LATEST ADDITIONS

Sennheiser’s latest partnership with the community-driven commerce platform Massdrop has yielded a set of headphones that pay tribute to a popular model it introduced 25 years ago — the HD 580 Jubilee, which helped pave the way for a number of well-known audiophile headphones, including the HD 600 and the HD 650.

PRICE $399

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Affordable price
Alexa voice control
Links with other Sonos speakers
Minus
More optimized for TV sound than music
Requires HDMI ARC for voice control of TV

THE VERDICT
Sonos’ compact, Alexa-enabled soundbar offers impressive performance for the price. All in all, a smart value.

Without knowing history, you might dismiss the Sonos Beam as just another budget soundbar dropped into a largely undistinguished field. But as with most things Sonos, this attractive yet intentionally non-descript oval is significant both for the company and the audio business. Sonos execs have long seen the living room television as the most logical gateway for their wireless multiroom music system.

McIntosh has announced a new “quad balanced” stereo amplifier to replace its highly regarded MC452.

The folks at Shop Sound&Vision are celebrating Independence Day with their own brand of fireworks. Hundreds of consumer electronics products have been discounted for the holiday...