Join Mikko Hyppönen and security leaders from the NFL, CHANEL, and Atlassian for a two-hour digital summit on what AI-speed attacks change, what defenders should stop doing, and how to validate, decide, fix, and re-validate at machine speed.
Tech
Japan’s Digital Agency says VPN flaw exposed 246,000 personnel records
Japan’s Digital Agency has discovered a data breach that may have exposed around 246,000 record rows containing personal information of government employees.
The agency says that the attacker gained initial access by exploiting a vulnerability in a VPN device used by the Government Solution Service (GSS).
An investigation started on June 25, after the agency detected a large-scale file access from the account of a maintenance and operations staff member.
“On July 9th, it was discovered that a third party had used a vulnerability in a network-connected device (VPN) to gain access to the system and gain unauthorized access,” reads the announcement.
“On the same day, we suspended the account of the maintenance and operations personnel in question, cut off communication between the compromised equipment and the outside world, and prevented further unauthorized access.”
It is unclear what VPN product was affected or the vulnerability exploited in the breach. However, the Japanese agency said in a separate Q&A that the issue had a medium severity rating and was not a zero-day.
The investigation revealed that the following data may have been exposed:
- 236,000 names
- 231,000 email addresses
- 94,000 telephone numbers
- 1,000 physical addresses
Exposed individuals include government employees, public officials, and associated businesses and individuals who use the GSS system.
However, the incident did not expose personal data of the general public, and the potentially compromised information does not include My Number identification numbers, bank-account details, or pension numbers.
Also, the agency has not detected any cases of actual misuse of the impacted information, but still warned about the elevated risk of impersonation and phishing, urging people not to open links or attachments in unsolicited communications.
The Digital Agency reminded people that it will never ask for passwords or credit card information via email or phone.
Affected individuals will be contacted directly, and the agency also set up a dedicated support line.
The agency notified Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission on July 15, and clarified that the delay in disclosing the incident to the public was due to the complexity of determining the intrusion path, identifying potentially affected information, and establishing who was affected.
The agency says the impact was limited to the affected system, with no confirmed unauthorized access, data leakage, or comparable breaches affecting other systems. It also noted that the incident and response operations didn’t impact government services availability.
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Reservations are now live for Valve’s “Steam Frame” VR headset (with its Linux-based SteamOS and an ARM CPU). “It starts at $1,059 for 256GB or $1,299 for 1TB,” reports CNET, “and every purchase includes a copy of Half-Life: Alyx if you don’t already own it.”
Reservations are open through Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. PT, “with customers randomly assigned a place in line after the reservation window closes.”
CNET’s editor at large even argues that the Steam Frame “isn’t necessarily the future of XR, as much as it’s a framework for evolving beyond the present.” Their review calls it an “ambitious” VR headset that “feels like an experiment in progress.”
The ability to run other apps in windows can make Frame feel, at times, almost like a computer. Linux apps in desktop mode range from Chromium to Firefox to a bunch of other tools. I watched YouTube in one window while playing Portal 2 in other, and started to marvel at how flexible Frame could be. But VR games require a full immersive takeover of the headset… The Steam Frame can convert games intended for both PC VR and even Android APK files, using a conversion tool called Lepton… I haven’t sideloaded anything yet, but Steam Frame in theory could be a Rosetta Stone for VR gaming, even tapping into some Android XR titles, but not out of the box…
2D games can be projected onto a near-range or farther-off theater mode screen that can be dragged around, resized and turned into a curved or flat monitor, much like with the Apple Vision Pro, Samsung Galaxy XR or Meta Quest. You can download any game in your Steam library to test, even if it’s not technically listed as “Great on Frame” yet…
But the name “Frame” suggests a framework, something Valve’s team acknowledged when I spoke to them during my review process… “We want this to be your PC, and people mod it, take it apart, make accessories for it,” says Jeremy Selan, a software developer on the Steam Frame team. “We’ll be putting out the CAD for all these [Steam Frame] systems. This is entirely based on open-source technology stacks based upon SteamOS. Our hope is that this isn’t just one device, that this would be sort of the root of a growing SteamOS ecosystem. It already encompasses gaming and Proton and SteamOS and those Linux gaming capabilities. This is going to lay the foundation for a new sort of evolutionary tree of that, to also bring it into the VR and XR space.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Apple could be planning a family of foldable phones in the next few years, building on its newly announced iPhone Duo, according to one tipster.
Trusted Apple leaker Mark Gurman of Bloomberg predicts that Apple will eventually sell more than the basic foldable iPhone Duo. In fact, he says Apple may have chosen the three-letter name Duo — similar to Air and Pro — because a short name “leaves room for a suffix” such as Max or Mini.
