Belkin is no stranger to personal audio — the brand best known for its charging and laptop accessories has tried its hand at wireless earbuds and wireless AirPlay adapters in the past, but this year at CES 2025, it has revealed its first over-ear noise-canceling wireless headphones, the $60 Soundform Isolate. They’re available for preorder starting today in either sand or black color options.
The Soundform Isolate likely won’t end up on any audiophile list of must-buy headphones; Belkin is clearly looking to offer a budget-friendly option for folks who just want a decent, comfy set of active noise cancellation (ANC) cans.
The foldable design helps them collapse into a smaller shape for traveling, and Belkin says its CloudCushion earcups offer “pillowy soft comfort.” Battery life is a claimed 40 hours when you’re using ANC and a very convenient 60 hours when it’s off. There’s also a transparency mode that lets you hear your surroundings.
The Soundform Isolate use Bluetooth 5.4 and support Multipoint for simultaneous connections to two devices. According to a press release, the headphones use touch controls, but if the images included here are any indication, most functions are controlled by physical buttons.
In addition to wireless connections, you get two kinds of cables for wired audio: a USB-C to USB-C for digital audio and charging, and a 3.5mm analog cable for non-digital sources. When you’re not enjoying your tunes or just the silence, a built-in “Relaxation” track that plays ocean wave sounds can help you chill out.
Belkin also showed off a new set of budget wireless earbuds called the Soundform Anywhere. They’re semi-open, just like the Apple AirPods, which means they don’t use silicone eartips.
Belkin hasn’t set a price for these tiny accessories, which remind me of Skullcandy’s Dime series, but it says they should be available by the second half of 2025.
We don’t have a full set of specs yet. According to the company, we can expect 27 hours of total battery life (up to 7 hours on a single charge and an additional 20 hours from the case). A 10-minute fast charge will give you an extra 90 minutes of playtime. ENC microphones in each earbud will help with achieving clear calls, and an IPX4 rating should prove decent protection for sweat and splash resistance.
Finally, the charging case comes with a mini-lanyard, which can be used to attach it to a key ring or zipper.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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