We’ve seen (and heard) so many headphones at CES over the years that we thought we’d seen it all. But of course, at CES, you can never see it all, and we’ll be darned if Chinese audio brand HiVi didn’t come out with a whole new twist on the headphone/stand relationship that’s so cool, we couldn’t help but get sucked into its orbit.
The company’s new AW-85 headphones look basic enough on their own, boasting a smooth plastic shell, large circumaural earpieces, and a bundle of features like active noise canceling and touch controls. As you can see in the video above, the trick here is in the way these headphones charge, accomplished by dangling them from the included magnetic stand, which then charges the headphones directly through the headband.
As if that weren’t enough, the stand also incorporates a wireless charging pad for your phone at its base, allowing you to charge you’re two favorite devices at once. The whole design is just so convenient, so nifty, and — well, so brilliantly simple — we can’t believe we haven’t seen it before. Then again, that’s usually the case with the best innovations.
Apart from their novel charging stand, the AW-85 have pretty decent noise-cancellation and, as far as we could tell from the noisy show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center, pretty impressive sound, too. We heard a piano-jazz tune that sounded smooth and creamy where it should, with plenty of detail and clarity to spare. We only had a few moments with the cans but so far, color us impressed.
Other features include a stout 30-hour battery, Bluetooth codecs like AAC and aptX, adjustable EQ and audio presets, and automatic play/pause when you take the cans on and off. It’s a pretty impressive package, though the headphones also come with an impressive price point to match, coming in at a pricey $360 in the U.S. Still, these slick cans can do some things even some of our favorite pairs of loaded wireless headphones from major brands can’t. Frankly, the wireless charging stand is just fun to use, and pretty convenient to boot.
HiVi says the AW-85 will be offered in the U.S. by the end of the month, so we’ll keep our eye out for them and hopefully get some more hands-on time with them when they land stateside.
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.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.