“It’s easy to foresee Apple launching an iPhone Duo Max with a larger display, or perhaps an iPhone Duo SE or iPhone Duo mini as either a stripped-down version or a clamshell model,” he writes.
Gurman, who wrote about the iPhone Duo in March 2026, predicts in his latest Power On newsletter that “foldables will make up the majority of new phone sales” in the next decade. He suggests that the iPhone Duo will become the predominant foldable phone on the market next year.
The biggest issue with such predictions is that they depend entirely on consumer demand, which is tough to foresee. Recently, Apple was rumored to be working on a cheaper version of its Apple Vision Pro AR headset, but it is said to have pivoted to smart glasses instead. And analyst Gene Munster long predicted the release of an Apple HDTV, but now says, “just because Apple is working on a product doesn’t mean it will see the light of day.”
Yet, Gurman says that the iPhone Duo, which can be preordered beginning Oct. 16 ahead of an Oct. 23 release, “has gotten it right from day one.” At $2,000 and up, though, the iPhone Duo costs around twice as much as most single-screen flagship phones, and is unlikely to replace them any time soon.
The Apple iPhone Duo was announced last week, but the company’s first foldable phone still trails competitors by many years. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold was released in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
A misconfigured Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) database linked to Vietnam exposed more than 220 million passenger and crew travel records spanning 2017 to 2026, including names, passport numbers, nationalities, flight details, seat assignments, and baggage references. Researchers said the database was reachable through a chain of security mistakes and default credentials. It was later secured after the disclosure, but it’s unclear whether the data had already been copied or abused. BleepingComputer reports: Kinryu Labs discovered the Elasticsearch cluster on June 3 while surveying exposed databases as part of research into ransomware activity. The cluster, named ‘pax-info’, contained 29 indices and roughly 107 GB of data. Its two principal indices held 210,318,069 passenger records and 10,465,631 crew records, for a combined 220,783,700 entries. According to Kinryu Labs, the cluster was hosted in Viettel-assigned IP space in Hanoi. BleepingComputer could not confirm which Vietnamese organization operated the system.
The exposed information included passengers’ and crew members’ names, dates of birth, sex, nationalities, passport or travel-document numbers, document expiration dates, and issuing countries. Associated travel data included flight numbers and dates, airlines, departure, destination and transit airports, seat assignments, baggage references, and scheduled, estimated, and actual flight times, information typically carried by APIS and related airline systems.
Sample records reviewed by BleepingComputer included travelers of Korean, Chinese, Canadian, and New Zealand nationality, among others. While the researchers could not provide a complete breakdown by nationality, the data covered numerous international airlines across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. As a result, the exposed records could relate to people from virtually anywhere who visited or transited through Vietnam over the nine-year period. Kinryu Labs expects to publish additional details on its blog later this week.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Tech
Dual Turntables Get Exclusive U.S. Distribution Through Playback as CS 629Q Moves Toward Launch
Dual has a new home in the United States.
Playback Distribution announced that it is now the exclusive U.S. distributor for Dual turntables, giving the German brand access to Playback’s network of specialty audio dealers and, more importantly, a more focused path into a North American vinyl market that has become considerably more crowded.
On its own, another distribution agreement would not have us racing toward the keyboard. The more interesting part is what Dual is bringing with it.
The company’s current lineup spans manual and fully automatic turntables, belt and direct-drive designs, and increasingly serious products aimed well beyond the entry-level vinyl customer. At the top end, Playback is already listing the Dual CS 718Q at $3,499, while the upcoming CS 629Q could be even more important because it revives something the turntable market largely abandoned: a genuinely ambitious fully automatic direct-drive deck.
Suddenly the distributor announcement has some teeth.
Why Dual Is Worth Watching Again
Dual has been building turntables for more than a century, but heritage only gets a company so far when dozens of brands are fighting for space in the same dealer showroom.
What makes the current Dual lineup more interesting is that it does not simply follow the prevailing audiophile formula of a belt, platter, tonearm and as little user convenience as possible.
Fully automatic operation remains an important part of the brand’s identity. Dual currently offers the CS 329, CS 429 and CS 529 as fully automatic designs, while its manual range includes the CS 418 and CS 518 alongside more sophisticated direct-drive models such as the CS 618Q and CS 718Q.
There are plenty of excellent manual turntables on the market. There are far fewer serious automatic models for listeners who would rather press a button than perform a small pre-flight ceremony every time they want to hear a record.
Vinyl playback is supposed to involve the listener. It does not have to involve a licensing exam.
Playback President Rob Standley clearly sees that distinction as part of the opportunity.
