14 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

KEF introduced two new color options for its LSX II wireless active speaker system: Amber Haze (shown) and Cotton White. Each of these new models has fabric-wrapped cabinet. Aside from the new finishes, each is the same KEF LSX II wireless active speaker system as before. It’s a plug-and-play speaker system that’s super versatile with a wealth of wired and wireless connections.

The Nostala LB12 is the American audio company’s most high-end pair of floorstanding speakers to date. The 3-way loudspeakers combine vintage charm with modern engineering. They are decked out with a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter, a proprietary HyperDome midrange driver, a 12-inch paper-cone woofer, and there are dual flared front ports to deliver deep, controlled bass. Emotiva recommends pairing it with an amplifier capable of driving 100-watts (or more) per channel into 8 ohms.

The Quad 3CDT is the newest addition to the brand’s 3 Series, all of which are designed in the 1960s aesthetic of some of its classic components. It’s a CD transport that’s meant to be paired with the Quad 3 integrated amplifier, as they share the same footprint and a matching classic aesthetic: matte silver front panel and signature orange-lit LCD strip. It’s a high-end transport aimed at audiophiles who still enjoy listening to CDs. According to the brand, it’s designed “to deliver uncompromising digital performance in its purest form.”

20 years after its release, Razer is reviving its original gaming mouse, the Boomslang. The new version looks quite similar to the one released two decades ago — it has the same ambidextrous design with large buttons and a transparent body — but Razer outfitted it with all the latest-gen technologies befitting its current flagship mice. Only 1,337 units will be sold, and thus, it is being marketed at diehard fans of the original Boomslang.

The Braque is a design-focused active speaker system comprising cubic plywood speakers mounted on steel cubic bases — each speaker-and-base is 29.5 inches (or roughly 2.5 feet) tall and weighs almost 90 pounds. It’s an active system, meaning the speakers are powered and individually amplified. There’s no built-in Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for streaming. However, the system supports a wide range of inputs (stereo RCA, balanced XLR, optical Toslink and coaxial digital) that allow it to be compatible with both classic and modern setups.

At launch, Analogue’s highly anticipated 4K N64 retro gaming console, called the 3D, was available only in two colors: white and black. But now the company has introduced eight new color options — seven translucent and one gold — designed to tap into nostalgia by resembling translucent N64 consoles released in the 90s. These “Funtastic” editions will be sold in “highly limited” quantities and they go on sale on December 10ths at 11am EST (or 8am PST). Be warned: these are likely to sell out really, really fast.

The WiiM Sound Lite is essentially the same speaker as the WiiM Sound — it’s the same size and offers the same acoustic performance — but features a more minimalist design and is $70 less expensive. Most notably, this “lite” version lacks the Sound’s color touchscreen on the front, which is used to display things like album artwork and playlists while the speaker is playing. Like its prettier predecessor, it can be configured in a stereo pair or grouped in a larger multi-room system with WiiM’s other speakers, wireless streamers, or streaming amplifiers. It can even function as a center channel or rear satellite speaker in a WiiM home theater setup.

Mophie has a new series of Speedport wall adapters, all of which feature USB-C ports and are powered by GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology. The series features seven total wall adapters with single, dual and triple-port options, and range from $15 (for the single USB-C port, 20-watt adapter) to $100 (for the triple USB-C port, 140-watt adapter). All models come in white.

8BitDo has partnered with Analogue to release its wireless 64 Bluetooth Controllers in the seven transparent (and one gold) color options to match the Funtastic editions of Analogue’s modern N64 gaming console, the 3D. (Reminder: the 3D doesn’t come with any controllers.) These go on sale on December 10th, the same day as the special-edition Analogue 3D consoles, and will likely sell out quickly.

The Final UX1000 is an affordable pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones. Final claims that the UX100 is “designed to bring the brand’s renowned sound quality to everyday listeners at an accessible price point.”

Final’s UX5000 is a pair of wireless over-ear headphones aimed at those who value sound quality over anything else — there’s no active noise-cancellation. At their heart is the brand’s newly developed 40mm large-diameter dynamic driver, complemented by Qualcomm’s QCC3095 wireless platform. According to Final, this combination allows the UX500 to deliver a “spacious, expressive listening experience that rivals many premium wired headphones.”

Schiit Audio upgraded its popular desktop headphone amplifier, the Magni Unity, by giving it an improved DAC with Mesh conversion technology. This promises to perform a similar job to the proprietary digital filter that Schiit employs in its much higher-end DACs. Aside from this change, it’s the same affordable desktop amplifier as before.

Schiit Audio’s fifth-generation Modi desktop DAC — which is designed to use in a stack with its Magni Unity desktop amplifier — has been updated with Mesh conversion technology. According to the company, Mesh “brings this unique digital filter [featured in its higher-end DACs] to a much more affordable price point, by meshing (ahem) a 32-bit Microchip processor with a standard delta-sigma modulator. The result? Something that sounds a lot more like our more expensive DACs.”

The Scoop is the latest pair of hi-fi earphones from Activo, Astell&Kern’s more affordable sub-brand. Each earbud has a multi-driver in-ear design, featuring a single 8mm dynamic driver, dual 6mm dynamic drivers and dual balanced armatures. They come with a detachable, silver-plated copper and OFC hybrid cable. And they’re designed to be adaptable, as Activo includes adapters for 3.5mm, 4.4mm and USB-C so that you can connect them to a wide range of devices.