Brent Butterworth

United States, Washington

Senior Staff Writer at Wirecutter

Articles

Fresh From the Bench: Sony MDR-M1 Closed Monitor Professional Headphones

2 weeks ago | audioxpress.com | Brent Butterworth

Intended to become a new studio stalwart replacing Sony's MDR-7506 headphones, which have been a fixture in recording and radio studios for decades, the new MDR-M1 headphones retail for two and a half times the price. What changed since the beloved 7506 appeared in the market was that headphones have become a larger volume category, and users are much more aware of these product’s failure points, such as non-detachable cables or headbands that wear out too quickly with use.
The Wirecutter Show Episode 37: Level Up Your Sound System

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Christine Clisset |Caira Blackwell |Rosie Guerin |Abigail Keel |Brent Butterworth

Listen and follow The Wirecutter ShowApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio | Other platformsSpeakers don’t have to be complicated. Wirecutter senior audio writer Brent Butterworth tells us about some surprising hacks to improve the sound setup you may already have, and affordable speaker upgrades worthy of consideration.
Would You Shave Your Face, Trim Your Nose Hair, Buff Your Feet, and Brush Your Teeth With the Same Tool? Panasonic Seems to Think So.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

What’s in your bathroom cabinet? Way too much, I bet. Lotions of all sorts. Cologne that someone gave you a decade ago. Travel-size soaps and shampoos acquired through years of business trips and barely remembered vacations. Panasonic has a plan to tidy up everyone’s vanity: the MultiShape grooming system.
How to Start a Podcast for as Little as $0

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

If you have something to say to the world, it’s never been easier: Just start a podcast. Sure, getting your voice out to the entire internet-connected world might seem like a daunting task, but it can be quite simple and cost you literally nothing. Whether you have the personal charm to become the next Marc Maron or can muster the resources for an in-depth, expert examination of a topic—well, that’s up to you. But we can offer advice on how to record it, edit it, and get it onto the internet.
The 5 Best Turntables and Record Players of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

Nov 12, 2024 | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth |Freddy Gerngross

The Fluance RT85N is our favorite turntable under $600 because it’s easy to set up and use, and it sounds great with all types of recordings.
The 5 Best Bookshelf Speakers for Most Stereos | Reviews by Wirecutter

Nov 10, 2024 | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

The Triangle Borea BR03 passive speakers and the Edifier S1000MKII powered speakers are the best we’ve tested under $600.
The 4 Best Soundbars of 2024

Nov 4, 2024 | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

The use of a soundbar is the easiest, most affordable way to get a cinematic surround-sound experience at home, and the excellent sound and simple makeup of the Polk MagniFi Mini AX make it our favorite all-purpose choice—though we have additional picks that suit different budgets and performance priorities.
The 4 Best Beard Trimmers of 2024

Nov 4, 2024 | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

Even though beards have been in vogue for at least a decade, their popularity seems to increase every year. And unless the beard wearer plans to make regular trips to the barber (or his name is Rick Rubin), all of that bristly growth will need frequent trimming. We’ve found that the cordless Philips Norelco Mutigroom 7000 MG7750 is the trimmer best suited to getting most beards looking great. For more-powerful trimming action, consider the Wahl Aqua Blade 9899.
The 4 Best Indoor HDTV Antennas of 2024

Nov 4, 2024 | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

If you live within 20 to 30 miles of a TV transmitter tower, you can probably get most network and local channels by using a good indoor HDTV antenna instead of paying for live-TV service. Any antenna’s ability to pick up a given over-the-air TV channel in a given locale is unpredictable, so we test antennas in a variety of places to gauge average performance.
The 5 Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers of 2024

Nov 4, 2024 | nytimes.com | Brent Butterworth

Portable Bluetooth speakers are the easiest, most affordable way to spread music and podcasts across a room, backyard, or beach blanket. Because these speakers come in a variety of designs and sizes, no model is perfect for every situation—but the excellent sound and rugged design of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 made it the favorite in our tests.