Items tagged with 'sound'
Klipsch Offers Wireless Version Of ProMedia 2.1 Speakers
If you've been around audio for awhile, you definitely know Klipsch. It's a mainstay in the industry, particularly the home A/V market and the PC audio market. Awhile back, the company introduced a set of computer speakers that would change the way people viewed PC speakers: the ProMedia 2.1. It led companies like Logitech... Read More
Case In Point: THX on Wheels
When Graham McKenna, the PR guy at THX, contacted me and asked me if I’d like to borrow a new Lincoln MKT SUV for a few days, I jumped at the chance. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t care a whit about the MKT itself. I wanted to check out how THX and Ford engineered the sound system in the vehicle. When McKenna arrived... Read More
Case In Point: THX on Wheels
I once bought a car because of its sound system...Okay, so I didn’t buy the car only because of the sound system, but it was a key component in my decision making. The car was a Subaru Outback H6-3.O VDC, back in 2001. The car was classic Subaru, spare and lean, all-wheel drive and not very exciting to look at.Then there... Read More
Bose Puts A Hurting On Noise With $300 QuietComfort 15 Headphones
The greatest name in sound? The only name in sound? Yeah, something like that. Whatever Bose's slogan happens to be these days, the company is doing itself proud by introducing yet another glorified set of cans designed to help you tune out mortar fire and crumbling buildings, not to mention airplane noise and rowdy children.Dubbed... Read More
iHome Goes Upscale With Ritzy iP1 iPod/iPhone Dock
iHome has been pushing out iPod and iPhone docks for as long as we can remember. The company has to have literally dozens of options ranging from bottom-end to fairly nice, some of which actually double as alarm clocks. The company's latest, however, is uniquely upscale, with sound from Bongiovi Acoustics and a design that'll... Read More
Bose SoundLink Stereo Streams Tunes Wirelessly
Love 'em or hate 'em, Bose has been making music for years now, and it doesn't sound like the company is planning on slowing down anytime soon. While it has seemingly been quiet on the consumer electronics front of late (after it got done with all of its Apple-related wares), the outfit is introducing an all new system... Read More
Asus Intros Xonar HDAV1.3 Slim Sound Card
Two sound cards in a week -- could it be true? Believe it or not, yes. Just days after Asus introduced its Audiophile Xonar DS 7.1 7.1, the company has unveiled its Xonar HDAV1.3 Slim Sound Card. Described as the planet's first HDMI 1.3 audio card with true Blu-ray audio playback designed to fit HTPCs of all sizes, the... Read More
Asus Xonar Essence STX PCIe Audio Card
Placing a product in the "audiophile" category automatically opens it up for scrutiny of the highest order. The new Asus Xonar Essence STX "headphone amp card for audiophiles" is Asus' latest in a line of audio card offerings that pretty much cover the spectrum of PC audio applications. Asus now offers audio cards designed... Read More
SRS Introduces Premium Sound Suite for PCs
SRS Labs Introduces the Much Anticipated Premium Sound™ Suite for PCs Advanced audio solution delivers a high-quality, immersive audio experience for playback of music, video and game content over any speaker configuration Platform and development support available for immediate implementation on PCs SANTA ANA, CA,... Read More
Feeling Virtual Environments With Ultrasound
Force feedback has become commonplace in today's game controllers. To many, the simulated forces create a more realistic game-play environment. A group of scientists at the University of Tokyo in Japan are on working on a new technology that can potentially allow force feedback-type sensations and controller input without... Read More
Are OEMs Using RIAA-Based Sound Card Drivers?
An interesting new conspiracy theory has arisen today. It appears that several laptop OEMs have been having "issues" with their sound card drivers: specifically, the Stereo Mix option is missing from their drivers, which basically means you can't record audio (except from Mic In). Whoops! Is this a case of Dell and others... Read More
Creative Offers 5.1 Sound Via USB
Creative has just released the USB 2.0-based Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 audio adapter, making it now much simpler to get surround sound on laptops and cramped small-form-factor PCs (LAN party anyone?)--or allaying the fears of those who are hesitant to crack open their systems and start mucking around inside. While... Read More
ASUS Launches Xonar DX PCI-e 7.1 soundcard
Crystal Clear Audio for Gaming and Home Entertainment The ASUS Xonar DX PCI-e 7.1 soundcard delivers 35 times cleaner audio than integrated motherboard solutions FREMONT, CALIFORNIA (March 17, 2008) - Providing an alternative to flat and murky motherboard audio, ASUS, leading manufacturer of high quality computer components,... Read More
Wal-Mart Hears The Sound Of One Hand Clapping
You can't be missed until you go away, but it's unlikely that Wal-Mart's online video download service will be missed even now that it has gone away. Less than a year after it began, Wal-Mart quietly closed it up four days before Christmas. No one even noticed until now. A message at www.walmart.com/videodownloads said... Read More
Vista Team Sounds Off Over Audio Glitches
Glitchy playback in Windows? Yesterday Microsoft tried to give us an explanation of just what's happening, besides, say, the bloated Vista OS. Yesterday, Microsoft's program manager for sound in Windows Vista (what a great title!), Steve Ball, posted a blog entry explaining why audio playback sometimes gets glitchy... Read More
ASUS Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 PCI Sound Card
Asus makes bold claims about their new Xonar sound card being the “best” PC audio card on the market currently. We took the product to task in an effort to prove out these claims. At the very least, perhaps a company with the Hardware and Software Engineering resources that Asus has, can deliver reasonable audio... Read More
ASUS Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 PCI Sound Card
Claiming to be the best at anything is bold. From professional athletes to product manufacturers, stating you or your product is the best out there opens things up for closer scrutiny. Being the best at what you do, or what you make, means near flawless execution. Regardless of the context, one... Read More
New WoW Sound Engine: A Tale Of 2 PCs
World of Warcraft will run just about any PC that has been shipped in the past 5 years. Blizzard has obviously spent a lot of time optimizing the game so that it runs well on even the lowest end PC with integrated graphics, and to be honest it still looks pretty decent at those lower settings. Blizzard has continued to... Read More
VIA and QSound Labs Team Up
VIA and QSound Labs, Inc. Bring Superior Sound Systems to Windows Vista VIA Vinyl Audio and QSound’s QHD enhanced audio capabilities to reach growing Windows PC market Taipei, Taiwan, and Calgary, Canada, 24 September 2007 - VIA Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator of high performance audio silicon, and QSound Labs,... Read More
ASUS To Release PCI-Express Sound Card
Many companies and haven risen to challenge the almighty sound-card maker that we all know as Creative Labs. Sadly, not too many of them have success that lasts more than a generation or so. So who is next and how long will they last? Well the who is ASUS. How long, might be up to debate, but ASUS is a company that has... Read More
Your Opinion Of Apple's Windows 7 FUD Ads?