TDM Neo review: they twist and shout, but they don't sound good

TDM Neo: Two-minute review If you follow your audio news, no doubt you followed the early-2026 unveiling of the TDM Neo with fascination.

It’s a novel audio gadget: it functions both as a loudspeaker and as a pair of headphones, with a neat twisting mechanism folding it or unfolding it between the two.

Months on, and the TDM Neo has been released, so I naturally made sure to test a pair to see how well they work… and unfortunately, I can’t really recommend it to anyone but collectors of neat knicknacks.

The problem is almost entirely in the audio department: the Neo just doesn’t sound good.

As a pair of headphones it’s okay , but imprecise in a way that many rivals aren’t.

However, when you turn it into a portable speaker, you get a tinny bass-less hiss which even bargain-bin Amazon options beat.

I’ll be forgiving: it’s likely that you can’t get high-tech driver systems in a gadget like this due to its form function.

But at the same time, a valid reason for something bad doesn’t mean it’s not bad.

Pick up something else from our list of the best Bluetooth speakers , I promise you’ll enjoy it more.

Not helping the Neo's case are a few other imprecisions.

Take, for example, the design: the twisting mechanism locks the speaker mostly in place, but not always; it’s a bit loose.

This means you don’t always get a secure fit, and the speaker can be quite wobbly.

Another gripe: there’s a TDM app, but to use some of its key features, you need to make an account.

You can’t just boot up your speaker and change the EQ, without giving over some of your data.