Oriveti is a Hong Kong based personal audio brand that has built a steady presence in the in-ear monitor market with models that focus on balanced tuning and solid build quality at competitive prices. Its products typically sit in the midrange segment, where it competes with brands such as Moondrop, FiiO, and DUNU, all of which target listeners looking for strong performance without moving into flagship pricing.
Against that backdrop, Oriveti has introduced a new sub-brand called bleqk, short for “Basic Line Exquisite Quality Kept,” as part of its expanding IEM lineup. The first model under this label is the Purecaster, an all-metal in-ear monitor that includes interchangeable tuning filters, a single dynamic driver, and a detachable modular cable system. Positioned as a more refined entry point within the company’s range, the Purecaster reflects Oriveti’s effort to balance build quality, tuning flexibility, and everyday usability, without moving into its higher-priced offerings.
About My Preferences: This review is a subjective assessment and reflects my personal listening preferences. I do my best to stay consistent and fair in how I evaluate gear, but bias is part of the process and not something that can be completely removed. With that in mind:
My preferred sound signature includes solid sub bass extension, controlled and textured mid bass, a slightly warm midrange, and a clean, extended treble response.
I have mild sensitivity to treble, especially in the upper regions.
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Testing equipment and standards can be found here.
Oriveti Purecaster Specifications:
Cable: Detachable modular cable with 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm terminations
Driver: Single 12.2mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 112.5 dB/mW at 1 kHz (±3 dB)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Total Harmonic Distortion: Less than 0.08%
Shell Material: CNC machined aluminum
Connector Type: 0.78 mm 2 pin
Build
Photo credit: Resonance Reviews
If there’s one thing that Oriveti knows how to do, it’s work with metal. This IEM is put together quite well, and its CNC’d aluminum shells look great. The solidity of the Purecaster also gives it an excellent hand-feel.
The top of the Purecaster’s shells host its 0.78mm 2-pin sockets. The sockets set in plastic blocks, which in turn are glued flush with the aluminum shell.
The Purecaster’s nozzles are also metal, and secure nicely to the threads cut into the main chassis.
Oriveti went with a well-constructed modular cable for the Purecaster. It features a simple 4-core chain braid and generous strain-relief. It includes metal finishing bits for the termination, Y-splitter, and chin-cinch, which again feel nice in the hand.
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Photo credit: Resonance Reviews
Comfort
Comfort is a metric that relies heavily on factors influenced by your individual ear anatomy. Mileage will vary.
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I had no comfort issues with the Purecaster. It is fairly small and light, and its shell geometry matches up well with my ear. The included cable is likewise quite comfortable. It is reasonably soft while not transmitting very much in the way of microphonics. The Purecaster’s stock eartips are pretty comfortable, but produce an average seal for me.
Accessories
Photo credit: Resonance Reviews
What’s in the Box
Semi hard carrying case
Detachable modular cable (0.78 mm 2 pin)
3.5 mm termination
4.4 mm termination
Six pairs of silicone ear tips
Two pairs of tuning filters
The accessory package is well thought out and covers the essentials. The included silicone tips provide a good seal and remain comfortable during longer listening sessions. The carrying case strikes a practical balance it is compact enough for a pocket, but still has room for the IEM, an extra termination, spare tips, and even a small USB-C DAC.
The only omission is foam ear tips. Given how dependent the tuning is on achieving a proper seal, including at least one set would have made more sense.
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Listening
The Purecaster includes two sets of tuning nozzles: black and silver. The black nozzles shift the tuning toward a brighter presentation, with more energy in the upper frequencies. In practice, that can come across as stiff and sharp, especially on poorly recorded material or at higher volumes. They may appeal to listeners with reduced treble sensitivity or those who prefer a more forward top end, but in my case, the presentation pushed past my comfort threshold.
I spent the majority of my listening time with the silver nozzles, which offer a more balanced and manageable treble response.
With the silver nozzles installed, the Purecaster still leans bright, but the presentation shifts from sharp to more open and airy. There’s a sense of lightness and space rather than outright aggression. The upper treble is reasonably well controlled, with a gradual roll off past 12 kHz that helps avoid an overly metallic or artificial edge.
The midrange tilts toward the upper region, with a noticeable emphasis centered around the 2 to 3 kHz range, which brings vocals and presence forward in the mix.
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By contrast, the Purecaster’s lower mids are slightly recessed, which pulls warmth out of the mix. The bass follows a similar approach. Even with the silver nozzles, it is not forward or particularly punchy. Instead, you get a “HiFi-styled” presentation of “look-don’t-touch” bass. It is there, but only in the academic sense.
Fast, Controlled, and Organic Treble
The Purecaster’s lower-treble captures the edges of hi hats and cymbals well, modeling their decay organically. This is indicative of strong technical abilities, which lines up with the Purecaster’s overall strong layering abilities. It did a great job capturing the metallic edge and fine texture of the guitar and percussion in the intro of “Give Me Novacaine” by Green Day, then maintained strong separation as the track moved into its more chaotic chorus.
