Hey musicians and DJs, do you ever feel like your mixer is just a bit too bulky? Do you ever feel like you need to lay down that mix as soon as inspiration strikes, but you're not in the studio? Well, Teenage Engineering has an admittedly pricey but beautiful, petite and elegant solution for you.
The new...Read more...
In the world of high-profile audio, you can easily count the names that everyone knows: Bose, Shure, Pioneer, Sony, Dolby, and perhaps just a handful of others. Sadly, a pioneer in the world of audio has passed away this week, with Ray Dolby leaving behind his wife and two sons at the age of 80. Ray Dolby fired up...Read more...
What separates a premium headset from a blue light special? It's a combination of things, from well designed drivers to comfy ear cups that kiss the sides of your head with a gentle yet firm caress (we're being melodramatic...a little). And then there's the overall feature-set and premium extras like a noise-canceling microphone and 5.1 or...Read more...
If our eyes are the windows to the soul, then what does that make our ears? Doorways to our internal sound stage, that's what. But listen up, it doesn't matter how gnarly the guitar riffs your favorite musician is playing or how intense the in-game effects are, if your headphones aren't up to the task, then you might as well go back to the...Read more...
Although the idea of a 2.1 speaker system isn’t terribly exciting to some users in this era of multi-channel gaming audio and 5.1 channel speaker systems, the technology employed by the Corsair SP2500 2.1 channel speaker system is intriguing. Not only that, but the simple fact of the matter is, most PC users don’t have the right...Read more...
It was back at the Consumer Electronics Show that we first caught a glimpse of the Corsair SP2500 2.1 channel speaker system. Dave and I were traversing the show floor while our compadres Mat and Jennifer were off gallivanting at a few private meetings at some lavish Las Vegas hotels. As we headed straight into the Corsair booth to check out...Read more...
Turtle Beach had a good thing going with the PX5 headset, and they still do. In fact, good is getting even better. The company has just announced the PX5 Advanced Sound Editor, and Dead Space 2 by Visceral Games is the first title to receive a custom developer-made preset list. The idea is simple: the PX5 accepts customized presets based on...Read more...
Is the surround sound system dead? Not quite, but it's not nearly as necessary as it was just five years ago. At that point, running miles of speaker cable around your den was a dreadful requirement to get legitimate surround sound, but audio technologies have evolved quite substantially in the span of just a few...Read more...
Have you ever built your very own PC, piece by piece? If so, there's a good chance that you've heard of Antec. These guys make some of the best PC enclosures and power supplies in the industry, and even if you selected other components, you probably came across Antec gear while shopping. But as the years have flown by, Antec has grown tired...Read more...
If you think PC gamers have an expensive hobby, well, you're right, but holy moly do those $150 headphones feel like Blue Light specials compared to the new Bose A20 Aviation Headset, the latest pair of earbuds aimed at pilots. These things run $1,095, or $995 without the the Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity feature thrown into the mix....Read more...
There's no question that graphics get the bulk of the attention. Be it movies, video games, whatever -- people are really concerned about frame rates and how smooth an image is, but they often overlook the audio that fills in and completes the experience. Logitech has never been a company to overlook that aspect, and they have been providing...Read more...
Bose has never been a company to shy away from the high-end luxury market, despite what the pundits may say. Some slam the company for not publishing very many specifications about their products, but the trick--as they say--is in the sound. The company has today introduced a new Lifestyle V-Class and T-Class product...Read more...
Yamaha has been creating sound bars for years now, and they've been growing increasingly popular in homes where size is a problem. Apartments and one-bedroom studios haven't been able enjoy true surround sound due to the inability to shove 5, 6 or more speakers into their cramped living space. Sound bars have enabled...Read more...
Audio-Technica added to its lineup of QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones with the new ATH-ANC1. These compact, on-ear headphones use Audio-Technica’s active noise-cancelling (ANC) technology to block up to 85% of outside noise. In addition, the headphones are compact and fold for easy storage and travel in...Read more...
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 to develop killer...Read more...
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 with the MKT, I was...Read more...
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 was the tricked out...Read more...
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...Read more...
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 have anyone swooning.The...Read more...
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 today that should catch...Read more...
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 card can actually bitstream...Read more...
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 for gaming to Home...Read more...