We all know exactly how hard it is to buy presents for loved ones and friends as they all seem to buy what they wish for during the rest of the year, leaving nothing left over for you to buy for them when Christmas arrives. I have put together a small list of the TOP 10 Christmas gift ideas. I think that any of these would go down an absolute storm when unwrapped on the 25th, it also contains some gifts that they definately won’t have already purchased. If you are looking for a Christmas present for your Wife, Husband, Daughter or Son then the below list should help to give you some ideas as to what is avaiable at the moment. The list also contains some funky gadgets for your friends and rest of your family.
1. Lil’ Wiz Bluetooth Portable Rechargeable Loudspeaker – £79.00
The Lil’ Wiz speaker is quite possibly the easiest gift to purchase for anyone. This little bluetooth speaker is the ideal companion for any smartphone or Apple device and wirelessly plays the audio from it, be it music or youtube videos they will all be played through the speaker. I dare anyone to not be impressed by the sonic performance of this speaker and once fitted using the supplied suction cup to a window or table or just placed on a solid surface, the once tinny sound turns into a bass frenzy that will really impress. The Lil’ Wiz is ideal for taking on holiday due to its size and being that it is battery powered can be used outside without the use of any power supply. The ultimate feature on the Lil’ Wiz is that it can be mounted to a car windscreen and used as a bluetooth hands-free kit when using the built in microphone.
2. Audioquest DragonFly USB DAC/Headphone Amplifier – £215.00
The second easiest purchase for anyone for Christmas is the Audioquest DragonFly USB Headphone amplifier. I’m pretty sure that all of your friends, family and loved ones all use computers and some on a daily basis. This is the ultimate accessory for enhancing their listening pleasure, simply plug the DragonFly into a spare USB connection and insert a favourite pair of headphones into the 3.5mm jack output and the sonic performance dramatically changes. Suddenly the music comes alive, the bass is deeper, the treble is sweeter. The DragonFly will bring the worst .mp3s to life and make high definition music sound even more stunning. The DragonFly is a winner of many awards and always achieves high marks in reviews and for very good reason. This is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys listening to music on headphones from their computers.
3. Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones with Mic/Remote – £149.00
Since mid 2011 the B&W C5 has become a very iconic pair of in-ear headphones and offers amazing sound quality at a very reasonable price. Now becoming synonymous with anyone wanting to ditch their supplied smartphone headphones and get better performance the C5’s are fast becoming the ideal partner. Offering a unique “secure loop” cabling system the C5 is ideal for travelling and movement as the earphones stay fixed within the ear. The B&W C5 will greatly improve on any existing “supplied with” headphones, feeding ear lobes with music the way it should be. At just £149 they are the ideal stocking filler for Christmas and being manufactured by the high-end loudspeaker manufacturer B&W you can be sure they will last a lot longer than just Christmas Day. Spares and accessories are also available for these earphones to help keep them as good as new.
4. Bowers & Wilkins P5 On-Ear Headphones with Mic/Remote – £249.00
If you have travelled on public transport in the last 2 years you will have probably seen the P5 headphones being adorned across the top of many a head. The B&W P5 has been B&W’s best selling headphone and for very good reason. Seeking awards and outstanding commendations from some of the most prestigious of reviewers and magazines the world over the Bowers & Wilkins P5 will be the gift to put a smile on anyones face. Offering iconic styling and performance that is hard to beat at this price bracket the P5 is an ideal option to be wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree this year. Is it immoral to buy yourself a Christmas present this year? lol. To keep the P5’s looking as good as new there are spares and accessories available for it such as replacement earpads and leads/cables.