Tracks with a big, open sense of space like “Midnight City” by M83 take full advantage of the Purecaster’s spacious upper register, projecting a sense of scale that isn’t all that common among single dynamic driver IEMs. The Purecaster also does a good job resolving the layered textures of the track’s synths, keeping things clear without drifting into sharpness or sibilance.
A Little Too Cleanroom
I can see what Oriveti is aiming for with this midrange: a more neutral presentation that avoids added warmth in favor of a cleaner, HiFi-style tuning. For some listeners, that approach will make a lot of sense. But I tend to prefer a bit more presence in the lower mids, especially with vocal-heavy material. On the Purecaster, male vocals can come across slightly thin due to the upper-midrange emphasis. That tilt pulls some weight out of the lower registers, which can leave tracks like “Get Stoned” by Hinder sounding a bit dry.
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Brighter vocals, especially on atmosphere-heavy tracks, tend to fare much better. The lo fi textures of “back to friends” by sombr come through with a clean, well-defined clarity that stands out given the Purecaster’s price point.
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Albums with warmer mastering also pair well with the Purecaster’s “cleanroom” midrange. “Simple Math” by Manchester Orchestra is a good example, where the added warmth in the mix helps restore some depth and body to the presentation. On “Pale Black Eye,” the muted guitars and measured drum hits come through with a convincing sense of balance and harmonic completeness, reinforcing how dependent the Purecaster can be on track synergy.
The Tight-Pursed Accountant of Bass
The Purecaster has a pretty restrained bass region. It’s tilted towards the sub-bass, leaving the mid-bass fairly flat. This means that the Purecaster is capable of the occasional rumble, but doesn’t punch much. The bass heavy mix of “Derezzed (The Glitch Mob Remix)” by The Glitch Mob manages to pull out a respectable amount of sub bass rumble, but it stops short of delivering real tactility on drum hits. Rock and alternative tracks follow a similar pattern, coming across as fairly neutral and rarely producing a sense of physical impact from the drums.
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That said, its not impossible to come across a strongly-synergistic track, or at least one that lines up well with the Purecaster’s frequency response curve. “It’s Nice to Know You Work Alone” by Silversun Pickups delivers a relatively full presentation of bass guitar and drums on the Purecaster, which helps create a more immersive and deeper sense of soundstage.
Comparisons
Comparisons are selected solely based on what I think is interesting. If you would like me to add more comparisons, feel free to make a request in the comments below.
The Genesis G318s is a single-dynamic IEM from EarAcoustic Audio. The G318s costs $100 more than the Purecaster, coming it at $249. It features solid aluminum shells and a detachable 2-pin cable. The Purecaster has a braided plastic-coated cable with a modular termination, while the G318s features a cloth-coated cable with a fixed 4.4mm termination. I like the Purecaster’s cable and eartips more than the G318s’s, though the G318s has a more-spacious carrying case.
The G318s is a warmer, bassier IEM. Its focus is squarely on delivering comfort and energy without sounding too thick — essentially the inverse of the Purecaster. It delivers an elevated mid and sub-bass region, allowing it to kick and rumble with greater intent and depth than the Purecaster. While the Purecaster can rumble, it does so only on a select few tracks, making it less consistent with electronic genres. The G318s has a flatter lower-midrange and less-emphasized upper-midrange, setting its vocals more towards the center of the stage. The Purecaster has a brighter, more forward upper-register on the whole, allowing it to separate and articulate certain subtle treble-bound textures more-easily than the G318s. The G318s is no slouch in terms of upper-register performance, but the nature of its tuning makes it less likely to bring something subtle far enough in forward to catch a casual-listener’s attention.
Between the two IEMs, I’m choosing the G318s. Its tuning lines up better for my music library and tuning preferences. The extra $100 bump in price, while significant, is one I’m willing to pay to get extra flexibility and tonal completeness. If you’re focusing on price-to-performance, however, you’ll likely want to stick with the Purecaster’s cleaner and brighter tuning style.
The NM25 is an aluminum-shelled IEM featuring a single dynamic driver per-side. It costs $199, making it $50 pricier than the Purecaster. Both IEMs use detachable cables, though the Purecaster’s is thicker and uses a flush connector rather than an extruded one. The Purecaster’s cable is also modular, giving you the option to utilize a 4.4mm termination, should you feel the need. The NM25’s cable is a fixed 3.5mm, but does offer a bit more comfort and ergonomics while on the move. The Purecaster includes a more-usable case that has space for a DAC, while also packing a better selection of stock eartips.
Both the Purecaster and NM25 are bright sounding IEMs, but the NM25 is a bit brighter than the Purecaster, even with its black “treble” nozzles installed. The Purecaster has a similarly-forward upper-midrange, but has a lesser lower-midrange valley. The NM25’s bass is less emphasized than the Purecaster’s bass, and it doesn’t rumble with even a similar level of intensity to the Purecaster. The Purecaster’s mid-bass is likewise a little more-elevated than the NM25’s, delivering a bit more weight in deep string instrumentation and solo-piano performances.
