping up every couple months. All of them are fighting for the crown, including the all-popular JBL.

Ultimate Ears say that their Megaboom speaker “can be immersed in liquid up to 1m for up to 30 minutes.” At The Master Switch, we have only one response to this: Challenge accepted.

Building the perfect subwoofer isn’t just about volume or power, in the same way that the perfect hot fried chicken isn’t just about nuclear levels of cayenne pepper.

Last year, we reviewed the Focal Spark, an excellent pair of buds that retail for a little under $70. When they were shipped to us, they also included the wireless version, unsurprisingly called the Focal Spark Wireless.

The problem with most modern living spaces is that they’re just not geared up for home theater.  When most people live in an apartment, or a moderately sized house, there’s no such thing as a dedicated media room...

Smart soundbars make sense to us. After all, soundbars are meant to be an easier, more compact alternative to full home theater surround sound, and so adding smart voice control is just the next step.

The phrase 'surround sound' immediately makes people think of a number: 5.1. The 5.1-channel surround audio system has been around for two decades now, and has become the absolute standard for home theaters.

Most headphone companies probably wouldn’t dare attempt what Sol Republic does with their Master Tracks. Put a pair of Sony headphones out the box, and all you have to do is plug them in and put them on. Not these.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 IIs are the best wireless travel headphones available. We have absolutely no doubt about this. After spending a month with them, including two international trips, we concluded that, in this regard, they are simply unbeatable.

The French company Focal are primarily known as speaker makers – but at the moment, they are enormously keen to get the word out about their headphones. Their Listen Wireless is an interesting attempt to hit the budget wireless market...