Jimmy Fallon thinks these headphones that turn into a speaker are legendary, and he’s not far off
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Ashley Thieme is a staff writer on the Reviews team at Tom’s Guide where she tests out the latest tech so you can know what’s going to be worth your time and money. She has a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Media and Sociology from Cardiff University. She has bylines in titles including Women’s Health UK, sharing the latest health and wellness news stories, and Virgin Radio UK, providing the latest entertainment news and working on celebrity interviews. She has experience reporting on a variety of topics including music, literature, motorsport, entertainment and health. In previously published work, she has reviewed live music events, books, and wellness products. She values the importance of tech enhancing your life rather than taking over, and as a music fanatic, she is always looking for the best way to listen to new music releases. Discovering the top audio equipment that enhances sound quality and provides optimum comfort is what Ashley does best. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys hitting her reading goals on Goodreads by getting into the latest novels with a cup of tea as well as getting out in the Welsh mountains for a good hike on the weekend.
Price: 2.5/5
Sound quality: 3.5/5
Comfort: 4/5
Battery life: 4.5/5
Design: 4/5
Overall score: 3.5/5
Best for: Anyone short on space when travelling
What if you didn’t have to decide between the best headphones or the best Bluetooth speaker when you’re packing? That’s what the TDM. Neo promises with its hybrid design. This device is creating quite the buzz right now. With Jimmy Fallon declaring it “legendary,” and a decent haul of awards at CES 2026, there’s a reason it turns heads.
The innovative design twists the headphones into a Bluetooth speaker, and it features impressive battery life. With the right EQ settings through the companion app, the sound quality can be pretty good too.
However, the price tag is a little steep, the volume is far too quiet, and getting the best positioning for the speaker takes some time. To find out more about the device, keep reading my full TDM. Neo review.
Price
$249 / £249
Weight
12 ounces
Colors
Black, White
Drivers
40mm
Connectivity
Bluetooth 6.0, 3.5mm Aux
Multipoint connectivity
Yes
ANC
No
IP rating
No
Wear detection
No
Codecs
SBC, AAC
Environmental noise cancellation
Yes
The TDM. Neo is an interesting device, and there’s a lot to like. The design is a major talking point here, and for good reason — it’s innovative and very useful. The battery life is very impressive, with up to 200 hours of listening in the headphones configuration, and the companion app makes the sound experience even better.
There’s no denying the design of the TDM. Neo turns heads. The headphones transform into a speaker with a simple twist of the headband. They connect with magnets on the side of the headphones so the speaker holds its shape. To listen to your music with headphones instead, you simply unravel the headphones, and the music mode automatically switches. The device weighs 12 ounces, comfortable enough to wear as headphones and to carry around with you as a speaker.
If you’re pushed for space when packing for a trip, I think the TDM. Neo is the perfect solution. When I’m heading on vacation, I always like to have a speaker with me for my room and a set of headphones for travel, and when trying to pack light, this can prove to be somewhat challenging. I honestly thought this would be just another gimmick, but this headphone/speaker combination is one of the most handy gadgets I’ve ever used.
What’s more impressive than the design is the battery life. If you’re using the TDM. Neo as headphones, you’ll get 200 hours of battery life, and if using it as a speaker, you’ll get 16 hours. Obviously, this is a little trickier to put to the test, as I was switching between the modes regularly while using them.
Other headphones in this price range, such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 , will give you up to 40 hours of listening. The Marshall Milton ANC headphones cost $229 and have upt ot 80 hours of battery life with ANC turned off, so you can find headphones with much higher listening times, meaning the headphones time of the DM. Neo isn’t that impressive, but the speaker time certainly is.
There is a quick charge option to get eight hours of music playback from five minutes of charge. However, it’s not specified whether this is for the headphones or the speaker mode. The battery module is also replaceable, meaning you’re less likely to have to replace the full unit down the line.
Is this the best sound quality of any headphones or speaker I’ve used? Absolutely not. However, the TDM. Neo’s companion app lets you adjust the EQ settings to make the sound much more balanced. To use the custom EQ feature, you need to create an account, or you can choose from one of the six pre-programmed EQs. I used Qobuz , our pick for the best music streaming service for audiophiles, to listen to music with the speaker and headphones.