Between the two, I’m selecting the Purecaster. For $50 less, you get better-balanced sound, similar performance, and improved accessories across the board. The NM25’s crucial lack of lower-register emphasis makes it less genre-flexible than the Purecaster, impacting its ability to render atmospheric weight in a variety of tracks that the Purecaster nails.
The Venus is one of my favorite IEMs. It packs a four-driver hybrid configuration in resin shells and costs $168. It also includes a detachable modular cable and comes with a USB-C termination that the Purecaster lacks. The Venus’s stock eartips aren’t anything too special, and are similar in quality to the Purecaster’s eartips. The Purecaster comes with a more-practical and better-protecting case than the Venus does, though the Venus’s case is easier to fit into a tight pocket than the Purecaster’s is.
The Venus is a warmer, more V-shaped IEM than the Purecaster. It features a slightly more-lifted sub-bass and more-substantial mid-bass. The Venus’s lower-mids are thicker and less-recessed than the Purecaster’s are, and it has a similar level of upper-midrange emphasis. The Purecaster has a less-forward lower-treble than the Venus, but picks up a lot of upper-treble energy that the Venus does not have.
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Both IEMs are quite performant, but the Venus manages to arranges cascading and contrasting layers of instrumentation with a level of care and precision that the Purecaster sometimes does not match. Beyond basic separation and articulation, the Venus also brings out more texture and tonal nuance than the Purecaster, and does so more consistently.
If I had to choose between these two IEMs, I’d go with the Venus. Its included USB- -C termination, stronger bass response, and closer alignment with my preferences make for a more immersive listening experience overall. That said, I do not have much sensitivity to 5 kHz or 8 kHz emphasis. If you prefer a leaner presentation or are sensitive to energy in those regions, the Purecaster may be the better fit.
Oriveti Purecaster IEM | Photo credit: Resonance Reviews
The Bottom Line
The Oriveti bleqk Purecaster is a well built, value focused IEM with excellent aluminum shells, a comfortable modular cable, strong layering, clear vocals, and impressive midrange and treble texture. There is a lot here that feels more premium than the price suggests.
The problem is not quality. It is tuning. The Purecaster leans clean, bright, and controlled, with solid sub bass extension but not enough bass weight or lower midrange warmth to make it feel fully grounded. The result is an IEM that sounds detailed and precise, but sometimes too sterile for its own good. The black tuning filter only pushes that brightness further, when a bass focused option would have made far more sense.
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This is a good fit for treble focused listeners, fans of clean dynamic driver IEMs, and anyone who wants a cooler, more detail oriented Hi-Fi presentation with premium build quality. It is not the right choice for bassheads, warmth seekers, or listeners who want a fuller, more relaxed, traditionally fun sound.
Oriveti’s idea behind bleqk makes sense: simple, better built IEMs at accessible pricing. The Purecaster gets the hardware right and comes close on performance. It just needs a little more body, warmth, and mischief in the tuning.
Pros:
All metal shells with a clean, durable finish
Soft, ergonomic cable that is easy to handle
Solid sub bass extension with good reach
Above average layering and instrument separation
Clear, intelligible vocal presentation
Strong midrange and treble texturing
Natural, organic bass tonality
Cons:
Bass lacks emphasis for listeners who prefer a fuller low end
Upper register can sound thin at times
Black filter tuning leans too bright and can become sharp
Unsurprisingly, the few thousand residents of the small community of Saline Township in Washtenaw County, Michigan, were worried about OpenAI and Oracle’s massive new $16 billion Stargate data center. Their concerns covered the usual issues: excessive water usage, the power draw on the regional grid, a huge increase in traffic,… Read Entire Article Source link
from the this-is-why-we-can’t-have-nice-things dept
In late 2023, I wrote a feature for The Verge exploring the FCC’s attempt to stop race and class discrimination in broadband deployment. For decades, big telecoms have not only refused to evenly upgrade broadband in low income and poor areas (despite billions in subsidies for this exact purpose), they’ve provably charged poor and minority neighborhoods significantly more money for worse service.
To be clear: the Biden FCC’s plan didn’tactually stop such discrimination. The previous FCC didn’t even have the moral courage to call out big telecoms with a history of such practices (see: AT&T’s “digital redlining” in cities like Cleveland and Detroit). The FCC simply acknowledged that this discrimination clearly exists and set up a complaint process for consumers who had been discriminated against.
I’m not sure the loophole-filled rules would have ever resulted in meaningful accountability for providers, given holding telecom monopolies accountable has never been a serious priority for either party. But it was at least an acknowledgement that this obvious discrimination exists. For the first time ever. Which was important for what I would hope is obvious reasons.
