Audio

TDK has announced the release of its Life on Record range. The new line of premium audio gear includes two- and three-speaker Boomboxes and a 360-degree Sound Cube. Each member of the line-up mixes retro styling with modern functionality, and even allows users to plug in an electric guitar or microphone for some play/sing-along fun.  Read More

Getting caught up in the game depends just as much on immersive audio as it does engaging visuals. Gaming specialist Razer reckons that it's come up with a pair of portable gaming speakers that offer listeners room-filling, omnidirectional sonic enjoyment in a very compact package. The new Ferox speakers feature a rising resonance chamber mechanism, which is sure to prove a talking point in addition to providing some bass oomph.  Read More

Rather than sound being pumped out from a loudspeaker in all directions, the Klang speaker concept proposes using a low level ultrasound to direct the audio only where it's required, leaving silence everywhere else. Such a system might allow audio output from a television to be sent to a different place in a room to sound from a hi-fi, allowing each listener to enjoy the experience without inconveniencing the other.  Read More

Retro greasers - it's time to break out your Presley pout and your hot-rodded laptop soundcard for some songs from yesteryear. Blue Microphones wasn't the only manufacturer to reveal a stylish new USB microphone at this year's CES, the Meteor Mic from Samson Technologies also made a special appearance. Featuring the company's largest condenser mic capsule offering CD-quality recording resolution, the utterly gorgeous microphone also sports snazzy fold-up legs that can be adjusted to suit most recording situations.  Read More

Vocalists and acoustic performers need no longer hide their painful envy of guitarists able to plug an electric instrument into an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. IK Multimedia has announced the forthcoming availability of a handheld condenser microphone specifically designed for use with those very Apple devices. The iRig Mic caters for real-time monitoring of recordings and comes shipped with a new vocal processing and recording app, the company's excellent AmpliTube app and a quick audio recording app.  Read More

Blue Microphones has arrived at CES 2011 with two new additions to its high quality recording range. The company's latest desktop microphone, the Yeti Pro, is the first USB unit to combine 24 bit/192 kHz recording resolution with analog XLR output, while the US$69 Mikey external microphone for Flip – which includes a mic input jack – will likely be welcome news for fans of the popular pocket camcorder.  Read More

Japan's CyberStep has announced its expansion into the music business, with the development of the KDJ-ONE portable digital audio workstation (DAW). The device brings a synthesizer, sequencer, and multitrack audio editing into one unit, which sees user interaction via a touchscreen, a keypad, arrow pad and jog control. The mobile DAW is powered by an Atom processor, has included SSD storage and microSD expansion, and benefits from USB and Wireless LAN connectivity.  Read More

There are several options out there when it comes to taking a portable music player in the pool or to the beach. You could opt for a waterproofed iPod or a dedicated player like Speedo's Aquabeat, but if you really want to downsize then Fitness Technologies diminutive UWaterG2 might be worth a look – it's billed as the smallest fully waterproof MP3 player around.  Read More

Schiit Audio is set to release a new headphone amplifier which pumps out ten times the power of a typical model. The Lyr has been principally developed to drive high power orthodynamic headphones coveted by audiophiles for their excellent soundstage, and which require more juice than a personal media player's amp can provide. The power amp also features an adaptive output technology that dynamically adjusts depending on the headphone load.  Read More