Editors’ Picks: Digital Discoveries

Jarred Walton, Senior Editor, and Alan Dexter, Executive Editor, reveal their latest tech loves

ASUS RT-AC5300

If you’re using a desktop PC, a wired Ethernet connection is still the best way to ensure a stable and lag-free connection, but more and more people are turning to laptops. Many laptops lack a dedicated Ethernet port, so you’re stuck with Wi-Fi (or a USB dongle). Thankfully, 802.11ac can push some impressive data rates, and features like MU-MIMO improve throughput even when multiple users are actively transmitting large amounts of data.

Asus’s AC5300 is the king of wireless routers, and it packs just about every feature imaginable into its spider-like chassis: MUMIMO, QoS, beamforming, gigabit Ethernet, dual USB ports, and eight antennae. That last part is important, and it’s what allows Asus to reach an aggregate AC5300 speed. For 2.4GHz clients, four spatial streams and 1024QAM reach up to 1,000Mb/s, and the two 5GHz networks each use four streams, with 1024QAM allowing up to 2,167Mb/s.

The three combined give a maximum of 5,333Mb/s—as fast as you’ll get with 802.11ac. The newer 802.11ad standard might be tempting, with its higher throughput on 60GHz channels, but client adapters are scarce, and I’d rather have a great router using tried and tested standards. $399, www.asus.com

SENNHEISER MOMENTUM M2

What was once new and exciting, quickly becomes mundane. When I first got the Momentums, I was blown away by the depth and clarity of audio. Warm, well-defined bass was beautifully balanced by rich mid-tones. Songs I’ve enjoyed for decades (yes, I’m that old) took on new textures, as notes that had been lost for years by lesser headphones were brought to the fore.

I’ve had these for a while now, though, so am I still amazed by every song I listen to? I’ll admit that I’m not in a constant state of awe, as I was, but there are still moments that make me sit up and listen when I spot something I haven’t before. When I’ll just ramp up the music, sit back in my heavily padded gaming chair, and enjoy the moment. So, yes, while “amazed” may be pushing it, I’m definitely enjoying them still.

If there is a problem, it’s that the location of my system means I wear them the wrong way around—the cable comes out of the right speaker, and I’d end up choking myself if I wore them as intended. Try as I might, I haven’t managed to find a way of swapping the left and right audio round in Windows— annoying in some games. It’s a minor point, though, and I’m still very much a fan. $299, www.sennheiser.com