ASTELL&KERN AK UW100

There are so many pairs of true wireless earphones out there now (see p40 for five of the best) that we wouldn’t be all that surprised if Lidl launched some – so Astell&kern’s AK UW100S feel somewhat overdue. The hi-res audio specialist has decided against giving its debut buds noise-cancelling, but the 32-bit DAC is separate to the Bluetooth chipset, which A&K reckons will make them sound clearer and more dynamic, while Knowles balanced-armature drivers should deliver more detail. Battery life clocks in at 24hrs in total – six in the buds and 18 in the wireless charging case – which should fuel a week or two of commutes. Beat that, Lidl. £249 / astellkern.co.uk