“DUAL has a rich history in turntable design, but what really stands out is the company’s ability to combine that heritage with modern engineering and features,” said Standley. “Their fully automatic models offer a unique value in the marketplace with a powerful combination of convenience and performance.”
That might sound like distributor language, but the market supports the broader point.
The CS 629Q Changes the Conversation
We first encountered the Dual CS 629Q at High End Vienna 2026, where the company showed a prototype of its forthcoming fully automatic direct-drive turntable.
The concept immediately stood out because Dual was not trying to make another inexpensive automatic deck for casual vinyl users. The CS 629Q combines a newly developed direct-drive platform with fully automatic operation and app-based control, with Dual positioning it as a premium model for 2027. Our initial reporting indicated expected pricing around €1,800, although final U.S. pricing has not been announced.
Dual describes the CS 629Q as the first newly introduced fully automatic direct-drive turntable of the 21st century. That is the company’s claim, but it also illustrates why the product is unusual: automatic turntables certainly exist, and premium direct-drive turntables certainly exist, but combining both approaches at this level is decidedly uncommon.
There has also been tangible progress since Vienna.
The CS 629Q received FCC equipment authorization on August 17, 2026, covering its wireless functionality. The filing identifies Dual GmbH as the applicant and, rather conveniently given today’s announcement, lists Rob Standley and Playback Distribution as the U.S. non-technical contact.
FCC certification does not mean the CS 629Q is about to appear on dealer shelves next week. Dual continues to list the model as a 2027 preview, and our previous reporting pointed to global availability around mid-2027. It does mean the product has moved beyond the concept-on-a-turntable-stand phase and further along the path toward an actual U.S. release.
That makes Playback’s appointment rather timely.
And Then There Is the $3,499 CS 718Q
Dual does not have to wait until next year to demonstrate that it wants to compete above the mainstream market.
Playback Distribution is already listing the CS 718Q for $3,499 in satin black or walnut. It is Dual’s current reference manual design and uses a quartz-stabilized direct-drive motor with ironless air-core coils, 33, 45 and 78 rpm operation and specified wow and flutter below ±0.05% DIN weighted.
The 2.2-kilogram platter and mat assembly is joined by a twin-gimbal tonearm using a carbon-aluminum sandwich tube. Tonearm height and azimuth are adjustable, while an automatic lift and switchable auto-stop function add some convenience without turning the CS 718Q into a fully automatic deck.
Dual also provides both RCA and balanced XLR outputs, which immediately separates the CS 718Q from most conventional turntables in its price range. A cartridge is not supplied, giving owners the freedom to select one appropriate for the rest of their analog system.
At $3,499, nobody is going to confuse this with the Dual turntable that lived inside their parents’ console stereo.
Who Is Dual Competing With?
Pro-Ject is probably the most obvious competitor when it comes to modern automatic turntables. The German-built Automat A2 is a fully automatic belt-drive design with 33, 45 and 78 rpm operation, an aluminum platter and automated tonearm operation. Its $1,499 U.S. price also places it close to the territory where we expect the CS 629Q to compete, although Dual’s direct-drive architecture and app control give the forthcoming model a different technical proposition.
Thorens represents another obvious comparison. Its TD 102 A is fully automatic and combines belt drive with a carbon tonearm, Audio-Technica AT-VM95E cartridge and switchable phono preamplifier. Thorens also offers direct-drive models, although its current range separates those concepts rather than combining premium direct drive with full automation in one product.
Technics remains the elephant standing beside virtually every serious direct-drive turntable discussion. The SL-1500C combines a coreless direct-drive motor with an auto-lifter and integrated phono stage, but it is not fully automatic. That distinction gives Dual an opening if the CS 629Q can deliver the convenience it promises without compromising the things audiophiles actually care about.
And there is the challenge.
Automatic mechanisms have historically carried baggage with audiophiles, who often associate additional moving parts with cheaper decks and compromised performance. Dual has to demonstrate that convenience and serious vinyl playback are not mutually exclusive.
Its history suggests it understands the assignment. History, however, does not get to review the turntable.
Why Playback Distribution Matters
Playback already represents brands including TEAC and AVID HiFi, giving it experience selling turntables at very different ends of the market. Adding Dual creates another lane rather than simply duplicating what is already in the catalog.
Under the new agreement, Dual products are available in the United States exclusively through Playback Distribution’s authorized dealer network.
“DUAL has spent more than a century developing the art and engineering of the turntable,” said Dr. Josef Zellner, Owner of DUAL. “Our partnership with Playback Distribution represents an exciting new chapter for DUAL in the United States. Playback understands the specialty audio market and the importance of strong dealer relationships, and we look forward to building DUAL’s presence in the U.S. together.”
