New tech this week: Meta VR glasses, Beats 360 and a $185 CD player

[Dolphin43]

13 new gadgets this week and it is a pretty varied list. There is a lot of audio in there, from high end hi fi to cheap Bluetooth transmitters, plus a few wearables. A couple of things stood out to me enough that I wanted to start a thread on them

The headline grabber has to be Meta's new VR glasses. They weigh just 100 grams, look more like glasses than a headset, and have dual 5K displays controlled by eye movement, hand gestures and voice. The battery and computing live in an external puck, which is how they keep the weight down. They cost $1,300 and do not arrive until spring 2027, so this is very much a preview

Meta also has a third generation of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at $449, with better cameras and microphones, a dedicated Meta AI button and up to nine hours of battery. More interesting to me is the Ray-Ban Meta Audio at $329, which drops the cameras completely and just gives you open ear audio and the AI assistant. That feels like a smart move for people who do not want to be walking around with a camera on their face. It lands on October 13

On the headphone side, Beats has a new flagship called the Beats 360 at $350, with a custom chip and swappable earpads and cushions. Bose has teamed up with Thom Browne on a QuietComfort Ultra with cashmere pads for a frankly silly $950. Fiio has the FT15 open back planars at $500 with real wood cups. That is a lot of choice at very different price points. Headphones seem to be the busiest category this year

The one I am most tempted by is the Fiio DP11, a compact CD player and transport for $185 with a built in DAC and a proper range of outputs. CDs are cheap second hand again and this seems like a tidy way back in. Elsewhere there is a $299 Audioengine A2+ Gen 3 speaker pair, iFi's UP Play Bluetooth transmitters from $59 and a titanium Coros Pace 4 Pro running watch with up to 21 days of battery. Anything on this list catch your eye?

Best New Tech Releases 9 27 26www.gearpatrol.com

[Sandra_29]

Twenty one days of battery on a GPS watch is superb. Garmin owners charging every few days will be jealous. Titanium at $449 is not bad value either

Coros has been quietly making excellent watches for years. It deserves more attention

[NeonPilot]

A 100 gram VR headset with 5K displays sounds amazing on paper. The external puck is the catch, but it is a reasonable trade for comfort

Spring 2027 is a long way off though. A lot can change before then, including the price

[Depot]

$950 for Bose headphones with cashmere pads is fashion pricing, not audio pricing. Sound will be identical to the standard model

[Cass81]

The camera free Ray-Ban Meta Audio is the most sensible thing Meta has made in ages. Plenty of people like the idea of smart glasses but hate the privacy side. Removing the cameras solves that in one go. I would consider a pair for walking and podcasts

[Python17]

Glad to see CD players making a comeback. Charity shops are full of albums for a pound or two, and a $185 player with a decent DAC makes that a cheap hobby. The Fiio DP11 looks like a neat little box too. Proper transport outputs are a bonus. Hopefully it comes to the UK at a similar price

[Sinead_47]

The Audioengine A2+ has been a desk favourite for years. Adding aptX Adaptive in the Gen 3 is a nice upgrade. I would still pair them with a small sub for anything bass heavy

They are not cheap for the size. You pay for the build and the sound though. Worth it in my view

[Cass81]

Swappable earpads on the Beats 360 are a welcome change. Pads wear out long before the electronics do, and being able to replace them extends the life of expensive headphones a lot. More brands should design for that from the start. It is better for the planet as well

It is a shame Beats still has a reputation problem with audio enthusiasts. The last few models have been much better than people give them credit for