No longer: the Republican-stocked 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the entire FCC effort in a ruling, stating the FCC exceeded its legal authority by imposing liability for actions resulting in “disparate impact,” instead of merely policing “disparate treatment.” And by extending the complaint process to include subcontractors who help ISPs with deployment:
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“[The FCC] exceeded its statutory authority in two respects that are the core of the final rule—disparate impact liability and the definition of covered entities. We therefore vacate the final rule in its entirety, leaving the FCC with an unfinished obligation to ‘adopt final rules to facilitate equal access to broadband Internet access service’ in compliance with 47 U.S.C. § 1754.”
That resulted in the whole effort being discarded.
The FCC could try to re-establish the rules with a new effort, but that new effort likely wouldn’t survive our new reality created by our corrupt courts dismantling Chevron Deference. Republicans and corporate power have made holding large U.S. companies accountable for almost anything illegal, and it’s still somehow not being talked about enough, given the vast (and quite deadly) looming ramifications.
While the Judges and case intervenors like to put on a very serious adult face and pretend they’re engaging in very serious legalese, the goal here really is no meaningful oversight of telecom monopolies. There’s always something they concoct to suggest the U.S. government can’t engage in basic consumer protection oversight of telecoms. If it wasn’t this, it would be something else.
The impact of this assault on the U.S. federal regulatory state is everywhere you look. Especially in broadband access, where dominant regional monopolies and state and federal regulatory capture (read: corruption) result in spotty access, slow speeds, and abysmal consumer service for everyone. Minorities and marginalized communities just get hit hardest, and usually first.
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The ruling, issued unanimously by three judges appointed by Republican presidents, is a double win for folks like FCC boss Brendan Carr, who likely enjoys both the racism and protecting lumbering telecom monopolies from accountability for decades of predatory behavior. As usual, Carr insisted in a statement that fighting discrimination somehow discriminates against white people:
“Today’s appellate court decision is another common-sense win for nondiscrimination.
…the FCC’s decision to adopt those illegal rules only made it harder for providers to bridge the digital divide and took the FCC’s focus off of our core mission.
Now, the FCC is focused on advancing our Build America Agenda and ensuring that regulated entities do not discriminate, including through our efforts to end invidious forms of DEI discrimination. I commend the appellate court for correcting the FCC’s misguided 2023 decision. The court’s ruling follows the Supreme Court’s decision last week making clear that intentional discrimination is unlawful.”
That is, well, patently false. And weird. And an extremely dystopian inversion of reality by zealots. Consumer groups fighting for equitable and affordable broadband (like Public Knowledge) were, in contrast, not impressed. From Public Knowledge’s Legal Director, John Bergmayer:
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“The practical effect is to eliminate a rule that addresses a documented problem,” he said. “Lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color get slower service, older equipment, and higher prices for the same product their richer neighbors buy. After today, the FCC can act only when it proves a smoking-gun case of conscious bias, which almost never exists in writing.”
Great stuff. Thanks again to all the folks (especially rich Silicon Valley CEOs) who decided that a corrupt kakistocracy at the hands of racist zealots was just what an already struggling America needed.
Sony is partnering with Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. (the parent company of Bandai Namco Entertainment) on a “collaborative pilot initiative” focused on generative AI and its role in the future of video production. AI was a big theme in the company’s latest earnings and corporate strategy presentation, with Sony President and CEO Hiroki Totoki describing the technology as an “amplifier of human imagination and a catalyst for new possibilities,” while insisting that it won’t replace artists or creators.
On the gen AI project with Bandai Namco — which admittedly sounds quite vague and may well not go anywhere — Totoki said the companies have seen “massive gains in speed and productivity per person.” He also highlighted “a lack of consistency and controllability” as an issue for professionals in the space who demand both of these things in their work, but said AI has allowed those involved in the project to achieve a level of sophistication in production that wasn’t previously possible due to time constraints.
Given Bandai Namco’s association with video games, the fact that Totoki didn’t explicitly talk about gaming with regards to the Gen AI project seems a bit odd (then again, it is a thorny topic right now). Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Hideaki Nishino, however, did have a lot to say about how AI in general is being embraced within PlayStation. Nishino said that development cycles — increasingly generation-spanning in the case of first-party PS5 games — can be sped up by AI, while “enabling more creators to enter the market.”
What’s more concerning is Nishino’s admission that AI will create a “meaningful increase in the volume […] of content.” You know: slop. He added that that his company’s studios and IP are committed to ensuring that they only put out “high-quality” games that players come to PlayStation for.
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Nishino talked about how studios like Naughty Dog and Sony’s San Diego Studio have adopted a facial animation tool called Mockingbird, which animates 3D models after they’ve been through performance capture. AI is also helping with hair animation, with models fed videos of real hairstyles and then outputting images with “hundreds of strands” modeled.
“As AI capabilities evolve, the role of our creators will remain unchanged,” Nishino said. “The vision, the design, and the emotional impact of our games will always come from the talent of our studios and performers. AI is meant to augment their capabilities, not replace them.”