For Dual, that dealer component may prove almost as important as the products themselves. Turntables at $1,000, $2,000 and certainly $3,499 benefit from demonstrations, setup assistance, cartridge matching and a dealer who knows considerably more about analog playback than the person dropping a box on your porch.
What happens next will be more interesting.
The CS 718Q gives Playback a serious direct-drive flagship to sell today, while the CS 629Q gives Dual a product for 2027 that does not look like another variation on what everyone else is already doing.
That is a much better reason to pay attention than a new distributor.
Price & Availability
Dual turntables are now available in the United States exclusively through Playback Distribution’s network of authorized dealers.
The Dual CS 718Q is currently listed at $3,499 in satin black or walnut.
The upcoming Dual CS 629Q remains a 2027 product. Final U.S. pricing and an exact shipping date have not been announced.
For more information: dual.de
Related Reading:
Silicon Valley giants and national security experts “are calling for action against Chinese companies engaged in model distillation,” reports CNBC. But “I would do nothing,” says Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. “We could argue that there should be an American distillation regime.”
Distillation is the process of using the outputs of a more capable AI model to train a smaller or less capable one, sometimes illicitly… Anthropic has accused Chinese companies such as Moonshot AI, DeepSeek, and MiniMax of the practice, while OpenAI believes DeepSeek’s V3 and R1 model architectures were distilled from its own GPT-4 and GPT-4o models. In the midst of this, the U.S.’s National Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Federal Bureau of Investigation released an official cyber security advisory warning on the topic on Tuesday…
But Tan believes regulators should focus less on curbing distillation and more on creating an equilibrium between open weight models and frontier models — as long as frontier models retain a price premium that allows their business model to remain feasible. “This is actually the ideal case. You want open weight models to give people freedom and access,” he explained. “If I were a regulator, that’s what I would go after.” Tan acknowledged that this is a hard balance to strike, calling it “a tightrope.” Nevertheless, he says it’s a balance worth pursuing — saying it “could result in the best possible outcome.”
Tan later told TechCrunch he’d like to see America with more open-weight options that aren’t Chinese, built by smaller U.S. open-weight AI labs using those same training techniques on products from America’s frontier AI labs:
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei had previously publicly called on U.S. regulators to crack down on distillation. It’s notable that the commander of Silicon Valley’s prestigious and prolific startup accelerator doesn’t agree.
To be clear, Tan isn’t advocating for American AI labs to use stolen credentials to distill. He wants them to be free to come in the front door. In fact, his argument is twofold. He feels it’s an overreach for AI labs to dictate what their customers can do with the information their models share with them. He also notes that the proprietary AI labs didn’t ask permission when they vacuumed up as much human knowledge as they could to train their models. They famously ingested plenty of copyrighted material without the permission of those intellectual property holders. “Controlling what users and customers do with API calls to closed weight models feels constraining, and there’s a role government can play here to normalize the fact that access to intelligence that was trained on broad public access data should itself also be more a form of a public good than something locked away behind restrictive terms of service,” he told TechCrunch when asked why American labs should be free to distill, too…
To him, the true AI doomer scenario is for all the immense power of frontier AI to wind up in the hands of a single powerful, proprietary provider. “The nightmare scenario, the doomer scenario for AI is that there’s just one company,” he said. “It has the best access to capital. It has the best AI researchers. It runs away with it and suddenly there’s one company that’s monolithic. And that would be bad.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Being able to monitor voltages and currents is essential for many applications, with the national electrical grid being no exception. The obvious complication here is that the voltages and currents are massively higher than for those other applications, making safely monitoring these somewhat of an engineering challenge. The used systems for current monitoring are detailed by [Jordan Taylor], also known as [The Electric Brit], in an explainer of grid-level current transformers (CTs) and associated elements that help to provide galvanic isolation for safe current measurements.
Even if the basic principles remain the same, when you’re dealing with currents of 5 kA and more, the associated clearances and penalties for getting a detail wrong increasingly correspondingly. The CTs help to implement over-current protection (OCP), over-voltage protection (OVP) as well as differential protection, which is useful to detect leakage and shorts, which could also happen inside the CT if the windings become damaged.
Any such failure condition can trigger a circuit breaker to be tripped, or other corrective measures to be taken. Incidentally this also how it can be detected when someone is tapping off power in an illicit manner. As with all transformers they’re never perfect due to issues like core saturation, and thus performing accurate measurements and picking the right type of transformer is an art in itself, as explained in the video.
Ultimately CTs and the associated equipment are what makes an AC power grid responsive to any changes and with it into the reliable foundation of modern-day society.