During my testing, I created an EQ with increased bass and decreased treble. The high-frequency sounds were a bit tinny, so decreasing the treble made the sound much better. I listened to “Roman Holiday” by Fontaines D.C., which is a guitar-heavy track. It generally sounded good, but even with adjustments, the treble sounded a little tinny and clipped. This is fine for casual listening but makes the soundstage feel narrow. But the bass in this song was impressive and guided the rhythm of the track.
I also listened to “If I Get High” by Nothing But Thieves. This track starts off stripped back and slow, with the vocals as the focus. The vocals sounded amazing and clear here, but as the song built, we were met with the tininess again as the drums and cymbals kicked in. Again, the bass guitar shone here, making the sound much fuller.
Finally, I listened to “Witches” by Alice Phoebe Lou, which features shimmering sounds that carried very well, and actually avoided any tinny sounds at all. The vocals here are very delicate, but they were replicated well through the speaker.
I found the sound quality much better as a speaker when the device is in the carry case, as this acts as sound dampening, so the higher frequencies don’t sound as harsh.
Although I mostly like the TDM. Neo, and I love how innovative the design is, there are a few things that are a little annoying. The price tag seems steep; it doesn’t get loud enough, and it needs that Goldilocks positioning to get the sound just right .
The first thing I don’t like about this device is the price tag. The TDM. Neo is available for $249 /£249 from the TDM. online store , but for this price, I would expect premium sound and build, which I don’t feel I got. The sound is certainly good, but is it $250-good? I don’t think so. Instead, you’re getting a budget pair of headphones and a budget speaker but paying for both devices — you’re paying for the convenience of a two-in-one product.
In terms of quality, I’d liken the speaker to cheaper options like the Tozo PE1 , which costs $39. But for around the same price as the TDM. you could get the JBL Charge 6 ($199) that has 28 hours of battery life and louder volume.
If you consider headphones, $249 places you firmly in the premium category. The Marshall Milton headphones cost $229 and have a powerful bass performance, so if the headphones feature on the Neos is what you’ll use most, you should get the Miltons.
The TDM. Neo doesn’t actually get very loud in headphones or speaker mode. When I’m using a speaker, I want to blast my music throughout my whole house, but the sound just doesn't carry.
For massive sound from a small speaker, I’d recommend the Bose SoundLink Micro 2 ($129). This speaker has sound that carries easily and bass that booms when you need it to.
How good the TDM. Neo sounds is highly dependent on its positioning. This is the case for a lot of speakers, but with the twisting nature of the Neo, it’s more important to make sure it’s sat just right. The sound comes from two speakers on either side of where the headphone earcups are folded, so it can’t be placed flat on the table — although this feels most natural. Instead, it needs to be balanced on its side so both speakers are exposed.
This balancing act can feel precarious at times, but with the carry case for the speaker to sit in, you can clip it to something so it’s not touching any surfaces. This is how you’ll get the best sound.
Though I’ve made comparisons to other headphones and speakers throughout this review, it’s not exactly a fair competition. The TDM. Neo gives you the opportunity to have two devices in one, in theory saving some cash, but in doing so, both devices compromise on their overall quality.
With that said, there are a few similar devices on the market, but they’re not as polished as the TDM. version of the device. The HyperGear Flip ($34) headphones have earcups that flip outward to act as external speakers, but the design of the Neo is what makes it so functional.
I think there is a place for the TDM. Neo in most people’s audio setup. The highly innovative design means you get two devices in one, and this is incredibly useful if you’re trying to pack light while traveling. The battery life is impressive too, and you can get good sound quality by making some adjustments in the companion app.
However, I personally think the price tag is a little steep for the quality you’re getting, and the speaker volume doesn’t go high enough for my liking. It’s also annoying that the speaker has to be perfectly balanced to get the best sound, although the carry case and strap make this easier.
Do I think the hybrid device is perfect? No. But do I think we’re now going to see more hybrid audio devices follow in its footsteps? Absolutely!