AI is also at the heart of the PS5 Pro’s PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaling tool, which was recently updated to be more effective and is now supported in a large number of third- and first-party games. PSSR is almost certain to be a big theme of the PS6 when that rolls around, but you only have to look at the community’s reaction to NVIDIA’s unveiling of DLSS 5 to see what happens when AI upscaling gets a bit too ambitious.
The other half of Sony’s presentation was focused on its gloomy quarterly earnings, in which the company announced a 46 percent downturn in PS5 sales in its fourth fiscal quarter compared to last year. Sony sold just 1.5 million PS5s in the last quarter, and like most large tech companies is currently battling rising costs and memory shortages. The company recently increased the price of its entire console lineup, the second price hike in 12 months.
Longtime Slashdot reader Qbertino writes: The Fehrmarnbelt tunnel is a European construction megaproject building a tunnel between Denmark and Germany, crossing the Fehmarnbelt in the Baltic sea. The first segment of the tunnel has now successfully been placed in its designated spot. This is a yet-unseen, next-level engineering feat achieved by the Danish Sund & Baelt construction company. It took 14 hours and used a massive pontoon ship built specifically for this project.
The tunnel segments are 217 meters long, weigh more than 73,000 metric tons, and have to be placed within a tolerance of 3 mm. The tunnel will eventually consist of 89 of these segments, be 18 km long, and connect the Danish city of Rodby with the German island Fehmarn through five individual tunnel tubes: two for cars, two for trains, and one rescue and maintenance tunnel. Crossing time will be reduced from a 45-minute ferry crossing to seven minutes by train or 10 minutes by car, and cut the travel time between the German city of Hamburg and the Danish capital, Copenhagen, down to 2.5 hours. The project’s planned completion is set for the year 2029. German news Tagesschau has some details and a neat animation, while further details are available from the German tech news site Heise.
There is no denying that drone warfare and the associated technology have become a crucial part of modern warfare. These unmanned flying objects come in various shapes and sizes and can perform a wide variety of tasks — ranging from aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathering to offensive missions such as taking out enemy equipment and engaging enemy soldiers. The top modern-day military powers have a wide array of drones in their repertoire. Yet, even as military drones become more advanced and sophisticated, a surprising trend has emerged: armed forces are increasingly turning to low-cost, low-tech drones capable of threatening vastly more expensive, technologically superior equipment. The most recent example of this is Japan. The country’s defense minister recently met with a start-up that is developing disposable drones made of corrugated cardboard.
The company behind Japan’s disposable cardboard drones is AirKamuy, and the model in question is christened the AirKamuy 150. Very little is known about the drone as far as technical specifications go; however, what is already known is that it can be assembled in under five minutes, is capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/hr (120 mph), has a range of around 50 miles, and can remain airborne for up to 80 minutes. These small drones are shipped flat-packed, which means several units can be packed inside a single standard-sized shipping container.
The most remarkable facet about the AirKamuy 150, however, is its price, which reportedly ranges between $2,000 and $3,000. This is an incredibly low acquisition cost by military standards. To put things into perspective, Iran’s cheap Shahed drones, which gained notoriety in the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, cost anywhere between $20,000 and $50,000 to build.
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Use cases for the AirKamuy 150
Mediaproduction/Getty Images
Given the sheer ease of use and quick deployability of the AirKamuy 150 cardboard drone, it is touted by senior company officials to be used as a swarm drone. For those unaware, the term “swarm drones” is given to large groups of unmanned drones (UAVs) that function as a single coordinated unit to perform various tasks. In military use, drone swarms can be used to conduct precision strikes and electronic warfare without needing the help of more sophisticated and expensive equipment. The drone can also be used for various civil applications, including the transportation of medicines and as part of emergency response mechanisms.
Japan’s defense minister, who was recently seen posing with the drone, also revealed that the country is already considering using AirKamuy’s cardboard drones for the Maritime Self-Defense Force. There is no denying that we know very little about the actual real-world performance of this cardboard drone. However, given the excellent track record of similar low-cost drones in battlefields around the globe, expectations are high as far as the AirKamuy 150 drone is concerned.
AirKamuy’s entry into the world of low-cost, expendable, cardboard drones has definitely attracted global attention. It is quite likely, therefore, that other companies engaged in the design and manufacturing of drones may come up with similar drones in the near future.
The Ikea Varmblixt smart donut lamp takes one of Ikea’s most recognisable designs and gives it a smart home upgrade, without overcomplicating things. It still looks like a glowing sculpture first and a gadget second, which is exactly the point. You’re not getting cutting-edge lighting effects or Hue-level polish, and the brightness won’t carry a whole room, but it’s more about atmosphere than illumination. And for the price, it pulls that off rather nicely, albeit with a few connectivity issues.
Impactful design
Lovely soft glow
Matter over Thread support
Flexible control options
Not very bright
Basic lighting effects
Occasional connectivity hiccups
Pairing quirks
Squirrel Widget
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Key Features
Introduction
Three years on from its original viral moment, the Varmblixt doughnut is back. Only this time it’s gone smart as part of Ikea’s big Matter over Thread push.
