6 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

Kanto Audio’s Obi3 is the Canadian hi-fi maker’s first-ever turntable. It’s a belt-drive turntable with a built-in phono preamplifier (switchable) and Bluetooth, allowing you to integrate into a wired or wireless hi-fi system. Other than its clean and beautiful aesthetic, the main selling point of the Obi3 is price — it costs just $200, making it one of the more affordable integrated turntables out there. According to the brand, it “marks the beginning of a new Kanto series that reimagines traditional hi-fi for contemporary listeners.”

The Sennheiser HDB 630 is the first real premium pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones that the famed German hi-fi manufacturer has released in several years (specifically, the 2022-released Momentum 4). The headphones promise to deliver flagship-level sound, active noise-cancellation and comfort. That said, what makes them stand out is their ability to deliver high-resolution sound, both wired and wirelessly. When connected to a source via a USB-C or 3.5mm cable, the HDB 630 can play audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz resolution. When used with the included USB-C transmitter, which plugs into your smartphone or laptop, the headphones support aptX Adaptive and can play higher fidelity audio over Bluetooth. In a nutshell, they’re high-end noise-canceling wireless headphones catered to audiophiles.

The Audioengine HXL is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier that plugs into a laptop, tablet or smartphone via USB-C. It features dual CS43131 DACs that support high-fidelity audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. It also has a 60-step digital hardware volume control and both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs. According to the Texas-based audio maker, the HXL is designed to deliver “serious headphone performance in a portable, plug-and-play form factor.”

The Moon 371 is a super versatile “just add speaker” amplifier that’s designed for modern audiophiles. It combines a power amplifier, preamplifier, DAC, network player, and phono stage into a single box with a beautiful color display. As an amplifier, it’s capable of delivering 200 watts into 4 ohms or 100 watts into 8 ohms, meaning it should be fully capable of driving a wide range of high-end loudspeakers. Notably, Simaudio integrated it with several proprietary technologies from its flagship North Collection, including the MHP power supply, which promises to provide ultra-stable power, and the MDCA distortion-canceling amplifier, which aims to deliver an exceptionally clean and dynamic sound.

Unistellar’s Envision is the company’s first pair of smart binoculars. They combine new-age tech with Nikon optics to deliver an augmented reality overlay of what you’re looking at. You can look at a mountain range and it’ll tell you the various names of each peak and their elevation. It can also identify lakes, rivers, trails and other landmarks. At night, it can also help identify stars, planets, asteroids, moons, and galaxies. The AR binoculars are now available for preorder at a discounted price of $1,000, with shipping expected in October 2026.

Launched on Kickstarter, LastObject’s SoundUp is a miniature amplifier with Bluetooth streaming capabilities. What sets it apart, however, is that it has a built-in battery and thus doesn’t need to be connected to power to drive the speaker. This means that not only can the SoundUp drive a passive loudspeaker … it can also turn that passive speaker into a wireless portable speaker. Noteworthy, the SoundUp can only output mono, but you can stack two together to drive a pair of bookshelf speakers and create a portable stereo setup.