Audio

Hi-Fido speaker - its bark is worse than its bite

By Darren Quick

20:48 February 8, 2010 PST

Product designer Matteo Cibic has come up with a very distinctive desktop speaker in the aptly named Hi-Fido. Shaped like a headless dog wearing an Elizabethan collar, Hi-Fido sports a 150-watt speaker that “uses the acoustic properties of ceramic to diffuse the high quality sound with a bass reflex system”. Read More

VESA announces DisplayPort v1.2

By Mick Webb

20:16 January 22, 2010 PST

The Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) has unveiled the long awaited DisplayPort Version1.2 digital display interface that brings with it a host of enhanced features. Aside from a doubled data rate of 21.6Gbps and bi-directional USB data transfer of an impressive 720Mbps, the upgrade also offers multi – monitor support from a single plug, improved audio synchronization and support for Full HD 3D Stereoscopic displays. Read More

Ultimate Ears six driver per ear monitors

By Paul Ridden

02:19 January 19, 2010 PST

Logitech's in-ear monitor maker, Ultimate Ears, has announced the forthcoming release of a new member of its professional audio family - the UE 18 Pro six high fidelity speakers per bud, noise canceling monitors. Aimed at professional musicians or dedicated quality-at-any-cost music lovers, the earphones on steroids are claimed to give the user crystal clear sounds across the whole frequency range. Read More

Monster debuts world's fastest HDMI cable and 3.5mm superthin cable

By Karen Sprey

13:43 January 10, 2010 PST

Monster announced two additions to its cable products and a new home networking solution at CES this week. On the cable front, the “future ready” M Series M2000 Hyper-Speed Cable for HDMI is the world’s fastest at a blistering 21 Gigabits per second, while the near invisible 3.5mm SuperThin Cable for Mini HDMI has been specifically designed for use with the latest HDMI enabled digital cameras and camcorders. The Powernet 1G with PowerLine Communication (PLC) technology

instantly turns a home's electrical wiring system into a high speed Ethernet network. Read More

Rumble while you rock - the XRocker Vibe platform for Guitar Hero and Rock Band

By Mick Webb

19:26 January 9, 2010 PST

For those avid Guitar Hero and Rock Band players who love to immerse themselves in their rock n’ roll experience as much as possible, the XRocker Vibe platform will come as a welcome addition to their accessory collection.. Seen at this weeks CES, the platform is designed to be stood upon while a player shreds away to their favorite rock classic, all the while emitting rumbles of base through the players body as funky LED’s flash to the rhythm of the music. Read More

Hear music the way you should with Monster (and a little help from Dr Dre and Sean “Diddy” Coombs)

By Karen Sprey

17:08 January 9, 2010 PST

If you’re looking for new headphones the path to aural nirvana may be as close as one of the new models announced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Monster, in conjunction with Dr Dre, Sean “Diddy” Coombs and Miles Davis Properties introduced the Diddy Beats, Beats Solo HD, Special Edition Beats Solo HD, Beats Spin, and Miles Davis Tribute. Read More

Klipsch remote-controlled LightSpeaker – let there be light…and sound

By Jude Garvey

21:07 January 8, 2010 PST

A clever idea that meets both your lighting and audio requirements has won a coveted 2010 CES Innovations Award. The Klipsch LightSpeaker unit combines an efficient LED light with a wireless 20 watt speaker that can be screwed – just like a light globe - into an existing downlight fixture. This means consumers can illuminate their rooms and listen to music from an MP3 player or laptop throughout their house without having to cut unsightly holes in their ceiling to install standard speakers. Read More

Sennheiser and Adidas launch Sports earphone range for active audiophiles

By Alan Brandon

13:56 January 8, 2010 PST

Audio manufacturer Sennheiser and sporting goods giant Adidas have collaborated on a new line of athletics-oriented headphones. Called simply the Sports line, the product range includes four models of rugged sweat- and water-proof headphones designed to fit whatever type of sports activity you are into. Read More