The original version made a name for itself as a chunky, glowing orange ring that looked more like modern art than a lamp. This new version dials things back visually with a frosted, matte glass finish, but quietly adds a full smart lighting setup underneath.
It’s the same sculptural design, but now with colour control, dimming, and that all-important cross-platform compatibility thanks to that Matter connectivity.
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Read on for my full Ikea Varmblixt smart lamp review.
Design and placement options
Quite large
Wall or table mount
As mentioned above, it still looks like a big glowing donut. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the finish.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
The original bold orange is gone, replaced with a frosted white glass tube that diffuses light much more softly. You can still make it glow orange if you want, it just doesn’t scream it when switched off.
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Physically, it’s not a small thing. At 30cm across, it’s got real presence. On a wall, that works in its favour. On a table, it can feel a bit like you’ve parked a sculpture where a lamp should be.
It’s designed to do both but the wall mounting does feel like the more natural fit. It looks intentional there. On a sideboard or coffee table, it borders on bulky.
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Installation is refreshingly simple. There’s the normal Ikea flatpack-style instructions in the box but you really won’t need them.
A single screw holds the backplate in place, and the glass ring clips on over the top. That’s it. On a desk it’s obviously even easier than that.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
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The actual light source lives in that backplate; it’s essentially a short light strip wrapped into a circle, with the glass acting purely as a diffuser.
There’s a fabric-style nylon cable running out the bottom, which is a nice touch, and a physical toggle switch tucked underneath for manual control. It does need constant power, so cable management is part of the deal.
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That constant power does mean that it doubles up as a Thread mesh extender too, but more on that in a bit.
Features
Matter compatible
Comes with wireless remote
This is where things get more interesting, and slightly more complicated than you would probably like.
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The lamp ships with a Ikea Bilersa remote, which is actually its own standalone Matter device. That’s both clever and, at times, a bit confusing.
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Out of the box, the remote isn’t paired to the lamp. Pairing them is straightforward (weirdly, it will use Zigbee for this), but there’s a catch. If you then add the lamp to a Matter ecosystem afterwards, it unpairs the remote. Which feels a bit backwards.
Once everything is set up in the default smart-but-not-smart mode, the remote can cycle through 12 preset colours, adjust brightness, and handle basic on and off control.
However, if you bring it into a wider smart home setup by pairing it via Matter, you can reassign it to control pretty much anything; not just limited to the Varmblixt lamp itself.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
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You could, for example, have some button presses assigned for lamp control, but also have some combinations controlling other things like blinds, heating or any other smart home automation.
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The lamp itself is a Matter over Thread device, so it plays nicely with platforms like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, assuming you’ve got a Matter Controller and a Thread Border Router in place.
These are built into a wide range of existing devices like Apple TVs, Echo smart speakers, Google Nest devices, Eero routers and even things like refrigerators, monitors, TVs and soundbars from Samsung.
You can also go down the Ikea route with the Dirigera hub and its app, but unlike some ecosystems, you’re not really unlocking anything dramatically new by doing so. The feature set is fairly basic across the board.
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There are no fancy gradients or dynamic effects here. It’s more old-school smart lighting. Pick a colour, adjust the brightness, maybe tweak the white temperature, and that’s your lot.
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Ikea’s approach is very much part of the company’s wider shift away from Zigbee and towards Matter over Thread.
Pairing is straightforward if you’ve done Matter before. Simply scan the code, pick your platform, and you’re off.
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The lamp supports multi-admin as well, so you can share it across ecosystems without much fuss. In testing, it happily lived inside my Apple Home while also being accessible via Alexa and Home Assistant.
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There’s something quite nice about how flexible it is. You can go full smart home integration, or you can ignore apps entirely and just use the included remote.
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A lot of people will probably do exactly that. Treat it as a “smart-ish” lamp rather than a deeply integrated one.
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Performance
Once set up, the lamp mostly does what you’d expect.
Colours are well judged. Not overly saturated, not washed out. The whites are particularly nice, with a good spread from cooler tones through to warmer, more ambient shades. It works well with adaptive lighting in Apple Home, which helps it blend into a wider setup.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Brightness is limited though. At 180 lumens, this is never going to light up a room. It’s there to create a mood, not replace your ceiling lights.
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Response times, when connected, are quick enough. Commands land fast and transitions are smooth, especially when cycling through colours.
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Connection stability was a bit hit and miss during testing. There were occasional dropouts where it would disappear for a few seconds before coming back online.
Squirrel Widget
Should you buy it?
You want a simple, smart light
Ideal for wall mounting, this smart light adds atmosphere to any room.
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If you want dynamic lighting, gradients or similar, look elsewhere.
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Final Thoughts
The Varmblixt smart donut doesn’t try to compete with feature-heavy rivals, and that’s probably the right call.
It leans into what made the original popular in the first place. A distinctive design that doubles as a light source. The smart features are there to support that, not take over.
