If this Audio Technica turntable sounds as good as it looks, I'm in for a treat
The AT-LPA2 is a striking slice of acrylic engineering that looks like it's been nicked straight out of a sci-fi film set. You can gawk at its 30mm acrylic chassis and 20mm platter, all while your vinyl spins round.
Read more: Best Bluetooth speakers in 2025 reviewed and rated
It's a fully manual affair – no buttons in sight. Just a belt-drive setup with speeds for 33-1/3 and 45 RPM, which is all most of us need unless you've got some ancient 78s knocking about. The newly designed carbon-fibre tonearm, with adjustable vertical tracking angle, screams precision. It's paired with an AT-OC9XEN moving coil cartridge, which uses a 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical nude stylus.
There's also no USB output here, nor Bluetooth, nor an app pretending to 'enhance' your listening experience. It's just pure, mechanical vinyl playback done with precision and flair. That 20mm acrylic platter isn't just for show – it adds real weight and stability, helping keep your records spinning at exactly the right pace without any of the wobbly nonsense.
And while the turntable is stealing the spotlight, Audio-Technica has also quietly overhauled its VM cartridge line with the new AT-VMx series. It's their first big refresh since 2016, which in vinyl years is practically a generation. With a range that stretches from entry-level to audiophile indulgence, the new cartridges promise better responsiveness, deeper low-end grunt, and a generally richer sonic experience.
They're using PCUHD wire in the coils now – the same stuff found in their high-end audio cables. It's also nice to see a variety of stylus options, from your standard conical to more advanced profiles.
The Audio Technica AT-LPA2 turntable will set you back £1699/€1999, and is available through Richer Sounds and AV.com. The new AT-VMx cartridges start at £99/€119, with pricing scaling up depending on just how audiophile you fancy being. There's no US pricing or availability information yet, but we'll let you know if this changes.
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Stuff.tv
2 days ago
- Stuff.tv
The OnePlus Buds 4 get noise cancelling right, but otherwise struggled to stand out for me
Stuff Verdict Lots of features for the money make the OnePlus Buds 4 capable all-rounder earbuds, but there are plenty of rivals to pick from if you demand the best battery life or sound quality above all else. Pros Lightweight with a comfortable fit Very capable noise cancelling for the cash Energetic, bass-forward sound Cons Battery life is only OK when using ANC or a high quality codec Wireless charging doesn't make the cut Squiffy touch controls Introduction They might not carry the Nord name, but seeing how OnePlus' latest wireless earbuds launched alongside two new affordable smartphones, there are no prizes for guessing where the firm is pitching them price-wise. The OnePlus Buds 4 officially launched at $130/£119 – and are routinely found for under three figures with a coupon or discount code – yet they aren't short on features. Adaptive noise cancelling, spatial sound and high resolution Bluetooth all make the grade, meaning these are most of what made the Buds Pro 3 a five star product, for a lot less cash. What's not to like? Possibly the tough competition from equally affordable in-ear rivals, including the Cambridge Melomania A100 and Nothing Ear. After a few weeks of listening, though, I'm confident these earphones deserve your attention – particularly if you're after ANC on the cheap. How we test headphones Every pair of earphones and headphones reviewed on Stuff is used for a minimum of a week's worth of daily listening. We use a playlist of test tracks made up of multiple genres to assess sound, and use our years of experience to compare to other models. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products. Find out more about how we test and rate products. Design & build: back to basics Unless you go for the Zen Green colour scheme, these stem-style earbuds don't exactly stand out from the crowd. My Storm Grey sample looks almost anonymous, with no visible branding and a matte finish. The metal charging pins at the base of the stem and the indented touch surfaces are the closest they get to having a personality. On the other hand, why mess with a shape that clearly works? The bulbous buds fit comfortably in my ears, the rubber ear tips keeping them largely locked into place (unless I took off at a sprint). Or rather they did once I'd found the right sized ear tip – OnePlus puts three sets in the box. There are better choices if you're after a pair of earphones for exercise, even though these come IP55 rated against rain and sweat. These are also seriously light earbuds. The mainly plastic build almost certainly helps them tip the scales at a mere 4.7g each. I had no issues wearing these for long listening sessions, unlike some of the bulkier buds I've tested recently; the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen