• Police seized 6,498 counterfeit records in the UK
• Fake LPs are big business, with big price tags
• Be very careful when you're buying valuable vinyl

UK police have seized counterfeit vinyl worth over a quarter of a million pounds in Luton, England. The City of London Police's Intellectual Property Crime Unit, PIPCU for short, says that the 6,498 records it took from the counterfeiters are the equivalent of £259,920 (about $351,370) in retail sales.

That's a lot of money. And it's also a lot of records. Aren't vinyl manufacturers supposed to be at full capacity thanks to Pokémon-esque "gotta catch 'em all!" releases of multiple collectible vinyl versions by super-popular artists?

In short: yes, but also no.

Vinyl villains aren't jumping the queue

First of all, the supply problems are largely solved thanks to a lot of investment in manufacturing capacity; as we've reported, Taylor Swift isn't stopping your Record Store Day specials from being made too.

And secondly, any capacity problems wouldn't be relevant here anyway, because the fakes most likely aren't coming out of the same pressing plants as legitimate Olivia Rodrigo or Record Store Day releases.

Many reputable pressing plants require documentation to prove that you're not a pirate, a counterfeiter or anyone else looking to duplicate something dodgy. So many counterfeiters set up their own pressing plants instead.

For example in 2024, PIPCU said it had seized 18 tonnes of evidence during a raid on just one counterfeit pressing plant in London. That single operation had four pressing machines for making vinyl.

And it's not the only secret underground record factory: according to the British Phonographic Industry, between 2020 and 2024 the organization delisted £26 million of fake vinyl from digital platforms and seized £316,050 in counterfeit products.

It's interesting to crunch the numbers, because if you look at this latest raid the average value per record works out at about £40, which is the going rate for ordinary LP releases. However, the UK Intellectual Property Office said last year that fake versions of LPs were priced as high as £1,000, because of course rare records can command much higher prices than the latest Harry Styles LP.

It's not surprising that counterfeit vinyl exists; worldwide, vinyl is a billion-dollar business, and as long as there are lots of buyers there are going to be people trying to rip them off. So it's important to be very careful when you're buying records from a source you don't already know and trust.

According to the IPO, tell-tale signs of a counterfeit record include poor quality production; new records that aren't shrink-wrapped; missing barcodes or poorly printed outers; catalogue numbers that come up as "unofficial" in Discogs; and private sellers with multiple copies of the same record, especially if that record is rare.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

• New CoolGeek TS-01 launched on Kickstarter
• Automatic turntable with glowing lights within the platter
• A retail price of $299, and it's already fully funded

Like any good tech writer, RGB-tinged gadgetry has infiltrated my home, but there's one piece of kit that still doesn't glow — or didn't glow, but a new Kickstarter project looks set to fix that.

I'm talking about the new CoolGeek TS-01 turntable, which you can take a look at on the crowdfunding site here. It seems to be the first project from the CoolGeek brand, but it's already blown past its HK$100,000 (about $12,000, £9,000, AU$18,000) goal by at least 10 times.

The CoolGeek TS-01 has a retail price of $299, so it's cheaper than some of our favorite affordable spinners, such as the Sony PS-LX5BT, and in classic Kickstarter fashion it's even cheaper if you pledge sooner.

The 'gimmick' of this turntable — according to me, rather than CoolGeek — is that it comes with some lighting effects, which emanate from the platter. The Kickstarter doesn't say if these are automatic, or customizable in an app, but the latter seems possible.

That's because the speaker supports Bluetooth 5.3 output as well as RCA, so it could theoretically connect to an app.

It's all about ease of use

Judging by the Kickstarer page, CoolGeek has a different idea about the turntable's selling points.

The page points to the turntable's automatic status as a draw, with an included remote ensuring you can control the record player without having to get up and control the arm (other than, presumably, switching records every 20 minutes in time-honored tradition).

It's also a thin creation, with a 28mm profile for the body, not including the dust cover or platter.

The tone-arm is made with carbon fiber but there's no word on the cartridge, even though it seems to have an Audio-Technica logo on it in photos. The Kickstarter page's focus on ease of use, and the price, suggests to me this is designed as an entry-level turntable rather than one for audiophiles.

But given that some of the best turntables are the ones that are easiest to use, that's only a good thing. Their complex set-up can put potential record player owners off, and so a build like this could overcome some hurdles. The RGB is just a nice extra touch.

The Kickstarter campaign is running until May 10, and CoolGeek states that shipping will begin in early July, with units taking up to a month to arrive depending on where you live.

• Topping announces the DX9 Discrete DAC and headphone amp
• Uses delta sigma processing like an integrated DAC, but in discrete components like an R2R DAC
• Going on sale for £1,299 (about $1,750, AU$2,600)

Topping Audio may not be the most prolific hi-fi company, but when it strikes, it strikes hard; a recent DAC, amp and preamp combo called the DX5 II proved that. And its latest piece of gear is just as ambitious.

The brand has announced the Topping DX9 Discrete, which is now on sale in the UK for £1,299 (about $1,750, AU$2,600) — that's not cheap, but given the tech inside, it's also kind of a bargain.

This combination DAC and headphone amp builds on its predecessor in a few key ways, most crucially introducing Topping's proprietary PSRM architecture for digital-to-audio conversion (which I'll come back to in a moment), and support for a 10-band PEQ. Thankfully, it retains the older version's design, including a cool see-through build.

The DX9 has a display on the front that lets you monitor various factors and change settings, and it has a wide range of inputs and outputs including USB, optical, coax and HDMI, hitting up to 32-bit 768kHz PCM / DSD512 decoding.

The Topping DX9 Discrete supports Bluetooth 5.1 with LDAC, various aptX standards, AAC and SBC, and works as a headphone amplifier with six channels, capable of driving even particularly fussy cans. But easily its coolest feature is in the DAC space.

The company keeps Topping itself

As audio fans might know, picking an audio system can be hard, with many fancy techs solving one problem only to raise another. Do you go for an R2R DAC, with is discrete architecture creating a warm harmonic sound but often more distortion, or an integrated chip that has less distortion but can feel like a colder and more digital sound?

