Latest news with #MattBerry
Tom's Guide
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Forget the AirPods Pro 2, these are the best audiophile earbuds under $200
I like AirPods. They might not be my favorite earbuds on the planet, but I still like them. I have, however, set myself a mission — if I can find earbuds that provide an AirPods Pro 2-like experience at a lower price, I'll highlight them over the alternatives. I've recently been testing the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100, and I think I've just found the ultimate AirPods Pro 2 alternative. The best bit? They're $100 less than Apple's premium pair of best noise canceling earbuds, despite getting close in feature set, beating them out in battery life, and stomping their sound. It helps that Matt Berry of What We Do In The Shadows fame has voiced the alerts. Here are the key areas where the new Melomania A100 beat out the AirPods Pro 2 — and the one area they struggle with. Cambridge Audio's latest buds look more like the AirPods Pro 2 than the brand's previous models, but that only serves to make them more comfortable. 6.5 hours of battery isn't quite as good as the M100, and AirPods fans might miss Spatial Audio, but they're perhaps the best-sounding pair of earbuds you can buy for $149. You'd have thought that after decades of development, we'd have nailed down excellent fits for in-ear buds. Yet, somehow, companies still struggle — however, the Melomania are a comfortable fit for hours on end. They share a shape with the AirPods Pro 2 in some ways, although their stems are slightly longer. You'll want to try the different earbud tips in the box, because those that come pre-attached are a little on the small side. But once they're dialed in, you get that 'barely there' feel which makes the AirPods Pro 2 so eminently wearable. I've been able to wear the Melomania over the course of a full day as a result, only taking them out for lunch. They don't press in any of the key discomfort points of my ears and, unlike some options, they don't have some mad-cap shape that only fits a certain type of ear. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. AirPods Pro 2 comfort for $100 less? Not bad, Melomania A100, not bad at all. Cambridge Audio is a hi-fi company, so I'd expect good sound and a well-judged frequency curve — but I'll get to that later. What I wasn't expecting was ANC that got very, very close to the AirPods Pro 2, managing to block out some of the most annoying noises in my office, even without music playing. I say 'even without music playing', because ANC headphones have to use some of the inaudible frequencies in your music to cancel out the sounds of the world around you. As you might imagine, getting some music playing drowns out everything the inaudible white noise misses. My fan disappears, for example, and the noise of engines and tires is a distant memory. The AirPods Pro 2, with their $100 price premium, do a slightly better job of music-less noise canceling, but the Melomania get so close you'd be hard pressed to complain. The Melomania A100 don't rock the boat, but that's almost the point. They've opted for a similar look to the AirPods Pro 2 this time around, with the familiar stems and teardrop earbud section. They're not an unhandsome pair of buds, albeit one that might blend in more easily amongst the crop of similar-looking earbud options. But that's not a bad thing. No one is going to see you and think, 'there's an AirPods case in that person's pocket, time to make a quick buck.' The black and beigey-gray colorways don't do much to stand out either, and while to some that may be a drawback, I think there's something to be said about a device that puts its internals over the way it looks. The case is nice and small, and it's slim enough to fit in most jeans pockets fairly easily. Cambridge Audio's new logo adorns the top, and the front is dominated by the battery and pairing status lights. It's much better than some of the alternatives, like the Sony Linkbuds Fit, which feature a much larger, fatter cases. The A100 continue the audio legacy, while improving the rest of the feature set to match. I'd be disappointed with Cambridge Audio if it made something that didn't sound good, given the brand's excellent track record and sonic heritage. After all, previous buds might not have wowed across the board for features, but they've always set themselves apart with some of the best sound around. The A100 continue the audio legacy, while improving the rest of the feature set to match. Cambridge Audio has brought the full might of its house sound to bear with the A100. That means a slightly warmer, more welcoming sound, which retains very solid detail levels. As with the over-ear Melomania P100, the A100 in-ears outperform their price point with some of the best sound you'll get before you reach at least $300. They sound better than the AirPods Pro 2, with more purpose to their sound. The technical guitars and exacting cymbal line of Obscura's Silver Linings show just what kind of detail the A100 can extract from tracks, while still letting the fretless bass dance in the background. The kick-drum is loaded with impact, and instrument separation enables you to pick everything apart. As a result, they're a more holistic and interesting listen than the relatively flat and un-noteworthy sound of the AirPods Pro 2. The A100 are packed full of little details that show Cambridge Audio has thought about how you're going to use the buds, as well as why you're going to keep using them. The Melomania app is easy to use, and gives you a whole load of features you won't find in the AirPods Pro 2. For example, sound is more customizable than the Apple buds, with a strong 7-band EQ. That really lets you dial things in to