MacFormat UK – September 2019

STORE GUIDE Accessories

102 | MACFORMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

BEST BUYS... Curated picks of third-party kit

We think these
are the best fitness
headphones money
can buy. The in-ear fit is
solid, and won’t loosen
no matter how much
you run or how sweaty
you get. They look stylish, audio quality is
top notch, while pairing has the AirPods’
signature simplicity. Whether you’re
pounding the pavement or lifting weights,
these are the headphones to beat.

With rich, warm
sound that works
with pretty much
any genre, the KEF
Egg speakers are
ideal partners for
your Mac. They
support high-quality aptX Bluetooth too,
making them perfect for wireless
playback. Quirky design, solid build quality
and support for external subwoofers
makes them a great choice.

The first Naim Mu-so redefined the wireless

speaker market and this second-generation

is even better. AirPlay 2 and Chromecast

compatible, the Mu-so also proves incredibly

easy to set up and use, thanks to its

frequently updated app. But it’s the sound

quality that really makes this speaker worth

the asking price: it’s incredible.

Love music as much

as we do? Then you’ll

want to get your mitts

on one of these. It plays

high-res audio files,

and absolutely blows

MP3 files out of the

water. One listen will

change the way you hear your audio

tracks and, unlike other high-res audio

players, it’s reasonably priced. It really

will rock your world.

Despite being
the size of a
matchbox, this
neat little dash
cam gives you an
awful lot of bang
for your buck. You get excellent video
quality that records up to 1440p and
performs well at night, as well as safety
features such as lane departure warnings.
It’s easy to mount, comes with built-in GPS
and responds to voice commands.

Don’t be fooled by this

mic’s small form factor;

it punches hugely above

its weight. Its close-up

sound is intimate and

bassy, and brings out

the best in any voice.

No matter whether

you’re recording an

interview, creating a podcast or just

jamming with your band, its clarity and

depth makes it easy to recommend.

Fa s te r c h a rg i n g

doesn’t mean having

to carry a big power

brick. The Mu One is

rated at 45W, enough

to charge our iPad

Pro from zero to 100% in 52 minutes less

time than Apple’s 18W plug. Its UK head

is foldable and the ‘International’ version

(£60) comes with Euro and US heads too,

making it ideal for your travels. You’ll need

to add your own cable.

DESKTOP SPEAKER

Kef Egg
£349 kef.com

MULTIROOM SPEAKER

Naim Mu-so 2nd-Generation

£1,299 naimaudio.com

HIGH-RES AUDIO PLAYER

Pioneer XDP-30R

£350 pioneer-audiovisual.eu

IN-EAR HEADPHONES

Beats Powerbeats Pro
£220 apple.com

THUNDERBOLT DOCK

CalDigit TS3 Plus

£265 caldigit.com/uk

ACTION CAMERA

GoPro Hero7 Black

£380 gopro.com

DASH CAM

Garmin Dash Cam 55
£150 garmin.com

MICROPHONE

Blue Microphones Raspberry

£170 bluemic.com

USB-C CHARGER

Mu One

From £50 themu.co.uk

The original TS3 gave

modern Macs a new level

of connectivity. Now

the TS3 Plus offers

an incredible 14 ports.

Its 10Gbps USB-C port and

four USB-A ports (among

others), make it our

Thunderbolt dock of choice, and the price

drop to £265 sweetens the deal. The

Thunderbolt 3 port supplies up to 85W,

so it can even charge a 15in MacBook Pro.

GoPro continues

its action cam

dominance with

this beauty,

boasting 4K

video at 60fps

or 1080p at a super slo-mo 240fps.

The big new feature is HyperSmooth,

an image stabilisation system that GoPro

says is as smooth as using a gimbal, while

improved AI and great image quality make

this the action cam to beat.

Image credits (left to right, top to bottom): Kef, Naim Audio,

Pioneer, Apple, CalDigit, GoPro, Garmin, Blue Designs, The Mu