This blog is not for them.
This is for the rest of us, the people who love music and want it to sound amazing, but who also have rent to pay and no desire to get a degree in electrical engineering just to set up a stereo.
The good news is that we are living in a golden age of "budget audiophile" gear. You no longer need to pay the "brand tax" for logos like Bose, Sony, or Sonos to get incredible performance. If you know where to look, you can find gadgets that offer 90% of the quality for 20% of the price.
Here are four audio products that prove you don't need to be rich to have great ears.
If you are still mourning the death of the headphone jack on modern smartphones, this little gadget is your new best friend. The FiiO BTR5 is a thumb-sized Bluetooth receiver that clips onto your shirt or slides into your pocket.
Why it’s a game-changer: Most of us have a nice pair of wired headphones lying around that we can't use with our new iPhones. You could use a flimsy white dongle, but those often sound weak. The BTR5 bridges the gap. You plug your wired headphones into it, and it connects to your phone wirelessly.
But it’s not just an adapter. Inside, it has high-end audio chips (DACs) that are far more powerful than the ones inside your phone or laptop. It cleans up the signal, making your music sound punchier, louder, and clearer. It essentially turns your old wired headphones into high-end wireless ones.
When people think of portable Bluetooth speakers, they usually think of the JBL Flip or the Bose SoundLink. But in the audio corners of the internet, the Soundcore Motion+ is the reigning champion of value.
Why it’s a game-changer: Made by Anker (the brand usually known for chargers), this speaker punches way above its weight class. While it looks like a standard black pill-shaped speaker, it is positioned at a slight 15-degree upward angle to project sound better.