5. Arcam rBlink Wireless Bluetooth® digital-to-analogue converter – £150.00
Arcam are a very highly regarded British HiFi manufacturer and are the same company behind the amazing and What HiFi Award winning rCube portable music system. This little device is the ideal companion for any existing HiFi in order to turn it into a streaming solution amd make it possible to wirelessly play anything stored on a phone straight through it. Using audiophile
class componentry, the Arcam rBlink uses bluetooth technology to communicate with a smartphone or laptop and connected to an auxiliary input on a HiFi system can playback almost CD quality music. The latest Samsung Galaxy S3 contains an Apt-X codec enabling it to connect to the rBlink and offer the highest quality audio transfer possible. This potentially means that with a Premium Spotify account or Premium Rhapsody account on a phone it is possible to potentially play millions upon millions of songs through the HiFi without moving from the armchair. Before purchasing the rBlink as a gift I would try and make sure the person you’re purchasing for has an existing HiFi and a spare auxiliary input……(No, I have no idea how you will find this out without them wanting to know why you’re asking 😛 )
6. Sennheiser HD700 Audiophile Headphones – £599.00
If these headphones were not quite as much money then I would probably have put them higher up on the list, but not everyone is likely to be lucky enough to get a £599 present left for them under the decorated conifer on the 25th (To be honest I think i’m just a little jealous as i’d love to have these for Christmas….living in hope). These headphones are certainly a purchase for the the music lover. The Sennheiser Hd700’s offer unprecendented levels of audio nirvana, borrowing technology from its bigger £1000 brother the HD800’s the HD700 is a great compromise of budget and performance. No-one in their right might would be upset at receiving a pair of these headphones for Christmas. The classy presentation box, the build quality and the design of these headphones pretty much guarantees a very large smile when unwrapped. As with all Sennheiser headphones, earpads, cables and replacement parts are all available for the HD700’s.
7. Bowers & Wilkins A5 AirPlay Wireless Music Speaker System – £399.00
Quite possibly the best selling iPod dock of all time the B&W Zeppelin is going to have to start stepping to one side as B&W have released their latest in music speakers systems. The A5 has taken the lead from the Zeppelin Air and offers AirPlay streaming capabilities straight from the box. Ideal as a standalone system for the home or as a second system for a bedroom the A5 is the ideal candidate. Able to offer amazing sonic performance from its built in and advanced digital signal processing software the A5 will blow anyone away with the audio euphoria is it capable of producing. Available in black with brushed steel accents the A5 screams quality and will sit perfectly on a shelf or table.
8. Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro High Definition Portable Music Player – £549.00
The Colofly C4 Pro is pretty much the ultimate portable music player. Capable of playing high resolution audio files and powering headphones up to circa £1600 the Colorfly will completely immerse the listener into their music whether they are at home or out and about. With a removable SD card and up to 8 hours of playback time the Colorfly can produce absolutely stunning audio that by far surpasses any smartphone or iPod. The Colorfly comes supplied with a high quality leather pouch and is hand manufacturered using the finest quality American Regius Walnut for the case, making it exquisite to hold and handle. This little portable device is the ideal gift for a frequent flyer or someone who enjoys listening to music through their headphones.
9. Grado SR80i Audiophile Headphones – £135.00 £121.50
The Grado SR80i’s are a world class pair of headphones that offer stunning musical reproduction and comfort. At their current price there is not a better over ear headphone out there. Having won countless awards and numerous 5 star reviews means that the SR80i’s are definately a safe purchase. Although the look may not suit everyone the sound should, with its warm, crisp tone enabling the listener to hear all the intricacies in the music and the light weight design making it easy to forget they are being worn. Ideal for use with a smartphone or a dedicated headphone amplifier the SR80i headphones will make for a great present at Christmas or any time of year.
10. Sennheiser Momentum iPod/iPhone Audiophile Headphones – £249.95
Quite possibly the most stylish Sennheiser headphones to date, the Sennheiser Momentum’s have a luxurious feel with their real English leather earpads and stainless steel headband. Sennheiser’s heritage has not been lost with these headphones however, they still sound like Sennheiser headphones, and a high end pair of Sennheiser headphones at that. They are ideal for use on smartphones and come with a 3.5mm jack plug that can be bent in either direction 90 degrees, perfect for when your phone is in your pocket. Personally I think that these headphones look more stunning than the B&W P5 headphones, although of course that is in the eye of the beholder and I also prefer the sound of Sennheiser headphones to B&W. The Momentum headphones are only available through exclusive Sennheiser Partners and are only available for purchase in store.