are only a few grams heavier each, but I definitely noticed a difference in comfort. The pebble-shaped case is a little more distinctive, looking a lot like the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 just without the vegan leather finish. I've definitely seen smaller cases, but this one still sits in a pocket comfortably enough. The flip-top lid snaps shut like a bear trap, and the design makes it impossible to stash the buds the wrong way around. Features & battery: tap to it Slide controls expand the OnePlus Buds 4's selection of on-ear controls to include volume, as well as skipping tracks with a double-tap and toggling ANC modes with a touch-and-hold. Single tap controls were disabled by default on my review unit; you can set it to play or pause your tunes through the companion app, but once I did it struggled to tell the difference between a tap and a swipe. It's frustrating, and meant I largely reached for my phone to make changes instead of my ear. I can't say call quality stood out to me, being about the same as other sub-£100 earphones I've tried – and picking up the same amount of wind noise. LHDC Bluetooth is a welcome inclusion, though. It's a shame there's no optX or LDAC, which are more widely used, but if your device supports it these buds will handle 24-bit playback. The only downside is that battery life drains that bit faster. OK, thirty minutes less listening time might not seem like a big deal, but it's not like these are particularly long-lasting buds anyway. With ANC enabled on an LDHX connection, I saw a little over five hours of playback from the buds; this was more like six with AAC or SBC Bluetooth. Noise cancelling is a much bigger battery hog, as with it switched off I was nearing ten hours – but there were so few situations when I'd want to listen without ANC that this was largely irrelevant. They are better than the Nothing Ear, but not by a lot. There are longer-lasting buds out there if you want to go longer between top-ups. I do like how quick the buds are to refuel once inside the case, though. Ten minutes is usually enough for another few hours of listening. There's also no wireless charging here. This used to be the exclusive domain of high-end earbuds, but is more common on affordable models now, so it's a shame to miss out. Interface: check out my melody Got a OnePlus phone or tablet? There's no need to download anything; you can tweak the Buds 4's numerous features directly through the Android settings screen. Everyone else will need to download HeyMelody, which has been pulling double duty for OnePlus and Oppo earbuds for a few years now. Either way it's easy enough to find your way around the UI, with noise cancellation and equaliser presets within easy reach just below the battery percentages. With no Dynaudio branding to be seen it seems OnePlus has handled the tuning in-house. You don't get as many EQ presets here as you do with the Buds 3 Pro, and they're so subtly different I didn't feel the need to use anything but the default. Serenade puts vocals ever-so-slightly more forward in the mix, while Bass makes the low-end boomier – and not always in a good way. There's a six-band custom EQ if you think you can do better. I preferred the Golden Sound listening test, which takes two minutes to check which frequencies you have trouble hearing. My right ear isn't as good as the left when it comes to high frequencies, but the app let me adjust a few sliders to get a more balanced sound. The 3D Audio feature does expand the soundstage quite well, but boosts the volume in the process. I had to listen at a lower level than with the setting switched off, otherwise the higher frequencies started to sound a bit crashy and shrill. For the most part I left it disabled, as I prefer stereo sound as the artist intended, but some tracks really did benefit from the surround effect. Further into the settings menus you'll find options for dual device connection, a Find My Earbuds mode that plays high-pitched beeps until you locate a misplaced bud, and in-ear detection for automatically pausing playback when you remove a bud. These can be hit-or-miss on cheaper earphones, but it worked as intended here, not stopping my music when I was simply adjusting the fit. Sound quality and noise cancelling: a cut above The OnePlus Buds 4 are a strong reminder that you don't have to spend big bucks to get capable noise cancellation any more. They've three levels of regular ANC (plus an automatic mode which switches between them on the fly based on background noise), and a transparency mode, which lets in a decent amount of ambient chatter without being overwhelming. The adaptive setting can toggle between ANC and transparency, letting sudden loud sounds through. It's pretty useful in train stations and the like, where being able to hear tannoy announcements is a sensible move. You can just about make out a background hiss on spoken word audiobooks, but it's not really noticeable when listening to music. The