11 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

Pro-Ject’s Travel Set is designed for on-the-go audiophiles. It’s a traditional stereo setup, consisting of the brand’s smallest passive bookshelf speakers, the Speaker Box 3 E Carbon ($399), and its compact Bluetooth-enabled amplifier, the Stereo Box S3 BT ($499). The necessary cables and damping feet are included, too. The kicker is that it comes with an aluminum travel case that’s heavily padded to ensure your gear’s safe transport. The idea is that, wherever you travel to, you can bring a proper stereo hi-fi system with you.

Clearaudio is a German hi-fi manufacturer best known for its exquisitely high-end turntables that can cost up to six figures — check out its $275,000 Statement V2 — but the Compass is the brand’s most affordable turntable to date. It’s a minimalist belt-drive turntable that features the company’s proprietary T1 tonearm and “newly developed” N1 moving magnet cartridge. Clearaudio says it’s “designed to make high-end audio quality and performance accessible, without compromise.” The Compass has a suggested retail price of €1290 (which is roughly $1,470).  

The Sennheiser BTD 700 is a no-frills Bluetooth dongle that plugs into your device’s USB-C port (or USB-A port, as it comes with an adapter) and it’s compatible with all devices: Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. Its main appeal is that it supports aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, which are Bluetooth audio codecs that support high-resolution streaming up to 24-bit/96 kHz, and isn’t supported on most older devices, as well as all iPhones and Macs (new or old).

Elipson’s Prestige Facet II is a new-and-improved version of the company’s 2016 Prestige Facet loudspeaker range. It consists of 10 loudspeaker models — three floorstanding, two bookshelf, two center channel speakers, a Dolby Atmos module, a surround sound speaker and an LCR speaker — that can be configured in a home hi-fi setup or a true Dolby Atmos surround sound system. Compared to the previous models, the “II” loudspeakers have been upgraded with improved circuitry and wiring, more rigid cabinets and a new satin finish (instead of gloss). According to the brand, the new range is “designed for the most demanding audiophiles.”

Hisense’s M2 Pro is the company’s smallest and most portable mini projector to date. It can deliver a 4K picture that’s up to 200 inches, and for brightness, it’s rated at 1,300 lumens. And it comes with AI features that make setting it up super easy, as it can automatically detect how far it is from the screen (or wall) and adjust its picture accordingly. Note: while technically “portable,” it doesn’t have a battery and thus needs to be powered at all times.

Fi’s third-generation GPS smart collar is more like an Apple Watch for your dog rather than a dog collar. Like its predecessors, the Series 3+ can track your dog’s location and monitor its health and habits, such as steps and sleep. However, this newest version has a couple of key advantages. It’s integrated with AI features for more advanced habit tracking, such as licking, barking, and scratching, and can therefore serve as an early indicator of any potential warning signs. It’s also Fi’s first dog collar that fully supports the Apple Watch, so you can check your dog’s location and activity right from your wrist. Pricing is based on a subscription — it starts at $14/month.

Skullcandy, a brand best known for its budget-friendly wireless headphones and earbuds, is stepping into the big leagues with the Aviator 900 ANC. They are its most advanced and most expensive over-ear noise-canceling headphones to date, designed to compete with the flagships from Bose and Sony. They promise top-notch ANC, up to 60 hours of battery life, and support for advanced technologies, including spatial audio and THX Spatial Audio with head tracking. They also boast physical buttons and, most uniquely, a small LCD display that shows relevant info such as volume level.

Belkin has released several accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2 — it’s actually the brand’s first foray into the gaming accessory category — and this travel case is the standout. It has a durable exterior and a brushed velvet interior lining. And it features a game card storage flap and a hidden AirTag compartment (AirTag not included). But its standout feature is that it comes with a 10,000mAh power bank, which has enough juice to fully recharge the Switch 2 up to 1.5 times. This way, you can easily charge your Switch 2 while you travel. Belkin offers the case in three colors: charcoal, sand or green (shown).

The Wyze Bulb Cam is a motion-activated smart light fixture for your porch or patio. It’s unique because it has an attached smart security camera that draws power from the light — compatible with any E26 bulb (sold separately) — so there’s no wires, batteries or complicated setup process. It costs $50, but you’ll it’s want to buy it bundled with Wyze’s Accessory Bulbs ($17/ea) to have a fully working lighting and security system.

Beyerdynamic has released an updated version of its DT 990 Pro, which has been the venerable hi-fi maker’s most popular studio headphones for the last several decades. The DT 990 Pro “X” has been updated with the brand’s STELLAR.45 driver system and a lower impedance (48 ohms), so they promise to sound better and be easier to drive than their predecessors. The design of these open-back headphones has been tweaked to improve comfort. They also have a detachable cable (a 3-meter mini-XLR to 3.5mm), which provides listeners with the flexibility to switch between lengths or inputs using a different cable.

Azla is a South Korean audio manufacturer that specializes in precision-engineered eartips for today’s most popular wireless earbuds and in-ear monitors. The company makes several eartips for the AirPods Pro, which promise improved comfort as well as enhance sound quality and noise isolation, compared to the eartips Apple provides. Azla’s eartips have been popular among audio enthusiasts in Europe and Asia for some time, but are available in the US for the first time — you can order them on Amazon right now.