Headphones

When you think of headphones, no matter what comes to mind, it's likely a set that fit inside or on top of your ears. There is another way however - headphones that transmit sound through your cheekbones using bone conduction. Initially developed for military use, we've seen a few examples of this technology before in headphones, waterproof MP3 players and even mobile phones and the latest to cross our desk - Aftershokz Bone Conduction Headphones - will be on show at CES next week. Read More

Working from the premise that very few people use drawstrings on their hoodies, HB3Labs has developed Hoodiebuddie - a lineup of garments that integrates earbuds into the end of the drawstrings and a 3.5 mm headphone jack in front pocket. Read More

Motorola Mobility has launched MOTOACTV, the company's first music and fitness device. Designed to help you reach your fitness goals by tracking, syncing and recording your workout data and customizing your music, the Blutetooth-enabled MOTOACTV logs time, distance traveled and calories burned and has an inbuilt heart rate monitor, accelerometer and a GPS which records a map of your routes. Read More

After investing in a powerful gaming computer for yourself and a console for the family, you may not have enough cash left to grab yourself a set of Tiamat 7.1 or Psyko 5.1 gaming headphones to allow the game to continue while others are gathered around the TV. Speedlink has just announced a possible solution to your cashflow woes - the new XANTHOS Stereo Console Gaming Headset is not only compatible with three gaming platforms, there's a handy fold-away microphone boom for in-game chat. Read More

How many people out there like headphone cords? Probably not a great number, but audiophiles will tell you that hard-wired headphones offer far superior sound quality than their wireless counterparts. Sennheiser, however, would have us believe otherwise. The company states that thanks to its Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technique, its new RS 220 wireless headphones sound like they’ve got a cord coming out of ‘em. Read More

Razer has announced its Tiamat 7.1 gaming headset. Aimed at the most hardcore gamers, it incorporates what is claimed to be the "world's first discrete 7.1 surround sound" system implemented in headphones. While most manufacturers utilize digitally-generated virtual surround system, the Tiamat features five individual drivers in each ear cup, adding up to 10 drivers working in unison. Read More

It’s no big secret that wearing in-ear devices, such as stereo earphones or hearing aids, can cause the ears to hurt over time. According to the engineers at Colorado’s Asius Technologies, however, this isn’t due simply to a poor fit or high volume levels. Instead, it’s caused by an “acoustic reflex,” that no amount of earbud-reshaping or decreases in volume will alleviate. There are reportedly ways of minimizing or even eliminating what’s known as “listener fatigue,” though – these include a flexible membrane, and even an inflatable ear-tip device created by Asius. Read More

Armour Home recently announced that it has been appointed worldwide distributor of Phitek System's BlackBox range of Active Noise Rejection (ANR) headphones and earphones. Phitek says that the level of ambient background noise can reach 60dB in a busy street, 80dB in the office and up to 94dB in the cabin of a passenger jet. The company claims that its technology is capable of reducing ambient noise levels by 90 percent or more, and I've been sent some C18 in-ear phones for review. Read More

While the sound quality of over-the-ear headphones is generally much better than a set of earbuds, the convenience of using earbuds while on the go can't be denied. Many earbuds are fairly similar feature-wise, so the deciding factors for most people will usually be sound quality and price. But if you're the sort that likes to share with friends of questionable personal hygiene, a feature of iSkin's new earTones earbuds might also enter into the equation – they're the first to boast Microban antimicrobial protection. Read More