highest level of cancellation doesn't drag sound quality down at all, and the way it muted passing traffic, wind noise and low-frequency train rumbles was great. You'd have to spend considerably more if you wanted even more effective ANC. I can't grumble about sound quality, either. The 11mm woofer and 6mm tweeter inside each bud (an arrangement that matches the Buds Pro 3) deliver the sort of energetic, V-shaped audio that's sure to please the masses, with a decent amount of low-end shove and a pretty tight high-end. Venjent's Everything is Music can throw lesser buds through a loop with its monstrous sub-bass, but there was no distortion on display here. The BassWave setting, which is enabled by default and dynamically adjusts how much low-end you're getting, can be tripped up by some tracks, so I preferred to leave it switched off for greater mid-range clarity. High-end frequencies are clean enough, though I thought the sound in general was a little narrower here than on rival earphones, at least while the spatial setting was disabled. They don't have the tonality, control, or soundstage of the best wireless earphones – but they absolutely overdeliver for the price. OnePlus Buds 4 verdict Punchy audio, great noise cancelling, high quality codecs and spatial sound – there's no question the OnePlus Buds 4 really pack it all in for the money. But if you were hoping they'd do one thing in particular better than the competition, you may be a little disappointed. There are better choices if you want the most effective ANC, the longest battery life, or the most accurate sound. Then again, those choices also tend to have weak spots, or cost a fair bit more. Sometimes frustrating touch controls aside, the Buds 4 doesn't let the side down in any major way. For a lot of people that'll make them worth a look. Stuff Says… Score: 4/5 With no shortage of features for the money, the OnePlus Buds 4 are capable all-rounder earbuds – but if you value battery life or noise cancelling ability more than spatial sound, there are lots of great value alternatives. Pros Lightweight with a comfortable fit Capable noise cancelling for the cash Energetic, bass-forward sound Cons Battery life is only OK when using ANC or a high quality codec Wireless charging doesn't make the cut Squiffy touch controls OnePlus Buds 4 technical specifications Drivers 11mm + 6mm dynamic ANC Yes Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.4 Codecs supported SBC, AAC, LHDC 5.0 Durability IP55 (buds) Battery life 5.5hrs/22hrs (LHDC, ANC on, buds/buds+case) 11hrs/45hrs (ANC off, buds/buds+case) Dimensions 31x21x4.2mm, 4.7g (buds, each) 65x52x25mm, 40g (case)
Stuff.tv
05-08-2025
- Stuff.tv
Apple finally launched something AI – but it's not what you think
Last year, at WWDC 2024, Apple made a lot of noise about Siri finally getting a brain as part of Apple Intelligence. The smart assistant was due to get Personal Context capabilities to better understand you, your life, and your device. But, much to my disappointment, these features have been delayed until 2026. In the meantime, Apple is launching a different AI-powered tool. You'll find this feature in the Apple Support app, of all places. There's a new AI-powered chatbot coming soon, with the ability to answer any product related queries you may have. First spotted by MacRumors, the new AI tool is quietly tucked inside the Apple Support app. It's available to answer questions about why your iPad won't update or where the Bluetooth settings have gone. It's called the Support Assistant, and it's currently being tested with a small group of iPhone users who've found a new Chat button in the bottom navigation bar. Once tapped, this AI-powered assistant pops up with a splash screen that tells you how to use it. The screen makes it clear that there's no human interaction involved. It'll then happily help you troubleshoot problems, explain how your device works, and generally do the job of someone at the Genius Bar. Minus the lanyard and questionable small talk. But you won't be able to grill it about when the next MacBook Pro is arriving or whether it can fix your router. It's been trained with a very tight leash. The AI only deals with Apple support topics. Anything outside that bubble and you're out of luck. It's unclear if Apple is using one of its own AI models, or if it's piggybacking off a partner, like OpenAI's ChatGPT. To cover bases against any fumbles, Apple makes it clear that the feature is still 'experimental' and 'may make mistakes.' That's not exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there's an option to bump the conversation to a human if the bot goes off the rails. I think that's the most important aspect, as you're not forced to talk to AI. Rather, you can pick to do so before attempting to contact the support team for faster help. There's no word on how long this preview will stick around, or when everyone else will get a go. Right now, it's just a limited rollout to select iPhone users through the Apple Support app.
