Nathan, Author at Thumb Culture

5Sep

By NathanNo Comments

Sony WF-C710N Wireless Earbud Review

Alongside their premium products, Sony have an incredible habit of producing top notch audio products at an affordable price too. Let’s see if the Sony WF-C710N True Wireless Earbuds do the same. Clear sound, clear calls, clear design Retailing at £99.99, the WF-C710N are available today from Sony’s official website. Design The Sony WF-C710N are available in 4 different colours. If you’re after a traditional looking earbud that looks like every other one on the market, go for the White, Black or Pink options. However, if you want to hark back to those transparent PlayStation controllers of the past, the Glass Blue option is for you and it’s certainly striking. It reminds me a little of the PS4 Pro 500 Million Edition I was fortunate to own a few years back and I’m all for it. som...

8Aug

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphone Review

Sony have very kindly sent us out their latest premium Bluetooth ANC headphone. Owning and testing quite an array of ANC headphones already myself. I can’t wait to see how the Sony’s compare. Come and join me as we review the highly anticipated Sony WH-1000XM6. The true ANC king The Sony WH-1000XM6 are available today and cost £399/€449/$449/A$699 from their official website. A tad more than the previous XM5, but still rivalling other premium ANC headphones from companies like Bose, Bowers & Wilkins and Sennheiser. Whilst sitting pretty close to offerings from Apple, Dali and Focal if your budget can stretch that little bit further. So, let’s find out if it needs to. Design Upon unboxing, it is clear Sony hasn’t strayed too far from previous iterations. They don’t push the...

23Apr

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Edifier R1 Open-Earbuds Review

Edifier really don’t need any introduction. Here at Thumb Culture, we’re big fans. They seem to be churning out so many new audio devices I’m struggling to keep up! Trying to choose that new set of earbuds though can seem so daunting. There are just so many out there where do you even begin? Thankfully, the Edifier R1 aren’t your run of the mill earbuds. They are open-ear earbuds, at a budget friendly price point of only £59.99. Intrigued? Read on to find out what makes these so unique. Bud-get Smart, Ear-resistible Comfort If you love all things tech and audio, feel free to check out some of our previous hardware reviews here. Design Edifier designs are often wildly varied. They’re not afraid of going bold, as much as they’re happy to offer a traditional aesthetic. The R1 fit...

8Apr

By NathanNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Forecursed – PC Preview

Hide and seek takes a turn in Forecursed by William Van Herck. In this action survivor you can play with up to twelve players across a range of maps and try to survive as your friend hunts you down to pass on the curse. We got the chance to get a couple of TC friends together to try out early access. Hide and seek just because a whole lot whackier You can currently grab Forecursed in Early Access from Steam for £8.50. Let's take a look. Gameplay Forecursed is madness from the get go. Even just loading into the player hub you can waste time flinging yourself across the hanger or dip into the jail to test the curse out. It's a nice little training ground that you can back and forth in with other people in the lobby to figure out the controls. That's not necessary however as the contr...

18Oct

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Hecate GX05 Wireless Gaming Earbuds

Welcome to the Hecate GX05 Ultra Low Latency Wireless Gaming Earbuds review. For those that haven’t heard of Hecate. They are the professional gaming brand of audio company Edifier. So, some pretty high pedigree. Choosing a new set of earbuds can be an absolute nightmare. It really is a minefield out there. But there aren’t many that are specifically labelled as gaming earbuds. So how does the GX05 stack up in this category? Do they warrant the pretty high price tag? Read on to find out what we think. Gamers RGB Delight If you love all things tech and audio, feel free to check out some of our previous hardware reviews here. Design First things first, the design. Edifier isn’t afraid of some bold design choices and the Hecate GX05 is no difference. In fact, it’s quite possibly th...

5Oct

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Edifier W240TN Review

Welcome to the Edifier W240TN True Wireless Noise Cancellation Earbuds review. There seems to be an abundance of wireless earbuds coming to the market right now. No more so than from Edifier themselves. Slotting into the ever-popular midrange price point of only £79.99 do the W240TN earbuds stand out above so much competition? Read on to find out. If like me you love all things audio, feel free to check out some of my previous reviews here. Budget price with big sound Design and Control First things first, the design. Edifier has really broken the mould here. So many earbuds seem to stick with the tried and tested airpods style design. Not Edifier. Available in 3 colours, black, white or the brand new blue. With something resembling a car engine piston, the W240TN look real...

25Jul

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

EPOS H3Pro Hybrid Gaming Headset

EPOS are back, with another H3 headset. This time it’s the EPOS H3Pro Hybrid. With a big price tag comes big features? I previously reviewed the H3 Hybrid (not the pro) and there was a lot to like. They are almost identical so please feel free to check out that review here. This is the 3rd iteration in the H3 line, but does having pro in the name equate to pro performance? Let’s get stuck in to see what the main differences are. Design and Control The packaging on the H3Pro Hybrid is identical to every other EPOS product. The box and foam inside feel premium and match the build and design of all of the EPOS product range. The build quality of the headset just like the H3Hybrid is excellent. Although I will say for this very premium price they still don’t feel as good as the H6Pr...

Austrian Audio PG16 Pro Gaming Headset Review

13Jun

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Austrian Audio PG16 Pro Gaming Headset Review

If you’ve never heard of the Austrian Audio PG16 or even Austrian Audio themselves, don’t worry, neither had I until about a year ago. Made up of a bunch of former AKG personnel after their offices in Vienna closed. Austrian Audio were born. After an overwhelmingly positive first couple of Audiophile grade headphones. Austrian Audio have entered the world of gaming headsets with the PG16 Pro Gaming Headset. Experts in audio equals experts in gaming? Does their wealth of audio expertise transfer into the gaming world? Read on to find out. Design and Control After receiving the Austrian Audio PG16, the packaging instantly looks a little different to other headsets. Coming in a slightly larger box wrapped in a bespoke Austrian Audio velcro strap, it definitely stands out. When o...

EPOS H6PRO Open Acoustic Gaming Headset Review

22Nov

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

EPOS H6PRO Open Acoustic Gaming Headset Review

I’m fast becoming a big fan of EPOS and their audio products and they’re back with the EPOS H6PRO. This time it’s a premium no-frills plug and play gaming headset. Can the lack of features justify the price tag? Read on to find out how it performs. Feel free to check out my previous review of the multi-connection EPOS H3 Hybrid Gaming Headset here. No Frills All Thrills Audio Design and Control When first opening the packaging on the EPOS H6PRO you're greeted with a very simple but lovely presentation. The headset is encased in a super soft black foam and everything about it looks and feels premium. It's only when taking the headset out and holding it you can feel the difference between the H6PRO and the H3 Hybrid. The EPOS H6PRO oozes class and just feels super premium. I thoug...

25Oct

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

EPOS H3 Hybrid Gaming Headset Review

After the de-merging of Sennheiser Communications and Demant Group last year, EPOS was created. Now wholly owned by Demant Group and using the same experienced team and facilities as before. Can EPOS carry on delivering outstanding gaming headsets? Read on to find out as we take a look at the EPOS H3 Hybrid Closed Acoustic Gaming Headset Hybrid audio in a hybrid era Design and Control When first opening the packaging and holding the headset, its clear to see visually the H3 Hybrid is very similar to past EPOS | Sennheiser ventures. I personally own 3 sets of Sennheisers across different price brackets so I was very intrigued to see how the EPOS H3 Hybrid compares. The build quality really is excellent. They feel lightweight at only 298g with the microphone attached and 278g without...