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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Sony WF-C710N TWS review: Translucent design and terrific sound
I don't exactly remember when or how I became so interested in listening to guided meditation podcasts before bed. It's been a couple of months now, and every night I tune in to a different meditation podcast with my earbuds on. It's the last thing I do to help myself relax after a long day at work, especially in a profession like mine, where information overload can easily lead to anxiety. During this time, I realised just how important a quality pair of wireless earbuds can be, which made me appreciate Sony's new WF-C710N even more. They are great for travel, on planes, and whether I am working in the office or at home and need to focus, I love being able to shut out the outside world. Nothing comes close to the WF-C710N. They make me feel locked away from the chaos and completely immersed in whatever I am listening to. That's exactly what I have always wanted from wireless earbuds. What: Sony WF-C710N| Price: Rs 12,990 I am a huge fan of translucent tech. I grew up in the '90s and saw how brands, including Sony, experimented with see-through designs in their products, from the Walkman to the PlayStation. That aesthetic was all the rage back in the day, and now it's making a comeback. It's great to see Sony embracing the trend with its own modern spin. The WF-C710N comes in a glass blue, semi-translucent shell for both the buds and the charging case, clear enough to let you catch a glimpse of what's inside. The design instantly reminded me of the 'cool' gadgets I always aspired to own as a kid but couldn't afford, like the Apple iMac G3 and the Game Boy, which I eventually bought years later. The see-through nature of these earbuds makes them distinct, personal, and nostalgic all at once. The case design feels premium, exactly what you would expect from Sony but it's also playful and fun to look at, almost like a toy. It felt cool to use and even cooler to show to friends, who were both delighted and a bit confused by its design. I love how the magnets inside the case hold the earbuds securely in place. The USB-C charging port is located on the back, along with the Bluetooth pairing button. There's also a pairing/power indicator LED on the front and subtle branding on the top. The case is not too big and not too small either, it's somewhere in the middle, and light enough that I completely forgot I had it in my shorts during a run the other day. It does lack Qi wireless charging, however. That said, the earbuds come with a decent-sized battery that offers up to 21.5 hours of audio playback with ANC turned on. The shape of the buds themselves is very Sony-like and quite different from AirPods. They have a unique design but sit comfortably in the ears. For some, the buds might feel a bit on the heavier side and may not be the best choice for running. I opted for a different size of eartips (Sony includes multiple sizes) to ensure a more secure fit, and they stay in place even during brisk walks. It's always best to try them all to get the most secure fit as this will impact both the audio quality and noise cancellation. Each bud weighs 5.3 grams, and the earpieces have an IPX4 rating, so they will easily withstand splashes of water and sweat. There are wear-detect sensors on each earbud, along with capacitive touch sensors that can be remapped in the app. You will notice two ANC microphones behind the grills, plus two voice pickup microphones: one on each side. By default, the left earpiece controls noise cancellation modes: a single tap cycles between Noise Cancellation and Ambient Sound (which lets you hear your surroundings), and a long press activates Quick Attention mode, which turns on Ambient Sound temporarily. The right earbud controls playback: a single tap plays or pauses audio, a double tap skips to the next track, a triple tap goes back to the previous track, and a long press activates your voice assistant. Pairing with any Android smartphone is as simple as opening the case near the device and tapping 'Pair.' For Apple products, just hold the pairing button for a few seconds, then select 'Sony WF-C710N' in the Bluetooth settings. There's a basic companion app available for both Android and iOS. The app interface is, to be honest, pretty minimal. I wouldn't call it barebones, but it could definitely have more features and a more easy to use design. The app offers seven EQ presets: Balanced, Vocal, Mellow, Relaxed, Treble Boost, Bass Boost, and Speech. I found myself using the Balanced, Vocal, and Excited presets the most. You can also customise your own EQ using the 'Find Your Equaliser' feature. I am no audiophile (maybe someday I will get there), but I have reviewed enough earbuds and headphones to tell the difference between a Rs1,000 pair and one that costs Rs12,999. That said, audio is still a very subjective experience, no two people hear or prefer sound in the same way. The WF-C710N sounds really good. I listen to a wide range of music, rock, hip-hop, R&B, pop, dance and the WF-C710N handles everything with ease. When listening to Jelani Aryeh's I'm in Love, the track sounds rich, crisp, and natural. The stereo separation on these earbuds is excellent, and everything just sounds stunning, with a clarity that makes listening to music an absolute joy. They are not very bass-heavy, but you surely get deep bass. What truly sets these wireless earbuds apart, regardless of price, is the signature Sony sound. As I mentioned earlier, I listen to a lot of podcasts, whether it's during my morning walks or meditation