Topping thinks it can deliver the best of both worlds using its PSRM system. The uses discrete components, similar to R2R DACs, but uses them for delta-sigma processing, like an integrated chip — all through a 1-bit pipeline at extremely high sample frequencies (purportedly in the megahertz range).

According to Topping, this is a bit like it's converting all your Hi-Res Audio files into DSD, which is natively based around the idea of 1-bit, high-frequency files.

The promise is that this all results in greatly reduced distortion compared to R2R DACs, while retaining a slightly more analogue-feeling sound for your music.

It's a neat trick, and one I'm sure audiophiles will flock to, if at least to see just how well it works. But selling points aside, this still seems like a sold DAC-amp combo which should sit well against other other favorite options…

• Pro-Ject announces two wireless upgrades for classic hi-fi gear based on WiiM OS
• Stream Box E upgrades your amp with streaming skills
• Wireless Box E turns any passive speakers wireless by connecting to the binding posts

Beloved hi-fi brand Pro-Ject hasn’t slowed down at all in 2026. After announcing a premium turntable in January and record cleaner last month, it has two more pieces of gear coming soon.

The brand has announced the Stream Box E and Wireless Box E, as part of its growing hi-fi ecosystem. They cost £159 (about $200, AU$300) and £199 (around $270, AU$400) respectively.

The Stream Box E is a wireless network streamer and digital pre-amp that can upgrade your wired audio system to allow for Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz. It can be connected to an amplifier, or directly to active speakers.

Then there’s the Wireless Box E, which also gives a tidy tech upgrade to existing gear. This time, it upgrades your passive loudspeakers, acting as a wireless receiver for them, meaning you can position them anywhere without needing to worry about running cable to them, giving you more flexibility over where you put them, or perhaps where you put the rest of your hi-fi setup.

You'll need one per speaker, of course, and each needs to be connected to a power outlet.

A WiiMsical choice

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the news, is that the Stream Box E and Wireless Box E will both run on WiiM OS. This is a platform primarily designed for the brand’s own tech like such as the WiiM Sound, but is also available to other brands, bringing their tech into the burgeoning WiiM ecosystem.

We’ve compared Sonos vs WiiM in the past to help you understand the differences, but the gesture is clear: this is part of a growing alternative to Sonos, and is clearly one that wants to be as flexible as possible based on these launches.

However, there's a big catch here for Apple users, which is not exactly a small portion of the world. WiiM has some kind of on-going issue with Apple that means that many of its products don't include Apple AirPlay 2 as an easy streaming options, and it's the same with these.

While support for the likes of Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect might mean you're actually fine with this, it also means these boxes are basically no good if you're an Apple Music user, or if you want to be able to use AirPlay's platform-neutral multi-room skills.

In this instance, Sonos absolutely still has the edge — it not only supports AirPlay fully, it's the only brand with a streaming amp that has native Apple Music support in its app for lossless listening.

The fast pace with which Pro-Ject is releasing gears shows that it’s only getting bigger and bigger in the home hi-fi game, especially with affordable options like these. Perhaps it’s found an ideal partner in the equally ambitious WiiM — we can't wait to see how well these work in practice.

• LibrePods improves the AirPods experience on Android
• The app is now available on the Google Play Store
• Use features like Conversational Awareness on selected phones

While AirPods have always worked with Android — they're essentially Bluetooth earbuds, at their core — users with Google-powered phones and tablets haven't been able to enjoy the full AirPods experience. That's now changing with a new update to an open-source app called LibrePods.

LibrePods has been around for a while, but previously required a jailbroken Android device to work properly. As Android Authority reports, LibrePods just became available on the Google Play Store, so anyone can make use of it — no jailbreak needed.

This has been made possible by a bug fix pushed out with the Android 16 QPR3 update, also known as the March Pixel Drop if you're using a Google Pixel phone. As LibrePods developer Kavish Devar explains, this opened up more Bluetooth functionality.

It means you get access to features like more precise battery level reporting, immediate ear detection, the ability to change listening modes, and Conversational Awareness (which lowers the AirPods volume when you're chatting to someone.

Going Ultra?

As this updated Bluetooth functionality has only just been added to Android, it's going to take a while to reach all phones and tablets. Right now, it should work with Google Pixel, OnePlus, and Oppo phones updated to the latest software versions.

In the future, the improved Bluetooth features should be kept in Android 17, which will be One UI 9 on Samsung phones. Over the next few months, LibrePods should become compatible with more and more handsets as these updates roll out.

Once you've got LibrePods installed on a compatible phone, you'll find a host of options available in the menus — including the option to set up head gesture controls (provided you've got a pair of AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3).

If you're an Android user, your choice in terms of the best headphones and best wireless earbuds just got bigger, and could expand further soon. There are rumors from Macworld that Apple is planning to introduce some AirPods Ultra headphones in the near future, while also applying the 'Ultra' branding to other high-profile products.

• A Spotify user has developed their own AI song-filtering software
• It's been downloaded by hundreds of users, but it's creator warns that it may violate Spotify's terms of service
• Over the past 12 months, Spotify told us it removed 'over 25 million AI tracks'

AI-generated music is a growing frustration for users of Spotify and other music streaming services — and now one Spotify user has taken matters into their own hands.

To combat the flood of AI songs plaguing their algorithm, software developer Cedrik Sixtus has built an ‘AI blocker’ that labels and filters out AI-generated tracks from their listening sessions. Since developing the tool, Sixtus has shared it online where it’s been downloaded by hundreds of users via Spotify’s web platform.

Speaking with the BBC, Sixtus summarized the aim of his filter tool quite simply, saying "it is about choice — if you want to hear AI music or if you don't”. He also told the BBC that using his software "may violate Spotify's terms of service" — so you might want to proceed with caution if you're thinking of installing it, or a similar blocker.

So how does the tool work? The main objective of Sixtus’ AI blocker is to filter out a list of over 4,700 'artists' that are suspected to be AI. This detection is based on community tracking methods, and factors in other characteristics such as album art, and how often music is uploaded to the purported artist’s profile.

While users like Sixtus are actively attempting to extinguish the AI flames, the big dog Spotify has yet to clearly label AI-generated songs, which Sixtus finds the most frustrating part.

Spotify has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, and to mark the milestone I spoke with Sten Garmark, the company's Head of Consumer Experiences at Spotify. As part of our discussion he teased the company’s future development plans, which include new measures to combat the rise of AI uploads.

