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AfterShokz Bone Conduction Headphones for Sports

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 11:15 AM on February 19, 2012

Many of you are probably familiar with bone conduction sound technology, which has been around for a few years, but has previously been associated with Bluetooth headsets for making hands-free calls on your smartphone.  Now, AfterShokz has finally succeeded in bringing the technology to music headphones.

The new headphones are designed mainly for sports.  They boast a healthier environment because they go over, instead of in, the ears and reast on your cheekbones.  This means you aren’t closed off from the world while you’re running, biking, or whatever.  That’s important because you certainly need to hear that horn beeping behind you.  The membranes are waterproof, meaning they can easily be cleaned, which is again important for athletes because of sweat.

There are three different models of the AfterShokz, one of which has an inline microphone making it suitable for phone calls as well.  The models begin at $59.95 for the Sport, and go up slightly for the Mobile and Gaming models.  There is also a Bluetooth model in the works.  You can learn more in the video below and by visiting AfterShokz.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine.

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SoundMatters foxL Pocket Speaker

Posted by Andrew at 11:06 AM on February 19, 2012

Soundmatters foxL speakerSoundMatters show off to Jeffrey and John their range of small speakers, suitable for travel and the home.

First is the world’s best pocket-size speaker (allegedly), the foxL. Weighing a little over a pound, the smart idea was to incorporate the battery into the speaker itself and use it as the bass driver. The foxL comes in three versions; wired, Bluetooth and Bluetooth with the Apt-X codec for CD quality sound. Priced at $149, $199 and $229 respectively.

New later in the year is a mini sub-woofer which delivers 25 watts to give a big sound from a small package. It uses two parallel metal plates to push out the lower frequencies. Expected in late spring or early summer it will retail at $149.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Andy Smith of Geocaching World.

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Sennheiser RS 220 Cordless Audiophile Headphones

Posted by geeknews at 8:46 AM on February 15, 2012

RS 220 Audiophile Wireless HeadphonesCordless headphones rarely have audiophile sound quality because of the data compression technologies used to transmit the music to the headphones, but Sennheiser‘s new headphones resolve this by using a lossless technology to transmit the sound. Eric Palonen gives Todd and Jeffrey more detail.

The Sennheiser RS 220 are cordless audiophile headphones, based on the reference HD 650 headphones. The wireless transmission technology is based on lossless Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) implementation. The charging base has both digital and analogue inputs.

The RS 220s will be available from March for $599. For comparison, the HD 650s are $499.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine for the TechPodcast Network.

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Philips Introduces New AirPlay Line

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:44 AM on February 15, 2012

AirPlay is a standard introduced by Apple, but it has been picked up by many audio hardware makers to get their products integrated with the Apple and iTunes ecosystem.  Philips is introducing a whole new line of AirPlay-compatible products from entry-level all the way up to the high-end of audio.

Philips has a stand-alone speaker with built-in WiFi and a WPS button to easily connect to your home router and you can control them through an app of your PC, Mac, or mobile device.  They are also introducing a new pair of headphones that are towards the high-end of this category as they made from premium materials like leather, memory foam, and have a durable, cloth-lined wire.  You can see both products in the video below and also visit Philips online to get more info.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Silentium Active Noise Cancellation

Posted by Andrew at 12:55 AM on February 8, 2012

Silentium LogoSilence is golden and Silentium are working hard to achieve this with their active noise reduction technology. Andy and Don keep it down with Yossi Barath.

Silentium has developed an active noise reduction system that can be implemented in a single chip. The complex (and proprietary) algorithms programmed into the chip use noise cancellation (destructive interference) to reduce the amount of sound coming from a machine to make it quieter. Ventilation systems, air conditioners, computers and data centers are all examples of where Silentium’s system can be used to reduce the noise.

At CES, Silentium are releasing QB2, a headrest-embedded system which creates a bubble of quiet around a person’s head, perfect  for air travel or similar passenger situations. Generally, Silentium doesn’t produce products but sells its technology to other companies for inclusion in their own.

All sounds intriguing.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net, and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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The New Line of Turtlebeach Headphones

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 10:58 PM on February 4, 2012

Turtlebeach, famous for their audio products, has a new line of headphones designed for use with tablets and smartphones, and geared specifically towards mobile gaming. They had the whole lineup on display recently at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and Scott Ertz of F5 Live and The Tech Podcast Network got a tour.