Verdict
The ATH-R30x are great if you’re after entry-level, open-back studio reference headphones that deliver warmth and detail. They’re lightweight with soft earpads and, at £85, they’re an affordable way into open-back listening. There are slight downsides like a non-detachable cable and a slightly tight fit for larger ears. And it’s worth noting that you can also get the excellent Sennheiser HD 560S for around the same price
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Warm, controlled and non-fatiguing
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Comfortable fit with soft pads
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Airy open-back sound
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Affordable price
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Cable isn’t detachable
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Can pinch around ears
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Not ideal if you need isolation
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Better cans cost around the same price
Key Features
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Review Price:
£85
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Open-back reference design
Allows air to pass freely for natural, speaker-like audio delivery – but they don’t seal sound in
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40mm dynamic drivers
Tuned for flat, transparent audio playback, rather than a bass-boosted sound
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Lightweight frame
They’re made to be used for long listening sessions without headband pressure
Introduction
Audio-Technica’s ATH-R30x are affordable wired open-back headphones focused on use for audio production. They’re part of the brand’s R-series, which is all about a sound that prioritises accuracy, rather than the typical consumer bass boost and elevated highs. Like a lot of wired headphones, they have an open-back design to allow air to move freely, opening up a wider, more natural soundstage.
But it is worth saying that audio production is hardly the only use case for wired open-backs. In fact, my pair (the Sennheiser HD 560S) are some of my most-used cans because there’s a lot to be enjoyed about a natural, detailed listening experience with a wide soundstage. You don’t always want the “fun” V-shaped frequency response.
Wired open-backs can also be good for podcasters, video editors and gamers, and I think they hold a lot of appeal if your preferred music genres are classical and acoustic, as the accuracy rewards focused listening. If you’re making your first step into wired headphones, the ATH-R30x will seem like a good starting point, because they deliver all the essentials for a sensible £85 price point.
Unlike Bluetooth cans, there’s no ANC, no battery, no app and no controls – you’re paying for design, ergonomics and driver quality. So, whether you’re producing a podcast from your bedroom, an aspiring mixer on a budget or someone curious about “accurate” sound, this is an accessible entry into an expansive hobby.
Design
- Lightweight at 210g
- Removable and replaceable cups and headband
- Non-removable 3-metre-long cable
The ATH-R30x are well-designed, with a minimalist, utilitarian look. They’ve got a black plastic frame, black metal mesh on the exterior of the ear cups (through which you can see the driver housing), and a suspended felt strap beneath a metal headband. This is a good way to distribute weight evenly across your head, and it works well for long-term comfort.
The circular ear cups are on the small side. They’re pleasant to wear, made of soft velour that feels plush and breathable when compared to leather or synthetic materials, but I was very aware of the cups at the bottom and top of my ears. I don’t have the largest ears, and I found them easy to wear for several hours at a time, but I’d say they’re not going to suit anyone with bigger ears!
Compared to the Sennheiser HD 560S, they have a much more relaxed clamping force, which may make them a better fit for some, but the bigger and softer ear pads of the Sennheisers make those my top choice for comfort in this price tier. The HD 560S weigh 30g more than the 210g of the ATH-R30x, though, so they are better if you want something lightweight. Either of these is lighter than battery-carrying wireless headphones.
One crucial thing to note is that the ATH-R30x doesn’t have a removable cable. It’s a fixed 3-metre cable that’s great for a studio desk, but it’s fairly long and can be difficult to manage. I found it got caught up in the wheels of my office chair a couple of times, so you have to be intentional about it.
A core benefit of wired headphones is being able to change cables, and that’s not something you can do here. With a cable this lengthy, you’re also not going to be plugging this one into a phone or laptop while you’re on the move!
Specification
- 40mm dynamic drivers
- Fixed 3m cable
- 36ohms impedance
As the most affordable model in the brand’s R-series, you’d expect that these don’t quite have the tech of the pricier studio-grade headphones. Audio is handled by 40mm dynamic drivers, and Audio-Technica calls these a “professional open-back reference” model that delivers a spacious soundstage and natural clarity with minimal additional tuning or damping.
Yes, they’re made for mixing, mastering and creation. But, as mentioned above, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from using these cans for casual listening, too. They have a frequency response range of 15 to 25,000Hz, and are low-impedance headphones at 36ohms, which means they’re easy to drive directly from phones or laptops without needing a beefy amp.
Sound Quality
- Warm and clear reference sound
- Honest and precise
- Great imaging and instrument separation
For sound alone, Audio-Technica’s ATH-R30x are some of the best budget wired open-backs you can get. I can think of little else that challenges these at the £85 price point; it’s just that the Sennheiser HD 560S no longer cost anything like their original RRP of £179, typically available for £99 these days. So, would I recommend going for those or the newer R30x, if you’re on a tight budget?
