2022 Christmas Gadget Buying Guide

Peter Donnell / 2 years ago

Creative Live! Mic M3

Creative is pretty much my favourite brand, as I seemingly have more of their stuff around the house than anything else; headphones, in-ear headphones, microphones, soundbars, desktop speakers, the list goes on, it’s all over the place. So, time to add more! The Live! Mic M3 is great for those looking to start streaming, or just want to yell at their mates while gaming, but in much higher and clearer quality than their gaming headset’s built-in mic ever allowed for.

It’s surprisingly compact, but I just love the design of this thing. The oversized mesh front looks great, and it’ll stop you from spitting Doritos all over the microphone.

It’s compatible with standard tripod fittings and comes with easy-to-access controls right on the front, as well as a headphone port for line monitoring.

With dual pickup patterns you could use it to capture your voice, or the whole room; great for recording instruments or an interview.

For more information, please check the official product page here. Available now for just £45.

Creative Zen Hybrid

When it comes time to kick back and relax, I love my Creative headphones. Especially these ones though, as they have some very potent noise cancelling features that mean even sitting on a busy train or worse, in my house while the kids are playing, I can actually get some peace and quiet.

Their superbly stylish with a matte white finish, and come with a slightly tight fitting but very comfortable memory foam fit. The close fit, and closed-back design means the passive noise isolation alone is pretty significant. However, the built-in ANC features take that to the next level. What’s more impressive is how effective it is at this price range, making these a bit of a bargain for travelling headphones.

The battery life is good for up to 27 hours with ANC on, but they can be used in wired mode too should you need it. There’s built-in voice assistant support, and you can use it to make phone calls. They’re perfect for pairing with your Phone, Nintendo Switch and more.