The M3, for instance, is super portable because it is so flexible and foldable.  It will retail for $39.95.  The M5 is slightly larger, but has the same sleek design and will cost the user $49.95.  There is also a pair of full-size gaming headphones, the X32 and X42,both of which are compatible with the Xbox 360 and are now dual-band, unlike their predecessors.  Both will operate in the 2.4 and 5 GHz range.  There is also a new X300 and X400 line.  You can check them all out in the video below and also visit Turtlebeach for more information.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live.

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Zimri Speakers Brings Incredible Wireless Sound

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 10:55 PM on February 4, 2012

zimri speakers logoZimri Speakers was recently at the Consumer Electronics Show to display their latest line of speakers.  They have a full range beginning with tiny bluetooth speakers that can be used with a laptop or even tablets and smartphones.  What sets their speakers apart is both battery life and the lack of distortion, even at the highest levels.

Moving up the line from the smallest speaker already mentioned, Zimri’s next entry is nearly identical, but has a slightly bigger body for better base and also an SD Card slot, allowing it to be a stand-alone music player.  Zimri also offers battery packs that can not only recharge your speaker, but also your mobile device.

You really have to watch the video below to get the full concept of Zimri Speakers.  The demo of the bluetooth range, especially in a crowded and noisy CES show filled with other  bluetooth devices, is absolutely amazing.  For more information you can visit Zimri Speakers.

Interview by Nick DiMeo of F5 Live.

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The High End of Sound with California Audio Technology

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:34 AM on February 3, 2012

California Audio Technology, known as CAT, work with third-party hardware vendors in the home theater field to produce some of the best sound quality available.  They were recently at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas showing off their latest top-of-the-line 2 channel audio speakers.  These aren’t speakers for the feint of heart.  Each tower weighs in at 120 pounds.

CAT makes more than simple tower speakers though, they precision-make each speaker and can design them for almost any installation, including hidden in-wall speakers.  Their custom-made speakers can be found anywhere from homes, to music studios, to mega yachts.  All of that massive weight comes in handy to prevent any speaker vibration, which is a common issue in cheap speakers.

To really understand everything that goes into these speakers you will really need to watch the video below for an in-depth explanation of how they are milled and how they work.  You can visit them at their web site.  CAT speakers are on the market now, but if you have to ask the price….well, you know how that saying ends.

Interview by Nick DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Zipbuds

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 9:15 AM on February 1, 2012

Zipbuds Do your headphones get tangled up in your pocket or purse?  Are you frustrated by having to spend time untangling them everytime you go to use them?  Then you may want to take a look at Zipbuds. Zipbuds are headphones where the cords zips up like a zipper and so the two cords become one and doesn’t get tangled up. Zipbuds come in two styles in ear and over the ear. The over the ear style has two models a lower end model and a higher end one. The lower end model comes in five colors and the higher end model comes in three colors. The earbuds come in eight different colors. They are made of PET plastic and aluminium and are environmentally friendly. They are available thru the Zipbud Web site and Amazon starting at $20.00. They have gotten great reviews on Amazon as far as how they sound and work. So if you are in the market for headphones that don’t get all tangled up you may want to take a look at some Zipbuds.

Interview by Courtney Wallin of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

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Pioneer Releases New Line of Car Stereos

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:56 AM on February 1, 2012

Pioneer is probably most famous for A/V receivers and car stereos.  At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show they talked primarily about their new line of car audio devices.  It consists of in-dash CD players, DVD players and even navigation systems.  All are what Pioneer refers to as “connected devices”.  There are even in-dash devices with capacitive touch-screens.

The new devices can replicate your phone’s interface, or reasonably so, allowing you to control the stereo from the touch interface in your dashboard.  The stereo will use your mobile handset’s connection to access services like Pandora and others.  In addition the new devices can use apps like those that help you find parking spaces or even navigate.

The new line of Pioneer in-dash stereos will also work with Android,  in addition to the previous support for iOS.  There’s a  lot more to these stereos than just what I have touched on here, but you will have to watch the video below.  You can also visit the Pioneer website.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

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