The Marijuana of Virtual Surround Sound [Audio]

Yamaha has a history of making excellent sound bars—some of which cost as much as a full set of speakers. This new $300 model is the gateway drug of all-in-one systems: It's so gonna get your broke-ass hooked.

The 35" x 4" x 4" YAS-101 packs a 120-watt digital amplifier, two midrange drivers, and a built-in sub to shake the ol' abode. But where's the sound coming from? I DON'T KNOW. THE ROOM IS LIKE SPINNING! Or maybe that's the virtual surround sound software, which is designed to simulate 7.1-channel audio. Is high-quality surround sound possible for 300 clams? Seems like a reach, but Yamaha knows their sound bars, so we're stoked to find out. [Yamaha]

Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Do Genre-Specific Headphones Give Worlds Apart Sound? [Audio]

A set of headphones specially tailored to the type of music I'm listening to sounds appealing—assuming anyone could pull it off. Well that's exactly what Fuse InTune headphones are supposed to do.

The models come in five different variations, each designed for different audio styles—everything from Classical to Rock to Hip Hop. Head over to Sound and Vision for hands-on analysis of each model. [Sound and Vision; Image: Fuse]

Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones Lightning Review: Massive Sound, Tiny Buds [Headphones]

Do you like to do things and listen to music while you're doing them? Me too! We have so much in common! Maybe you should try these C5 in-ear headphones from Bowers & Wilkins. They're great for listening while doing.

I totally want to make out with the industrial designer responsible for these buds. These suckers about as secure as Barack Obama's underwear drawer. An ingenious loop that sends the cable back through a passage in the speakers lets you use the wire to hold the buds in place. Pop them in your ear canal, push the cable, and the loop expands to secure itself against your antihelix. (That's the cartilage around your ear hole, smart guy. Hey, I had to look it up too.) Meanwhile, the tungsten sound tube is weighted towards your ear's interior, which also helps keeps them in place because they want to fall in, not out. The in-ear anchor works better than any over-ear cable contraption that I've ever tried. It makes them fantastic for running, mountain biking, or other highly active things that maybe you shouldn't wear earbuds for but probably will anyway. And while they aren't noise-canceling, they fit so snugly in the ear that they do a great job of blocking out ambient sound.

Better yet, they sound better than a come on from Lauren Bacall. (Ladies: you can swap in, let's say, Clive Owen.) Bowers & Wilkins says that the micro-porous filter, which has hundreds of itty-bitty steel balls, acts as a diffuser and opens up the sound in an otherwise tiny speaker. The dog ate my audio engineering degree, so I don't know about that. But my ears do tell me that the sound is rich and expansive. When I listened to lossless tracks back-to-back with the C5 followed by a pair of commonly-available $100 in-ears, there was no comparison. It was like being in a symphony hall versus standing outside of one.

They're also made for iPhone, so you can skip tracks and make calls. How pleasant.

Oh, tunneling terror! That stethoscoping sound! Make it stop! While the lower portion of the cable (below where the right and left speaker cables join) was well insulated and largely noise free, the upper portion had quite a bit of cable noise. And since that's the part that hangs down from your ears, it's also the part that gets jostled quite a bit. While it's no worse than most other in-ears, more insulation on the upper part of the speaker cable would probably have made for a quieter connection.

These are some delightful speakers. The bottom line is that they pack a massive sound into tiny buds. But even better, they stay in well and are exceptionally comfortable, even when you wear them for long periods of time. While they're expensive, if you've got the beans to dop on quality buds, you won't be disappointed.

You can keep up with Mat Honan, the author of this post, on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Harman Kardon SB16 Sound Bar Lightning Review: How Much Is Good Sound Worth? [Home Theater]

At $600, Harman Kardon's SB16 sound bar is intended for someone who isn't quite impressed with a $200 soundbar, but doesn't want to drop $1000 on one that will inspire envy.

With the volume turned up, the SB16 transforms into a sound monster. It roars. I had the SB16 set up in a fairly spacious room (15 x 30 feet) with raised ceilings, and the SB16 could easily fill it with sound (and then some). Standing nearly two feet tall, the 10-inch, 100-watt wireless subwoofer pushes air with a purpose. The phase and cutoff controls on the woofer are also a nice touch for getting smooth sound. The 3D sound processing definitely expands the soundstage, but whether or not you consider that 3D is a whole other story. The SB16 isn't flashy in terms of design, but it's got a nice, tubular look to it, and the rounded geometry of the subwoofer gives it a nice retro-future look.

