NYLON Singapore Holiday Gift Guide 2019: Sounds Good

Listen up, buds. In this day and age, whether you’re at home chilling or out and about running errands, music is everywhere. From the safe, vanilla sounds of elevator music to your favourite pop, techno, rock or indie tracks on Spotify you’ve got yourself grooving to, there’s never a day that goes by without it. So if you consider yourself a true connoisseur of music or you generally enjoy jamming out to your favourite tunes, then it’s only reasonable to invest in pieces that bring joy to your ears. In this roundup, we’ve pooled a list any music lovers will be thrilled to get this Christmas — from your vintage record players to shades that double up as a pair of headphones.

 

 

1. JABRA ELITE 85H HEADPHONES, $428 [GIVEAWAY]

Available at jabra.sg

These smart headphones have something called SmartSound — this technology analyses the sound environment and automatically adjusts noise cancellation according to the preferences you have set within the Jabra Sound+ app. Music settings are also fully customisable so you can go as boomy or sharp as you want. These headphones can also stand the rain (it’s certified rain-resistant), detects when they are on-ear, and come in four cool colours. But take it from us, what you’re paying for is its incredible battery life; it goes 36 hours on a single change with Active Noise Cancelling enabled, and just 15 minutes of charging gives 5 hours of power. Power!

2. ERZETICH AUDIO THALIA HEADPHONES, 599 [GIVEAWAY]

Available at erzetich-audio.com (with free worldwide shipping).

Trust a pair of headphones that’s named after the goddess of festivity to offer up a full, festival sound! Thalia headphones are the brainchild of Blaž Erzetič, who established his audio company in 2012 through his love and early experiences of music in Slovenia. This model gives an immersive audiophile experience with superior sound quality, and in a gorgeous product design that is crafted from high quality wood and durable metals. You won’t find these in Singapore stores (yet), so this makes an especially unique gift for that friend who is as much in love with music gear as the music itself.

3. BOSE AR AUDIO SUNGLASSES, $299

Available at BOSE

Gone are the days where you have to fumble between your shades and your earpiece. With BOSE’s latest invention, fashion meets function with its iconic silhouette in history of BOSE sound. Whoever said you can’t have the best of both worlds obviously hasn’t seen this one yet. 

4. APPLE IPOD TOUCH, $299 (32GB) / $469 (128GB) / $639 (256GB)

Available at Apple

The new 2019 iPod touch is a cool little device that’s small and fun! It comes with up to 256GB of storage space, which is a huge amount for music and games — and that’s really what you want this little gadget for. And when we say “little”, we mean little… this device is 6.1mm thin and weighs a mere 88g (compare this to the iPhone 11 Pro Max that weighs 226g!). For that family member or kid who’s not already on an iPhone, they will LOVE this! It’s everything the iPhone is, but without the ability to put in a SIM card. So technically, as long as the iPod touch has internet connection, you can make FaceTime, WhatsApp and Skype calls. 

5. BANG & OLUFSEN BEOPLAY E6 IN PEONY, $379 [GIVEAWAY]

Available at Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen really do make great-sounding earphones, and ones that are very desirable. The new Beoplay E6 in Peony is part of the brand’s AW19 seasonal collection, and are lightweight, comfortable and secure. We say, spend a bit more on that special someone and pamper her with this luxurious limited edition set.

 

 

6. AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP120-USB PROFESSIONAL DIRECT DRIVE TURNTABLE, $438

Available at Amazon

Vinyl fans, this one’s for you. If you love listening to your favourite tunes with a solid wood base, this record player is sure to find its way to your list of must-haves this Christmas season. With this iconic turntable, enjoy high-fidelity audio of your favourite vinyl records that looks just as good as it sounds.

7. ULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM PORTABLE SPEAKER, $149

Available at Amazon

If you have someone on your Christmas list that lives and breathes music plus the outdoors, we recommend this stylish speaker that has got the goods inside and out. With a 10-hour battery life, music playback range up to 33 m and floats in water, could this waterproof speaker be the perfect outdoor companion? It comes close.