The R30x handles instrument separation beautifully. One of my first test tracks was Perpetuum Mobile by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, with its simple melody and mix of piano, rhythmic strings, and driving bassline. The R30x captures all elements and sounds well-balanced, with everything clear and easy to identify in the mix.
Moving on to pop music, I found these excellent for putting vocals front-and-centre in Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe, and immersive when playing Post Malone’s Sunflower. The precise imaging helped me hear background vocals I tend to miss in the latter track, and the sound is smooth for easy listening.
They are slightly bass-light if you’re used to a bass-forward sound. I haven’t found that a big issue as they’re still warm and full-bodied enough for my tastes, while having great clarity for long listening sessions.
Unless you mind that they’re low on a sub-bass rumble, I reckon these offer an accurate sound for a sensible price. If you spend a little more on the Sennheiser HD 560S, you get a rendition that’s a little more analytical, and a soundstage that’s a little wider.
The R30x are just a touch warmer, and less fatiguing for a long listen. It’s honestly a close contest between the two.
But the removable cable and improved comfort of the Sennheisers mean they get my vote if you were deciding between them.
Should you buy it?
You want lightweight open-back headphones with a gentle clamp force
If you’re on a budget and want a natural sound with great imaging, there’s a lot to recommend about the impressive ATH-R30x. They’ve got a nice clamping force, soft velour earpads and a good fit and sound for long-term wear. At just £85, they’re tremendous headphones for the money.
You need to use them in any noisy places
It is worth saying that they’re not a great pick if you need them for noisy or public spaces. The sound leakage is significant, and people nearby can hear exactly what you’re playing at about 60% volume. Also, if you hate long cords or want a detachable cable you can swap out when it’s damaged, these aren’t the right choice.
Final Thoughts
Even if you’re not buying headphones for professional audio recording or mixing, the ATH-R30x are a great example of why wired open-back models are the top choice if you want detail, instrumental separation, and natural clarity. These are an excellent pair of cans for focused listening and musical enjoyment.
They’re far cheaper than premium wireless headphones, yet offer clear benefits for those willing to use a wire. There are minor compromises, like how the 3-metre cord isn’t removable and how the fit around your ears can be a little tight. Spend a little more, and you can get the Sennheiser HD 560S, which are fantastic open-backs for precise sound and have swappable cables and bigger ear cups, but feel tighter on the head.
Overall, as an entry point into critical audio listening, or for home mixing and producing, the ATH-R30x is a great value proposition that most people should be able to wear for hours on end, with smooth, warm and detailed sound quality.
How We Test
I spent two weeks putting the Audio-Technica ATH-R30x through its paces as my primary home listening headphones. I connected them directly to mobile and portable hardware, including a MacBook Air, Activo P1, FiiO Snowsky Echo Nano and an iPhone 17 Pro (with an Apple dongle).
Listening was split between streaming on Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer alongside hi-res FLAC playback from the digital audio players. Throughout testing, I used the Sennheiser HD 560S as a benchmark to gauge how the ATH-R30x compares to similarly priced open-back competition.
- Tested for 2 weeks
- Tested with real-world use
FAQs
Do you need a dedicated headphone amplifier to drive the ATH-R30x?
No. With a low impedance of 36ohms and decent sensitivity, the ATH-R30x can easily be driven directly from a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
Is the cable on the Audio-Technica ATH-R30x detachable?
No, the ATH-R30x features a fixed 3-metre cable. If you damage the wire, it cannot be unclipped and swapped out like on other models.
Full Specs
| Audio-Technica ATH-R30x Review | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Audio Technica |
| IP rating | No |
| Weight | 210 G |
| ASIN | B0DYQ12RFJ |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| Connectivity | 3.5mm |
| Colours | Black |
| Frequency Range | 15 25000 – Hz |
| Headphone Type | Over-ear |
| Sensitivity | 92 dB |
| UK RRP | £85 |
| USA RRP | TBC |
Tech
These cheap Skullcandy earbuds have a worrying Bluetooth flaw that could let anyone connect to your device
- Researchers warn Skullcandy Dime 3 earbuds on older firmware accept Bluetooth pairing from unknown devices with no user interaction required
- When leveraged, it can be used to interrupt the owner’s connections, hijack playback, and even capture live microphone audio
- The vulnerability has been patched in a newer firmware update available only on newer units, does not seem to be addressable for existing earbuds
Carnegie Mellon University’s CERT Coordination Center has warned Skullcandy’s Dime 3 wireless earbuds will accept a Bluetooth pairing request from a stranger’s device without the owner doing anything.