If you’re after bright, highly customisable lighting with loads of effects, you’ll still be looking at brands like Philips Hue or Govee. This isn’t that.
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But if you want something that looks good on the wall, adds a bit of atmosphere, and slots into a modern smart home without too much hassle, it’s an easy one to like.
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How We Test
We test every smart light we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
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Used as our main smart light for the review period
Tested for at least a week
We measure the light output from bulbs at different colour temperatures and colours so we can compare light output
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each light is to automate
FAQs
Where can the Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp be mounted?
You can place it on a table (although the light is very wide), or you can wall mount.
Netflix is testing a new AI-powered voice search feature that could finally put an end to endlessly scrolling through menus trying to find something to watch.
As shared by The Verge, the feature is currently rolling out to a small number of users in the US. It lets viewers press the Netflix button on their remote and then ask for recommendations using natural language prompts instead of standard genre searches. Rather than typing in “comedy” or “thriller,” users can say things like “I need a good cry” or “help me stay awake” and get tailored viewing suggestions in response.
According to the publication, the feature is surprisingly good at handling more specific or unusual requests. It surfaces recommendations that feel more thoughtful than the usual algorithm-driven rows most users are used to seeing.
What makes this more interesting, though, is where the feature lives. Instead of relying on Google Assistant, Gemini,Alexa or built-in smart TV search systems, Netflix is keeping the experience inside its own app. That means users can search directly through Netflix’s catalogue without bouncing through a TV platform’s broader voice assistant.
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It’s a subtle move, but an important one. Streaming platforms and smart TV operating systems have increasingly been competing over who controls discovery, recommendations and search. This is especially apparent as AI becomes a bigger part of the TV experience. By building its own native voice assistant, Netflix keeps users inside its ecosystem rather than handing discovery over to Google TV, Roku or Fire TV.
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The feature is still in beta and only available to select users for now. Early testing appears to support Google TV devices, including Chromecast with Google TV and some TCL televisions. However, it reportedly isn’t working on Roku or Amazon Fire TV hardware yet.
Netflix hasn’t said when the feature will expand more broadly, but the direction is pretty clear. Instead of spending 20 minutes scrolling through endless thumbnails before giving up and rewatching The Office, Netflix wants you to simply ask your TV what you’re in the mood for.
Apple’s long-running interest in glasses-free spatial display technology has resurfaced amid supply chain rumours, with a leaker claiming Samsung is developing a holographic panel that component suppliers have informally linked to a future device internally described as a “Spatial iPhone.”
Samsung’s role in this rumour is grounded in part in published research, with its Advanced Institute of Technology publishing a Nature Communications paper in 2020 detailing a steering-backlight unit that expanded holographic video viewing angles by 30 times compared to conventional displays, directly addressing one of the core engineering barriers to viable handheld holography.
The rumoured display, codenamed MH1 or H1, builds on that research by reportedly combining eye-tracking with diffractive beam-steering, a method that uses microscopic structures embedded in the display layer to bend light toward the viewer’s eyes, generating perceived depth without requiring glasses or any external hardware.
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A nano-structured holographic layer integrated into the AMOLED stack would reportedly activate only for specific content rather than running continuously, preserving full 4K resolution for standard tasks and sidestepping the image degradation associated with older lenticular lens-based 3D screens, which sacrificed clarity for the depth effect.
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Apple’s interest in this territory is not new, with the company filing patents for glasses-free autostereoscopic display technology as far back as 2008 and receiving a patent for an interactive holographic display device in 2014, though neither effort resulted in a shipping product.
The MH1 project sits in phase one of research and development, with the leaker placing holographic smartphones broadly in a 2030 timeframe rather than signalling any imminent release from either manufacturer.
A couple weeks back we brought you news of KernelUNO, a command line shell and very simple operating system for the Arduino Uno. It’s a neat idea, so it’s hardly surprising to see someone port it to another microcontroller and add more features.
Here’s [hery-torrado], with KernelESP for the ESP8266, which takes the original idea and adds a web console, scheduled jobs, sensor rules, scripting, NTP, and a JSON API. The networking using the ESP’s built-in WiFi takes the original and makes it significantly more useful.
It’s worth suggesting that the ability to call URLs with GET data to pass things to APIs would be useful on a networked processor too, but this is already so well featured it seems rude to ask for more. Yet again though, this project has given a new life to an old chip, and we think it has a way further to go. Perhaps a port to the ESP32 would allow it to reach its full potential, or maybe for a ridiculously cheap and powerful platform, the CH32 series of chips. We look forward to see what more will come from KernelUNO.
iFi Audio has introduced the ZEN Air Phono 2, an entry-level phono preamp designed for vinyl listeners who need more flexibility and better accuracy than what most built in solutions deliver. Building on the original ZEN Air Phono, this updated model tightens RIAA equalization for improved sonic precision and adds broader cartridge compatibility, supporting both moving magnet and moving coil designs.
