With the ability to stream to practically anything, the Victrola Sapphire is shaping up to be the last turntable you’ll need. It’s not available yet, though, and not everyone will want to spend $1,500 for the privilege of owning one. The Sonos-ready Stream Onyx, while not as ubiquitous, is the cheapest model that will let you stream your record collection to all your Sonos speakers while retaining vinyl’s authenticity and character. We’ve seen it fall to $359.99 in the past, but Amazon is establishing a new all-time low at the moment, dropping it to $341.99 ($258 off).
The Stream Onyx is a more affordable alternative to the Stream Carbon, one that lacks the latter’s premium metallic accented finishings and Ortofon Red 2M cartridge. It uses high-quality plastics instead, and comes with either an Audio-Technica AT-VM95E or Ortofon OM5E cartridge (though, it’s impossible to know which before you’ve received it). Either way, the resulting sound should be satisfying enough to make the sharp savings worth the gamble.
Regardless of which model you choose, it’s relatively easy to sync Victrola’s Works with Sonos turntables with your Sonos system and wirelessly beam playback to any of the speakers in your home — all without the need for additional hardware. Plus, you can control the volume of your Sonos system with the Onyx’s excellent light-up dial, even when you’re not using the turntable to play music.
When I was shopping for my first PowerPlay-compatible wireless mouse, my top two choices were the Logitech G903 Hero and the G502 Hero. Even though I’m a lefty, I went with the G502 because my large hands liked its ergonomics a little more, but I would have been just as happy with the ambidextrous G903, especially if I’d gotten it for under $100. That’s an opportunity open to you at Best Buy today, where it’s down to $89.99 ($40 off).
The G903’s 25,600 DPI Hero sensor is largely unnecessary for most people, as it’s often better to stick to lower optical resolution and adjust your sensitivity settings in-game. It’s really the grand sum of all of the parts that wins me over, including its customizable RGB lighting, 11 programmable buttons, and the fact you can easily set up macros thanks to its seamless integration with Logitech’s ever-improving G Hub ecosystem. I almost forgot to mention its 1ms latency, which is as good as you’ll get for a wireless mouse.
And while pricey, adding a PowerPlay mat (currently $108.99 at Amazon) to keep the mouse charged without having to plug it in only aids my goal of eliminating excess hardwiring. Even without the mousepad, you don’t have to worry about charging every day or even every week, as the mouse’s 140-hour battery feels like it can last a month if you don’t spend 12 hours a day at your desk like I do.