The resulting bond is permanent, and the only sign the owner gets is a spoken “new device paired” notification delivered after it has already happened, with zero user interaction to confirm the request.
The advisory covering the Dime 3 was written by CERT/CC’s Bob Kemerer and credits independent researcher Jacob Nowak, who had posted his findings to the Full Disclosure mailing list in early August after testing it on hardware he owned.
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A fix deployed that covers virtually no existing users
What makes this worse is that, ironically, while Skullcandy was swift in addressing the issue affecting earbuds running firmware version 1.0.0.28 by rolling out a patched version 1.0.0.30, it seems to address the issue only in newly made units.
CERT notes that there seem to be no “consumer-accessible” methods to upgrade existing units to the newest firmware because it reportedly has no support via the companion app, as a Tom’s Guide review indicates.
A product without an update path that is user-accessible essentially means that its software flaws, or in this case, security issues, are here to stay for users who have had the bad luck of buying an earlier unit.
The underlying vulnerability, CVE-2025-20701, is not new and is not of Skullcandy’s making. It is one of three vulnerabilities that Dennis Heinze and Frieder Steinmetz of the German firm ERNW disclosed in June 2025 at the TROOPERS conference in Heidelberg, affecting Bluetooth systems-on-chip from Taiwan’s Airoha.
The Dime 3’s Bluetooth identifier names Airoha as its chipset vendor, and while Airoha shipped a fixed SDK to its customers in June 2025 and published its bulletin that August, owners of the earbuds are in a unique situation, to say the least.
The vulnerability’s severity is disputed: MediaTek (which owns Airoha) assigned it a relatively low 6.7 rating, while CISA’s vulnerability enrichment program later assigned it an 8.8 with a ‘high’ categorization.
A potential attacker is limited to what the earbuds can access, since the vulnerability is essentially limited to the earbuds, but one could still wreak havoc with that alone. It should allow for more than just disrupting a person’s routine by ‘hijacking’ one’s earbuds by essentially using their microphones on them to record conversations or, in an extreme theoretical case (requiring chaining with other exploits), impersonate the headset and pull contacts, call history, and even pass hands-free commands to a paired smartphone. The latter, however, would require a high technical skill set, being within a few meters of a victim, and a Bluetooth connection turned on on the paired smartphone.
For now, a vulnerability exists that Skullcandy should have been able to patch, exactly as Apple recently did for its Beats Studio Buds, but a lack of support for any third party apps on the budget earbuds is somewhat annoyingly resulting in an unpatchable vulnerability for existing users.
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Apple’s latest iPhone and iPad software—iOS 27 and iPadOS 27—is here. While this release won’t make as big of a splash as Apple’s big Liquid Glass redesign in the prior version, there’s still plenty here that could change how you use your device.
iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 focus largely on stability improvements that you’ll notice in your everyday use. There are several quality-of-life improvements, like how Shortcuts are significantly easier to set up, but the big highlight is the Siri AI upgrade. Here’s everything you need to know.
Updated September 14, 2026: We’ve refreshed this story to reflect the latest updates and that iOS and iPadOS 27 are rolling out today.
Is Your iPhone or iPad Compatible?
Apple sometimes drops a few older devices from the support list with new versions of its operating systems, supposedly because the aging hardware can’t run the latest screen behaviors without feeling sluggish. (Apple typically supports iPhones and iPads for six to seven years.) But there’s good news this year. iPhones from 2019 and newer—the iPhone 11 and up, including the iPhone SE (2nd Gen)—will support iOS 27.
That means any iPhone that received iOS 26 is still compatible with iOS 27. If you’re unsure of your iPhone model, go to Settings > General > About and look at the model name.
iPads aren’t as straightforward, as they have a unique naming structure. Apple retired the “generations” moniker and is now using the chipset to denote the iPad model. You can check your iPad model using Apple’s support documentation. A few iPads are cut off from the iPadOS 27 update, including the 8th-gen iPad from 2020 and the 5th-gen iPad Mini.
- iPad: 9th gen and later, including A16
- iPad Mini: 6th gen and later, including A17 Pro
- iPad Air 11-inch: 4th gen and later, including M2, M3, and M4
- iPad Air 13-inch: M2 and later
- iPad Pro 11-inch: 2nd gen and later
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch: 4th gen and later
- iPad Pro: M4 and later
How to Install iOS 27 or iPadOS 27
The final versions of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are here. Before installing, it’s very important that you back up your devices. Head to Settings, tap your name at the top, and select iCloud. Then tap iCloud Backup, and tap Back Up Now. Read our How to Back Up Your iPhone or iPad guide for other methods and more details.