sessions at night. For spoken word content, the WF-C710N is absolutely terrific. These earphones make listening to anything vocal feel truly special. Watching movies and videos with these earbuds is also a pleasant experience, especially when viewing content on an iPhone or iPad. The WF-C710N supports only AAC and SBC codecs, and not the higher-resolution LDAC codec, unlike some higher-end Sony models. The fit of the buds does a decent job of canceling external noise, especially higher frequencies and incidental sounds. The earbuds handle city traffic noise fairly well, which is something many of us deal with daily. The noise cancellation doesn't eliminate noise as effectively as Sony's high-end WF-1000XM5 or Apple's AirPods Pro 2, but those options come at a higher price. Music and podcast sound better with noice cancellation and ambient sound (I am not particularly fond of this mode on these earbuds) off. That's my observation. I found microphones on the WF-C710N deliver clear phone calls. People on the other end said they could hear me clearly. I will confess, when I first started using the WF-C710N, they didn't immediately impress me. It took a few good days to truly realise how well Sony designed these wireless earbuds. They aren't the most high-end earbuds on the market, and that's perfectly fine. You could argue that many other brands sell wireless earbuds at half the price what Sony offers. And I totally agree. However, the truth is, nothing quite comes close to the audio quality the WF-C710N delivers, especially with that neutral sound signature. It's honestly hard to describe in words. Look, price doesn't matter as much when you are getting this much value, and that's true for any product. In the end, the choice is yours. Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
How earplugs became the hot new accessory at music festivals
I t's long past the witching hour at Genosys, an open-air nightclub at the Glastonbury Festival, and the DJ has turned up the volume. The bass thunders, the synths screech, but to me it all feels pleasantly as though it's happening in the next room. This is not because my ears have given up: I am wearing a pair of earplugs that filter out high-frequency sound waves. I can still hear every beat, crescendo and my husband asking if I want another drink; it just doesn't feel as if my eardrums are being subjected to artillery fire. I am 35 and have spent more than two decades taking a fairly cavalier approach to noise. I was in primary school when I got my first Walkman, later upgraded to an iPod. Then as I got a bit older I spent weekends camped near nightclub speakers screaming the lyrics to Mr Brightside. University involved similar nights out with even worse music; after graduating I discovered podcasts. I never gave much thought to my ears — until a bad infection caused my left eardrum to perforate and it scared me. This time at Glastonbury I wore earplugs under my bucket hat.
See - Sada Elbalad
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Stephen King's "Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" Movie in Works
Yara Sameh Stephen King's novel "The Long Walk" is getting the big screen treatment. Lionsgate has acquired the rights to King's 1999 novel "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon", setting JT Mollner, the filmmaker behind the well-regarded thriller "Strange Darling", to pen and helm the adaptation. The project marks a new collaboration between King and Mollner, who wrote the script for "The Long Walk", which was directed by Francis Lawrence and opens September 12. Roy Lee, the producer of "Long Walk" and "Strange Darling", will reteam with Mollner for "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". Also producing will be Christine Romero, Ryan Silbert and Andrew Childs. Nathan Kahane, who is transitioning from his post as Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president to independent producer, will also join the project in a producorial capacity. King's psychological horror novel centers on the harrowing survival story of a nine-year-old girl named Trisha as she struggles to stay alive after getting lost in the woods alone. With only her Walkman radio playing baseball games to keep her company, the girl's love of pitcher "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" begins to manifest in hallucinations that may save her life. 'JT is a filmmaker we believe has a bright future,' said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president Erin Westerman. 'Throughout his work, he creates characters, and especially young characters, that are so compelling, heartbreaking, and emotional that they pop off the screen. And of course, that's what Stephen King does on the page as well. The story of survival and perseverance in The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is timeless. We've loved this tale for a long time, and JT is the perfect choice to adapt and direct this King fan favorite.' Meredith Wieck will oversee the project for Lionsgate alongside Pavan Kalidindi. Phil Strina negotiated the deal on behalf of the studio. Lee has, over the years, amassed an enviable body of work adapting King's work, including "It" and "It: Chapter Two", as well as "Doctor Sleep", and "Salem's Lot". "Long Walk," which will have a panel in Hall H on Friday at San Diego Comic-Con, adapts King's 1979 horror novel and stars a list of next generation Hollywood talent. Mollner previously wrote and directed the indie psychological thriller "Strange Darling", which was released in 2024 and scored a critically acclaimed 96 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film received the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films' best thriller award in 2025, as well as the STIGES Film Festival Grand People's Choice Award. In addition, Mollner was honored with the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival best director award for the movie. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks
