The Verge’s favourite audio gear

Yearly, I ask The Verge’s workers what sort of audio gear they like to make use of. And they’re the proper set of individuals to ask: apart from engaged on movies and podcasts, our Slack channels are crammed with discussions of the podcasts and music we hearken to whereas working, strolling, exercising, or simply hanging out. 

So listed here are the headphones, earbuds, and different gadgets that among the of us right here like to make use of, each on knowledgeable and private stage. 

Andrew Marino, senior audio producer

The RØDE NTH-100 headphones are the comfiest headphones I’ve used. The reminiscence foam cushions let me put on these all day at work with out fatigue. The sound is nice for the value, too, and the non-obligatory headset microphone is likely one of the best-quality mics I’ve heard on client headsets. 

Victoria Tune, senior reviewer

On sunny walks and runs, I’m not excited about getting flattened by wayward SUVs in my neighborhood — I want that situational consciousness. Many open-ear headphones wrap across the prime of the ear, and since I usually put on glasses, that’s quite a bit to placed on my poor ears. The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses kill two birds with one stone; they’re my go-to headphones nowadays. The audio high quality is nice, they shield my eyes from UV rays, and on occasion, I take advantage of them to snap a photograph of a random bunny or stray cat. There’s a mic proper by your nostril bridge, so that you sound fairly nice on calls, too. Who doesn’t love a multitasking gadget? 

Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter

They’re not the wi-fi earbuds I attain for on a regular basis, however after I’m enjoyable on a motorbike experience on the finish of the day, the open design of Sony’s LinkBuds helps hold me conscious of my environment — whether or not it’s approaching autos or different cyclists who’re in additional of a rush. Even with some compromises to sound high quality, the LinkBuds nonetheless sound superb, and since they sit in my ears, they’re simpler to put on with a helmet. My favourite characteristic is the flexibility to faucet on the aspect of my head to manage playback or modify the quantity whereas driving. The earbuds detect the close by vibrations as inputs so I don’t have to exactly goal buttons or touchpads.

I really like my Galaxy Buds 2 Professional; they’re the primary wi-fi earbuds I’ve ever used, and so they made probably the most sense for me, as I’m knee-deep in Samsung’s ecosystem. They match comfortably inside my ears and their lively noise cancellation works effectively — nearly too effectively — on the gymnasium or on an airplane.

Andrew Marino, senior audio producer 

The Shure MV7 USB has been our go-to microphone to ship to distant friends for Verge podcasts. It’s a really versatile dynamic microphone for podcast interviews due to its sonic similarity to typical radio mics like Shure’s SM7b and has each a USB and XLR output for just about any recording setup. 

Nathan Edwards, senior evaluations editor

Taking away the headphone jack was and is user-hostile and silly. It’s silly that I want an adapter to attach wired headphones to my pill, and it’s silly that I want a totally different adapter to make use of them with my telephone.

No less than Apple’s Lightning and USB-C headphone adapters are small and low cost. And the USB-C one is a surprisingly good DAC. I hold one in every of every in slightly pouch in my backpack, together with some low cost wired earbuds. If solely there have been some common wired audio connector! Possibly sometime.  

Andrew Marino, senior audio producer 

You probably have a number of audio gear in your workspace, I’d advocate making some room by mounting a few of that stuff below your desk. I purchased a 3D-printed mounting bracket for my Motu audio interface from an Etsy retailer, which makes my setup look much more skilled and retains the tech away from any spilled drinks. 

Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter

I’m by no stretch of the creativeness a musician, however I do get pleasure from residing out my Daft Punk fantasies with the Teenage Engineering PO-33 Okay.O.! It’s a part of the corporate’s Pocket Operators lineup of calculator-sized drum machines, however what units the PO-33 aside is a built-in microphone that can be utilized to document sounds that may be became beats. I received’t be releasing an album anytime quickly, however the PO-33 is an endlessly enjoyable distraction — simple to be taught however with sufficient performance that it looks like it’ll take years to grasp.

Barbara Krasnoff, evaluations editor

My companion spends a lot of time carrying headphones — amongst different issues, he has a radio present and a YouTube channel — however sometimes he does must put them apart. When he does, he makes use of the Audio-Technica AT-HPH300 headphone hanger that he purchased a number of years in the past. It fastens securely to the sting of his desk and has an adjustable padded hook. The hook rotates so he can even transfer the headphones out of the best way and below the desk if he must. 

Nathan Edwards, senior evaluations editor

I cling my headphones from a spring clamp I discovered within the storage.