Garmark told me that Spotify removed “over 25 million AI tracks” in the last year, and emphasized the company's ongoing commitment to tackling the issue. “We have rules against impersonation, and we've also helped set up new protectionist mechanisms for artists so that they can more securely control what goes up on their platform,” he added.

At the same time, Spotify has refrained from penalizing artists who use AI as a creative tool in small doses, and a lack of clarity over where it draws the line is one of the issues with its AI filtering system — and it's one reason why loyal subscribers are slowly losing confidence in the service, argues Sixtus. "[Spotify] has to figure out what listeners want and how artists feel — all while AI is improving, being used more widely and becoming harder to detect," he shared.

Not only is the number of AI-generated uploads rising, the technology used to create AI songs is becoming increasingly accessible, meaning pretty much anyone can create a song, and an AI persona to go with it.

In the current UK iOS App Store charts, AI music generator Suno sits in the number one spot in the music category, ahead of Spotify in third (Global Player is in second spot). If major streaming platforms don’t start clamping down on strengthening their AI filters now, it gives the developers of software such as Suno more time to perfect their technology, and fool more music fans — and we could soon find we've passed the point of no return.

• Oliver Schusser from Apple Music says a third of uploads are AI-generated
• Despite this, only 0.5% of all users are engaging with this content
• Apple Music has plans to combat the AI epidemic even further

Apple Music has become the latest music streaming service to be hit with the influx of AI-generated content, says its VP Oliver Schusser — but it’s reaching only a very small percentage of all users.

Speaking with Billboard ($/£), Schusser shed light on the state of AI music in Apple Music’s library, sharing that “more than a third of what (Apple Music) get(s) today is actually what we would say is 100% AI”.

It goes to show that it’s becoming easier for labels and distributors to submit music that’s completely made using AI, and Apple Music isn’t the only service that’s facing this epidemic. Just last week, Deezer declared that nearly half of the new music submitted to the platform is AI-generated, resulting in the company’s decision to stop offering hi-res versions of these songs.

So, how is Apple planning to put out the AI fire? Well, Schusser went into further detail in his interview. “We’ve never talked about this — but we’ve developed technology in-house that would allow us to exactly see what music people are delivering us, what AI (model) it is and all that,” he reveals, likely referring to Transparency Tags.

Back in March, Apple sent out a letter to industry partners revealing its plans to roll out ‘Transparency Tags’, a new metadata system to help flag AI-generated and AI-assisted music. This means labels and distributors can disclose whether AI has been used in a song’s production when submitting to Apple Music. Though it’s optional, Schusser made it clear that he “really need(s) the content providers and the labels to take responsibility”.

There’s no denying that fully AI-generated music is cropping up in the best music streaming services, but Schusser unveiled an interesting statistic that may come as a surprise: despite the rise, it’s not having a huge impact on users’ listening and engagement habits. “The reality is, the usage of the AI music on Apple Music is really tiny. I’m rounding, but it’s below 0.5% of usage. We’re just at the beginning here,” he told Billboard — but fraud is still rife.

This is another issue on which Apple Music is clamping down, but it’s been doing this since the good old iTunes days: “This has been a 20-year journey because there was fraud, obviously, in iTunes already,” Schusser said, which led to the introduction of Apple’s fraud penalty. The company also doubled this penalty as of this year.

But the battle isn’t over, as Schusser puts it, “We invest way more than anyone else in reducing and eliminating fraud. We implemented a fraud penalty four years ago, where if we catch someone, then we actually take the money and put it back in the pool. We need to monitor AI music because there’s a correlation between AI and fraud”. He also shared that Apple has seen a “60% reduction” in fraudulent uploads after implementing the penalty.

As it stands, I’ve been one of the lucky ones not to have run into AI-generated music flooding my recommendations in Apple Music as well as Spotify, though the latter has come under significant scrutiny for housing AI slop. Like other platforms, Spotify is also working toward safeguarding users by removing 25 million AI tracks in the last 12 months, and devising a solid AI combat strategy for the future.

• Sonos customers have been AI-generating alternatives to the Sonos app
• Some look pretty cool in design, and offer easy access to features
• They won't all be easy to set up and run yourself, though

The Sonos app continues to be a controversial point for people. After a 2024 app overhaul annoyed basically every customer with bugs and missing features, and 2025 fixes only barely addressed the problems, owners of the best Sonos speakers started looking for alternative solutions.

A game changing Sonos app update in March fixed a lot of the problems, with new company CEO Tom Conrad explaining to us what went wrong in the first place. But the app doesn't go far enough for some users, who want to make their own alternatives, either to improve functionality or just because they've had a tool idea.

Using the power of vibe coding (or regular coding in some cases), there's been a spate of Reddit-posting Sonos owners creating their own alternative control apps or tools, and some of them look pretty neat.

Home-made Sonos apps

Some user-made Sonos apps are simple, and for specific functions. Take, for example, Hello Atmos, made by user u/AdrianTubbly. This scans your Spotify playlist to see which of your songs are available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, so you can choose to play spatial audio tunes via the Sonos app.

I created a Webapp to scan Spotify playlist for Dolby Atmos songs. from r/sonos

Others are graphical overhauls. I like u/chatMueller's Sonoshaus, which overhauls the Sonos app to look like a vintage stereo receiver. Sure, the designer themselves admits it looks a little AI slop-esque, but it's a neat alternative way to control your speakers without changing how the app works, and who doesn't prefer playing with a physical-looking control rather than sliding a dot up a line?

Sonoshaus - Vibe Coded a Vintage Stereo Receiver Sonos Controller from r/sonos

There are some apps out there that are unabashedly Sonos app alternatives. A user called u/SenseChoice7969 used Claude Code to make an app called Arc Controller, which brings loads of functionality for Sonos' high-end soundbar: you can set up sound profiles with custom combinations of volume, EQ and subwoofer use, all of which can change when you toggle them or at specific times.

The user explains how they could have added more functions, but they "just needed quick access to the settings I actually change". And now they're pledging they're "never opening the Sonos app again unless I'm applying a software update".

