Geek News: Latest Technology, Product Reviews, Gadgets and Tech Podcast News for Geeks

I-Mego unveils new headphones

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 5:50 PM on February 13, 2013

i-megoI-Mego was at the recent Consumer Electronics Show to show off a new line of headsets. The company unveiled  couple of different models — the Throne and the Ztone.

The Throne is an over-the-ear model that comes in two different colors. That may seem like taste and it is, but not in teh way you may think. The different colors are tuned differently depending of the music you like — they vary from rap to acoustic to rock.

The company also unveiled an in-ear model that won a CES Innovation Award for the tremendous build quality and attention to detail brought to the product. It comes in different sizes to fit your ear. That particular model is called Ztone by the company.

I-Mego also showed off a new prototype, but you will need to watch the video below to see that one.

The Ztone retail for a very reasonable $99 — a bargain for molded in-ear pieces. The Throne ranges from $79 to $129. You can check everything out at I-Mego.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and Nick DiMeo of F5 Live

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Able Planet’s “health improving” headphones

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 7:42 AM on February 9, 2013

Able PlanetAblePlanet is an audio company that makes a lot of hearing hardware, aids, microphones and more. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company showed off personal sound amplifiers —  which is not, strictly speaking, a hearing aid, but more of a boost to sound that will help in environments where listing can be an issue.

However, the new headphone line was the most interesting thing — the company claims that its headphones allow the customer to listen at a lower decibel rate than standard versions, meaning that the user is saving their hearing, or “improving health”.

You will need to watch the video below to really understand how AblePlanet is making all this happen, but it is really fascinating technology.

Interview by Nick DiMeo of F5 Live

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Nuvo Tech introduces a new wireless home audio system

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 9:34 AM on February 7, 2013

Nuvo Tech is known for high-end, professionally installed home audio systems. Now the company is making a move to become more friendly to the masses with a wireless, consumer-based home audio system to compete with devices like Sonos.

The new setup is not weak either — it can simultaneously stream to up to 16 different locations. To do this, the system uses a dual-WiFi system with antennae. There are two different models of players, depending on the wattage you want. The higher-end version also has bluetooth for streaming content from a phone or tablet. The base station plugs directly into your router.

Prices start at $199 and head up, depending on the setup you want. For more information you can watch the video below and also head over to Nuvo Technologies.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor

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Zooka Bluetooth Speakers

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 8:31 AM on January 30, 2013

Zooka Anyone who has a tablet, or smart phone knows that their one weakness is their speakers. One solution is to use a speaker dock. The problem with this solution is that it requires an outlet to plug the dock into. This is not very useful if you are in a park or on a beach, the other solution is to use Bluetooth Speakers. This is where the Zooka speakers by Carbon Audio Inc come in. They are Bluetooth speakers made of medical grade silicon. There are no mechanical moving parts and no dock. It slides on to a tablet or top of a notebook. It was designed so it doesn’t hide the iSight camera. There is a kickstand which tucks away into the side and screws into the back. It includes:

  1. Two 30 mm speaker drivers at either end of the Zooka
  2. 30ft Bluetooth Range
  3. Rechargeable battery, providing up to 8 hours of playing
  4. Frequency response of 150 to 20,000 Hz

The Zooka is available at Target, Best Buy Amazon and at Carbon Audio Inc. It comes in a variety of colors and is priced at $99.00

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

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Griffin MicConnect for iOS at CES 2013

Posted by Andrew at 5:51 AM on January 26, 2013

Griffin MicConnectJeffrey Powers goes all Pop Idol when he chats to Jackie from Griffin Technology about the newly announced MicConnect, which connects iOS devices to XLR mics with phantom power.

The Griffin MicConnect is a small brick adaptor with an XLR socket (input) on one side for the microphone and a 3.5 mm jack on the other to connect into an iPhone, iPod or iPad. A 3.5 mm socket provides for headphone monitoring of the sound source and for condenser mics, the unit takes two AA batteries to provide phantom power (48V).

(As an aside, I’m not 100% clear if this is iOS only – the 3.5 mm jack looks pretty standard and there’s no reference to special apps being required so if Android is your OS of choice, it might be worth contacting Griffin directly.)

