AudioTechnica
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Audio-Technica unveils its best noise-canceling headphones yet
Audio-Technica has unveiled a huge range of new products at this year's CES, chief among them some new addition to its QuietPoint wireless noise-canceling headphones range. The line up features over-ear and in-ear models, and is, according to the company, its most effective yet in blocking out ambient noise.
Audio-Technica debuts a wireless model of its popular M50x headphones
Audio-Technica's M50 headphones may have been designed for studio use when they debuted in 2007, but the original fixed-cable model and its successor (the M50x) became a popular option for everyday use. Now that wireless is all the rage -- thanks in part to fewer ports on our devices -- it makes sense that the company would stick with the M-Series for a Bluetooth model. Today, Audio-Technica revealed the M50xBT, which, as the name suggests, puts the "sonic signature" of its predecessors in a cable-free set of headphones for $199.
How to buy a turntable
So you want to start collecting vinyl. Great! Record sales have been steadily climbing, and in March, physical music outsold downloads for the first time in six years. You might've even started buying vinyl already to get in on the action. But given how long the format has been around, picking out a turntable can be as daunting as building a home HiFi system to connect it to. It doesn't have to be. You can spend anywhere from $60 on a Crosley all-in-one at Target to more than $3,000 for an audiophile-grade deck, with plenty of options in between. But what's the difference between a budget turntable and something that costs more than a few months' rent? And do you really need to spend that much? What are the features you shouldn't go without? Let us give you a hand.
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Teaching the uninterested about headphones
By Aaron Souppouris and Mat Smith There's a constant divide at Engadget between those who care about audio and those who don't. I (that's Aaron) fall mostly in the first category: I appreciate high-end headphones, but my budget typically leaves me with pairs costing $200 to $300. My current daily 'phones are AKG K702s for home and Master & Dynamic MH30s for out and about. My colleague Mat Smith couldn't be more different. He uses a mix of unremarkable Sony earbuds and Bluetooth headphones and responds to "audiophile" conversation with a bespoke mixture of groans and eye rolls. This CES, I decided to spend a morning getting him excited about headphones. It went ... OK? The rules were simple and our methodology entirely unscientific. We would travel from booth to booth, listening to a single track over and over. Because we're mean, the Engadget CES team deemed Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" the perfect fit, despite the holidays being long gone. After adding a 1,411Kbps (16/44.1kHz) FLAC file to my iPhone, we headed onto the show floor, stopping at Sennheiser, Audio Technica, HiFiMan, Audeze and Klipsch. In general, I was looking for portable headphones that work well when connected to a phone. For each listen, I had Mat tell me his thoughts before we moved on to the next booth.
12 gifts for music nerds
Nerds come in many forms. Some build stuff, some like video games, and others sweat the tiny details of audio fidelity or salivate over vintage drum machines. That latter group can be difficult to shop for if you're not initiated in the ways of the music nerd. But don't worry. Whether the obsessive audio freak in your life is more into making music or listening to it, we've got you covered. For those that love composing sweet beats, there's the TR-09 -- a pretty solid remake of the classic 909 drum machine that was essential to creating '80s and '90s house and techno. There are also pocket synths for musicians on the go, like the Pocket Operator line from Teenage Engineering. For those who get their kicks more from listening than creating, there are subscription services like VNYL that deliver fresh pressed records to your door. You'll also need a solid turntable like Music Hall's MMF-2.3 to listen to them on, of course. And, if your favorite audiophile also happens to be an iPhone owner there's an obvious stocking stuffer: Belkin's Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar. This brings back the headphone jack and lets you charge the phone at the same time! For our full list of recommendations in all categories, don't forget to stop by our main Holiday Gift Guide hub.
