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John Higgins

John Higgins

Senior Editor, A/V

John Higgins is Digital Trends' Senior Editor and section lead for A/V. After receiving his Bachelor in Music with an Audio Production focus from Ithaca College and Master of Music in Keyboard Collaborative Arts from the University of Southern California, he began working for Home Theater Magazine in 2003. His time in the print and online publishing world has been spent as a writer, editor, copy editor, researcher, and test lab technician. Most recently, Higgins was the Managing Editor of Tech at Reviewed, part of the USA Today network, where he led the website's tech coverage. He has previously written for Wirecutter, IGN, Projector Central, T3, Sound & Vision, and Home Theater Magazine covering projectors, televisions, headphones and earbuds, sound bars and speakers, and monitors. He is a yearly attendee at CES and an ISF level 3 certified calibrator.

In addition to his career in publishing, Higgins has been a professional musician since the late 90s, having performed on piano in solo recitals, as a collaborative partner with various singers and instrumentalists, and with the Pacific Symphony. He also is an accomplished guitarist and, with his pop/rock band, has played such hallowed L.A. venues as the Troubadour, Roxy, Viper Room, and House of Blues. For 10 years, he was a teacher and music director at a private school in Los Angeles, and following his teaching career spent some time in the film industry as a post-production sound editor and composer.

Originally from just outside Boston, Higgins has been a Los Angeles resident since 2001 where he lives with his wife, son, two rescue dogs, and parrot. When not working, he spends his time watching TV shows about cooking and serial killers, preparing for his next D&D session, ignoring the growing list of games in his Steam gaming library, and building Legos with his son.

Beats Solo 4.

The Beats Solo 4 are still 50% off for the holidays

The Beats Solo 4 are a great pair of on-ear headphones from an iconic brand, and they're 50% off at multiple retailers for the holidays.
An iPhone 15 Pro Max on a wooden table displaying streaming apps Amazon Music, Qobuz, Apple Music, Tidal, Sonos, and Spotify.

My favorite Dolby Atmos songs from 2024 to add to your playlist

There were lots of excellent songs released in 2024 that deserve to be added to your playlists. Here are some of our favorite Atmos releases.
GoldenEar T66

GoldenEar Speakers joins Paradigm, MartinLogan, and Anthem

GoldenEar Speakers has been acquired by PML Sound International, bringing the audio brand together with Paradigm, MartinLogan, and Anthem.
Sling TV on a TV.

Sling TV celebrates the holidays with a rate increase that goes live today

Effective today, Sling TV prices have increased by $6 per month for all of its packages.
The LG Signature OLED T, with its contrast screen not quite halfway unfurled.

The LG OLED T hits the U.S. and can be yours — for $60,000

The technologically impressive LG Signature OLED T is available at U.S. retailers now for a whopping $60,000.
A family in thier living room, watching an LG QNED TV hanging on the wall.

LG’s new QNED evo TV line has been revealed ahead of CES 2025

LG released details about its new QNED evo lineup that it will unveil at CES 2025 in January.
lg bp620 review blu ray player remote

LG exits Blu-ray player production, but that doesn’t mean discs are dead

While LG is stepping away from the Blu-ray player market, it's not necessarily the doom and gloom some are making it out to be.
The center console touchscreen in a Rivian R1S displaying Dolby Atmos Music tracks on Apple Music.

Dolby Atmos Music in a Rivian R1S is a transformative experience

Many of us spend many hours in our car listening to music. If that listening for everyone was Dolby Atmos in a Rivian R1S, it would be a better world.
Three phone screenshots of Spotify Wrapped 2024 on a yellow background.

Spotify Wrapped 2024: how to find your stats and the new Creator Wrapped

Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here, and it adds an AI podcast to tell you what you've listened to in 2024.
TCL QM89 115-inch

The TCL QM8 will light up your living room and is on sale for Cyber Week

The 2024 TCL QM8 is an excellent midrange mini-LED TV with over 4,000 nits of brightness paired with impressive black levels, and all sizes are on sale during Cyber Week.
An drawn box opening with confetti next to the words Amazon Music 2024 Delivered.

Amazon launches its version of Spotify Wrapped with Amazon Music Delivered 2024

This year, Amazon released its own year-end version of Spotify Wrapped with Amazon Music Delivered 2024.
Panasonic W95A

Panasonic TVs are back in the U.S., and the W95A is still on sale for Cyber Week

Panasonic re-enters the U.S. market with the W95A, one of two new TVs, and it's on sale for Cyber Week.
A hand holding olive colored Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds in their open case above a wooden outdoor table.

My favorite running earbuds, the Jabra Elite 8 Active, are $170 for Cyber Monday

The Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds are the ones I grab when I go out for a run, and on Cyber Monday they're only $170.
LG C4 OLED

The LG C4, one of the best TVs for most people, is over 40% off for Cyber Monday

The LG C4 is the perfect TV for most people. It has gorgeous, inky blacks, great specular highlights. and incredible color accuracy out of the box.
Best TV vs Biggest: Sony A95L & TCL QM8

The Sony A95L delivers the best picture ever, and it’s on sale for Cyber Monday

The Sony A95L QD-OLED is the best-looking TV I've ever seen, and right now it's $500 off for Cyber Monday.
The Roku Channel app on Google TV.

The Roku Channel app gets more functionality on Google TV

The Roku Channel is adding better integration with Google TV to allow its content on the home page.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in Diamond color resting against a headphones stand.

Now is the time to get the best noise-canceling headphones

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones deliver the best noise-canceling you can get in a pair of headphones, beating out Apple and Sony. They are $100 off.
Samsung S90C

The Samsung S90C is the best OLED for the price right now

At only $1,000 for the 65-inch model, the Samsung S90C is an incredible deal worth capitalizing on before its gone.
A TV hanging on a wall displaying the Xumo TV UI.

Is a Xumo TV worth it?

Xumo announced that Hisense TVs with the Xumo TV OS would be available at Target, but are they worth your money?