The timing makes sense. Vinyl continues to attract new listeners, but the hardware they are plugging into often lags behind. Most budget integrated amplifiers and A/V receivers offer only a basic MM phono stage, and the performance is usually average at best. MC support is almost nonexistent at this level. At the same time, powered Bluetooth speakers rarely include a phono input at all, and the few that do tend to treat it as an afterthought. Products like the ZEN Air Phono 2 fill that gap, giving turntable owners a straightforward way to get proper gain, accurate RIAA playback, and a cleaner signal path without overspending.
The ZEN Air Phono 2
Key Features
MM and MC Cartridge Support: Unlike most stereo and AV receivers that include a basic phono input limited to moving magnet cartridges, the ZEN Air Phono 2 supports both moving magnet and moving coil designs, offering broader compatibility for users who may upgrade cartridges over time.
RIAA Equalization: Vinyl records are cut using inverse RIAA equalization, which must be accurately reversed during playback. The ZEN Air Phono 2 applies iFi Audio’s RIAA curve with a stated +/-0.15 dB tolerance, ensuring proper tonal balance and more accurate reproduction of the original recording.
Adjustable Gain: Turntable cartridges are available in moving magnet and moving coil designs, and while both convert the groove information into an electrical signal, their output levels differ significantly. The ZEN Air Phono 2 includes switchable gain settings to properly match each type, with 40 dB for MM and 64 dB for MC, ensuring appropriate signal level and system compatibility.
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Rumble: Warped records can introduce low frequency noise, often referred to as rumble, during playback. Many phono stages include a subsonic filter to reduce this, but those filters can also affect low frequency information. As a result, some listeners prefer to avoid them, especially if they are concerned about preserving bass response.
Subsonic Filter Design: Since 2012, iFi Audio has addressed this issue with its own subsonic filter design. By accounting for how records are cut and replayed, the circuit treats vertical and lateral groove information differently, targeting warp-related artifacts while aiming to preserve low frequency content and avoid additional phase issues.
Noise: The noise floor of many built in phono stages can be audible even in modest systems, often sitting high enough to mask low level detail in the recording. The result is reduced resolution and a less accurate presentation of the music.
The ZEN Air Phono 2 provides a super-silent noise floor with an EIN (Equivalent Input Noise) of -151dBV. This results in the ZEN Air Phono pushing noise far below the music itself, revealing greater details and subtlety in your favourite records. It achieves this through an innovative high-current power supply design, carefully isolated from the amplification stage.
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Channel Symmetry: The Zen Air Phono 2’s circuitry supports symmetrical channel layout. The ZEN Air Phono 2 offers similar benefits to balanced circuitry, such as lower crosstalk and improved channel separation. This type of circuitry design is very rare in phono stages at this price point – and iFi reinforces this design with premium components, including custom OV series operational amplifiers.
MM (30db ±1dB) 86dB (A-weighted) re 1V MC (64dB ±1dB) 40dB (A-weighted) re 1V
MM (40dB ±1dB):86dB (A-weighted) re 1V MC (64dB ±1dB):82dB (A-weighted) re 1V
EIN (Equivalent Input Noise)
MM 6.5nV | /Hz (unweighted); -126dBV (A-weighted) MC 0.6nV | /Hz (unweighted); -146dBV (A-weighted)
MM 6.5nV | /Hz (unweighted); -130dBV (A-weighted) MC 0.6nV | /Hz (unweighted); -151dBV (A-weighted)
Total Harmonic Distortion
MM <-90dB / 0.005% re 1V MC <-80dB / 0.036% re 1V
MM (40dB ±1dB):86dB (A-weighted) re 1V
MC (64dB ±1dB):82dB (A-weighted) re 1V
Power Requirements
DC 5V/1A (centre +ve)
DC 5V/1A (centre +ve)
Power Consumption
<1.8W
<1.8W
Dimensions
158 x 100 x 35 mm 6.2” x 3.9” x 1.4”
158 x 117 x 35 mm 6.2″ x 4.6″ x 1.4″
Net Weight
323g (0.72 lbs)
320g (0.71 lbs)
The Bottom Line
The ZEN Air Phono 2 lands exactly where it needs to at $129. Its biggest advantage is straightforward: very few phono preamps at this price offer both MM and MC support with usable gain, tighter RIAA accuracy, and a thoughtful approach to noise and rumble. That alone makes it more flexible than most built in phono stages and a lot of entry level outboard options.
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What it doesn’t offer is just as clear. There’s no provision for adjustable cartridge loading, no balanced connections, and only a single set of inputs. Users who need precise control over impedance or more granular gain options for high output or very low output MC cartridges will find the adjustment flexibility limited.
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Who is it for? Anyone running a turntable into a system with a weak or nonexistent phono stage, especially those using powered speakers or budget amplifiers. It also makes sense for listeners planning to step into moving coil cartridges without replacing their entire front end. If your goal is better accuracy, lower noise, and broader compatibility without overspending, this gets you there without unnecessary complexity.
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