My criticisms of the sound quality are few, but the main one is that the SB16 has a pretty narrow zone in terms of optimal sound. But the issues here are mostly lie in the finer details. When it comes to products with sizeable pricetags, it's normally the little details that make it worth the extra cash. Aesthetics, sound customization, extra inputs, UI design. The SB16 misses the mark with the latter two, and only provides limited sound tweaking (mostly limited to the subwoofer). The buttons feel cheap and do a terrible job of indicating what mode the sound bar is in. There's no indicator at all for volume.

Strangely, there's no remote, and its method of programming your own remote is even more strange; it doesn't have a universal remote code, instead, it hijacks the signal of any remote, universal or otherwise. So when I set it up, my TV still picked up the signal and displayed an annoying "not supported" message on screen. With only three inputs (RCA/Optical/Coaxial), Harman Kardon clearly intends you to run all your inputs through your TV. This limits the versatility of the SB16, especially for music-related purposes. It's not totally fair to expect custom room calibration from a $600 sound bar, but there aren't even presets for room arrangement or bar placement.

The SB16 finds itself in a strange postion. It's neither a product for those who are just looking for ANYTHING better than what their TV spits out. Nor is it a product for home theater enthusiasts who want something in a compact form factor. But that's not to say its bad or not worthwhile. If your main objective is getting great, out-of-the-box sound from a speaker bar, the SB16 is winner (albeit a pricey one). But if you're expecting something with better, more advanced (or customizable) features, you may want to look elsewhere.

Harman Kardon SB16 Specs

Price: $600
Weight: 41 lbs total (Bar: 8 lbs / Subwoofer: 33 lbs)
Drivers: Two 3/4" silk-dome tweeters, Four 3" midrange cones, One 10", wireless subwoofer.
Power: 150w total (Bar: 50w / Subwoofer: 100w)
Dimensions: Bar: 4-5/16" H x 36-1/4" L x 3-1/2" D / Subwoofer: 18-7/8" H x 13-3/8" L x 13-3/8" W
Inputs: RCA, TOSLINK, Coaxial

Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

I Hope These Philips Headphones Sound as Good as They Look [Desired]

I hope we see these Philips Fidelio L1 headphones—debuted at the IFA Conference in Berlin—in the U.S., because they just look so nice. Made of leather, aluminum and memory foam, these headphones mix retro inspiration with clean, modern lines.

Philips hasn't really been a high-end manufacturer of anything for awhile now, so who knows how good they'll actually sound. But the company says that their semi-open-back headphones will have 40mm drivers that were designed and calibrated by the Philips Golden Ears panel of specialists. (QUALITY IMPLIED. We'll see about that.)

But there's a bit of a conceptual issue with these things: the inline iPhone remote/mic suggests they're to be used outside of the house. But unless you enjoy the general public hearing everything spilling forth from your phone, who would use a semi-open headphone anywhere but the privacy of one's own home? In any case, there's no word on a U.S. release, but Pocket Lint says the Fidelio L1s are ">expected to retail in the UK soon for somewhere around £250. [Philips via Reg Hardware, Pocket Lint]

Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Sony's SA-NS 500 AirPlay Speaker: Room-Filling Sound from a Lampshade [Speakers]

Sony's new AirPlay-ready, lampshade-looking SA-NS 500 portable speaker looks like it's going to be pretty good. The SA-NS 500 has a four speaker array, a mid-range subwoofer, and gets 5-6 hours of battery life.

It also supports party streaming, which lets you play the same audio on multiple devices across multiple rooms—similar to a Sonos system—and can be controlled by Android and iPhone apps (no WP7 for now). It'll be available for $400—the same price as the Sonos Play:5—in October. [ThisIsMyNext]

Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

SOL Republic Tracks and Tracks HD: the Quest to Pack Good Sound in $100 Headphones [Video]

SOL Republic is a new audio company founded by the same people who worked on the Beats headphones at Monster. Their singular goal is to provide a headphone that sounds good and doesn't cost a fortune.