your musical tastes, and it's something that Apple won't let you do beyond its own pre-judged sound profiles. There's more in there as well: Mono mode enables a stereo mix to play out of one earbud for those moments you can only have a bud socketed in one ear. Customizable controls, and a mode called 'DynamEQ' which keeps trebles and the bass at consistent levels despite low volume. There's even a Gaming mode, Sleep mode, and even a simpler version of Find My so that you can find your buds when they're nearby. My favorite thing? The 'Southwark' alert voice. That's Matt Berry, who you might recognize from the Fallout TV show, or Vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows. That's attention to detail, and lends a whole lot more personality to the buds. Now, if only he'd lend his talents to an entire voice assistant… For $100 less than the AirPods, you can't expect to get everything that Apple offers. With the A100 you won't get Spatial Audio, or the magic AirPods pairing. You won't get the new hearing aid features either, although the AirPods Pro 2 are about the only thing out there that offers that currently. But again, you're paying $149 for a sonic experience that beats out the AirPods Pro 2, and battery life that takes them to school (43 hours in the case, as opposed to Apple's 24). I know what I'll be recommending to people if they ask me what earbuds they should be buying from now on, that's for sure. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Boccia European gold win 'huge' for Kidson
New European boccia champion Sally Kidson says she will take "huge" momentum from winning her first major championship into the rest of this 20-year-old beat defending champion, Sonia Heckel of France, 3-2 in the individual BC3 final in Zagreb, Croatia, earlier this month to win the gold medal."I'm very happy," Kidson told BBC Radio Wiltshire."It never hurts to win a big tournament like this and especially a major, but it's not all about that, it's about the momentum going into the rest of the year and ahead of the World Championships next year this sort of thing is huge." Kidson, from Salisbury, made her Paralympic debut last summer for Great Britain in Paris where she was the youngest person on the team. She was introduced to the sport in primary school and made her international competition in 2022, aged 17."The last Europeans [championships] I did in 2023, I literally came dead last and so to go from dead last to first place is absolutely mental," Kidson said. Honouring former Paralympians Kidson said the gold medal win was even more poignant following the deaths of her pairs partner Will Arnott and Great Britain team-mate Matt Berry at the end of and Arnott's gold medal in the Paralympic Games qualifying event secured Great Britain a place in the BC3 category at last summer's event."It's nothing short of a tragedy to lose both Will and Matt at the tail end of last year," Kidson worked with Arnott's long-time assistant Connor Welfare in Zagreb which she said made the event more special."This one especially, we know it was a big one because me and Connor Welfare, who was [Arnott's] assistant for 11 years, we thought it would be good to do this together and do it for the big guy," Kidson said."To be able to get a gold medal and also Zagreb is where Will had his first international competition and his first gold medal [in 2019]."It was really special to be able to do it."
Toronto Star
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Emmys nominations snubs and surprises: Catherine O'Hara scores big, ‘The Handmaid's Tale' misses out
One Toronto-shot series earned a handful of Emmy Award nominations for its final season — another was almost completely snubbed. And 'The Studio,' a show co-created by two Vancouver natives, received the most nominations ever for a new comedy series in a single year at 23, when the Emmy hopefuls were announced on Tuesday morning. 'What We Do in the Shadows,' the vampire comedy that took over a studio on Eastern Avenue for all six of its seasons, was nominated for outstanding comedy series, its fourth swing at the prize — although a hoped-for nod for at least one of its stars, British actor Matt Berry, didn't materialize.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Cat in the Hat: New trailer from Warner Bros. released
The Cat in the Hat is back - this time in a brand-new animated Bros Animation studios has unveiled the first trailer for the film, set to hit cinemas next is the first feature-length animated film, inspired by Dr. Seuss' most famous comes more than 20 years after a live-action version of The Cat in the Hat, starring Shrek voice actor Mike Myers in 2003. In the new movie, American comedian Bill Hader voices the mischievous lead might recognise him as the voice of Fear in Inside Out as well as appearances in other animated films such as Toy Story 4 and Lightyear. What do we know about the new film? The story follows the Cat as he embarks on his most challenging mission yet for the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC (IIII). His task is to help brother and sister, Sebastian and Gabby, adjust as they move to a new town. The risk is, if he fails, he risks losing his magical hat trailer starts with the Cat in the Hat opening a box which is clearly marked "Do Not Open" - a hint at the character's cheeky film will also star British actor Matt Berry as a talking pet fish and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actress Xochitl Gomez as Gabby.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The Cat in the Hat Movie: Showtimes, Review, Songs, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos
What is the release date of 'The Cat in the Hat'? Release date of Matt Berry and Bill Hader starrer 'The Cat in the Hat' is 2026-02-27.
