Hi-Gear Elite Lightweight and Portable Folding Kitchen Stand, Camp Storage Unit with 3 Shelves, Camping Furniture, Camping Accessories, Silver, One Size

Product Information

Earbuds are discreet and convenient to use, but if you want to get the best wireless sound for the money, choose over-ear Bluetooth headphones. Not such a great set up for inside a tent/canopy, but it's more than good enough for the way we set up. The pleather pair blocks some external noise and is soft enough to smoosh around thinner glasses arms. An unintended brush of the large touchpad on the right earcup caused our music to play and pause accidentally, which was annoying.

We found a balance we liked, but careful listeners might notice that there is still a rough quality to these drivers that you won’t hear in pricier pairs. Flaws are minimal: Though we like the combination of touch-based and physical control buttons, the touchpad can be a bit over-sensitive.The deep, oblong-shaped earcups are roomy enough to encircle your ears without squishing them, and the memory-foam-like earpads and headband padding make this pair pleasant to wear for extended periods. The battery life is a solid 24 hours, and the combination of physical and touch-based controls works more intuitively on this pair than on our top pick, the JBL Tour One M2. The XM5 has a voice-activated hear-through mode; this can detect when you’re speaking, pause your music, and turn on the external microphones so you can hear your conversation partner clearly.

For quick conversations, you can hold a finger on the left earcup to enable “easy chat” mode—a hear-through mode with an emphasis on the frequencies that make up the human vocal range.

If applicable, we mist the headphones with water to see how moisture might impact the touch controls. If the item comes direct from a manufacturer, it may be delivered in non-retail packaging, such as a plain or unprinted box or plastic bag. I bought the Hi Gear Elite kitchen stand last year and I love it - nice and sturdy and space to keep everything. I hold a bachelor’s degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, and my reviews of audio gear have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Time, as well as on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and NBC Nightly News.

In our tests, when wearing this set, we were oblivious to knocks on the door and garbage trucks passing, and 75 dB plane cabin noise was greatly reduced. Both sturdy and lightweight, the stand is easy to carry and able to hold substantial weight, making it ideal for campsite cooking. Harry Hall AtlantaJodhpurs arelightweight and stretchable,made from a cotton/spandex mix that’s ideal for summer riding.

The XM5 set is particularly well suited for use in a loud office environment, since it passively blocks out human voices but has a natural-sounding awareness mode to let in sounds as needed. Maybe I am just prone to sighing too loudly, but sniffs, sneezes, and throat clearing caused the awareness mode to turn on.

Though many over-ear headphones support dual-device connectivity, the manufacturers often say that computer connection is not supported.

The S3 sounds amazing in both wired and wireless mode, largely due to the built-in headphone amplifier, which provides consistent driving power. Yet the ANC negatively impacts the sound: Bass notes sounded louder yet duller, as if someone had turned up a subwoofer and tossed a blanket over it. The Tour One M2’s four-microphone array ensures that your voice will sound clear to others, and in our testing, we were impressed with how well the mics reduced wind noise and background sounds. The built-in microphones sound clear, even in a light breeze, and the dual-device connectivity works well, for easy transition between phone and laptop use.