SOL Republic is company founded by Kevin Lee, Seth Combs and Scott Hix, all individuals with experience in audio (Lee, who was a senior executive at Monster, is the son of founder Noel Lee). Seeing the success of the Beats product line, but also seeing the massive price tag, SOL Republic felt they could deliver a quality alternative at a fraction of the cost.

Intended more for the MP3/iPhone crowd as opposed to the tube-amp-obsessed audiophiles, this vision has manifested itself in two products, each with two variants: the Tracks (and Tracks HD) on-ear headphones and the Amps (and Amps HD) in-ear headphones.

The Tracks are a $100 pair headphones intended to emphasize clear mids and highs, but still provide respectable bass. The Tracks HD, whose price and release date are still TBD, are designed to a bigger, fuller sound across the spectrum. The headband is also a source of pride for the company, made of a material that is virtually indestructable, regardless of how you bend and twist it. The headphones are completely removable from the headband, which was done because SOL Republic eventually plans to offer the headband in a variety of customizable colors. If it was up to them, you'd probably have a different headband for every day of the week.

Meanwhile, the $60 Amps headphones are an in-ear model that emphasize comfort, style and a tangle-free cord, in addition to quality sound. Like the Tracks HD, the Amps HD promise a bump in sound quality over its non-HD counterpart, though price or release date has yet to be determined.

Expect to see the Tracks and Amps in stores soon.

Related Stories

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Razer Tiamat 7.1 surround sound headset

by Edwin - on August 18th, 2011

Razer leads the gaming peripherals pack yet again with their latest gaming headset – the Tiamat 7.1. Of course, in conjunction with the Tiamat 7.1, there is also the lesser Tiamat 2.2 which we won’t be bothered with since that makes only a small ripple in the larger scheme of things. What makes the Razer Tiamat 7.1 so special? It is touted to be the first 7.1 surround sound gaming headset in the world, delivering unprecedented tactical advantage to you whenever you are engaged with enemies in a FPS (First Person Shooter), as you know just where your enemies would descend on you, letting you make the necessary retaliatory moves to turn the tables on them.

Being the first 10-driver headset in the world, you get 5 of those in each circumaural ear cup that gives you true blue pinpoint positional surround sound. All 10 drivers will represent the 7 surround sound channels including the subwoofer; where 2 are for the center, with 1 each for the left and right, surround sound left and right, surround back left and right, and 2 for the subwoofer. The entire collection of drivers will work in unison to deliver a true surround sound experience.

Not only that, those of you who love to customize things will be pleased to know that you are able to precisely fine-tune the volume of individual audio channels, position, and bass depth, while turning on the headset’s 7.1 surround sound mode when you need it – or switching over to 2.0 stereo mode or external speakers depending on the situation. This ensures your ears will always experience the best setup at all times.

There is a price to pay for everything though, and the same goes for the Razer Tiamat 7.1. This particular puppy is not going to come cheap at all, where you will need to stash away $179.99 at the moment as it is being prepared for a worldwide release sometime in the fourth quarter of the year. I would say get this from the US, as folks living in Europe are forced to pay €179.99, and when you take the weak dollar into comparison, it is a no brainer just where you should make your purchase from.

Press Release

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Celluon virtual laser keyboard also has sound

by Mark R - on August 17th, 2011

I never thought that I could get used to those laser-powered virtual projection keyboards. While I think it would be handy to pair a device with something that would create a keyboard on any flat surface, I need the haptic feedback of the clickity-click of the keyboard.

I know that I should just evolve out of this, because touchscreen keyboards are quiet, and I think we are moving away from traditional button keyboards. Fortunately, I can wait a little while to get over my fascination with keyboard sounds as the Cube Laser Virtual Keyboard comes with gesture recognition software so that the user can hear the click to indicate control gestures as well as keystrokes.

In addition to this feature, the Cube Laser Virtual Keyboard has a very liquid interface for its laser projection, so the image of the keys is much better than before. It pairs with devices via Bluetooth, which means that it is compatible with most smartphones, tablets, and even laptops.

I suppose that I wouldn’t mind having one of these for myself, but I just tried tapping my fingers on my desk for a few seconds, and it wasn’t the same as typing on a keyboard. However, if this is for you, then head over to ThinkGeek and lay down about $170 for it.

Source

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.