A few noteworthy products I recommended earlier this year have been updated or had new models added. I'll highlight them here for holiday shoppers.

Mojawa MOJO2 bone conduction headphones: These headphones are a new version of the top-rated Mojawa bone conduction headphones. They allow you to listen to music and other audio programming without covering your ears, giving you greater awareness of the world around you. The MOJO2 has a new design for significantly better comfort and upgraded sound quality, and they are keeping the discounted Black Friday pricing ($109.99, from $149.99) through the end of the holidays. Mojawa products are sold on Amazon.

ZVOX AV110 Micro Home Theater System: This system takes a tiny ZVOX TV speaker and combines it with a miniature subwoofer that can be placed behind the television to produce full-range sound with surprising bass and sonic impact. It is on sale for the holidays for $119.99, reduced from $249.99. (zvox.com)

Cromify E9000 vacuum sealer: This sealer now has eight modes for dry and wet foods and is a great choice for anyone who wants to store food at optimum freshness, avoid freezer burn or try sous vide cooking. The Cromify E9000 sells for under $50 on Amazon.

Pelican 8QT Personal Cooler: The little brother to Pelican's outstanding 14QT Personal Cooler, the 8-quart version features the same premium-build quality and integrates a removable ice pack. At only $69.95, this is a big bargain over higher-priced competitors. (pelican.com)

Is more always better?

Q: Several years ago you helped me build an audio system. It has an Onkyo TX-8020 stereo receiver, Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB turntable and a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 speakers. The system is in a medium-sized finished basement, and I was thinking of adding two more speakers to the back of the room. Do you think I'd notice an improvement? And, if so, would you advise a certain model of speakers for that?

A: Whenever adding speakers to any system, you always should try to use speakers from the same line, which in your case would be Wharfedale Diamond. They could be bigger or smaller Diamond models, but as long as they all are Diamonds, they will be tonally matched to create the most cohesive, even sound.

That being said, the only way adding two speakers in the back might improve your listening experience is if you had a home theater surround receiver with a music-compatible surround mode. Such processing takes a stereo recording and adds to the sense of depth by extracting and feeding spacial information to the rear channels. Your receiver is a stereo receiver, which means it does not have these processing modes.

Besides, whether it actually is an improvement is debatable. You are modifying the signal from the original intent of the artist and sound engineers, so it is going to be less accurate, regardless of your impressions of the sound. Personally, I have always preferred unprocessed stereo sound.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.