I used Claude Code to build a custom Sonos Arc controller and I'm never going back to the Sonos app!! from r/sonos

For the MacOS users, another user called u/UnTraditional_Speed built a Sonos controller that manages your speakers and playback via your computer (and, I must note, doesn't appear to be vibe coded based on what the creator has said. But it feels appropriate to include here anyway). The app has support for various languages, dark mode and accent colors, and it works with various music sources.

Native macOS Sonos controller — open source, Apple Silicon, v2 update from r/sonos

Sonos' app is coming on leaps and bounds, but since it's so easy to turn your preferences into an alternative using AI, we'll likely continue to see people home-brewing their own.

But Sonos would do well to take a peek at some of the above, to see if there are any features it can pinch for its own software. However, it's unlikely that people will be flocking to swap the app for these tools — most are available via Github, meaning you need to build them yourself to run on your computer, and that's not most people's speed. But, for the enthusiasts, it might be worthwhile.

Vibe coding, like any other use of generative AI, is fraught with perils: studies suggest the quality of vibe-coded apps is low, the practice has been accused of killing open-sourced software, and there are reports of vibe-coded apps having massive security flaws. But if you want functionality that the base app won't provide, you gotta do what you gotta do.

• Spotify and Peloton have announced a new partnership and Fitness hub
• It brings over 1,400 Peloton video workouts to the Spotify app
• It's rolling out globally today (April 27) to Premium subscribers

First it was music, then podcasts and audiobooks, and now Spotify is entering a new era — fitness.

The music streaming giant is joining forces with one of the biggest names in fitness, Peloton, to bring Peloton's extensive range of video workouts to a new Fitness hub in the Spotify app.

As of today, over 1,400 curated classes will be rolled out to Spotify Premium subscribers, spanning strength, pilates, barre, yoga, stretching, meditation, floor cardio, and outdoor run and walk.

Peloton has said these classes will be accessible "in most countries where Spotify is available".

The collaboration is part of Peloton’s wider plans to expand its reach globally and improve the accessibility of its experience. “We’ve always believed that the best workout is the one you actually do, which is why accessing world-class fitness content should be as easy as tuning into your favorite Spotify playlist”, said Dion Camp Sanders, Chief Commercial Officer at Peloton.

“As we continue to forge a path deeper into wellness, our work with Spotify is just our latest move to expand our reach and capture new revenue streams through Peloton’s unmatched experience, content and instruction.”

Last week Spotify celebrated 20 years of being one of the best music streaming services, and as part of our coverage I spoke to Sten Garmark, the company's Global Head of Consumer Experience, who reflected on Spotify's influence and teased plans for it to expand into more formats — and this new partnership suggests it's wasting no time in doing so.

“For nearly two decades, Spotify has been the soundtrack to the world’s workouts,” said Roman Wasenmüller, VP Global Head of Podcasts. “Today, we are expanding Spotify to become a true daily wellness companion. By bringing Peloton directly into our video and audio ecosystem, we are investing in a future where Spotify isn’t just where you spend your time — it’s where you go to build momentum, improve your wellbeing, and get more out of every day.”

Although Spotify and Peloton haven’t gone into great detail about how the new Fitness hub will work, we can get a good idea from some first-look images the brands shared. For starters, the Fitness hub looks like one of Spotify’s existing family of categories, such as its Made For You and genre hubs, so I’m guessing it will appear in the app’s Search tab alongside the rest of these.

Instead of simply putting all of Peloton’s video workouts into one space, Spotify is implementing an onboarding system to match you to Peloton workouts based on your fitness goals and in-the-moment mood. This consists of a series of questions such as ‘what movement are you in the mood for?’ and ‘how do you want to push yourself?’, as well as asking you for your fitness and experience levels.

Once the questionnaire is complete, Spotify will present you with a workout starter pack for you to explore. Alternatively, there’s an option to browse all the workouts on offer.

I’ll be testing out Spotify’s Fitness hub when it drops, and when I've tried it I'll share my experience and early impressions — I'm eager to see if Spotify has the qualifications to be my new personal trainer.

• Spotify's mobile apps are getting new playlist capabilities
• You can now create and manage playlists on the go
• Some but not all users on Android and iOS are seeing the update

The latest Spotify upgrade rolling out to users is one that I've been waiting years for, and which will really make a difference to on-the-go listening: the ability to create and manage playlist folders from the mobile apps.

While you've previously been able to view playlist folders on mobile, you haven't been able to create, edit, or delete them — something that's now changing, 15 years after the feature was first introduced, as Android Authority reports.

Threads on Reddit suggest some people are seeing the update, though it apparently hasn't rolled out to everyone yet. "I've been wanting this for a very very long while now," says one poster, summing up the overall sentiment from most Spotify users.

As there hasn't been any official word from Spotify, it's possible this is only a limited test for now (the code for the upgrade was actually spotted by Android Authority back in March). It may take a while before everyone sees it on their phones and tablets.

Go forth and create

You Can Now Create Folders on Mobile (and move playlists to them) from r/truespotify

I'm using Spotify for Android in the UK, and I can't see the option yet: apparently it shows up if you tap the + (plus) button on the Library page. You'll then be prompted to choose a name for your new folder, and it then gets added to the list.

There are a couple of extra tweaks worth mentioning as well. Besides being able to create new folders for your playlists, the update adds the ability to move existing playlists into them — so you can tidy up your library without heading to Spotify on the desktop.

Users have also spotted the ability to play all of the playlists inside a particular folder in one go, and to shuffle between the full set of tracks across the entire folder. This matches what you can already do in the desktop and web.apps.

Let's hope this is something that everyone gets sooner rather than later: 15 years is a long time to wait for a feature to migrate from desktop to mobile. Perhaps it's part of the ongoing celebrations of Spotify's 20th anniversary.

• An audio engineer has built headphones using Scrub Daddy sponges
• The cans offer frequency response akin to top-end models…
• ...yet these were sold online for just $100, though you won't be able to buy one

If you've ever thought that headphones all look too similar nowadays, then here's something you'll love to see. An audio engineer has built headphones using yellow smiley-face sponges — I'm assured Scrub Daddy is a household name — and they're apparently surprisingly good.

On Reddit, a well-known sound engineer called Pud — u/pudjam667 (who often shares their creations on the platform, and at Pud.com) — has revealed their latest concoction: open-back headphones with the internals housed within Scrub Daddy sponges.

