Independent picks for headphones, earbuds, speakers, DACs, interfaces, turntables and soundbars - scored by our editors on sound, build, value and features. Every ranking is earned on those four scores, never sold.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) stands out from its compact soundbar rivals due to its Virtual Dolby Atmos feature, which elevates the overall audio experience with immersive sound. This is reflected in its score of 84 for sound and 90 for features. While it excels in dialogue clarity and expandability options, including a subwoofer and surrounds, it falls short on true bass depth without an additional sub.
Listening tip When placing the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), consider the height of your TV to optimize virtual Atmos performance. Positioning the soundbar near ear level or slightly above can help create a more immersive audio experience by simulating the way sound behaves in real life, making dialogue and effects feel more nuanced and engaging.
Full-size headphones for noise cancelling, critical listening, and long sessions.
True-wireless earbuds and in-ear monitors for commute, gym, and travel.
Grab-and-go speakers that survive the beach, the shower, and the backyard.
Passive and powered bookshelves for a proper desktop or living-room rig.
Clean up your source and properly drive demanding headphones.
Get mics and instruments into your computer with clean preamps and low latency.
Belt-drive and direct-drive decks from first-record to audiophile.
Fix your flat TV's terrible speakers - from compact bars to Atmos systems.
Stream synced audio to every room from one box - amps and speakers for whole-home sound.
The default flagship: class-leading noise cancelling, comfy for all-day wear, and a tuning most people love out of the box.
The earbuds to beat: the best true-wireless ANC, rich sound, and a tiny comfortable shell.
The home-studio default for a decade - clean preamps, dead-simple, with auto-gain and a huge software bundle.
A streamer with a touchscreen, a phono input and HDMI ARC, so one box feeds a whole house of zones from vinyl, TV or the cloud.
The do-everything portable: big sound, ~24-hour battery, a built-in powerbank, and it shrugs off water and dust.
A desktop DAC/amp with serious power and balanced output for shockingly little - drives almost anything.
A reference passive bookshelf - KEF's Uni-Q + Metamaterial tech delivers pinpoint imaging that punches into far pricier territory.
The value standout: real wood plinth, built-in preamp, and an Audio-Technica AT95E cart - plug into anything.
Noise cancelling to block the household, plus a desk speaker for breaks - the WFH audio kit.
The biggest jumps in sound per dollar - none of these will empty your wallet.
A clean interface, honest monitoring headphones, and enough amp to hear what you're doing.
Reference sound without the reference price - a wired headphone, a clean stack, and a real deck.
Wide, accurate soundstage for footsteps and positional cues - paired with enough amp to drive them.