CAST YOUR MIND BACK six years. It’s 2015, Tom Brady’s... well you know, have been brought into question, the legendary Leonard Nimoy has passed away, the Apple Watch has just gone on sale, and everyone’s rocking a Core i5-4690K and Nvidia GTX 970 as the ultimate 1080p gaming rig.
In the world of headsets, however, there’s not much going on. SteelSeries has some stellar products, Razer’s got those bass-heavy muffled early Krakens, and Corsair has some very solid-looking units, but on the whole, when it comes to bang-for-buck, Kingston HyperX is the name of the game. Specifically with its Cloud headset. Fast-forward five years and things have changed quite dramatically. The market has been flooded with headsets at this sub-$100 price point, with each manufacturer and product line trying to carve out a chunk by edging out the others and convincing you to part with your hard-earned cash in an increasingly small playing field.
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SteelSeries Arctis 9 $170
A LOT OF HEADSETS seem to have at least one or two things that hold them back from being great, either to reduce the cost, or to help one aspect of the headset exceed at the expense of another. The Arctis 9, on the other hand, does everything that is thrown at it very well indeed.
X by Kygo A11/800 $249
X BY KYGO is a fairly new brand imagined by Norwegian DJ Kygo himself. This pair, the A11/800, fit towards the higher end of the lineup, with a simple yet effective monocolored look.
Sony WH-1000XM4 $348
AT FIRST GLANCE, you might not get the sense that these headphones contain some serious power under the hood, as this power is hidden under an elegant and sleek body. Its smooth matte monocolored finish pushes the idea that Sony wanted sophistication with substance.
Sennheiser HD450BT Wireless $200
YOU ALL KNOW of Sennheiser, as an audio powerhouse at the forefront of sound. The HD450BT is a very well-rounded pair of headphones, sitting in the company’s low to mid-range price bracket at $200.
Netgear Nighthawk XR1000
Excellent wireless, but we demand more ports
Razer Book 13
A new chapter
Audeze Penrose Planar Magnetic Headset $299
AUDEZE has used its phenomenal audio knowledge to create a very solid gaming headset. The company is more traditionally known for high-end planar magnetic headphones but has dipped into the world of gaming with the Penrose.
Corsair HS60 Haptic $120
IF WHITE CAMO is your thing, or you can overlook the fact that this is white camo, then the HS60 is a good contender for this battle. Looks aren’t everything, remember.
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
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Lenovo Yoga 9i (15-Inch): A Competent Convertible
We recently reviewed the 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, a compact convertible laptop with plenty of upside, but maybe you’re in the market for something a little larger. Its big brother, the 15.6-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, brings the same high-quality hybrid form factor to a roomier display. Of course, the increased size makes the larger Yoga a little unwieldy as a tablet, but it also delivers more power. (The hybrid’s snappy Intel Core i7 H-Series CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics will impress.) Long battery life and an included stylus sweeten the pot for what is a good if not standout convertible. The premium HP Spectre x360 15 remains our favorite big-screen 2-in-1 machine.
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BIRDMAN FLYING
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