Then, head to Settings > General > Software Update and choose iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 when you see the option. Installation will take several minutes, and your iPhone or iPad will restart, so set aside several minutes for the whole process.
Siri AI, the new assistant, will ask to index your phone or iPad to learn more about you, your apps, and your data so it can be more helpful. This indexing takes a while—anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days—so be prepared to wait a bit.
Apple Intelligence Only Works on Select iPhones
Remember—even if older iPhones and iPads receive the iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 update, that doesn’t mean all of the new features will be available. Apple Intelligence is still only compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and newer and select iPads, meaning that several artificial intelligence features are unavailable on older devices.
Top New iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Features
Here’s a top-line view of some of the biggest changes coming to iOS and iPadOS 27. The updates are largely the same across both operating systems.
Siri AI and a New Siri App
Courtesy of Apple
Siri is finally becoming “a more capable assistant,” or so Apple claims. The company says this is largely thanks to its third-generation foundation models, developed from the ground up with Google’s Gemini models. However, Apple says it isn’t using Google’s infrastructure to power Siri interactions and that no user data from Siri actions gets shared with Google.
Siri AI has an all-new look when you activate the assistant. It now resembles a glass orb. You can type or talk naturally to Siri, and there’s even a dedicated Siri app where you can revisit previous conversations or pick up where you left off on a different device. Siri is also now in the camera app, giving you a more direct way to start a visual search, much like Google Lens. You can even point the camera at a restaurant bill, and Siri can split the tab between you and your friends.
The assistant understands your personal context, so it can comb through your emails, messages, and photos to find relevant information based on your query. It can then take action on your behalf, whether that’s drafting an email in a specific tone or getting wine recommendations for a particular dish. Siri’s voice is more expressive, but you can also customize the assistant’s voice, its expressiveness, and its pace.
We’ve collated all the new things you can do with Siri AI if you want to try the revamped assistant.
Platform Stability Improvements
Courtesy of Apple
Apple has focused on making iOS run faster in this update. The company says app launches are up to 30 percent faster, newly captured photos in your Photo Library load up to 70 percent faster, and AirDrop transfers are up to 80 percent faster. The iPhone will do a better job switching between Wi-Fi and cellular, so you hopefully won’t have that awkward minute with no service while you wait for your device to switch networks as you leave the house. Many of these upgrades will affect older iPhone models, like the iPhone 11, thanks to a better-optimized CPU Scheduler.
Liquid Glass Refinements
Courtesy of Apple
Hate Liquid Glass? Love Liquid Glass? You have some options to make it work for your tastes in iOS 27. Apple says it has generally updated the design language to improve readability and contrast. App icons are sharper, for example. But you now finally have a slider in the Settings menu that lets you adjust the intensity of the Liquid Glass look, from super clear to more opaque. You can customize this in Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass.
Child Safety Features
Courtesy of Apple
Apple spent a lot of time in the WWDC keynote talking up child safety features in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. A new Setup Assistant lets parents choose system apps and other essential apps for the child when first setting up an Apple device. An Ask to Browse feature means any new websites the kids encounter in Safari get sent to a parent for approval, and a feature called Communication Safety prevents children from seeing nudity or violence in the Messages or FaceTime apps; those are blurred by default.
Android Auto is about to get a useful upgrade to its Google Maps experience. According to 9to5Google, Google has confirmed that the app will soon display your live speed, the posted speed limit, and traffic signals or stop signs, all without an active route selected. Since so much everyday driving happens on short or familiar trips where nobody bothers setting a destination, this update addresses a small but annoying limitation for Android Auto users.
What exactly is changing here?
Until now, seeing your speedometer, speed limit, and road sign alerts on Android Auto required you to actually start navigation to somewhere. That meant if you were just driving around town or heading somewhere routine, you missed out on that information entirely.
Google has now confirmed this limitation is going away, letting these features show up on your dashboard display regardless of whether you’ve typed in a destination. The rollout is happening gradually, so not everyone will see it right away, and there is currently no confirmed timeline for when it reaches all users.
Is anything else going on with the speedometer?
Some Android Auto users recently reported that their speedometer vanished entirely, which caused confusion. Google has confirmed it’s investigating this as a bug rather than an intentional removal of the feature. So while the expansion to work without navigation is a welcome upgrade, it is rolling out alongside an unrelated glitch that Google is still working to fix. For now, drivers should expect a mixed experience depending on their device and app version.
Google recently rolled out a broader Android Auto refresh with a more modern Material 3 Expressive design and glanceable widgets, and it has also been expanding access to Immersive Navigation and the live speedometer to more users running stable versions of the app. Together, these updates point to Google steadily modernizing the entire Android Auto experience.
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