Hackjob

I've owned a lot of headphones in my time, but I'd can't say I've ever owned a pair that was "heirloom worthy". No, no - the Dyson Zone is not that, and certainly not anything with some celebrity's name festooned upon it . Think sitting room with a big leather armchair, a glass of wine, and a hi-fi stack that costs more than a new car. What headphones would fit right into that picture? These ones, probably.

When I reviewed the Dyson Zone, I poked fun at how ridiculous its token air filtration feature was, but surprised by how genuinely good they sounded as just headphones. It left enough of a good impression that I couldn't help but try their successor - the OnTrac. Dyson made more than a handful of changes here, but are they enough? Let's find out.

Everyone knows the vacuum cleaner company Dyson, right? A few years ago they actually made an unexpected foray into high-end audio - except they did it in a way that was so ridiculously on brand, it had zero chance of catching on. Dubbed the Zone, this goofy device was widely ridiculed, but it did have some high points. Now that they're steeply discounted, are they worth another look?

Here's a comparison I'm sure that nobody has pondered in recent years: two once very expensive pairs of celebrity branded headphones from a little over a decade ago; one from Sony, and the other from Beats. At the time, I couldn't afford them, but now that everything is wireless and people want jack shit to do with cables these days, these junk drawer specials now seem like a pretty enticing bargain. But which pair of cans actually lives up to their supposed pedigree? And are they still worth a look?

It's safe to say I was feeling pretty burned by my experience with the Technics AZ-60 earbuds. While they sounded great, they just didn't perform reliably enough for me to recommend them over virtually any other options. That brought me right back to Bose, who I've had plenty of experience with having used their SoundSport Free buds for several years. This is their latest and greatest offering in the wireless earbuds space: the QuietComfort Earbuds II. Let's see if they can carry the torch.

  For anyone under the age of 30, Technics probably isn't a name that comes to mind when thinking about headphones. They're mainly known for making outstanding turntables and stereo equipment, but not so much for speakers. Anyone who bought a Technics rack system back in the day will probably tell you that the giant floor speakers it came with are either best suited for the garage - or the dump. So, does a storied turntable manufacturer with a not-so storied background for speakers know how to make a decent pair of noise cancelling Bluetooth earbuds? Let's find out.