With headphones of all types, colours and styles flooding the market, it’s hard knowing which ones to pick – do you go for the premium model you’ve always wanted, or are you better off just grabbing a cheap set from the discount bin?

Well, it’s worth remembering that cheap headphones are cheap for a reason, so even if saving money is priority we can’t recommend those $2 discount-bin variety that you find all over the world. And, as you’ll find out below, you don’t always have spend a lot of dosh to snag a great set of headphones either.

To save you the time and effort, we’ve put together this dedicated guide to the best bargains on great-sounding headphone. We constantly monitor major Aussie retailers and go a-huntin’ to bring you the most worthwhile deals on a variety of sets – from in-ear buds to noise-cancelling cans – so check out our continually updated list below to discover the best current headphones deals in Australia.

Best cheap over-ear headphones this week

Best cheap in-ear headphones this week

The best deals on our favourite headphones

To help you decide which headphones work best for you, we’ve decided to put together a little buying guide with a list of our favourite recommendations. 

The headphones you’ll find here have tons of features to help you to get the most out of your music, or any other form of audio-visual entertainment you prefer, however you like to listen to it.

Bose QuietComfort 35

Bose has brought its fantastic noise-cancelling technology to a pair of wireless headphones and it’s done so without any of the traditional drawbacks of wireless headphones. They sound great, and their battery life is long enough for all but the longest of flights. They’re super comfortable, and despite the fact that they don’t use the AptX Bluetooth standard, the wireless doesn’t harm their sound quality one bit.

Priced at AU$499 a pop, the QC35s sit firmly at the premium end of the spectrum, but if you want the best noise-cancelling headphones available right now, then you can’t get any better. And they can be bought at a great price, too.

Read our review of the Bose QC 35.

Bose QuietControl 30

For a pair of in-ear headphones, the QC 30 has a level of noise cancellation that matches any of Bose’s over-ear cans, and that’s very impressive given its size. In fact, the level of noise cancellation can be adjusted to suit your environment via the in-line remote.

But the effective noise-cancelling comes at the cost of sound quality. The QC 30 isn’t the best-sounding headphones in the world, but if you’re not an audio connoisseur, these are still a pretty good set of headphones to get, especially for those who don’t particularly enjoy the feel of cans on their ears.

Read our review of the Bose QC 30.

Bose QuietComfort 25

The QC 25 are just as good as Bose’s premium cans, but without the premium price tag. They’re still expensive at $399 a piece, but they achieve top performance per dollar and definitely worth your hard-earned dosh.

With exemplary sound quality and equally excellent ambient noise cancellation, the QC 25 will suit the serious or the casual listener, providing a wonderfully immersive experience when watching movies or TV shows, playing games or just listening to your favourite beats.

Read our review of the Bose QC 25.

Bose QuietComfort 20

For a pair of tethered in-ear headphones that cost you $369, you’d expect only the best from Bose, and the QC 20 does not disappoint. If you have the spare change and want incredible noise-cancelling combined with comfort and amazing sound quality, you really ought to get the QuietComfort 20.

The silicone ear tips are designed for a perfect fit while sealing the ear canal and the power for noise-cancellation comes from a lithium-ion battery. This makes the battery pack a tad unwieldy, but you’ll figure out how best to stow it as you go along. But all in all, these are one of the best headphones we’ve put through the paces.

Read our review of the Bose QC 20.

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless on-ear headphones

These no-holds-barred wireless headphones are oozing with positive qualities, but the cans don’t come cheap. However, if you’re an audio lover that can spare the expense, do not hesitate on this comfortable, hard-working set of headphones that will likely last for years.

Stainless-steel arms and leather finishes gives the headphones a rugged look, while the ball-jointed swivelling earcups provide ample movement and comfort. Battery-savers will find the wired option to be convenient, but you can also turn the headphones on to activate active noise cancellation.

Read our review of the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless over-ear headphones.

Oppo PM-3

The Oppo PM-3 is a truly stunning pair of headphones. Make no mistake, we’ve reviewed a lot of headphones over the years but none have we become more fond of than the PM-3.

