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Amazon is selling the Lenovo Legion E510 gaming earbuds for $48.99, the lowest price the product has reached this year. The earbuds feature USB-C connectivity and support for 7.1 surround sound.
Razer has released the Hammerhead V3 Chroma, a pair of wired earbuds using USB-C with a 90-degree connector instead of Bluetooth. They feature 11mm drivers, 6mm tweeters, active noise cancellation, an in-line remote, IPX4 water resistance, and customizable RGB lighting, and are available now for $79.99 with a two-year warranty.
Apple has released build 24K154 of tvOS 27.2 specifically for the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, which launches November 13 and is currently available for preorder. This differs from build 24K122 that shipped last week to existing Apple TV models, though Apple has not published separate release notes explaining the differences.
Apple's new Apple TV 4K replaces the 2022 model's A15 Bionic chip with an A19, which Apple says is up to 50 percent faster at CPU tasks and twice as fast at graphics, alongside doubled RAM, AV1 decoding, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. The box now has three built-in mics for hands-free Siri, and a new $59 remote adds Precision Finding for compatible iPhones. The system also now supports four HomePods as a surround setup, up from the previous two-speaker stereo limit.
A New York Times blind listening test compared traditional multi-speaker surround sound systems against soundbars, including Dolby Atmos-enabled models. Participants reported clearer dialogue and a stronger sense of immersion with discrete surround speakers, though most said they would still choose a soundbar due to space constraints and installation friction.
Apple's tvOS 27.2 beta 2 now lets users pair four HomePods—two sets of two—wirelessly through the Home app to serve as surround speakers for Apple TV 4K, according to FlatpanelsHD. The feature currently works with Atmos and surround audio from video content, but lacks the ability to assign specific speaker roles like front and rear, and menu or game audio still only plays through the front pair.
The guide explains connecting an Xbox to a TV's eARC/ARC HDMI port to enable surround sound, recommending HDMI 2.1 support for 4K/120fps gaming alongside audio. Users then adjust settings under Settings > General > Volume and audio output, selecting 5.1 or 7.1 uncompressed audio, or Bitstream if bandwidth is limited, and can install the Dolby Access app for Dolby Atmos support.
Sound engineer Anthony Grimani explains that room acoustics, not expensive equipment, are usually the biggest factor hurting home theater sound quality. Hard surfaces like bare walls and tile floors reflect sound waves, causing echo and muddled audio, but simple additions like rugs, curtains and framed art can absorb those reflections. He also outlines proper speaker placement and angling for both 5.1 and 7.1 setups.
Code strings found in audioOS 27 beta 8 by a MacRumors forum user reveal Apple is developing a quad-HomePod surround sound configuration alongside a new 'Party Mode' feature. The surround setup would let two front and two rear second-generation HomePods each apply distinct audio processing, dynamically adjusting based on content like movies or music. A separate reference to a 'Forklift' system suggests pairing two existing HomePods with unreleased speaker hardware.