Beyond the Binge: Buying for the Netflix Power User

It is December 27, 2025. The wrapping paper has been shredded, the leftovers are dwindling, and we have collectively entered that strange, timeless void between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. If you’re like me, you’re not planning to leave the house. You’re planning to hibernate.

WIRED just dropped their list of the 48 best shows on Netflix for this month, and looking at the lineup—Stranger Things, the animated Tomb Raider, and the moody breakout City of Shadows—it’s clear that streaming isn't just a pastime right now; it’s the primary activity.

But here’s the thing: most home setups are terrible. We watch cinematic masterpieces on uncalibrated screens with tinny TV speakers, shivering under thin throw blankets. If you have gift cards burning a hole in your pocket, or you’re looking for a late gift for the professional couch potato in your life, don’t buy them merchandise. Don’t buy a Funko Pop. Buy them the gear that actually makes the experience better.

Here is how to translate the current streaming charts into products that are actually worth your money.

For the Stranger Things Loyalist: Audio That Isn't Garbage

Let’s be honest: Stranger Things is 50% plot and 50% synthesizer. If you are watching the Hawkins gang save the world through the down-firing speakers of a flat-screen TV, you are doing it wrong. The sound design is dense, retro, and crucial.

For years, I’ve told people to stop buying cheap soundbars that promise "surround sound" for $99. They lie. Instead, look at the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). It’s compact enough that it doesn’t dominate a living room, but it handles dialogue clarity better than almost anything else in its class. You actually hear what the characters are whispering without having to ride the volume remote every time an explosion happens.

If you want something more personal—say, for the viewer watching on a tablet in bed—skip the budget earbuds. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are still the king of noise cancellation. I’ve worn these on long-haul flights and during loud construction next door; they create a bubble of silence that lets the synth-wave soundtracks shine. They aren't cheap, but they last.