Audio-Technica has a turntable for your wireless speakers
There's no doubting the vinyl resurgence, and this year's CES has a few turntable options for those hobbyists. In addition to Sony's new model that digitizes vinyl tunes and a Technics revival, Audio-Technica has a turntable for your wireless speaker setup. The company's AT-LP60-BT offers Bluetooth connectivity in a fully automatic belt-drive stereo turntable. This means that in addition to speakers, you can also pair the device with your wireless headphones (more on that in a second). You can connect up to eight different speakers as well, which would seem to make it a solid option for multi-room audio. However, we'd want to test the range before confirming you can use it in that manner.
Vox jams guitar amps into Audio-Technica headphones, dubs them Amphones (ears-on)
Guitarists and Bassists have many tools at their disposal for practicing fresh news licks without disturbing others around them. One of our favorites is Vox's AmPlug -- a guitar amp-modeling dongle that plugs into your instrument's 1/4-inch jack, allowing you to connect headphones and an MP3 player to practice privately. Building on the idea, Vox worked with Audio-Technica to simply embed the AmPlug in a new line of headphones, dubbing them Amphones. The company quietly put the cans up on its site recently, and it's now officially ready to shout out loud about them. Guitarists can choose from AC-30 (British crunch), Lead (hi-gain) and Twin (clean) variants, and bassists can snag the Bass version, which is based on Vox's AC100. Just like the AmPlug, each Amphone features volume dials -- sadly, these don't go to 11 -- for setting gain, volume and tone, along with a fourth for a built-in effect (compression for the Bass and reverb with the AC30, for example). A duo of triple AAs power the cans and, as you'd expect, the 'phones have a 3.5mm jack for hooking in external sources as well as a 1/4 adapter to plug into your axe. These Vox-styled units will be available in the US sometime in October for $100 a pop (double the cost of an AmPlug). Hungering for more already? We were able to give a pre-production version of the AC30 model a brief run, and you'll find our initial impressions after the break.
Audio Technica AT-HA35i melds headphone amp and iPod dock
Headphone amps may not be a necessity for the average user with a pair of off-the-shelf 'phones or iPod buds, but they're definitely a must-have for a particular subset of users, and Audio Technica is looking to make their lives a bit easier with its new AT-HA35i amp. From the looks of it, it this one doesn't skimp too much where it counts, and includes a D/A converter that supports 192 kHz/24bit audio, along with a max output of 440mWx2, 20-20kHz frequency response and support for 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz sampling. Unlike other amps, however, this one also packs a built-in iPod dock, plus some RCA, S-Video, and digital audio outputs 'round back to connect it to your other audio / video gear. Of course, Audio Technica headphone amps tend not to come cheap, and this is no exception -- look for it to set you back ¥50,400 (or about $560) when it rolls out in Japan next month.
Audio Technica unveils ATH-ESW9 Sovereign Wood Headphones
Audio Technica's no stranger to high-end cans, and we must say, its flagship set for 2007 (its words, not ours) looks mighty sexy. The ATH-ESW9 Sovereign Wood Headphones are crafted from "Japan's finest Hokkaido cherry tree," feature 42-millimeter neodymium magnet drivers with fiberglass housing support, and come bundled with a carrying case to keep these beauties clean when not in use. You can pick these up to listen to (or just look at) come October 19th for ¥37,800 (or about $330).[Via AudioJunkies]
Audio-Technica's AT-SP550TV infrared speaker cuts through the noise
If your initial reaction to the Audio-Technica infrared speaker was, "pfff, pointless," then we welcome you to our party of ambivalence. Still, let's all ferment in their madness just for the moment, mkay? The AT-SP550TV provides a directed stream of 2W (1W + 1W) stereo audio at a distance of about 7-meters (23-feet). So instead of blasting the sound from your bigazz flat panel across the room, they relocate the speaker to the viewer thereby reducing ambient noise pollution for others in the house. That way, mama can watch TV from the kitchen while baby is lulled to sleep by the wounding glow of consumer narcissism. The unit operates for up to 10 hours off standard alkalines and includes a headphone jack in the speaker section to keep things totally on the hush hush. See, there is some magic to the madness after all. Available in Japan starting June 22nd for ¥16,800 or about $138. [Via Impress]