The headphones, which bear 50mm drivers and were tuned to cater for the spongey material (with some other materials used to complete the acoustic design), were put to the test and performed shockingly well.

As per the frequency response graphs, the cans have surprisingly flat bass response, with the curve likely making owners of the best headphones green with envy for how flat it is. One could say they soak up the bass.

The creator themselves referred to its "godly frequency response", comparing them to HiFiman HE1000s, and commenters have compared them to various top-end products. Even Sennheiser itself got involved, complimenting the creator for his work via their Reddit account.

I made Scrub Daddy headphones [swipe for godly frequency response measurement] from r/headphones

Time to buy a pair?

The Scrub Daddy headphones are a one-and-done type product. I'm sorry to say, you'll never be able to buy them yourself.

In comments under the post, u/pudjam667 described how they made the pair with their son, "to help teach him about commerce", and the pair was put on sale on the engineer's website once done.

The price was just $100, which could land them on our list of the best cheap headphones, if Scrub Daddy decided to get involved and help make these things a reality.

Pud has a wide range of various headphone inventions, and the Scrub Daddy cans are probably the most regularly-looking ones, perhaps surprisingly. Next on the list is probably the pair made from Croc shoes (well, a mimicry of them, at least), which also tested shockingly well.

Both sets of headphones are certainly much more practical than Pud's ultra-bassy headphones, called Ol' Thumpy, which make you look like a human barbell.

• Honor Choice Earbuds Clip 2 get global release
• Clip-style open earbuds with handy feature
• Sound leakage may be thing of the past

Since I started testing the best open earbuds several years ago, the form factor has advanced leaps and bounds. No longer do these anti-noise-cancelling earbuds struggle with poor sound transmission, unreliable fits or huge carry cases. But a few problems linger.

Because each earbud is held outside of your ear canal, this kind of bud has natural sound leakage, so people around you can hear your music if it's quiet, such as in an office. But Honor's new earbuds promise a solution to the problem.

The Honor Choice Earbuds Clip 2 Pro were announced at the end of 2025 in China, but have finally received a global release as of April 2026. They're priced equivalent to around $125 / £100 / AU$200, but we're waiting on availability and prices around the world.

Beyond that essay of a name, they come with a few specs which make them seem competitive as clip-style open-ears. Their 12mm driver is bigger than many we see in this style of bud, and the 10-hour battery life again is competitive.

The case charges wirelessly, the arch is designed to survive bends, and the buds automatically detect which ear they're in, so you don't have to think about it. All very handy features.

But beyond that list of useful but familiar specs, there's one tool that stands out.

Goodbye, sound leakage

As I mentioned, there's natural sound leakage with open earbuds, so people around you can easily hear what you're listening to. The pair I'm testing currently are easy to make out if you're within several meters of the listener. It's pretty embarrassing that everyone at Parkrun can hear all the Backstreet Boys I'm listening to.

We did see the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro come with a driver designed to mitigate this problem, but those were on hook-style open buds, not clip-style like the Honor. Oh, and as my 3-star review (linked above) attests, they weren't especially good.

The Earbuds Clip 2 Pro, however, have a driver on the back of the bud, which emits sound to cancel out the music you're listening to, working basically the reverse of how noise-cancelling headphones operate.

In theory, these solve open earbuds' remaining major pain point, and I'm really curious to test them out and see how well it works (or, more accurately, let my partner discover how well they work, as I'll no longer be annoying her with my music… in theory).

Clip-style earbuds are quickly proving themselves more popular than hook-style ones, at least judging by how many new pairs are released, and I've previously been impressed by the company's offerings, such as the Honor Earbuds Open.

So I'm holding out hope that, if this clippy problem-solver works as well as I think, the Clip 2 Pro could be the best open earbuds yet — at least, for those who share a workspace.

• A Redditor built a tool to let you blind ear test FLAC and different MP3 quality levels
• Crucially, you use your own music, rather than samples you don't know well
• It's humbling a lot of audiophiles

In a bid to work out whether they had the hearing chops to tell the difference between FLAC and MP3, a Redditor recently built a tool to let you do a 'blind' listening test. It's not the first tool for this, but it addresses common pain points with these tools, to make it easier to directly compare and contrast songs — and most crucially, you use your own songs, so you're testing with tracks you know inside and out.

You upload a FLAC and the tool will create 16, 64, 128 and 320kbps MP3 copies. Then you can seamlessly switch between the lower bitrates and original, with randomized labels not telling you which version you're listening to. Changing won't jump you back to the start of the song, so you can hear excerpts in different streams.

The tool does the rest, and it's all processed in your browser, so your data won't be uploaded to the cloud or anyone ready to sell it. Just note, you'll actually need a lossless file to do the test, and for best results you'll want to be outputting to a good DAC – either in a hi-fi system or powered speakers, or one of the best portable DACs and some of the best wired headphones.

But why I am I talking? You can test out the tool yourself, by browsing to it right here. It's free to use, although there's a donation link for the creator if you find it useful.

Hearing a difference?

Most audiophiles will probably assert that they can always hear a difference between lossless and lossy, but this test might cause some to doubt their own ears. The owner himself said jokingly "turns out I'm deaf I guess", when describing how they can't hear the difference between 128kbps, 320kbps and FLAC.

The original poster's not alone, with other users confirming that they've struggled to hear a difference. One poster simply said "this is very humbling", communicating in four words what many other responders took paragraphs to say.

Another commenter described doing the test on $25,000 monitors, and not being able to tell 320kbps files from lossless.

As many point out, MP3 takes up less space than FLAC, making it ideal for space-conscious listeners.

This isn't exactly breaking news. Sound engineers have long rumbled about the differences between higher-quality compressed audio and full lossless being impossible to pick out. Famed producer Steven Wilson who recently admitted that he can't tell the difference between CDs and high-res audio any more (though I should point out that none of the options in the comparison tool are as high-quality as CD, which is around 1,400kbps).

There is plenty of defense for lossless, though, beyond audio fidelity. Posters point out that storing the best-quality FLAC files means you can easily convert to other file types without introducing artefacts, because while you can convert lossless to lossy MP3, you can't convert back and regain the information you lost.

