Best of CES 2026: SoundGuys' top audio products from the show

It’s a new year, and with that always comes a brand new CES. SoundGuys was once again on the ground in Las Vegas, checking out all the latest in audio tech at the world’s largest consumer electronics show. After wading through endless booths, dodging enthusiastic marketing pitches, and spending way too much time testing everything we could get our hands on, we’ve narrowed down the standouts. Here’s what made the cut.

Audeze Maxwell 2

The original Audeze Maxwell set a high bar for wireless gaming headsets when it launched, delivering planar magnetic drivers in a package that actually worked for gaming. At CES 2026, Audeze announced the Maxwell 2, and it’s bringing some significant improvements to an already excellent foundation.

The Maxwell 2 refines the original’s design with better weight distribution and improved comfort for long gaming sessions. More importantly, Audeze has addressed one of the few criticisms of the original: battery life. The new model promises extended runtime while maintaining the planar magnetic sound quality that made the Maxwell a favorite among gamers.

What makes this launch particularly interesting is a variant we discovered during our exclusive hands-on: an ANC-equipped version of the Maxwell 2. Active noise cancelation on a planar magnetic gaming headset would be a genuine first in the category.

Razer Project Motoko

Many tech companies at CES seem convinced that AI belongs on your face through smart glasses. Razer thinks they’re wrong about the form factor. Project Motoko —named after the cyborg protagonist from Ghost in the Shell—is Razer’s answer to smart glasses, except it’s a headset with dual first-person-view cameras built into the earcups. The pitch is simple: if you’re going to strap AI-powered cameras to your head anyway, why settle for mediocre audio? The Snapdragon-powered headset works with ChatGPT, Meta AI, Gemini, and Perplexity, with cameras capturing 3K/60 spatial video and dual beamforming microphones positioned underneath each camera. A physical push-to-talk button triggers the AI without constantly broadcasting voice commands.

Unlike many of Razer’s past CES concepts, the company emphasized that Project Motoko is coming to market soon—not just vaporware to gauge interest. The advantage of the headphone form factor is clear: better audio isolation than open-ear smart glasses, and you can actually listen to music while your AI assistant does its thing. Razer has not announced pricing or availability, but the demo unit felt more than halfway to production-ready.

Soundcore Aerofit Pro 2

Anker Soundcore announced the AeroFit 2 Pro at CES 2026, introducing a hybrid design that lets you choose between open-ear awareness and active noise cancelation—no second pair of earbuds required. The adjustable ear hook repositions the drivers from outside your ear canal to create a seal at the entrance, enabling both passive and active noise cancelation when you need it. Two sensors in each earbud detect which mode you’re in and automatically recalibrate the EQ to maintain consistent sound performance. The ear hook offers five adjustment positions (up from four on the AeroFit 2) for finding the perfect fit in both modes.

The tradeoff for this versatility is battery life. Despite using smaller 11.8mm drivers, the AeroFit 2 Pro offers just 7 hours of playback in open-ear mode (5 hours with ANC enabled), compared to the original’s 14 hours. In sealed earbud mode, a six-microphone array and Adaptive ANC 3.0 system dynamically adjusts noise canceling up to 180 times per second.

HyperX and Neurable brain-tracking gaming headset

HyperX partnered with neurotechnology company Neurable to embed EEG sensors into gaming headset earpads that track brain activity in real-time. During my CES demo, Neurable’s “Prime” feature visualized my brain state as swirling dots that concentrated into a focus point as I relaxed. After priming, my reaction time in an FPS aiming test was nearly cut in half, and I hit significantly more targets.

The “Broadcast” feature overlays live brain data during gameplay, showing cognitive speed and a brain health bar that alerts you when fatigue sets in. According to Neurable’s study with semi-pro esports athletes, gamers improved reaction times by 43 milliseconds daily and increased accuracy by 0.53%. Among collegiate players, accuracy rose nearly 3% with 38-millisecond reaction time improvements. HyperX and Neurable haven’t revealed pricing or a release date, but the technology is production-ready from Neurable’s previous MW75 Neuro.

Shokz OpenFit Pro

Shokz has spent years refining the open-ear earbud formula, but the OpenFit Pro represents the company’s most ambitious attempt yet to bridge the gap between ambient awareness and immersive listening. The headline feature is Open-Ear Noise Reduction—something that sounds contradictory but addresses one of the biggest natural trade-offs in the category.

Using a triple-microphone array, the OpenFit Pro monitors environmental noise and dynamically adjusts audio playback to soften background noise without sealing your ear canal. In testing, it works—conversations a few feet away become noticeably quieter, and ambient office or gym noise gets pushed into the background. The downside is a strong pressure sensation or vacuum effect, similar to early ANC implementations.