Yurbuds - custom earbuds that stay put

By Alan Brandon

19:42 January 7, 2010 PST

A common problem with most MP3 players, portable game systems, and Bluetooth headsets is earbuds that don’t stay in your ear. Many earpieces, like the ubiquitous white iPod earbuds, are designed to be “one-size-fits-all” but simply do not stay put when you’re exercising, gaming, or walking through the airport. Yurtopia aims to fix that problem with their Yurbuds custom-sized earbud enhancers. Read More

3rd gen iPod shuffle gets internal waterproofing

By Paul Ridden

15:06 December 13, 2009 PST

Just a few weeks ago Swimman announced that it had waterproofed the in-line controller on Apple's proprietary earphones for the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. Now the company has turned its attention to the device itself, protecting it from water damage to a depth of 25 feet without adding weight or bulk. Read More

Multimedia on the move - the JVC Kenwood AVENUE MDV-313 navigation system

By Mick Webb

15:03 December 6, 2009 PST

JVC and Kenwood has produced its first in-car navigation system since last years merger and it certainly offers more than directions for getting from A to B. As well as boasting virtual 3D maps and fast response times, the AVENUE MDV-313 features a 6.1” touchscreen LED backlit display, integrated DVD player and TV tuner, as well as USB and SD card slots and optional iPod connectivity. Read More

Sound, light, water all merge in Spica loudspeaker

By Paul Ridden

15:29 December 1, 2009 PST

Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo and also the inspiration for this visual loudspeaker lamp system where sound vibrations force illuminated liquid within a transparent tube to dance to the music and makes the spectrum analyzer on my hi-fi appear somewhat dull by comparison. Read More

Bowers & Wilkins deliciously gorgeous MM-1 computer speakers

By Paul Ridden

13:27 November 19, 2009 PST

The makers of the award-winning Zeppelin ipod dock will shortly release some true hi-fi quality computer speakers which break away from reliance on the output capabilities of a system soundcard and connect via high speed USB instead. Boasting a frequency range of -6dB at 57Hz and 22kHz, outputting audio at 4 times 18W and incorporating music studio technology, the fully active MM-1 system could be just what audiophile deskbound digital music junkies have been waiting for. Read More

The Vega touchscreen tablet from ICD

By Paul Ridden

14:21 November 17, 2009 PST

Innovative Converged Devices (ICD) has unveiled its new Vega 15 inch touchscreen tablet, an Android-powered communication and media device that features wireless 802.11b/g, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, a Tegra combined application and graphics processor from NVIDIA, an ambient light sensor and accelerometer. Read More

The Wall of Sound: the world's most powerful iPod dock unleashed

By Paul Ridden

02:51 November 5, 2009 PST

In a world where miniaturization rules the roost, it's refreshing to see some things getting bigger and bigger. Just last week we featured Regen's enormous ReVerb iPod dock which stands tall and slim at 35 inches (90cm). Now from Sweden comes the colossal 37.5 x 49 x 12 inch (95cm x 125cm x 30cm) "Wall of Sound", which can boom out 125 Watts of ground-shaking, tube-driven audio from its 28 speakers. Read More

I am what I am, I’m Popeye the audio-visual robot

By Darren Quick

22:12 November 3, 2009 PST

The ease with which human beings make sense of their environment through a range of sensory signals belies the complex processing involved. Approaches to give robots the same purposeful perception we take for granted have typically involved studying visual and auditory processes independently. By combining data from both sound and vision European researchers have developed technology that could facilitate robotic understanding and responses to human behavior and even conversations, bringing us closer to a future where humanoid robots can act as guides, mix with people, or use perception to infer appropriate actions. Read More

Google rolls out new music search

By Paul Ridden

16:12 November 3, 2009 PST

Google latest innovation has taken the power of its search engine and our insatiable lust for music and combined the two. Those lucky enough to live Stateside can now enter an artist, song title or lyric into Google's normal search window and the first results offered will link to audio previews, information and details of how to buy. Read More