So for audiophiles, having your music collection in FLAC is still a safer choice, even if it eats up that storage space. But this tool is a reminder that a good MP3 can still sound great, and even on par with lossless in real terms.

And at the very least, it asserts that 16kbps and 64kbps MP3s still sound garbage.

• Anker unveils THUS
• The new chip uses Computer in Memory
• It could enable larger AI models on lower-powered devices

Anker is getting into the silicon business, specifically building a CIM (Compute In Memory) solution that will support onboard large model processing inside tiny, low-powered Bluetooth earbuds.

THUS is Anker's first step in a long-term plan to bring local, large-model AI to mobile, wearable, and IoT technologies. Anker's chip technology relies on Neural network-style computing, eschewing the traditional compute architecture in which the CPU processes the commands based on data and instructions it derives from memory. The transit from one to the other is an energy-intensive process. Neural Networks, like the human brain, don't really respect that division. Letting it all work in one place saves considerable energy. That's why CIM is attractive to Anker as a solution for bringing more powerful AI to its small-battery, lower-powered devices.

Basically, THUS, which is being fabbed in Germany, performs its computations inside NOR flash memory cells, which are known for their low-power operation; they're slower than traditional memory for writing data but actually faster than NAND memory for reading operations.

By putting the models the AI need in the same spot as computation, THUS could not only conceivably lower power consumption, but also, Anker claims, make it possible to put larger models in devices that normally cannot house them because of their tiny batteries (at least based on traditional energy needs).

The first platform will be a pair of as-of-yet-unnamed Bluetooth earbuds where THUS will support more powerful environmental noise cancellation than was possible with traditional on-board AIU platforms. A larger on-bud model means the AI can more effectively cut out unwanted noise for better call clarity. Anker will call the feature, naturally, Clear Calls.

The chip will also add a pair of other features, "Signature Sound" and "Voice Control," though Anker didn't offer any further details on these features in our briefing. What we do know is that Anker will reveal all the details about its first THUS-bearing headphones on May 21, 2026.

Thinking in memory

CIM (also known as "in-Memory Compute") isn't a new concept, and it's been widely ignored by most chip designers (some wonder if "it's still alive") and certainly by most people building ever-larger models, for bigger, more powerful, and more agentic AI operations.

Still, if Anker, which says it's not becoming a chip company, succeeds, it could be a big moment for all kinds of low-powered devices, which have traditionally relied on cloud-based AI and the larger models they can house there.

Imagine smarter smart watches. Even smartphones could be impacted if other companies, like say, Apple, adopt CIM technologies for future Apple Silicon builds.

• Music platform Dune landed in Nov 2025 and is quickly gaining momentum
• The global app asks fans to buy a 'stake' in bands they love, to get content
• On May 1, iconic band When in Rome is launching music exclusively on Dune

Ever feel like a significant uptake in one music streaming platform directly coincides with a big milestone for another?

So it has come to pass, because in the week Spotify turns 20, Dune (the new music app that says it's looking to solve the industry-wide issue of music artists not earning a stable income from digital streaming providers) has just added a huge new artist to the books — and for an exclusive new music release.

This particular music-streaming machine really is different to any of the best music streaming services we currently rate, too. While it only launched last November, some pretty big names in music are already sniffing around it. Most excitingly for me, an 80s UK synth-pop band very close to my heart just agreed to launch music exclusively on it, coming May 1st.

Dune’s founders, Manchester UK-based Paul Knowles and Paul Bowe, say they recognize the ubiquitous nature of streaming means it isn’t going away, so the future of artists' earning potential from the DSP (which here stands for 'digital service provider') model needs to work alongside it, rather than attempting to disrupt it.

How does it all work?

So how exactly does Dune work? You sign up for free by inputting a few very basic credentials. Then, Dune asks you to purchase and trade 'stakes' in artists you're most interested in (if these are live — if they're not, you can ask to be notified when they go on sale), with values dynamically tied to the acts' daily streaming performance across major DSPs. Yes, it's a lot like trading stocks and shares in bands, but also with a side of Kickstarter and Spotify, because there are exclusive musical benefits for fans / stakeholders.

Artists earn a percentage from both that initial stake and any subsequent activity, because stakes can be traded or sold to other users to be cashed in. I know what you're thinking and no, no AI, blockchain or NFTs are involved.

Dune's founders describe it as "owning a piece of your favorite artist and being part of their journey like never before", thanks to "stakeholder benefits". Dune is quick to double down on its promise that the platform serves first and foremost as a fan-engagement hub that remunerates acts properly, enabling artists to offer stakeholders exclusive access to merchandise, early ticket sales, and other content not available to the wider public.

When in Rome — The Promise

A moment of silence for anyone who hasn't yet heard the song in my sub-head there, except perhaps when it featured in the 2004 masterwork movie Napoleon Dynamite. See this as your sign to go and listen to the track in its entirety, immediately.

My point is, when Dune — which, for the avoidance of all doubt, has absolutely nothing to do with the Chalamet movie franchise — initially contacted me last November with a request for coverage, I struggled to find a hugely noteworthy hook to get behind. Now, I have that… and I'm very intrigued.

For fans of the band, I should clarify that the exclusive When in Rome x Dune partnership concerns the When in Rome UK reformation (also based in Manchester UK — coincidence? I think not), comprising Clive Farrington, Andrew Mann and Rob Juarez, not When in Rome II, aka Michael Floreale, Tony Fennell, Chris Willett and Jack Ivins.

When in Rome has had a turbulent past, with legal issues and tensions arising over the original band members' distribution of royalties. But that only makes this partnership more interesting to me. Here is a group of musicians that found fame in the late 80s, long before music streaming took hold and changed how bands make (or let's have it right, don't make) money, so I find it intriguing to see such established and experienced musos pledging exclusive releases to Dune.

Dune co-founder Paul Knowles said, “Dune acknowledges the fact that income from streaming simply isn’t enough to sustain most artists and that 99.9% of them face a funding gap. Data shows that only 0.1% of artists generate enough revenue from streaming to cover modest monthly outgoings.”

Three other well-known acts that have already signed up to Dune are the huge Hertfordshire rock trio The Hunna, Manchester-based high-energy quartet Pyncher and American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (who also happens to be based in Manchester UK) BC Camplight.