The OpenFit Pro also addresses stability issues from previous models with refined 0.8mm titanium ear hooks and redesigned contact points featuring rubberized sections. The new dual-diaphragm driver delivers noticeably stronger bass compared to the OpenFit 2+, with improved weight in kick drums and fuller bass lines. Other upgrades include Dolby Atmos with head tracking, and a 10-band custom EQ (up from 5-band).

sensiBel MEMS microphone

sensiBel didn’t bring a consumer product to CES 2026—they brought a technology that could fundamentally change how microphones work. The SBM100B is the world’s first studio-quality optical MEMS microphone, delivering professional-grade audio performance in a package small enough to fit on the tip of your finger.

Traditional MEMS microphones use capacitive or piezoelectric architectures, which inherently limit their dynamic range and noise floor. The SBM100B uses optical MEMS technology, leveraging laser interferometry to detect membrane movement with extreme precision. The result is an 80dB signal-to-noise ratio with an acoustic overload point of 146dB SPL—specs that would be impressive in a large condenser microphone, let alone a MEMS mic.

The implications are significant. Smartphone microphones, laptop mics, conferencing systems, wireless earbuds, and gaming headsets could all benefit from dramatically improved audio capture without increasing size or cost. This is the kind of foundational technology that doesn’t generate immediate consumer excitement but could meaningfully improve audio quality across dozens of product categories over the next few years. If sensiBel’s optical MEMS technology delivers on its promises at scale, we might look back at CES 2026 as the moment microphone technology took a big leap forward.

Edifier M90

Edifier brought a compelling compact speaker system to CES 2026 with the M90, a bi-amped 2.0 setup that punches well above its size class. Measuring just 133mm (W) × 212mm (H) × 225mm (D) per speaker, the M90 delivers 100W RMS total output through 4-inch long-throw aluminum diaphragm mid-bass drivers and 1-inch silk dome tweeters. The system is certified for both Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless, with end-to-end 24-bit/96kHz digital signal processing and bi-amped active crossover for balanced sound.

Connectivity is impressively versatile, including HDMI eARC, optical, USB-C, and AUX inputs, plus a SUB OUT port for external subwoofer connection. Bluetooth 6.0 supports the LDAC codec with transmission rates up to 990 kbps and multipoint connection. Control options include a rear knob, 2.4GHz remote, and the EDIFIER ConneX mobile app with 9-band EQ customization. For a compact desktop or bookshelf speaker system with genuine Hi-Res audio support and extensive connectivity options, the M90 represents strong value in a crowded category.

CES 2026 Breakthrough Awards

Our annual Best of CES awards go to the top-tier products that push the industry forward. But CES isn’t just about the household names and flagship launches—it’s also about the underdogs, the comeback stories, and the products that punch way above their weight class. To make sure those products get some love, we created the Best of CES 2026: Breakthrough Awards.

Below, you’ll find the four CES 2026 Breakthrough Award winners. These are the products that deserve more attention than they got on the show floor.

• LG xboom Blast: LG is making a serious play to re-enter the portable speaker market with this rugged outdoor speaker that delivers 35 hours of playback from its 99Wh battery and 220W output. Military-standard durability testing and thoughtful design touches like the side rope handle make it ideal for beach parties and camping trips.
• JLab JBuds Mini ANC: JLab brings active noise cancelation to its tiny wireless earbuds for the same low price of $40. With a charging case that’s 50% smaller than the already-compact Go POP+ and 6.5 hours per charge. Available in March 2026, the JBuds Mini ANC are perfect for people with small ears.
• EarFun Wave Pro X: The world’s first dual-driver Qualcomm ANC headphones with Auracast support, 100 hours of battery life, and lossless codecs (aptX Lossless, LDAC) at just $129.99. The 8-microphone AI adaptive ANC system took EarFun nearly two years to develop, and it is set to launch in June 2026.
• HAVIT SPACE S1: Built around the reality that Gen Z and Millennials spend 6-8 hours daily wearing headphones to focus and create personal space, the SPACE S1 delivers -45dB AI adaptive ANC, spatial audio, Hi-Res certification with LHDC, and a standout 100 hours of battery life at a fraction of flagship pricing.
• Noise Master Buds 2: India’s leading wearables brand makes a play for the global stage with Master Buds 2, featuring Sound by Bose technology that delivers richer acoustics and deeper bass at $129. Launching globally in February 2026, these buds represent a leap from the original Master Buds with improved spatial precision and intelligent smart features for listening habits.

Which of these products is your favorite? Let us know the top Best of CES 2026 award-winner in the comments below, and stay tuned for more CES coverage!