I tried headphones that twist into a Bluetooth speaker — and I can't believe I actually loved the idea

The joy of coming out to CES every year is encountering things you've never seen before, and CES 2026 delivered nicely – and one prime example for me was the TDM Neo headphones.

They're not the easiest product to describe, so I hope the image above helps to paint a picture, but here's the deal: this a pair of on-ear wireless headphones that turn into a Bluetooth speaker instantly when you twist them to wrap the headband tightly around the earcups, which magnetically attach to each other.

The end result is a something that looks like an evil cinammon roll, and that instantly starts playing whatever you were listening to on the headphone drivers on a pair of outward-facing bigger speaker drivers instead.

Does it seem gimmicky? Sure – that was certainly my though when I read the press release. But trying it in person, I was actually really won over by the idea, because it's been really well thought-through.

The whole plan is built around having four audio drivers in total. There's a standard headphone driver on the inside of each earcup, and then a larger and more powerful driver on the outside of each earcup, with both being carefully closed and isolated from each other. There are two amplifiers as well – the headphones drivers and speaker drivers have dedicated amps for more appropriate levels of power.

When you twist the headphones to magnetically attach the earcups to each other, this triggers the audio processing to switch amps, and to start playing from the biggers speakers instead of the smaller ones (or vice versa when you untwist).

However, you can use an app to change this behavior to pause your music when you twist instead of switching output, if you want – because you just know that whatever podcast you were listening to will suddenly have a load of swearing right when you switch to the big speaker. This also makes them a good set of commuting headphones, potentially, since they roll up nice and small to put in your bag.

They physical design is smart too – the way you know you've twisted them the correct amount is because the hinges that connect the earcups to the headband will align and lock together. But this isn't just for clarity, it also forms a firm flat platform that you can stand the TDM Neo on when it's in speaker mode, with fully left- and right-firing stereo speakers.

I found them quite comfortable to wear too, albeit for a short period. I've never been a fan of on-ear headphones – I just always find the pressure on my scapha (the broad part of the outer-ear) to be too much – but I found these okay, seemingly helped by the earpad being quite wide and well-cushioned.

TDM said that before they go up for a Kickstarter pre-order, the company is looking to shave a little more weight off them, though I didn't find them too heavy now (though I've certainly tried lighter cans).

Part of that weight will be the hefty battery, which brings a mind-blowing battery life to them. Because the outer speakers require way more power than headphones speakers, these things are loaded with batteries, and it means they can achieve an amazing 200 hours of battery life.

I've seen 100 hours and a little over from some of the best wireless headphones, but this is a new record as far as I'm aware.

In speaker mode, that translates to around 10 hours of use, which is pretty low compared to the best Bluetooth speakers, but – and I'm just checking my notes here – I think is the longest I've heard of for a pair of headphones that twists into a Bluetooth speaker.

I didn't have enough time with them to form any strong opinion about the sound quality, and the busy event I saw them at was pretty much the worst place to try the Bluetooth speaker function – though I think they'll be pretty light on bass, probably unsurprisingly given the design constraints.

The headphones audio sounded pretty good from a short trial, though, and certainly seemed to make up for the lack of bass in the other speakers – they had plenty of low-end oomph, in a good way. The rest of the sound seemed well-balanced, and quite a fun and energy-led presentation overall.

The big downside for me with this fun hybrid is that it doesn't offer active noise cancellation – they're so good for commuting in theory, but I wouldn't want to be without my ANC.

If you're interesting in looking deeper into the TDM Neo, it's due to land on Kickstarter this month, with a planned price of $249 (about £185 / AU$370).

The best Bluetooth speakers for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best Bluetooth speakers
1. Best overall:
JBL Flip 7
2. Best cheap:
JBL Clip 5
3. Best high-end option:
Bang & Olufsen A1 3rd Gen
4. Best party speaker:
Tribit Stormbox Blast 2

The best noise cancelling headphones for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best noise cancelling headphones
1. Best overall:
Sony WH-1000XM6
2. Best mid-range:
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
3. Best under $100/£100:
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
4. Best under $60/£50:
Soundcore Q30

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI. You can also ask us a question about the show in our CES 2026 live Q&A and we’ll do our best to answer it.

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