50thAnniversary
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Marshall's Hanwell HiFi speaker is bred from guitar amps, at-home with your PMP (update)
It's been a year since the legendary guitar amp and speaker makers at Marshall Amplification made a splash in consumer audio with its Marshall Headphones spin-off (Zound / Urbanears). In commemorence of the amplification division's 50th anniversary, both have announced the Hanwell: Marshall's first speaker rig that's made for a counter-top instead of a festival stage. The Hanwell's design essentially stems from that of a combo guitar amp / speaker, but you won't be able to plug in your guitar, however, as it's specifically made for pumping out the sounds of your music collection. Most anyone who plays guitar, or has seen the likes of Slash and Nigel Tufnel shredding it up, will immediately recognize the iconic Marshall design ethic down to its iconic plastic nameplate on the front grill and gold accents. There's no major tech at play inside of the system, but with looks this cool it's not like it matters -- hopefully, the sound quality will match. Up top there's a familiar panel housing a 3.5mm input, power toggle and knobs for bass, treble and volume, while internally you'll find a duo of long-throw woofers and tweeters. The cab itself is made from wood and wrapped in black vinyl tolex like its bigger JCM siblings -- heck, it even comes with a coiled audio cable. There's no specific information beyond all of that such as pricing and availability -- especially whether "these go to 11" -- but you'll find a press release and close-up shots after the break. Update: We've been informed that the Hanwell will be limited to a run of just 10,000 units -- expect this to be spendy when it's finally available.
Breakfast at Tiffany's 50th Anniversary Blu-ray will be released September 20th
The parade of classic films debuting on Blu-ray this fall continues, with Breakfast at Tiffany's as the latest addition. Paramount has announced a restored and remastered 50th Anniversary edition it will release September 20th complete with the option of a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack or restored mono audio track. Other special features include a producer commentary and featurettes on topics including the star Audrey Hepburn's style. Check after the break for the press release with all the details and the original movie trailer or head to Amazon and preorder it now for $20.99.
First Orbit offers a glimpse at Yuri Gagarin's spaceflight 50 years later (video)
It's been exactly 50 years to the day -- in some places, anyway -- that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's maiden voyage set off an international space race that defined an era, and while only Gagarin knew exactly what it was like to be the first man in space, documentarian Christopher Riley is giving us a glimpse of what the world might have looked like from the porthole of Vostok 1. As we reported before, First Orbit is a mashup of sorts that features original audio recordings from Gagarin's flight, coupled with footage taken by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli from aboard the International Space Station. The result is nothing short of stunning, but you don't have to take our word for it -- in fact, go ahead and grab yourself some popcorn, hit the play button, and prepare to be amazed.
Doc Marten USB drive makes puppies look skinny, gristle throb
We've all been there: hands punched violently into pockets, conspicuously affected by the visceral industrial hum of big city decay. If only we had this $25 limited edition 50th anniversary 2GB "stomper" USB drive to complete our ensemble. Who knows, in the right hands it might have helped Jesus build a hotrod.
Psycho gets 5.1 surround for the first time on Blu-ray
Even if you've seen Albert Hitchcock's Psycho before (and seriously, you should have) the Blu-ray edition arriving for its 50th Anniversary October 19 has a new trick up its sleeve in the form of a remastered 5.1 surround sound audio track. The original mono soundtrack is included for purists, but it certainly seems like the a due amount of effort was put in by Universal's BluWave Audio postproduction team and third party Audionamix, to create a discrete DTS HD 5.1 that would live up to the standards of a classic, and still light up the special lights on your receiver.
