Anyone’s high school and college years are times of personal growth, intellectual stimulation and socializing. Or, these days, it’s another place where folks blast their sounds, cover their ears and shut the world out in favor of music they like. We embrace that here.
Seriously, music is a huge part of those years. The songs of our youth can define chapters of our lives. For the students headed back to school in your world, we offer a list of audio devices ready to entertain the young one headed back to school.
These audio devices feature cutting-edge aesthetics, reliability and the latest in Bluetooth connectivity (where applicable). The bottom line is they’ll make it easier for students to enjoy all of the crazy hula-hoop music the kids seem to like these days.
Related: Best HDTVs on a College Budget
Up top there, we have the V-MODA XS (MSRP: $212) – an elegant, compact, on-ear headphone design. V-MODA has been in the quality headphones business for a few years now, and the XS won’t damage their reputation. The phones come in an armored carrying case about the size a frozen pot pie. (Sorry. It’s dinner time as I write this.) The quality waves that bound out of these tiny, comfortable headphones make them one of the best sound options that any student can carry around easily in a backpack.
Lifensoul is a relative newcomer in the performance audio world, but they’re making good products at an affordable price. The BM211 Surround Sound System (MSRP: $79) uses a unique folding system to transform a Bluetooth speaker smaller than a loaf of bread into a wider surround sound system. Think of it as a bending sound bar you can angle in any room to provide an audio sweet spot. In truth, the BM211 isn’t true surround sound in the fullest sense of the world. But, this is as close as you get for about $80.
Yamaha makes everything from motorcycles to jet skis and pianos. Now, they’re making good Bluetooth speakers. The Yamaha NX-P100 (MSRP: $200). There are a lot of Bluetooth speakers on the market, so Yamaha distinguishes theirs with a simple, tough, splash-proof design. While it’s wirelessly playing a student’s music, it can also charge his other phone or tablet with its inbuilt battery bank.
The Harman Kardon AKG K-350 headphones ($79.95) offer a double function to every student – headphones and handsfree microphone. This manufacturer carries with it a tradition of quality for making high-end equipment, and their recent technology shows no sign of letting up on that. The comfortable, noise-canceling, lightweight fit of the K-350 stay snugly in the ear with sound quality that’s so good it’s almost intoxicating.
We hear from Lifensoul again with these BE501 Bluetooth Headphones (MSRP: $179). They serve up a polished black aesthetic and an advertised battery life of 28 hours. The circumaural cup design doesn’t add excessive weight to the unit, making it a comfortable fit while the wearer moves about free of wired limitations.
The Rocki (MSRP: $49) is no bigger than a key fob, but it serves a very useful function. In this age of Bluetooth and wireless everything, the Rocki transforms any set of analog speakers into a wireless device. Once connected via audio cable, the Rocki receives a music signal from any Bluetooth broadcasting device and pumps the reception into any set of speakers. If a starving student is hanging on to aging analog music equipment, the Rocki can give all of that throwback gear extended life.
