Accessories

The No. 5909s are the first headphones of any description from Mark Levinson, and the company has elected to take the 'go big or go home' approach. Of the wireless models we've looked at recently, they've all resolutely stuck to sub-£500 price points. This pair blasts through that and comes in just shy of a grand – although perhaps that's to be expected from a company that sells stereo power amplifiers with five-figure tickets.

Better-known to those of a certain age for blowing away the Bauhaus lead-singer with the sound of its iconic cassette tapes, Maxell has since embraced the digital age with gusto. One of its more interesting current products is the MMB300, a multimedia player based around the Android 2.3 operating system.

It wasn't that long ago that the options for upgrading the lighting in your living room or movie den were a) buy more lamps, b) get a dimmer switch or c) re-wire for a complete overhaul. These days, thankfully, you can do so much more, with Wi-Fi networking and app control bringing creativity and customisation. And a smart lighting setup needn't have you calling in an electrician, either.

Many PC owners will be familiar with Nero’s ‘Burning ROM’ – this disc-writing software is, after all, bundled with many drives and PCs. The Nero Multimedia Suite 10 now takes matters on a step further by enabling users to create and organise content as well as commit it to disc. When the software is installed, you’ll find a collection of applications that cover a wide range of tasks including video/photo editing, soundtrack mixing, DVD authoring, video (re)compression, disc-burning and even the backup or recovery of important computer data. Some of these programs link to others, as and when they’re needed.

Netgear, better-known for its NAS boxes and routers, has for some time also been producing network devices of another type – media players. One of its stable is the NeoTV 550, which, thanks to its lack of Android, Boxee, etc, feels reassuringly traditional. It’s not out-dated, though – as well as networked content, the player gives you a choice of some online material, and the ability to feed media into it via USB or SD cards.

If you’ve been looking for a cost-effective way of adding Internet TV, be it catch-up or Video on Demand, to a non-connected telly, then Sky’s new £9.99 Now TV box must seem heaven sent.