Are you a singer-songwriter interesting in knowing more about Dune? Artists and their representatives can claim their page on the Dune platform, where they can start engaging with fans. The company tells me that any artist can sign up to Dune’s subscription-free offering.

Dune has also produced a range of video tutorials, which help users navigate all aspects of the platform.

Look, I'm not saying it's hands down the future of music. But I'm not not saying that either — and as When in Rome's Clive Farrington once sang: "If you wait around a while I'll make you fall for me (I promise you)".

• Sony 1000X 'The Collexion' have been teased again (first spotted last year)
• Now said to be 10th-anniversary release for Sony cans
• …and they could be mega expensive

It's been nearly a decade since Sony got involved with noise cancelling headphones, with the MDR 1000X back in 2016. We're constantly impressed by the brand's cans, with the WH-1000XM6 currently topping our list of the best headphones, but it sounds like more are on the way.

As spotted by The Walkman Blog, several of Sony's Antipodean sites have posted listing pages for something called 1000X The Collexion. We'd actually heard this name before, filed in June 2025, but it wasn't clear what the title was for.

There are no images just yet, suggesting that the page wasn't meant to go live, but some slogans are shown: "Master the art of listening", for example.

Given that the page is listed in Sony's website's headphones section, it would seem a given that these are over-ears. If there was any doubt, though, alt text for a picture is available (the input section for a published image, to describe what's being depicted), literally describing "white 1000X The Collexion headphones".

Super-premium headphones

In some sections of the internet, the Collexion name has been swirling for a while (much to the upset of good taste — do we really still put 'x' in gadget names in a vain attempt to make them sound cool? Is it still the noughties? Is this a Vin Diesel film?).

Recently, Deallabs reported on loads of information about these headphones. It's not clear where the information comes from, so take it with a pinch of salt.

According to the site, these headphones will launch on May 19, so we could see them soon. They're said to be super-premium headphones which go for €629 (about $740, £550, AU$1,030), far surpassing the $449 / £399 / AU$699 asking price of the WH-1000XM6.

Based on this information, these could be top-end cans which make the WH-1000XM6 seem cheap... but will likely come in a limited release, to validate their price tag.

At least we don't need to wait long, if the leak proves genuine. Hopefully we'll be reporting on these headphones more soon — watch this space.

• Deezer says the number of AI-generated songs on its site is still growing
• Now, 44% of all uploads have been detected as AI-generated
• As part of its anti-AI plan, Deezer will longer store hi-res versions of AI tracks

There’s one key feature that separates Deezer from the slew of the other best music streaming services out there, and that’s its transparency on AI-generated music.

The number of AI uploads is only getting bigger, says the French platform, having grown from just over 30% of all uploads in December 2025, to 44% now — and the company wants giants such as Spotify to join in and do something about it.

Deezer is doubling down on its combat against AI slop, and will no longer store hi-res versions of these tracks. In a statement, CEO Alexis Lanternier said, “Thanks to our technology and the proactive measures we put in place more than a year ago, we have shown that it’s possible to reduce AI-related fraud and payment dilution in streaming to a minimum”.

Lanternier then urged rival platforms to take similar measures, adding “Since January, we have made our detection technology available for licensing, and we’re looking forward to seeing industry peers of all kinds join us in the fight for fairness in the age of AI”.

Deezer rolled out its own AI-detection tool in January 2025, aiming to flag music that’s completely AI-generated and increase trust and transparency with subscribers. It even went the distance and made its flagship technology available to its rivals earlier this year.

Stop the slop (can't stop the slop)

To dig down into the numbers a little more, at the end of last year Deezer said that up to 34% of new music uploads were fully AI-generated, tagging over 13.4 million songs in 2025. Now, that number has shot up to a frightening 44%, which equates to roughly 75,000 a day, or more than 2 million AI-generated uploads each month.

Though that’s a rather alarming stat in itself, what’s arguably more worrying is that a large majority of users have stated they can’t distinguish AI-generated music from human-made music, which is a testament to how fast these technologies are evolving.

One of the driving factors behind the rise of AI-generated uploads is that it's an easy way to mimic other artists and generate profit through fraudulent streams. With the rising number of AI songs in Deezer, the streaming service has also cracked down on demonetization, claiming that up to 85% of streams were detected as fraudulent when it made its AI-detection tools public. We reached out to Deezer who says this percentage is still the same today.

Deezer's AI tagging system is just the beginning of a wider combat against the scourge of AI. While Spotify hasn't vocally clamped down on AI-detection in the way that Deezer or say, Bandcamp has (which lead to a growing migration from the big green streaming machine to hi-res rival Qobuz at the end of last year), Spotify has recently rolled out a new system that allows artists to review and approve what music appears on their profile.

Apple Music is another rival that could be joining the battle against AI-generated music; the company is tipped to roll out Transparency Tags to help identify AI-generated and AI-assisted music — but again, the responsibility lies with labels and distributors to state the use of AI in what you're hearing.

• StoryCorps and sauce-maker Prego partnered on a family recording device
• No AI or screens just capture dinner conversations
• Only available for a limited time

Prego, a company famous for making tomato sauce 🤌, and StoryCorps, a non-profit that's essentially the world's best listener, have partnered up to help families remember what dinner time was like before the smartphone.

Called The Connection Keeper, it's a puck-shaped audio-recording device that is about the size of a Prego sauce jar cap and should fit neatly in the middle of any dinner table.

There's no screen or operating system, just a pair of spatial audio microphones, capable of recording CD-quality audio, backed by an ARM Cortex-M7 CPU. It records to an on-board 16GB microSD card for up to 8 hours, if your dinners go that long.

It only records when you hit a button, starting almost instantly, but the idea is not to just capture, say, an unfortunate dinner table argument. Instead. StoryCorps provides a set of prompt cards with The Connection Keeper to help launch your gathering with some useful, revealing, and impactful discourse. The cards and Connection Keeper come as part of a limited-run $20 bundle that includes (naturally) a jar of Prego Sauce and a box of spaghetti.

StoryCorps is kind of an expert at this. They've been recording everyday people's stories for 20 years. I've heard many of them on NPR, but they're also collected in the US Library of Congress.