They’re equally comfortable being plugged into a headphone amp at home as they are commuting through the hustle and bustle of the big smoke, and they stand head and shoulders above rival products from bigger brands. We really can’t recommend them highly enough, they’re just amazing.

Read our review of the Oppo PM-3.

Sennheiser Momentum In-ear headphones

With the appealing candy apple detailing, Sennheiser gets you in the door. But once you’re in, you’ll stay for the killer sound quality that comes from the Momentum In-Ear earphones. And you won’t have a problem that it’s tethered.

Capable of providing booming, tight bass straight to your ear canal, the Momentum In-ear buds will have you foot-tapping to practically every tune you listen to.  And for a low-cost set of in-ears, they’re as fine as they come.

Read our review of the Sennheiser Momentum In-ear headphones.

If you’re after more information on headphones in different form factors, take a look at some of our other dedicated audio articles:

http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-headphones-deals-in-australia

Warning: This piece contains very mild spoilers over the kind of content seen, not the plot itself.

I’ve just been thrown around, sprayed with water, hissed at and smacked my head twice while I’m trying to watch the new Avengers: Infinity War film.

Not only that, I paid a rather large amount of money to, essentially, try and watch a film while on a rollercoaster.

That’s the effect you get with the new wave of 4DX cinemas that are slowly inching their way across the globe, designed to be a more immersive and, well, alternative way of watching cinema.

The cinema is kitted out with smoke machines, strobe lights, mechanical chairs that move in all directions and provide haptic feedback, as well as water and bubble fountains – all synchronised perfectly with the film.

It’s… erm… interesting. If you’re the sort of person who likes to snuggle down in the dark, ready to be transported to a new world, the modern version of ‘are you sitting comfortably…?’ then this is not going to be the cinema experience for you.

What the actual…

I enter the cinema in Leicester Square, London, a few minutes late, being left to queue for ice cream (me and my fellow watcher would soon learn that said choice of snack was a mistake).

I should have known what to expect when a couple walking in in front of me were told to go back and get cups with lids, as their open choice of beverage would not last in the cinema.

As I walk in, the new Jurassic World trailer is playing and people are literally being bounced around in their seats. As someone who hates rides at theme parks, this doesn’t bode well.

I finally managed to jump into my seat (which is tough when it’s flinging itself around) and… I don’t like it. Every word, sound, explosion or movement on the screen is accompanied by the chair slinging itself from side to side, with wind, lights flashing and bits of the backrest attacking me instantly.

It’s pretty violent, and I wonder how bad it’s going to look if I have to slink out of the cinema, whispering ‘No, no, it’s too scary…’.

Thankfully, once the actual movie starts, there’s far less motion from the seats, the violence confined mostly to the high action scenes.

Even out of these moments, there’s still movement though. Someone getting stabbed, grabbed or thrown will lead to the same sensation being shoved into your back, the chair lurching slightly or the backs of your legs feeling vibrations.

There are even subler moments too: floating through space or the camera turning upwards to look to the sky sees the chairs mimic the same slow action, and it’s in these moments where the 4DX really excels.

Where the movements or actions are subtle, the immersion is really enhanced. Characters flying through the sky and the wind flowing towards you really adds to the overall effect, making you feel like you’re more in the moment. 

Apparently smell was pumped in, but I didn’t notice it… I’m hoping that it was though, as something that just flickers the senses and changes perception is what I’m after.

Brave (ish) new world

However, in the more dramatic scenes you’re not at the cinema anymore, you’re at a theme park. Trying to follow what’s happening on the screen is hard when you’re being tossed around in your seat, made to jump through loud noises and sudden motion or becoming acutely aware of the cinema you’re on when the strobe lights illuminate it for an instant.

In reality, that’s what this experience is. It’s a theme park. Cineworld, the operator of the new 4DX cinemas in the UK, calls it: “a revolutionary cinematic experience which stimulates all five senses, the 4DX includes high-tech motion seats and special effects including wind, fog, lightning, bubbles, water, rain and scents.”

In reality, it feels two parts gimmick to one part awesome alternative to the mainstream experience. The 3D felt slick, which is something I thought I’d given up on, but being sprayed with water every so often just felt like the producers of 4DX playing with a tool because they could.

