16 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar: Mac Mini, McIntosh, Sony Bravia and More
Another week down, and per usual, a bunch of new tech and gadgets have been announced. This past week, Apple surprised us with a new Mac mini, McIntosh dropped a $12,500 streaming preamplifier, and Sony revealed an affordable OLED TV — but that is just scratching the surface. Gear Patrol's weekly roundup collects the most interesting new releases and announcements you might have missed, and it is a reminder that the gadget calendar rarely takes a break, even in late August.
The Apple news leads the list. The new Mac mini arrives with either the M6 or M5 Pro chip, continuing the mini's run as the easiest way into Apple silicon desktop performance, while the Mac Studio gets upgraded to M5 Max or M5 Ultra options for pro users who need serious multi-core and graphics headroom. Both are expected to land around the company's September event cycle, and both matter for anyone building a compact creative workstation — a category that overlaps heavily with EDC-adjacent desk setups.
Audio is unusually well represented this week. McIntosh's CS7500 streaming preamplifier is the showpiece at a reported $12,500, blending the brand's signature aesthetic with modern streaming inputs for high-end two-channel systems. At the other end of the price spectrum, the Meze Audio Alba S earbuds come in at around $129 and carry the Romanian brand's reputation for comfortable, musical sound into a more accessible bracket. JBL's Pulse 6 keeps the party going with its signature 360-degree lighting, while Bluesound's Pulse Sub adds wireless bass to the company's multiroom ecosystem. Yamaha rounds out the list with the WXC-70A and WXA-70A, a streaming preamp and integrated amp pair that bring MusicCast streaming to traditional stereo setups.
Televisions and desktop gear fill out the rest. Sony's Bravia 6 is positioned as an affordable OLED option, bringing the brand's picture processing to buyers who balked at premium OLED pricing, and the BenQ iScreenBar offers a practical monitor light for anyone who works late. The Pro-Ject Harley-Davidson turntable is the wildcard: a $3,299 deck dressed in motorcycle-inspired styling that proves the vinyl boom still has room for personality-driven releases.
Compared with the usual flood of incremental refreshes, this week's batch has real range — from a $12,500 preamp to a sub-$150 pair of earbuds. If you have been waiting for a Mac mini upgrade, a budget OLED, or a statement piece for the hi-fi rack, this is a good week to be watching.