Daily Maverick
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
In the Walkman revolution we lost shared listening in an ever-narrowing world
I catch up to things late, always have done. I went, by way of example, from my transistor radio and those finickity cassettes that needed cumbersome cassette recorders to the smartphone with its ability to play music. I skipped over that breakthrough era of the Walkman and evaded the time of the Discman and the portable CD player. I even missed out on MP3 players. I still shake my head: what was I thinking? Why did I never acquaint myself with the latest technology and get myself a device that would have allowed me to hear music inside my head through those spindly, non-earpod but serviceable headphones? Probably the most important thing about the Walkman was that it revolutionised how we listened to music, changing the consumption of music – and all things auditory, such as audiobooks and podcasts. How? By giving us the chance to have a private listening experience, laying down the pathway for individual listening choice. It was a heady breakaway from the 'before' listening times, and took away the constant carping and complaining about whose turn it was. My teen years were hell, an endless negotiation around the inexplicable (to a truculent pre-adult) concept of sharing. I grew up in a family of six, all with particular musical tastes, all needing airtime. My mother liked classical music with religious themes: hymns, Gregorian chants, Handel's Easter music; the Ave Marias (the Bach and Schubert versions). 'Cross yourself music,' my brothers called it, mostly because my God-fearing mother often made the sign of the cross when she heard a particularly stirring liturgical piece. My father liked Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Buddy Holly, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald… played loudly (which annoyed my mother) so he could hear it while he cooked. There was only one turntable built into a cabinet with an open rack that held the long-playing records, or vinyl as they were known, and a radio with a fabric or mesh-fronted speaker and a large knob for a tuning dial. This was in a pride-of-place position in the lounge. Remember, there was no television set, so it was where we sat to listen to whatever was being played – record or radio. Antonette, my six-years-younger baby sister, listened to David Frost narrating fairy tales, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella. She'd happily sing along with the complaining Hamelin rats, resentful about being unloved, bitter about their treatment from humans. Anton came home from boarding school, superior in his new knowledge of the hip music scene, bringing with him the music of Jethro Tull, Shawn Phillips, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath… all the colours, my mother used to say. My musical choices included Elton John, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, the Bee Gees… And, embarrassing to the Naidoos, a deep love of country music: Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, John Denver. My brother Shaun, learning how to play the piano in those years, listened to everything – it is necessary, he'd say, to hear it all. Necessary, it seems, for the brilliant composer he would become before his untimely death at 49. Everyone had to have a turn. We had to listen to each other's choices – we had no choice. It was communal listening. My hero, John Denver, wrote a song about his grandma's feather bed that could 'hold eight kids and four hound dogs, And a piggy we stole from the shed' on which they 'didn't get much sleep but had a lot of fun'. It was a bit like that in the Naidoo family master bedroom. After dinner, when our teeth were brushed, our faces scrubbed and pyjamas donned, we – along with Timmy, the dog – climbed into my parents' bed to listen to the radio on my dad's bedside table. As the Lost Orchid from a print of Tretchikoff's famous weeping painting looked down on us, we feasted on programmes like Squad Cars, in which the police prowled the empty streets at night, waiting in fast cars and on foot…; The Creaking Door; Test the Team; Inspector Carr Investigates; No Place to Hide with Mark Saxon and Sergei Gromulko; The Mind of Tracy Dark. Family time, a sharing time. Happy squabbling time. And then came the Walkman and everything changed. We no longer had to share. We could plug in our music and listen to whatever we chose. It was always our turn. Over the past 50 years, individual choice has replaced things communal. On a visit to my family in Los Angeles I got sick enough to spend the day in bed. To make sure we still had family time, my sister-in-law, Ann, and nephew, Joe, piled onto my bed. Only each of us had our laptops, each our Airpods, each watched a television series (me), documentary (Ann) or music video (Joe) of our own choosing. In the end, nobody shared what they'd been watching or listening to, I think because we each had such specific personal taste that nobody thought our choice would interest the others. It struck me that because it's always our turn, the algorithm can track us and give us more and more of what it thinks we like or want to see or listen to. And so our world gets narrower and narrower, as do the chances of getting to know