The technology expo will return to its full in-person grandeur at CES 2023 after a few years of uncertainty and conferences that were only available online. We’ve already been treated to a tonne of tech announcements from it, including a glimpse at some of the top audio devices of this year. Here are the best ones we’ve seen so far.
On January 5th, the official start of CES 2023, companies including LG, Sonos, Sony, and others will showcase their most recent audio technology. When they go on sale later this year, the delicacies they now have on show will compete for a position on our best headphones, best soundbars, and best wireless earbuds lists. You may determine if the announcements are worth waiting for by keeping up with them as they come or if you’d like to buy last year’s model immediately by keeping up with them.
With the show’s media previews now in full swing, we’ve rounded up the most exciting audio tech announcements we’ve seen at CES 2023 so far – along with a taste of what else you can expect to see as the show fully kicks off.
SPEAKERS AND TURNTABLES
If you’re looking for ways to improve your speaker or home audio setup, then CES 2023 is the place to find inspiration as we’re being treated to a variety of sound systems during the show.
SOUNDBARS
Your home entertainment setup may be significantly enhanced by upgrading your soundbar, and CES 2023 is already bringing a number of devices that might be precisely what you need.
New soundbar models from LG, the SC9 and SE6, have Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced audio, enabling the soundbar’s multidirectional speakers to provide an immersive soundscape.
Additionally, LG claims that 2023 will be more amazing than ever because to their innovative Triple Sound Technology. Using AI and several speaker techniques, the soundbar can tailor its audio for the room it is in and create simulated mid-layers that improve immersion in the action.
Although we won’t know if they live up to the anticipation until we preview these soundbars, we are definitely excited by what LG has unveiled.
We’ll probably be introduced to a number of different speaker and soundbar options over the next few days, so make sure to come back for our comments and the most recent information. Conferences from TCL, Samsung, Sony, and numerous more home entertainment firms are also planned.
HEADPHONES AND EARBUDS
CES 2023 won’t simply feature loud speakers; earbuds and headphones will probably also get a moment to shine this year.
JBL frequently has a number of announcements to make at CES, and that will be the case once more in 2023. Its JBL Tour Pro 2 wireless earphones, an intriguing but acoustically unimpressive Airpods Pro competition that has a touchscreen on its charging case, will soon be available in the US for $249.95.
Furthermore, they are not the only earbuds JBL has introduced at CES. Three new models have been added to its mid-range Tune series; each one features a different design and will cost $100 starting in June 2023.
The JBL Tune Buds are stemless, noise-canceling earbuds with a 12-hour playback time. The new JBL Tune Beam are noise-canceling ANC earphones with a stick shape if that appeals to you. The JBL Tune Flex open earphones with a stick style are an alternative that will compete with the Apple Airpods 3.
There are also three new JBL Vibe series products that will be offered starting in February 2023 if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind forgoing noise-canceling technology. The JBL Vibe Buds, which guarantee eight hours of playing, are available for fans of stemless designs. For those who like open earphones, the JBL Vive Flex is an alternative to the JBL Vibe Beam, which offers noise isolation with a stick style.
Or you might enjoy the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earphones if you’re seeking for something that isn’t from JBL. This new device, which goes well with the brand-new OnePlus 11 smartphone, was just revealed and isn’t being displayed at CES. We won’t be able to make a final judgement until we have an opportunity to test the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, but the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 appear to be quite promising on paper.
Sennheiser’s new earphones may be just what you need if you have trouble hearing in noisy environments. The device may filter out or magnify certain noises thanks to the Conversation Clear Plus buds’ active noise cancellation and cutting-edge speech enhancement features. They’ll tune out everything in Relax mode, but in Communication mode, the earbuds may reduce background noise while enhancing the intelligibility of sounds around them. While we haven’t heard these earbuds, we expect them to perform well based on our experience with Sennheiser’s other audio products. They also act as standard wireless earbuds, delivering nine hours of use on a single charge or up to 27 due to the charging case.
The only drawback is that Sennheiser’s new earphones are substantially more expensive than anything on our list of the finest wireless earbuds, coming in at approximately $850 / £750 (about AU$1,250). Sennheiser may be doing this to present these earbuds as a less expensive alternative to traditional hearing aids, but it remains to be seen if the Conversation Clear Plus’ audio-enhancing capabilities will live up to expectations. You may preorder them now and they will go on sale on January 20 if you want to test them out for yourself.
Sony will probably also showcase some brand-new earphones or headphones. Our bet is on a fresh set of LinkBuds wireless earbuds and maybe the much awaited Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which will have higher-end buds than the Sony WH-1000XM5 premium headphones released last year.
Although we’ll simply have to wait and see what Razer and other companies have in store when this year’s conferences take place, we could also see some new RGB-clad gaming headset announcements at CES 2023 with Razer in attendance.
HI-FI ACESSORIES
You may choose devices like Amp Genie if you already have a good speaker setup. It is designed to make syncing an audio source with your preferred receiver, such as Yamaha, Denon, and Sonos equipment, much simpler. Keep an eye out for the CES announcements and our coverage to find out if 2023 will be the year your audio technology is hassle-free. There are usually a tonne of CES gadgets aimed to fix unpleasant problems with your other devices.
As an alternative, you might choose one of the three brand-new Classic line components that Hi-Fi stalwart Naim is introducing to mark its 50th anniversary. The NAP 250 power amplifier is a great companion for the NSC 222, delivering 100W per channel for better performance and power; lastly, the NPX 300 power supply can be added to the setup to lower the noise floor for cleaner power from your audio system. The NSC 222 streaming preamplifier enables you to seamlessly pair Spotify, Tidal, or even one of the best turntables with your speaker setup. The suggested retail price for each of the Naim Audio NSC 222, NAP 250, and NPX 300 is $8,999 / £5,700 (about AU$13,000).
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