In fact, those who use the device can choose to upload and store their dinnertime chats on a special part of StoryCorps so they can retrieve and listen to them at any time, and even allow StoryCorps to upload them to the Library of Congress so everyone can hear them.

While some studies have found that families sit in silence (or stare at their devices), a more recent survey found that the 2020 COVID pandemic forced people back to the dinner table and the discussions it sparks.

Obviously, not every dinner is worth saving, but imagine a last meal with great-great-grandmother, who's talking about her time at a US Japanese American Internment Camp during World War II. Or maybe grandpa's harrowing tales of the War in Vietnam.

The device includes a USB port, which you can use to initiate a high-speed transfer to your PC. To keep things simple, the puck automatically switches from recording device to high-speed transfer hard drive as soon as you plug in the USB cable.

In case you're wondering, there is no AI. The system is not understanding or transcribing the conversation. It's more like plopping a tape recorder down in the middle of your dinner table.

Just remember to say, "prego," or, um, "please" before recording any of your dinner guests.

• Researchers at the University of Washington designed cameras for earbuds
• Design limitations made the 2019-issue Sony WF-1000XM3 the perfect pair
• ...and the report suggests AirPods Pro can't last long enough

We've been hearing a surprising number of leaks to suggest that future AirPods could come with built-in cameras, perhaps as soon as 2027, despite its ongoing failures in the niche vision-tech market. And some new research may point to more problems.

Researchers for the University of Washington have written a paper about the VueBuds, earbuds they've created which have a built-in camera. This can see and recognize what you're looking at, much like how smart glasses work, except without needing big frames.

The paper describes how they sit slightly apart from XR headsets, smart glasses and body-worn cameras, with the main advantage being that earbuds are far, far more popular than any of those other categories.

The earbuds weren't designed from the ground up, with the researchers choosing 2019's Sony WF-1000XM3s for the task. Hey, we gave them 5 stars in our review: can't blame the researchers for wanting to hear some pretty good tunes while they work.

But their great noise cancellation and sound quality wasn't what drew the researchers to the Sonys. The real reason points to why AirPods with cameras will be a big challenge.

How long do they last?

The VueBuds were designed as an additional module, so they needed to be installed on existing earbuds. So why not use the most popular earbuds on the planet — AirPods Pro — rather than a 2019 option?

In the paper, the researchers explained: "We selected the Sony WF-1000XM3 platform based on accessibility for disassembly and battery integration, enabling a maintainable research scope without requiring a complete earbud redesign from the ground up."

That is to say, they could get into the Sonys, with AirPods being harder to break down. Back in 2024, we reported that Apple was looking into removable batteries that could be used across various iOS devices, but two years on they've yet to make it to market.

Back to the University of Washington's findings though, and later on in the paper it's mentioned that the AirPods Pro 2 were also tested (with a line suggesting that the AirPods Pro 3 were only released during the VueBuds testing process, so came out too late).

This is largely detailed in the 'Power Analysis' section, with test stats suggesting that the AirPods offered a lower battery life with VueBuds attached than the Sonys did. It seems that in all cases, the usual battery life of earbuds was roughly halved when cameras were brought into the mix, to just above three hours in the case of the AirPods Pro 2.

It's no big secret that Apple's earbuds have below-average battery lives when pitted against direct contemporary rivals (albeit with exceptional ANC and features that trounce most of those), and a quoted stamina of three hours when cameras are brought into the mix simply wouldn't cut it in today's congested market.

With each new generation of AirPods, Apple inches closer to an acceptable battery life (slightly slower than our definition of 'acceptable' raises), and maybe the AirPods 5 will last long enough for cameras to be feasible. But right now, it sounds like the buds just don't have a big enough battery to allow for vision tools to be brought into the mix.

• Victrola and Third Man Records are teaming for an exclusive collaboration
• It features a redesigned Victrola Wave deck in Third Man's flagship colors
• The collection drops on Record Store Day 2026 (April 18)

Leading audio brand Victrola makes some of the best turntables on the market, and its latest collaboration with Third Man Records is about to shake up Record Store Day 2026.

Combining Victrola's analog expertise with record label and music store Third Man Records (co-founded by Jack White), the two music moguls are launching an exclusive collection that features a revamped version of the Victrola Wave turntable finished in Third Man’s flagship black and yellow colors. In addition to the turntable, the duo are also giving Victrola's Tempo bookshelf speakers the Third Man treatment, so make a complete system.

The collection launches on Record Store Day itself (April 18) retailing at $499.99/ £455 for the Victrola Wave turntable and $249.99/ £225 for the Tempo speakers, or you can save $100 and opt for the $649.99 limited-time bundle. It will be available to purchase online from Third Man Records and Victrola’s web store, or you can snag it in-store at Third Man’s Detroit, Nashville and London sites.

“What Jack and his team have built is something truly magical,” says CEO of Victrola, Scott Hagen. “They aren’t just painting things yellow and black — it’s as if they’re bringing inanimate objects to life, each one with its own character and soul. Maybe that’s why vinyl and vinyl culture fit so naturally within the Third Man world”.

Speaking on behalf of Third Man Records, co-founder Ben Blackwell is equally as thrilled for the collaboration, sharing “Third Man is stoked to be making these yellow-as-hell-o turntables and speakers with the cool cats over at Victrola”.

Victrola unveiled the original Wave turntable at CES 2025, and it caught the attention of analog enthusiasts for one particular reason. As well as offering aptX Adaptive support for higher quality listening, Victrola’s Wave turntable comes with Auracast, a Bluetooth setting that allows for multi-device connectivity, thus taking it a step beyond one-to-one device pairing. Just think about how neat it would be to spin your new RSD pressings and listen to them throughout your place? Absolute bliss.

But Victrola’s funky Wave revamp is just the beginning of the company’s partnered RSD celebrations, there's also a carefully compiled a collection of Third Man Records pressings including Jack White’s Blunderbuss and The White Stripes essential listening Elephant. There’s also a live album by Brooklyn-based band Geese thrown in there which, as a huge fan, I am now suddenly craving. The launch is also set to be followed by an RSD event at Third Man’s Detroit store — any chance you can squeeze us onto the guestlist?

If you're as excited for Record Store Day as we are, don't forget to check out our pick of the 13 of the best Record Store Day 2026 releases to get your hands on.