Reviews

The EPOS H3 is the latest gaming headset from Sennheiser’s nascent gaming arm. Though Senny has released scores of gaming headsets in the GSP series, the EPOS label now picks up the slack. I feel good In the H3, EPOS seems to be trying hard to veer away from the chunky, heavy GSP range and…

I love personal air conditioning. I know that’s a strange thing to say, but ever since owning the Dyson Pure Cool Me, a portable air conditioner that selfishly focuses on me has become a summer essential. Can Close Comfort’s Cool Focus compete? It definitely tries too, and does a bang up job doing so, offering…

Let’s be blunt here. LG isn’t the first brand that comes to mind when you think of the hyper-competitive market for true wireless earbuds. Personal audio is always going to be a fiercely competitive scene, but dominators Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Apple, Samsung, and JBL are always going to come out on top. That’s not to…

There are plenty of kitchen gadgets on the market if you’re after quick and easy slow-cooked meals which require very little effort. Always has, always will be. But there’s something uniquely satisfying about Zega Intelligent Cookware and their nifty little (little in effort, medium in size) app-enabled pot – the currently $199 Zega Digital. For…

JBL entered the soundbar game a few years ago, but their output to date has invariably paled in comparison to the likes of Sonos, Sennheiser, and Bose. The JBL Multibeam 5.0 is a swift, impressive change to that, bringing the notoriously party-minded audio brand and shaping it nicely for a home cinema experience. The Dolby…

The EPOS B20 microphone is a rock-solid, workhorse microphone for streamers and anyone who needs high-quality vocal audio at home. That’s the elevator pitch. Let’s talk about it. Design & Features EPOS is one of the newest kids on the block in terms of PC peripherals. For this newly formalised gaming partner of audio giant…

Can a Nespresso machine be any easier to use in 2021? Although the Nestle has a seemingly endless collection of models now, it’s hard to imagine how they could make a more straight-forward coffee machine than they have in the past. Pop a pod in and you’ll be typically rewarded with an excellent, velvety smooth…

JBL have redefined big, booming Bluetooth speakers with the PartyBox 310. That much is clear as you can turn on this mammoth, booming device which is now one of the most powerful Bluetooth speakers on the market, and justifies the huge asking price with a similar sized performance. Design If you’re familiar with the still-young…

I’d say JBL have been on a roll lately, but it’s been like that for years. Consistently, the brand has gone from being renowned for their loud, slightly obnoxious, party-minded bass to a maturing producer of headphones that see balance as a virtue. On previous JBL models that I’ve tested, bass has always been wound…

I’ve warmed up to Jabra fast over the past year thanks to their reputation for producing excellent sports-friendly headphones. But the enterprise side of the brand should not be ignored. The brand has long been known for creating some of the best office-focused headsets out there as part of their Evolve2 series, but the best…

You’d be forgiven for thinking you just bit off more than you could chew when Kenwood’s new Cooking Chef XL. Given its multitude of attachments, the device comes in a supersized box that looks like you’ve just purchased a medium-sized bar fridge. Open it up though, and things look much more manageable. Despite the “XL”…

At 430g, the Sonos Roam is the company’s lightest speaker to date. That’s no surprise, seeing as the Sonos Roam is named so for a reason. It’s the first Sonos speaker designed to compete in the very competitive market of lightweight portable Bluetooth speakers that have been specifically designed for outdoors use. You know, the…

Cables on a pair of earphones in 2021? Surely you jest. While the trend keeps moving towards truly wireless and Bluetooth for high-end earbuds, Sennheiser clearly want to cover all bases. They’ve already got some of the best truly wireless lifestyle earbuds on the market with the CX 400BT (which I have 4.5 stars in…

The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 just may be the most reliable of its kind right now. It’s blazingly fast, beautifully designed, and shows of just how powerful and important having a mesh system can be when building a more modern, smarter home. Although having one would depend on your needs. A home of modest size…

I don’t know what JBL did but their speakers lately have been hitting more home runs than the brand usually does. And with this current winning streak, of course the reliable, bass-obsessed brand is going to lift their game for their Xtreme series of wireless Bluetooth speakers. As such, the JBL Xtreme 3 is one…

