The Hisense AX5125H soundbar comes with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers (the latter simply posing "in front" for the photo). (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Your TV is only half the home-theater battle. For the best possible experience, you need a soundbar in the mix — something to surpass the small, weak speakers built into that flat-panel screen. Recently I rounded up the best soundbars, and imagine my surprise when my top pick — the Hisense AX5125H — got a hefty Black Friday discount. I considered it a superb deal at the $350 regular price, but if you act fast, you can scoop it up for just $250.
Indeed, deals like this tend to expire (or sell out) quickly, so if you've been looking for a TV audio upgrade, don't wait. It might be a while before it comes around again.
There's a reason for the hype surrounding the latest iteration of these top-rated earbuds — many reasons, in fact. For starters, they offer rich, crisp sound and superior noise cancellation, allowing you to enjoy music, podcasts, audiobooks and more without outside commotion getting in the way. This model lets you control the volume simply by swiping the stem, and you'll receive four pairs of silicone tips in different sizes for customized comfort.
Our tech editor, Rick Broida, named these "best wireless earbuds overall," saying, "What you get here is even better ANC, a bump in battery life, extra-small ear tips for users with smaller ears and an adaptive-audio mode that adjusts noise-cancellation and transparency modes based on the sounds around you. Meanwhile, Apple's charging case now has a speaker (for use with Find My) and a USB-C port in place of Lightning (the better to match with the USB-C iPhone 15)."
Check out his roundup of the best wireless earbuds for a full review.
We don't need to tell you that it's waaay past time to get rid of your cable TV subscription, do we? This will give you instant access to more than 1.5 million movies and TV shows, all for less than the cost of a couple of movie tickets.
Pilot and aviation enthusiast Duke Armitage is a fan of noise-cancelling earbuds for travel, and this popular pick by Beats happens to be $50 off. "Few things are more irritating than listening to loud conversations or baby screams on a flight," he says. "This doesn't have to break the bank, as you can find a quality pair for $50 to $100."
These come with three tip sizes to ensure a snug fit. Other travel-friendly features? Transparency mode lets you switch off noise-cancelling to hear in-flight announcements or order a ginger ale, and you'll get hours of listening time before they need to be charged. Choose from black, white or red — whatever suits your jet-setting style.
Ready for some Apple picking? Yes, we realize it's not fall, but you'll want to pluck this bad boy from the ol' Amazon tree and add it to your cart because it's currently down to its all-time lowest price — and this is the most recent version! As the unofficial Goldilocks of tech (less bulky than a laptop but larger than a smartphone), this tablet keeps you connected on the go or at home, and you can use it for everything from reading books to taking notes to watching videos.
Broida named this the "best overall tablet," owing to its "under-the-hood improvements, including a faster processor, more RAM (4GB instead of 3GB), Bluetooth 5.0 (up from 4.2) and a USB-C charging port."
Check out his roundup of the best tablets of 2024 for a full review.
If you don't like overcomplicated electronics, you'll like the Hisense AX5125H. It doesn't force you to create an account or deal with apps, and it comes with a superb printed instruction manual.
A 5.1.2-channel soundbar for $350 is already a solid buy, but lop $100 off that (nearly 30%) and it's approaching "steal" territory. Plus this is the lowest price on record for Hisense's system. Just take note that Amazon is currently showing at least two weeks for delivery — plenty of time to get it under the tree if that's your goal, but no good if you're in a hurry.
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Let me be blunt: Most TV speakers suck. But it's easy to understand why: There's just not a lot of room in those flat-panel cabinets for anything but small, underpowered cones. A soundbar — basically an array of speakers designed to sit below the screen — not only adds a lot more juice to the audio, but also points it in your direction instead of down or at the wall.
A system like this takes things a step further, with a wireless subwoofer to really amp up the bass and wireless rear speakers for a true surround-sound experience. This also supports Dolby Atmos content, which gets you even closer to movie-theater audio.
Feel free to read the whole thing if you like, but here's the upshot: The AX5125H isn't a "smart" soundbar, meaning there's no app for tweaking settings and no Wi-Fi for connecting to voice assistants, but some users might actually prefer that. Indeed, this system is very easy to set up and use (just plug in all the speakers and they automatically pair), with a detailed print guide to help you along the way. If your TV has an HDMI ARC port (most modern ones do), you'll be able to control everything using a single remote.
The AX5125H sounds terrific, with plenty of bass thump and truly wonderful surround sound. (If you've never experienced movies and TV shows this way, get ready for some fun.) Surprisingly, there's an HDMI pass-through port for connecting an audio receiver or game console, something that's missing even on much pricier systems.
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