arcane religious tracts or becoming familiar with the songs of Bing Crosby or being able to sing along with the rats of Hamelin. You are left with a repertoire of only what you like. As I said, I come late to things and seem to catch on and catch up only when the trend is deeply entrenched. Embarrassingly, I have just discovered podcasts and am listening to a host of views and opinions with which I agree, to which I nod along. A case in point is The Rest Is Politics, hosted by former journalist-turned-strategist and spokesperson for Tony Blair and New Labour Alastair Campbell and British academic, broadcaster, writer and former diplomat and politician Rory Stewart. In a determined attempt to confuse the algorithm, I have resorted to forcing myself to listen to the extremely right-wing views of Donald Trump-supporting Joe Rogan, whose ravings are liberally interspersed with racist epithets. It's a grim business and I find myself vacillating between rage and despair at some of the things people (such as Kash Patel, Trump's director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation) say. But I genuinely believe that the only way to form opinions is to have the views of all sides. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
The Star
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
The Hangout: Spin the black circle
Today I want to chat about vinyl. It has made a massive comeback over the past few years after falling out of fashion in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Back then, we were all buying cassettes and then CDs. I still remember walking into CNA to buy Guns N' Roses on tape, and recording Barney Simon's Night Zoo on my hi-fi instead of heading to bed, even though school was calling the next morning. I even had one of those very cool tape cases that neatly housed my cassettes and Walkman, so I could take it to friends' houses after school. How cool were we? I also remember hanging out at the old Randburg Waterfront, browsing CDs at the music store. Some of my very first CDs were Violent Femmes and Pixies, bought at the now long-gone Musica. Do you remember what your first buy was? I still have a big collection of CDs, and I have even seen bands selling cassettes at gigs again. But I digress. We are here to talk about vinyl. The first vinyl pressings date back to the 1930s and 1940s, which is almost a hundred years ago. That is pretty wild, and now they are back in full swing. I chatted to one of the vinyl gurus at Mr Vinyl, based at 44 Stanley in Milpark, and here is what Bret Dugmore had to say: 'The vinyl revival is an amazing story of how the human condition and our search for meaningful and mindful experiences brought back an old music format that modern society gave up on in the pursuit of ease and convenience. The experience and ritual of buying a vinyl record, putting it on a turntable, lowering the needle and carefully listening to it, while examining the artwork and lyric sheets, is by far the best way to experience music. All generations, with our youngest customers being nine or ten years old, have fallen in love with the art of collecting, caring for and listening to vinyl records. The vinyl revival was well underway overseas by 2010, but it only really took hold in South Africa around 2012. Mr Vinyl started as a hobby for me. I would buy a crate of records from a friend at a record label and sell them online. One crate turned into two, then four, and soon a large portion of my house was filled with vinyl. That gave me the push to find a retail space. We went from clicks to bricks and opened our doors at 44 Stanley in 2017. It has been our home ever since, and we have become a hub for music lovers across Johannesburg. We stock and sell all genres, and we feature the widest selection of new vinyl in South Africa.' And that's not a lie! Bret and his team really do have an outstanding store and a phenomenal selection of vinyl to choose from. I have also discovered a few fantastic vinyl fairs. There are plenty around, but here are two I think are worth checking out. The Soweto Record Fair is happening tomorrow at Native Rebels Restaurant, 1345 Kadebe Street, Central West Jabavu, Soweto. Entry is free, and you can flip through loads of records while great DJs spin vinyl and you enjoy a relaxed brunch vibe at this lovely restaurant. Then there is the Spin Music Fair, managed by Benjy Mudie of Vinyl Junkie. It brings together some of Gauteng's top vinyl dealers on the last Sunday of every month at Pirates Bowling Club in Greenside. The fair offers thousands of new and pre-loved records, from rock and pop to jazz, soul, soundtracks, hip hop and more. Crate digging is a massive part of the vinyl experience, whether you are on the hunt for a rare find or just admiring the beauty of old-school album artwork. The fair runs from 9am to 2pm and entrance is free. If you cannot make it to a fair, visit Benjy's beautiful store at 94 Conrad Drive, Blairgowrie, Randburg. It is a music lover's paradise, and Benjy's knowledge is second to none. Every visit feels like a little musical adventure, whether you are a lifelong collector or just getting started. I also often hear from people wanting to sell their vinyl collections. Both Bret from Mr Vinyl and Benjy from Vinyl Junkie can help with valuations and sales. You will be in good hands, as their passion for music and the format is matched by their honesty and care. Your beloved records will be going to good homes. If you have a collection gathering dust in your garage or storage, I urge you to go and get it. And for those who play theirs religiously, you need no coaxing — just dive in and feel the music.