Stuff.tv
29-07-2025
- Stuff.tv
These must-have features just made the Razer Blackshark V3 Pro my new go-to gaming headset
Stuff Verdict This ever-popular gaming headset is even more capable in its third generation. The Blackshark V3 Pro sounds stellar, has great connectivity, and adds effective ANC to the mix. Pros Familiar design is as comfortable as ever, while still evolving functionality Punchy and precise audio meets crystal clear mic quality Wired connections make a welcome return for those who need them Cons No high quality Bluetooth codecs You pay a premium for the uprated speaker drivers and mic Introduction Razer's esports-grade gaming headset has been around for over a decade now, through multiple iterations. In that time the Blackshark has become a pro player staple, and slowly evolved from a purely PC focus in order to bring console owners into the fold. This latest edition includes console support from the off, along with active noise cancellation for the first time. Plus it rights a few of the last-gen model's perceived wrongs. The Blackshark V3 Pro is the headline-grabbing hero model, with copious connectivity, lag-free wireless and a broadcast-grade boom mic – but then at $250/£250/€270, you'd rightly expect it to have the best tech going. It's joined by the cheaper Blackshark V3 and V3 X Hyperspeed, which forego some of the fancier features to hit a far more appealing price point. Does the Pro do enough to earn its place at the top of the tree? How we test headphones Every pair of earphones and headphones reviewed on Stuff is used for a minimum of a week's worth of daily listening. We use a playlist of test tracks made up of multiple genres to assess sound, and use our years of experience to compare to other models. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products. Find out more about how we test and rate products. Design & build: cleared for takeoff The V3 Pro doesn't look all that different from the last-gen Blackshark, but that's a good thing in my book: the old headset evolved Razer's aviator-style design into something more sleek and modern, and this model continues that trend. It's still an all-black affair – unless you go for the white version, which is more of a half-way house with its black ear cups and headband, or buy one of the console-specific models. The PlayStation and Xbox flavours get blue and green headband stitching respectively. Small refinements can be found when you go looking for them: the chunky volume dial on the left ear cup has a textured finish now, which makes it easier to grip. There are more buttons around the edges, but they're evenly distributed – and the ones you'll be pressing more are moved far away from the power button to avoid accidental switch offs. An embossed logo on each earcup is pretty subtle, but given the faceplates are just held on with magnets, it's a breeze to swap them out for something more colourful. Razer showed me a bunch branded with different esports team logos and mascots, but doesn't currently have any plans to sell them separately; I'm betting etsy and Aliexpress will quickly fill that void. This design makes it easier to replace the battery, though Razer will still take care of that for you should the need arise. As with most of its esports-grade peripherals, Razer has eschewed RGB lighting; there's just a single activity LED, which changes colour when swapping wireless modes. The reinforced metal headband sliders provide plenty of adjustment for different head sizes, and the 15 degrees of swivel helped me find a comfortable fit that didn't apply an excessive amount of pressure around my ears. The ear cushions are wrapped in hexagonal weave cloth, but have a leatherette layer underneath that both helps wick away sweat and increases background noise isolation. I've happily worn this headset through entire 9-5 working days, then popped it back on after dinner for an evening of gaming without any discomfort. I also like that the boom microphone still detaches easily when you don't need it. Razer had long sorted any issues with microphone drift with the outgoing Blackshark V2, and I didn't experience any during testing this new model. Features & battery: wireless wonder After the last-gen headset going exclusively wireless rankled some corners of the internet, Razer has course-corrected for 2025. The Blackshark V3 Pro still has built-in Bluetooth and includes one of the firm's Hyperspeed 2.4GHz dongles, but now you can also listen via a cable. You get USB-C and USB to 3.5mm cables in the box, so it should play nicely with just about any gadget. I can't say I felt the need to go back to wired play, though. The new Hyperspeed V2 connection is about as close to a cable as it gets, measuring just 10ms of latency – or 5ms faster than the V2 Pro (and virtually any rival) can manage. It's so low I couldn't detect any delay between the onscreen action and what I was hearing through the headset. Range was pretty good in my two-storey home, and I didn't experience any interference from my other wireless gear. That could partly be to the redesigned dongle now sitting on your desk at the end of a cable rather than plugging directly into your PC or console like a flash drive. It's still nice and compact, though, not taking up anywhere near as much desk space as the Razer Kraken V4 Pro's base station. You're not forced to pick between Hyperspeed and Bluetooth anymore, either. A new simultaneous mode lets you hear both sources at once, so you can be connected to voice comms through another device while hearing game audio from your PC. Just keep in mind you're limited to SBC or AAC Bluetooth – there's no higher quality codec support. The smart switch button on the right ear cup makes it easy to toggle between the three different modes. This is also where you'll find the new configurable roller, which can be set through Razer's Synapse software to adjust the game/voice chat balance, mic monitoring level, or footstep booster setting. The latter is based on your EQ profile, so you can have different settings for different games. You can save up to nine. The profile switcher button above the roller toggles through each one. I wish the roller could also be pressed in to make selections; that would open it up for full multimedia controls when not in-game, though the power button can do this already with double- and triple-taps. Battery life can max out at 70 