The hottest Audio Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Speaker Quality Compared

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 24
đź•ą Technology Audio
  1. The best speaker tested is a TV, which surprised me because I thought TV speakers would be bad.
  2. The laptop actually sounds better than the Echo Dot, which shows that not all small devices perform poorly.
  3. When buying small speakers, focus on the overall sound quality instead of stereo features, as separation doesn't matter much in that size.

Bose Quietcomfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) Quick Review

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Audio
  1. The earbuds deliver outstanding noise cancellation that made airplane white noise disappear, outperforming the AirPods Pro and even some Bose headphones.
  2. Podcasts and voices sound more open and natural with less bass, but sibilance is more noticeable and headphones still sound better overall.
  3. They’re comfortably designed (more so than Bose QC headphones, slightly less than AirPods in short tests), offer multipoint pairing plus USB-C and wireless charging, and have flaky wear-detection; at ₹33K they’re worth it mainly for the noise cancellation and comfort rather than pure audio quality.

AirPods Pro 3: Quick Review

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 28 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Audio
  1. The AirPods Pro 3 deliver much better music quality — audio is noticeably clearer and far less muddy than the earlier model.
  2. Noise cancellation is improved, offering stronger background suppression for a more immersive listening experience.
  3. There are notable downsides: a built‑in heart rate sensor some may dislike, and tight Apple-only support with no Android app and software updates that require an iPhone.

MakerNews - February 2026

Maker News • 0 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Audio
  1. Cheap microcontrollers are being repurposed as standard USB peripherals—ESP32s and similar boards can act as webcams (including thermal), USB-to-GPIO adapters, and tiny host-to-host bridges so hobby sensors plug straight into PCs.
  2. Old and low-tech hardware is getting clever modern hacks: SNES controllers can share SPI-like buses, bargain analog clocks get Wi‑Fi NTP upgrades, and neon-lamp ring counters can drive Nixies without silicon.
  3. The community favors calm, practical projects alongside playful demos—house e-paper dashboards, QR-paper audio players, and fake webcams streaming Pong all show a mix of usefulness, compatibility, and creative delight.