8. MUZEN MUZEN M-BUTTON PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER, $79

Available at TANGS and online at Amazon, stereo.com.sg

This speaker is tiny, we’re talking keychain, fits-in-the-palm-of-your-hand tiny — but that’s not a bad thing! It’s retro-styled, durable, and very compact and portable body almost reminds us of a Walkman, making it a sure hit when you’re just cruising about town. You’ll be getting a loud and crisp sound, plus some decent bass, and really, who doesn’t need a bluetooth speaker right? 

9. CROSLEY OTTO 4-IN-1 TURNTABLE, $239

Available at Swee Lee

Watch your friend’s face light up when unwrapping this versatile music player, which is a bluetooth speaker, radio, and turntable in one beautiful, good-looking, mid century-inspired design. The sound is warm and balanced, and the functional plexiglass lid keeps out dust and can be closed even while playing a vinyl. This really makes the perfect gift for that hipster/old-school/sentimental friend who’s starting to collect vinyls… plus it’s big. And big gifts are always impressive.

10. VINYL ME, PLEASE SUBSCRIPTION, USD108 FOR 3 MONTHS, USD81

Available at vinylmeplease.com

There’s just something about vinyl that turns music into an experience, rather than just background noise. With Vinyl Me, Please, receive an exclusive record every month, based on the genre you enjoy most! Choose from the Classics, Rap & Hip-Hop and the Essentials — you can even change your track every month to suit what you feel like exploring.

 

11. POLAROID 600 CAMERA – MTV STEREO, €159.99

Available at polaroidoriginals.com

Did the Internet kill the video star? Oh, the irony. For the person who still waxes lyrical about MTV at its heyday, they’ll appreciate this analog Polaroid 600 camera, none of that Instax stuff, because this one’s a refurbished vintage model that relives the best 90s experience, complete with eye-popping hues of red, yellow and blue.

12. ROLLING STONE, THE MUSIC TRIVIA GAME WHERE LEGENDS ARE MADE, USD20

Available at Amazon

A music nerd worth his/her salt would ace this game, but to be honest, it doesn’t sound that difficult. This tagline for this game’s “for anyone who’s ever heard a song”, so the bar’s already pretty low for this party game. Basically, each player has 30 seconds to describe, sing and hum the songs of 150 well-known artists from the 80s all the way to the 2010s, all for a rockin’ good time.

13. WANDERLUST & CO. DAYDREAMER GOLD EARRINGS, $80.26

Available at wanderlustandco.com

You know the girl who’s always going for one music festival after another — Ultra, Neon Lights, Good Vibes, Fuji Rock, even Coachella… you name it, she’s been there. Make it an even dreamier experience for her with this pair of stylishly mismatched earrings, part of a The Wanderlust + Co x Tara Milk Tea collab where they’ve put together cascading wishing stars, a crescent moon, and Saturn shapes.

14. SWAROVSKI PLEASANT PIANO NECKLACE, $169

Available at Swarovski

Swarvoski is already one of our favourite destinations for timeless jewellery. This holiday season, hit the right note with their piano-inspired necklace. With all the holiday parties coming up, this gold-tone plated crystal design warrants maximum sparkle. 

15. GIFT REPUBLIC 100 ALBUMS BUCKET LIST POSTER, $31.61

Available at Amazon

A must-have for any music connoisseur, take the time to scratch off each album off this bucket list. We promise you’ll find some really great tunes while you’re at it! Including albums from old favourites like The Who and The Smiths, this is one poster that’ll definitely be up on your wall for a while.

 


For items with the ‘GIVEAWAY’ labels, we’re giving them away in our massive holiday gift guide contests — head over to our Facebook and Instagram pages daily to take part.

More of NYLON’s Holiday Gift Guides, coming soon — stay tuned! Click here to see our full list of gift guides.