The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul is a very expensive fully automatic coffee machine, but it continues the brand’s very solid reputation of putting out class-leading devices designed for hard-to-please coffee enthusiasts. Experimentation sits at the heart of the enormous $2,799 machine, which requires quite a bit of counter space and is perhaps a bit too large…

As budget phones begin to adopt more attractive value propositions, Nokia are in a nice position to maintain its reliable reputation, but are they doing enough with the Nokia 5.4? Though Apple is now playing heavily in the mid-range, and wallet-friendly Android options are solid from the likes of Samsung, Google, and Oppo, Nokia still…

Bose’s flagship QuietComfort Earbuds are understandably some of the most impressive and highly sought in-ear music headphones on the market. But at $400, they are also a demanding investment. Look down lower on the price scale and you’ll find the newer Bose Sport Earbuds, which are obviously designed more towards the fitness/running crowd, but sound…

Inconsistent battery performance and some design flaws lead to Bose discontinuing their first iteration of the Bose Sleepbuds a few years ago. Which was disappointing. It’s an incredible concept – having some buds designed and in complete dedication to getting quality sleep, as opposed to music -playing in-ear phones that also threw in a bunch…

JBL’s recent focus on gaming is long-overdue and so very, very welcome. The brand has been at, or at least near, the very top when it comes to professional-quality headphones, with an obvious love to big, meatier sounds that still retain plenty of detail. That’s replicated over on the Quantum series, which tackles just about…

An indoor camera that is able to rotate and tilt for a full 360-degree view is of unquestionable value when it comes to smart home tech. Lucky, then, that the ever-reliable D-Link launched one towards the end of last year as part of a small addition to their already solid line-up of smart security tech….

With the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid earbuds, EPOS is showing serious interest in trying something new. Many have tried to create gaming earbuds but none have ever had the punch of a decent set of cans. EPOS is a partner brand of audio maker Sennheiser. They are tinkerers and inventors, they like to throw ideas…

I’m shocked. Not because Google and Lenovo have produced a capable entry-level 2-in-1 with the Lenovo Duet Chromebook, but because it’s only $599 (although you can probably get it for much less right now). That’s not cheap per se, but it’s incredible value for something that doesn’t feel like a heavily compromised budget PC. The…

We haven’t even reached the point where smart devices are truly mass market, but we will get there. Curating smart homes has been a big talking point over here at the AU, and in general. It’s a fascinating lean forward into the IoT world, and the big companies like Google and Amazon are starting to…

Whatever your feeling towards the rather aggressive and inelegant name JBL have given their new party box, it’s hard to deny the brand’s impeccable timing. At the tail-end of 2020, where people are looking for different ways to recreate some nightlife at home, the JBL Party Box On The Go is heaven-sent. The pricey, chunky…

By 2024, its predicted that more than 7 million smart video cameras will be totalled across Australian households. Does that sound accurate? It just might. Interest in smart security picked up dramatically in 2020, even though most people were staying at home. And as 2021 continues to unfold, it’s highly likely that interest will keep…

Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic gestures that go heavy on the cheese and cliché (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It also happens to be the first established gift-giving occasion on the calendar year, and given 2020 was an absolute shitshow, that means a lot. Brightening up your signature…

The new COVR-X1873 from D-Link is a powerful triple node system of AX1800 Dual Band Seamless Mesh Wi-Fi 6 towers – the latest in the company’s award-winning COVR series and absolutely one of the most impressive. I’d go so far as to say this is one of the best mesh Wi-Fi 6 systems you can…

Withings have always made the more beautiful watches when it comes to fitness trackers, sticking closer to a more conventional design that doesn’t look like you’re wearing anything too high-tech on the wrist. Withings watches are simple, elegant, and feature-rich, and the ScanWatch is undoubtedly their best offering yet. And that’s no surprise, hype has…

This coffee machine is smart. And there is perhaps no smarter created to date, reimagining the do-it-all semi-automatic machine to make it more accessible for a great variety of coffee drinkers, whether they have barista experience or not. And while it is quite pricey, that’s a valuable thing to have for the office or the…