Included in the interview is Griffin’s updated Mic Stand Mount, which is now compatible with all iPad models (not Mini), and unsurprisingly holds an iPad on a mic stand. Jeffrey reckons the MicConnect and the Mount are a great combo for the mobile podcaster. Pricing-wise, both the MicConnect and the Mount are $39.99 but the MicConnect won’t be available until June.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine for the TechPodcast Network.

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Sennheiser is Showing off the New Momentum Black Headphones at CES 2013

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 6:50 PM on January 7, 2013

Momentum Black Following on the success of the Momentum headphones, Sennheiser will be introducing the new Momentum Black headphones at CES 2013 The Momentum Black headphones are sleek and stylish. They have a minimal design aesthetic built-in. The headband slider is made of high quality stainless steel. Both the headband and the ear pads are padded with soft black leather of the highest quality. The inside of the ear pads are lined with a red cloth and the red stitching throughout the headphone adds a nice touch.

Sennheiser believes that a beautifully designed product should also sound great. They took what they learned from their highest quality headphones and transferred that knowledge to the Momentum Black. The sound coming from the Momentum Black headphone is clear and full of detail. The Momentum Black is a full size headphones that surround the ears isolating the users from outside distraction and noise. There is an optional detachable cable with a smart remote and microphone. Allowing the user to take and receive calls and control music on any Apple Product.

If you are at CES 2013 you can see all the Sennheiser products at Booth 20500-LVCC South Hall 1.

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Armadillo outdoor Bluetooth speaker unveiled

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 6:27 PM on January 7, 2013

Outdoor Gear announced today a new outdoor speaker, appropriately named the Armadillo. The new speaker works with Bluetooth 4.0 to play your tunes outside without need of worry about the weather conditions.

The company describes the new device as “A larger version of its predecessor, the Turtle Shell®, the Armadillo is a rugged shelled boombox that will allow you to dig into the dirt and experience the outdoor terrain with your favorite tunes via AirPlay or Bluetooth. Ideal for camping and for the home, the Armadillo is shockproof, waterproof, allows for daisy chaining and provides a USB port for charging other devices.”

Details as to release and pricing were left vague with the release being set for “later in 2013″ and pricing completely non-existent (the Turtle Shell is $149). While the Armadillo looks good for a backyard party, I don’t see lugging it on a camping and hiking trip as a viable option. Perhaps if you park and stay at a campground then sure, but my son and I hike from place to place and camp, mostly backwoods, and packing light and moving quickly is a priority that these luxuries do not lend themselves to.

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Griffin Technology Expands Their Audio Lineup at CES 2013

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 11:21 AM on January 7, 2013

Griffin TechnologyGriffin Technology will be showing off some great products at CES 2013. The first is the StudioConnect with Lightning . This is an all-in-one audio interface for music creation and is now compatible with iPad 4 and the iPad mini. You can plug-in a musical instrument like a guitar into the 3.5 mm jack and listen to it through a pair of headphones. The headphones have their own volume control. You can also connect a MIDI controller through the five pin Din Midi import connector. There is also a MIDI out which allows the iPad or iPhone to act as a MIDI controller. It will accept a sequencer, patch and other MIDI gear. There is also a line level RCA output so you can connected to a stereo system and share your music with others. It will be available for $149.99 in the spring of 2013.

Griffin Technology will also be introducing the DJ Connect. The DJ Connect allows DJs to create to their music and beat mix in advance. It works with the award wining vjay and djay apps. It has its own volume control. It has detachable cables and can be use with both iOS devices using a 30 pin connector and a Mac computer with a USB port.  A DJ can  connect their headphones to the headphone port and external speakers to the RCA line level outputs. The underneath of the volume button glows giving the VJ or DJ some ambient light in a dark club or environment. The DJ Connect will be on sale in May 2013 for $99.99.