ReVerb's 3-foot tall, solar powered iPod dock

By Paul Ridden

19:09 October 29, 2009 PDT

Of the myriad of iPod docking stations available, the ReVerb iPod dock from Regen looks set to tower above the rest - literally. At just over 35 inches (90cm) in height, this dock is not going to fit on your bedside cabinet. It will kick out an equivalent of a room-filling 60 watts, includes a backlit LCD display and features an integrated photovoltaic panel to draw energy from the sun. Read More

Portable power - the Bose SoundDock 10 digital music system

By Mick Webb

17:55 October 26, 2009 PDT

As the number of music-lovers who find their collections bundled snugly into the confines of an iPod continues to grow, so too does the number of increasingly more powerful docking stations that appear on the market to play those tunes aloud. One of the latest additions to the party, the SoundDock 10, comes with a promise from Bose that it delivers quality sound from a minimalist package. The SoundDock 10 features a newly-designed subwoofer, audio input and video output as well as optional Bluetooth capability. Read More

Take your iPod nano videos to a wider audience with the VideoBuddy AV out adapter

By Darren Quick

18:27 October 7, 2009 PDT

Owners of the new iPod nano 5G will no doubt be racking up hours of video footage by now and looking to inflict - I mean, share - their videos with all and sundry. While the nano’s 2.2-inch display might be ok “on the set”, nothing beats a TV to demand everyone’s attention. If you don’t have Apple TV, or don’t want to waste time turning on your computer to go through iTunes lest your audience disappear, GEAR4 have the perfect solution in the form of the VideoBuddy – a compact Audio Video (AV) kit that connects to the iPod nano dock connector and links to a TV via an RCA cable. Read More

Creative gets in touch with ZEN X-Fi2 PMP

By Mick Webb

10:32 September 29, 2009 PDT

Creative's latest personal media player - the ZEN X-Fi2 - is the company's first full touch screen offering and features a 3” screen with a simplified navigational menu in landscape format, X-Fi sound enhancement and a TV-out connection for viewing video and photos on the big screen in a package that weighs just 75g. Read More

Video: Laser/smoke microphone promises the world's most accurate sound capture

By Loz Blain

06:41 September 23, 2009 PDT

The quest for ever more realistic sound reproduction seems set to move to a whole new level. Traditional microphones convert sound to electrical signals by measuring the deflections that sound vibrations cause in a diaphragm. But each diaphragm has its own weight, inertia and resistance, which colors the sound that gets recorded. So American digital audio pioneer David Schwartz, who invented the MP3 sound format, has come up with a novel new type of microphone that virtually eliminates the microphone's mechanical interference with the sound. The laser/smoke microphone uses a laser to measure the deflections that sound makes in a steady stream of smoke - which is virtually weightless. Prepare for a new wave of high-fidelity microphone technology. Read More

Tested: Sennheiser HD 800 vs beyerdynamic T1 audiophile headphones

By Tim Hanlon

06:46 September 17, 2009 PDT

At IFA earlier in the month I had the opportunity to test a pair of Sennheiser's HD 800s and beyerdynamic's newly-announced T1 headphones, neither of which are your average set of headphones. Both are their respective companies' flagship products, and represent extensive research and development, the goal of which is to reproduce the source material as accurately and naturally as possible. And they don't come cheap - starting at around $1,300 US dollars. Read More

Apple's iPod nano 5G gets a camera

By Darren Quick

22:29 September 9, 2009 PDT

Apple added a number of updates to various iPod models at its Rock and Roll event. The iPod that sported the most obvious changes was undoubtedly the nano, which now includes a built-in video camera, a much anticipated FM radio, and built-in pedometer. The new 5G nano also features a slightly (0.2-inches) larger 2.2-inch display, and built-in microphone and speaker, which means watching those newly recorded videos need not be a solitary affair. Read More

The Olympus LS-11 portable audio recorder

By Darren Quick

01:13 September 9, 2009 PDT

IFA brought us the Olympus LS-10 last year, so it’s only fitting that IFA 2009 saw Olympus touting the imminent arrival of the LS-11, a feature-packed audio recorder that fits in the palm of a hand and boasts sampling rates of up to 24-bit/96kHz with PCM recording. It also gives users a choice of three file formats – WMA, MP3, and WAV – and even allows sound files to be edited in the device. Read More