I found myself feeling short changed. I didn’t want my normal cinema experience upgraded, I wanted a whole new way of watching a film. Make it IMAX but bigger – wrap the screen around my head, fill the room with fog or water or lights when correct.

Hell, let’s go whole hog and get us all wearing Teslasuits that fully enclose us in the virtual world all around. 

This feels like a halfway house, a fusion of two experiences that aren’t really able to meet. I definitely left the cinema feeling far more tense than normal, that I’d had an adventure rather than escaped to another world.

The big question that I’m left with is… why? Why make 4DX cinemas? As mentioned, some of the effects seemed to be there just because they could be done, rather than truly enhancing a blockbuster experience.

Looking at the trend of cinema goers in the UK, you could have argued that in the mid-1980s that going to the movies was on its way out, with the advent of home video meaning 54 million people a year going compared to 1.5 billion in the 1940s (according to the UK Cinema Association).

But the proliferation of blockbuster films, multi-screen cinemas and improved screen technology has seen a rebirth of this past time, with numbers well over 170 million a year in the UK.

You could argue that 4DX is the investment that keeps this going, that it’s an industry looking at new ways to invigorate a format that’s been the same for three quarters of a century.

One only has to look at 3D films though to see how tricky this can be. The decline of their popularity is marked, and has led to a rethink of how many – if any – films should be released in 3D.

Consumers aren’t fans of gimmicks – and that word is one that kept rolling around my mind as I was, in turn, rolled around my seat while someone was thrust through a glass roof.

That hasn’t stopped the more bat-dung crazy ideas from emanating: if you’re looking for a true gimmick, Fox is looking to do ‘choose your own adventure’ films, where the audience uses their phone to vote on the action.

An intriguing concept

For all the criticism above, I enjoyed my 4DX experience. Perhaps that was mitigated by the fact I’d already seen the film and digested the plot, and being able to compare the two was fun, but I realised on the way home I was looking forward to trying it again.

Perhaps there’s nuance, the format finding its feed. While 3D popularity is declining, there’s still appetite for it – in films shot specifically for the format, or relying heavily on CGI, it’s much easier for 3D to enhance the spectacle.

The same is true for 4DX. It’ll probably only be used for blockbusters with lots of action and sensory events happening, because producers will want to give consumers value for money – at twice the normal ticket price for a 4DX showing, they need to achieve that.

You should definitely go and try out a 4DX film experience for yourself – I’m already looking to see when Jurassic World is going to be playing. Make sure you’re ready for a ride, rather than a relaxation though…. And definitely don’t walk in with a full bag of popcorn.

Main image credit: Cineworld Leicester Square 4DX 

http://www.techradar.com/news/i-just-watched-avengers-infinity-war-in-4dx-and-i-have-the-bruises-to-prove-it

Amazon is on a bit of a kid-friendly push with its Alexa voice assistant at the moment. Last week it launched an Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition for its US userbase, filled with child-safe skills, and now it’s rolling out similar skills for all UK Echo devices.

Bringing together recognisable brands and characters, the apps have been specifically built for kids, aiming to be both educational and fun.

From Pac-Man to Lego to the Beano, your children will be able to enjoy everything from spoken puzzle games to stories, straight from your Echo speaker.

Big names for big kids

Pac-Man Stories is a spoken choose-you-own-adventure game starring the pill-chomping arcade gaming star and his ghostly friends, while a skill based on the Beano comic includes a true and false quiz and some classic Beano jokes.

Lego Duplo Stories and Amazon Storytime both offer tales for kids, while Moshi Twilight adds some soothing sounds and songs into the mix too.

There will also be a hide and seek game with Sesame Street’s Elmo, set to launch in the near future.

In order to activate kids’ skills, you can simply say, “Alexa, what are your kid skills?”. The main account holder will also need to activate kid skills for the first time through the Alexa app and, when it’s time to get the little ones to bed, can also deactivate them from the mobile app too.

http://www.techradar.com/news/amazon-echo-adds-alexa-skills-built-for-kids-pac-man-sesame-street-and-more