hours with a Hyperspeed connection – but only when you've got ANC disabled. It'll drain faster with noise cancelling switched on. I could get through most of a working week without having to plug in, as my home office doesn't really call for noise cancelling. A full charge isn't the fastest, but 15 minutes is usually enough for a full evening of play. It could still do a better job of warning you when you're getting low on juice; I often forgot to check the activity LED before putting the headset on, and would miss its 30% warning. You can at least swap the dongle's LED from connection status to battery status, so it's always visible even when you're wearing the headset. It's also a good reason to download the Razer Audio app; the smartphone companion shows your exact percentage remaining on its homescreen. Interface: firing all Synapses The smartphone app lets you tweak pretty much every setting you'll find in the Synapse PC software, including the strength of the active noise cancellation, what the roller switch does, and the ultra-low latency 2.4GHz mode (which is on by default). You can also adjust each of the default equaliser presets using a 10-band EQ, push game-specific ones to the headset for titles like Valorant, Call of Duty and Counter Strike, and create your own from scratch. The Razer Headset Setup for Xbox app is a similar deal if you're gaming on that console. You'll still want to install Synapse to enable THX spatial audio on the Blackshark V3 Pro. This does a very convincing impression of 7.1.4 surround sound. I found it just as boomy in EQ profiles other than Game as before, but there's great separation between objects in front, behind, below and above you in games. It really expands the soundstage, too. The PS5 version plays nicely with 3D Tempest Audio, and the Xbox edition supports Windows Sonic on Xbox. There's almost as much adjustment for the microphone, which has a new larger 12mm capsule for clearer audio recording. The four EQ presets include specific modes for esports and broadcasting, the former upping the mid-highs for speech that better cuts through gaming audio, and the latter with warmer, deeper tones for a more studio-like sound. The 48Hz sampling rate is higher than you'll find from most headset rivals (though not every game or comms client broadcasts that high), and the internal/external pop filters help prevent plosives. Clarity is a huge improvement over the 16kHz competition. I was seriously impressed with how clear my voice sounded when recording locally, and co-op friends said I was coming through very clearly when playing online. Sound quality and noise cancelling: detail oriented The V3 Pro isn't Razer's first gaming headset with active noise cancellation onboard, but the tech has never appeared on a Blackshark before. It uses two mics on each ear – one internal and one external – to strip out a generous amount of background noise, even with the in-game volume set at a moderate level. These aren't really the kin of cans you wear outside the house, so heavily trafficked roads and public transport aren't the best test case for them – though I still gave it a go. They don't have the nuance of the best mainstream ANC headphones when it comes to sudden loud sounds, and the noise floor in general was higher than the likes of Bose or Sony, but for gaming headphones they put in a fantastic showing. Back at home, I could still make out the clack of my mechanical keyboard – but the ANC was far more effective than any pair of passively isolating headphones, including the Logitech G Pro X 2 I normally use. They have the edge over the few gaming headsets I've tried with ANC, too. On the audio side, the Blackshark V3 Pro gets the latest version of Razer's 50mm dynamic drivers. They're larger than the 40mm ones found in the Kraken V4 Pro, and get new driver plugs that halve harmonic distortion compared to the outgoing Blackshark V2. They still use bio-cellulose diaphragms, which are super thin to help separate frequencies, but the magnets are stronger now. The result is a crisp and clean-sounding headset that really lets fine details shine through while gaming – but one that doesn't sound overly sharp or shrill, regardless of EQ mode. I found this high-end brilliance helped me pick out subtle positional clues like breaking glass or quiet footsteps that bit easier than with the old headset. These are still gaming headphones at heart, so even the default preset has a good amount of bass punch, but it doesn't interfere with the mid-range very much in movies or music. They can rumble when they need to, for explosions and gunshots in games, and for energetic sub-bass in electronic tunes. They're balanced enough to be your everyday headset, no just when you're gaming. Razer Blackshark V3 Pro verdict Tech made with professional gamers in mind can sometimes be a little too focused, deleting features that appealed to the wider fanbase in order to earn a spot on an esports stage. The Blackshark V3 Pro treads the line perfectly, still prioritising the comfort and sound quality that made the last one so popular but adding some welcome extra functionality. Noise cancelling and simultaneous audio make it a much more versatile headset, and a more multi-platform one to boot. While the speaker drivers and microphone are a definite step up, though, they come at quite the premium. Going even further upmarket than the last-gen V2 Pro was a bold move by Razer; not everyone will be able to justify the Pro's asking price when the regular V3 is $100/£100 cheaper and has an otherwise very similar feature set. But if you want Razer's best sound, this is undoubtedly it. Stuff Says… Score: 5/5 This ever-popular gaming headset is even more capable in its third generation. The Blackshark V3 Pro sounds stellar, has great connectivity, and adds effective ANC to the mix. Pros Familiar design is as comfortable as ever, while still evolving functionality Punchy and precise audio meets crystal clear mic quality Wired connections make a welcome return for those who need them Cons No high quality Bluetooth codecs You pay a premium for the uprated speaker drivers and mic Razer Blackshark V3 Pro technical specifications Drivers 50mm dynamic ANC Yes Connectivity USB-C, 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, 3.5mm Codecs supported AAC, SBC Battery life Up to 70 hours (PC) Up to 48 hours (Xbox/Playstation) Weight 367g
