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TDM Neo Hybrid Headphones Review: Two-in-One Woes
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Unveiled at CES 2026, the TDM Neo is a pair of on-ear headphones that transform into a Bluetooth speaker. It caught the imagination of the attending media, won a handful of awards, and inspired countless column inches.
Given the current state of the portable audio industry, it's easy to understand why. Most designs seem to revolve around incremental updates and new colorways rather than genuine technical innovation. Neo is an exciting alternative, and it’s little wonder the startup brand went on to smash its Kickstarter targets.
I’ve spent the past couple of weeks listening to the headphones and Bluetooth speaker, and have lost count of the number of times I’ve showed off the clever twist-and-fold mechanism to friends. But has TDM managed to produce a genuine tech twofer, or designed a novelty product that gives you the worst of both worlds?
The twist-and-fold mechanism on the Neo is clever and addictive. Rotate the ear cups around the cushioned but flexible headband, bring them together, and strong magnets snap everything firmly in place. Once connected, the headphone drivers disable, and the outward-facing Bluetooth speakers kick in. Twist them apart and you've got your headphones back.
It’s innovative, and the engineering is impressive. Once in speaker mode, the two rubber TDM logos sit closely together and form a protective base, while the asymmetrical twisted headband cocoons the ear cups together. It works well—it never once popped open accidentally. The action is smooth, the connection reassuringly solid, and switching between modes works exactly as intended.
The Neo has four 40-mm drivers—two for the headphones and two for the speakers. The outward-facing speakers are each rated at 5 watts (for a total of 10). Ten watts is not a lot for a modern Bluetooth speaker, but wattage doesn't automatically tell you how loud or good a speaker will sound, especially in the current age of digital signal processing. The highly regarded $55 JBL Go 5 has just 4.5 watts of output, for instance.
Battery life is quoted at more than 200 hours for headphones and 16 hours in speaker mode, which is pretty impressive, and a quick five-minute charge gives you an extra eight hours.
[INSERT GROUP ASSETS: Left: TDM Neo app screengrab EQ. Right. TDM Neo app screen grab.]
On-device control is basic but effective, with rubber power and volume buttons together, and a separate one for Bluetooth. One quirk of the twist design is that in speaker mode the volume button is inverted, and on first use I instinctively turned the volume down instead of up. The power and 3.5-mm AUX input are also left facing up, rather than being hidden from view. This also means the USB-C cable sticks out the top—not the most aesthetic solution.
The TDM companion app allows you to customize what happens when the headphones are twisted. You can switch between headphone and speaker playback, pause the music, or power off. You can also lock them in speaker mode to listen with the Neo around your neck, but please, if you have any love for your fellow commuters, don’t do this on the train. There’s also basic EQ settings for both sets of speakers and Find My–style device tracking too.