If your vocalist or podcast you may be interested in the MicConnect. The MicConnect allows you to connect an XLR microphone to an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Simply connect the MicConnect to the iOS headphone jack with a 3.5 mm audio cable then connected an XLR Microphone to the XLR input. Fire up GarageBand or other compatible apps and you are ready to go. The MicConnect has phantom power so it can be used with a studio microphone for high quality recording. It can also be used to record acoustic instruments. It will be available in June 2013 at $39.99.

Now that you have all this audio equipment you may want to listen to it o with a pair of stylish headphones. Griffin has that covered too with their Wood Tone Audio line of Headphones. Joining their popular Wood Tone ear buds, Griffin Technology will be introducing over the ear headphones and aux cables at CES 2013. The wooden housings are made from responsibly harvested Beech, Sapele and Walnut trees. The wood is then hand turned and polished to produce a smooth satin finish. Each headphone has its own unique color and markings. These wooden enclosures improve the acoustic quality and allows the user to listen at lower volume level while still enjoying the same caliber of sound. With the plush ear pads the over the ear headphones can be worn in comfort for an extended period time. You can detach the cable and fold the headphones flat for easy travel and storage. Both the over the ear headphones and ear buds are equipped with a built-in mic which allows the user to take calls, interact with Siri and control audio playback. The Wooden Tone Over-The-Ear Headphones with control Mics will be available in February 2013. They’d join the Wooden Tone ear buds with control Mics that are currently available through Griffin at $29.99.

If you want to see more of the Griffin Technology products then come to LVCC North Hall, Both 5212.

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Posted in audio, Gadgets, Gear, Information

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Yamaha RX-V373 5.1-Channel AV Receiver Review

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 9:54 AM on December 27, 2012

Yamaha RX-V373Recently my old Kenwood receiver gave up the ghost. It was time to replace it anyway, it was so old that it had a connection for a tape deck and a laser disc player. So over the holiday I picked up a Yamaha receiver, model RX-V373. This is part of the RX-V series of receivers. It is a basic receiver, but it has all the inputs and capabilities that I was looking for.  It has the following input and outputs.

  • 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs,
  • 2/1 components inputs/outputs,
  • 4 composite video and audio inputs
  • 1 composite video and audio output.
  • 2 digital audio inputs (optical)
  • a USB jack
  • 1 headphone jack
  • FM and AM connection

You can connect an iOs device to the USB jack and the receiver will recognize the music on it. You can than play and control the music through the receiver, using the receiver’s remote control. The receiver will also recognize the music on a USB drive. Since I don’t have a iOs device I haven’t been able to test the iOs capabilities. I did connect a USB drive that had some music it on it. I could view what was playing and do basic functions, like play, pause, forward and rewind. Everything was in text and there was no album art. Using the digital audio input and a Toslink cable I was able to connect my Mac Mini to it. Now I can listen to my music library in full stereo.

As I said before this is a good basic receiver. However if you are looking for a smart receiver that you can connect to your network and has more advance capabilities this is not the receiver for you. If you are looking for a new receiver the Yamaha RX-V373 is currently available on Amazon for $249.95.

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Thorax Concrete Hifi Unit

Posted by Andrew at 5:55 AM on November 13, 2012

Concrete has always been a popular product, but it’s not what you think of for display purposes – marble and solid wood come more readily to mind. Increasingly, designers are turning to this relatively cheap material with some very attractive polished concrete artifacts and recently I saw a lovely kitchen worktop in the material.

In this mode there is Thorax by Kompatibel Design, a modular hifi unit in concrete.

Thorax Concrete Hifi Unit from Kompatibel Design

Concrete is a good choice for a hifi unit, as the high density and consequent mass makes it less vulnerable to vibration. Of course this is only still an issue if you listen to vinyl records: if you’ve gone all digital, it’s not really a concern. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty impressive piece of furniture and while the aesthetics may not suit everyone, it certainly makes a statement.

The are three basic modules, “O”, “C” and “E” which can be joined to make the desired configuration. The picture above shows and “OEO” config and there are more shots on the website. In a nice touch, the concrete can be coloured to match a particular decor.

Price on application. Promotional video below.

(My German isn’t what it should be so apologies for any mistakes in translation.)

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Posted in audio, hifi, Home Theater, Music

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