Google’s Pixel Buds may not be the smash success that Apple’s AirPods have become in the wireless earbuds space, but there’s no denying that their ability to do real-time translations in conversation with another person is both ridiculously cool and useful. In a move that appears to have come without much public acknowledgement, Google is making those same real-time Google Translate powers available to all Google Assistant-optimized headphones.

Unmentioned during Google’s big hardware event this month was the introduction of a new member of the Pixel Buds family of earphones, the Pixel USB-C earbuds. Bundled in the box with the new Pixel 3 devices or available as a $30 purchase, they’re unglamorous and uncomplicated. Just plug them into the nearest USB-C port and play. Basic.

HiFiMAN today released their most affordable full-size planar-magnetic headphone, model HE-400S for $299, which currently is the least expensive planar headphone on the market. Weighing in at just over 12 ounces (350 grams), the HiFiMAN HE-400S is more than 30% lighter than comparable headphones allowing the listener to comfortably enjoy music for hours on end […]

I've owned a pair of Urbanears Zinkens for a couple years now, and they've really grown on me. They sound alright, look great, and fit snug. I haven't had any reason to replace it, until Urbanears released a new product: the Plattan ADV Wireless, their first bluetooth headphone series. It filled me with want. However, I couldn't justify spending another $100 on new headphones, so I decided to make my own solution.

I am getting myself a pair of their 88 classics, which unfortunately have been discontinued. They have a beautiful variety of wooden headphones that provide great sound and style for a great price! A review will come when I have the headphones :)

If a report from the Japanese blog Macotakara is to be believed, Apple is planning on getting rid of the headphone jack in the next iPhone. As it attempts to once again shrink its flagship device, Apple is reportedly planning on shipping EarPods that connect through the Lighting port with the next iPhone in order to remove the thicker 3.5mm headphone jack. This is a bad idea.

Altec Lansing, a company potentially owned and operated by Satan, has created a new type of DJ headphones with a 1080p camera built in, and wifi to stream video instantly. Yes, this company saw a hole in the market and said: We must, must, must give DJs a way to express themselves through the power of livestreaming. Yes, Altec Lansing was the change it wanted to see in the world and that change was that the worst guy from Econ who wouldn’t shut up about Skrillex...

It's not about making the device thinner.

Perhaps Bose won't ever truly win over the obsessive audiophile crowd, but the company sure has built a loyal following thanks to its best-in-class noise cancellation technology. And today, those top-notch headphones are going wireless. Bose has introduced the QuietComfort 35 headphones, priced at $350 and available starting right now. The QC35s feature the same around-ear design as Bose's previous wired QuietComfort offerings, and you can expect a very similar listening experience to what you'd get from the QC25s or the...

Sennheiser has announced a new pair of wireless headphones, the PXC 550, which comes with pretty exceptional battery life and a companion app that allows you to alter audio levels to your liking. The PXC 550 Wireless will last up to 30 hours with adaptive noise canceling engaged, according to Sennheiser, which is ten hours longer than wireless listening on the Bose QC35.

Apple got rid of the headphone jack on the new iPhones. Here are the new ways to listen.

Israeli researchers show that even if you're paranoid enough to remove your computer's microphone, malware can convert your headphones into spy bugs.

Bose has quietly launched a new set of around-the-neck earbuds called Hearphones that can apparently augment the sounds of the world around you, something first spotted by a user over at Hacker News. While the company is known for its active noise-cancellation technology, these new earbuds — which look an awful lot like the QuietControl 30s released earlier this year — take the idea to a new level, giving users the power to pick and choose what kinds of outside noises make it into the main audio mix. Hearphones users can also pick which direction those outside noises come from...

Apple’s AirPods are now on sale, after being delayed from their original October launch. The $159 wireless earbuds are currently listed as shipping later in December, and can be ordered here, as spotted by MacRumors. Apple previously said it needed “a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers,” although we still don’t know the reason for the delay. In a press release, Apple says that the AirPods “will be shipping in limited quantities at launch,” and that brick-and-mortar stores “will receive regular AirPod shipments.” AirPods will start appearing at Apple Stores...

No, you can't see it while you're wearing them. Yes, it looks really dumb. But how many headphones let you ask Amazon's Alexa voice assistant to play your favorite song? How many can measure your heart rate, and adjust your tunes accordingly? Or play music from Spotify or SoundCloud over a built-in cellular connection? Or offer 16GB of on-board storage, so you don't need to carry your phone to have your MP3s and FLACs? And how many gimmicky headphones actually sound good?

Bose knows what you're listening to, according to a class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the US.

Bose was taking notes on what songs and podcasts its customers were listening to without permission — and selling that information to a data mining company, the lawsuit claims.

Lawyers in the US are claiming that headphone and speaker company Bose, is secretly collecting information about what users listen to when they use its bluetooth wireless headphones. Edelson, the lawyers…

We now pay an average of $42.70 for a pair of headphones, which is a 14 percent rise year-on-year and maintains a trajectory of double-digit annual growth.

Everything I do revolves around music. It's always been this way — as a kid I would sit on the floor in my carpeted living room creating hours of mix tapes from my father's classic rock cassettes, returning to my bed to close my eyes and exist between two worlds. As a teenager, I spent nearly all of my money on headphones, poring through the Head-Fi forums to discover the best possible combination of music source, headphone brand, and emotional state. I amassed a collection of over-the-ear closed headphones and in-ear monitors, of custom amplifiers, DACs and cables.

There was always something off about the Pixel Buds. Google released the smart, wireless headphones a full year after Apple released the AirPods. But the Pixel Buds aren’t exactly wireless, and they’re not exactly smart, either. In fact, after spending a few days with the product, I’m prepared to say it: the Pixel Buds suck. The Pixel Buds suck, but they shouldn’t.

AirPods are the best truly wireless earbuds available because they nail the essentials like ease of use, reliability, and battery life. There are alternatives that definitely sound better from Bose, B&O Play, and other. But they often cost more and all of them experience occasional audio dropouts. AirPods don’t. I’d argue they’re maybe the best first-gen product Apple has ever made.

One of the sharpest-felt pains of the current obliteration of headphone jacks from the smartphone market is the absence of a good wired alternative. Sure, every company that ditches the analog jack tells you to go wireless, but what if you don’t want another gadget that needs regular charging, or you switch devices often and don’t enjoy diagnosing Bluetooth pairing problems every day? USB-C headphones are the perfect, most logical cure for...