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The pocket-sized Boss Katana:Go headphone amp doubles as an audio interface
The Boss Katana:GO headphone amp features 13 tones and 60 effects, in addition to doubling as an audio interface. It costs $120.
Wired headphones are about to have a mini revival
Wired USB-C headphones are nothing new. You can already find hi-res IEM cables with the connection. Finally you can buy an all-in-one version for hi-res lossless audio on any phone.
SteelSeries' latest gaming headset offers 360 audio and a fresh design
SteelSeries has just announced its latest flagship gaming headset in the Arctis Nova Pro, which features a brand new design, a second-gen gameDAC and support for spatial audio.
Qualcomm wants to help build more Alexa-powered Bluetooth earbuds
When it comes to adding a voice assistant to a speaker or a pair of headphones, Amazon's Alexa has become the default choice for many OEMs, likely due to the openness and high adoption rate of the platform. Never one to miss a money-making opportunity, Qualcomm has decided to lend these manufacturers a hand by building a smart headset reference design, which features its very own QCC5100-series Bluetooth audio chip. With the Alexa app installed on your Android phone, once it's paired with these earbuds, you can toggle Alexa with a simple push of a button on one of the buds.
Belkin's 3.5mm to Lightning cable delivers retro connectivity
Apple doing away with the iPhone's headphone jack was supposed to make life a bit more streamlined, and while in many cases it has, it still presented something of a headache for those who wanted to use their device to listen to music in the car, or even just to use their favourite headphones while charging their phones. Finding a decent 3.5mm cable with a Lightning connector is no mean feat, which is likely why Belkin has stepped up to the plate with its latest cable offering.
Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones pack adaptive noise cancellation
Bower & Wilkins (B&W) is dropping its latest pair of premium wireless headphones. How are these £330 ($437) cans any different from the company's alternatives? The "PX" are the first to pack adaptive noise cancellation (which allows you to pick from three different modes through a companion app). The "city" option, for example, will let in traffic noise, so you're less likely to get hit by a car while jamming to Rage Against the Machine. And, there's the responsive interaction feature that auto-pauses your tunes when you remove the headphones. They'll even return to standby mode when you put them down (which should be a boon for battery life).
The Engadget Interview: Daniel Sennheiser (video)
"I've worked for Sennheiser since I was born," the company's co-CEO says with a laugh. Five years ago, Daniel Sennheiser and his brother took over the reigns of the eponymous audio company, the third generation of a legacy that began in 1945, weeks after the close of World War II, when their grandfather Fritz opened Laboratorium Wennebostel. Two decades later, the company would go on to to revolutionize personal audio with the introduction of the open headphone. "One of our engineers discovered that you can take a microphone transducer and put it close to your head and suddenly there's a near-field effect that creates very good sound quality," explains Sennheiser. "And suddenly the open-ear headphone was born. That was the first hi-fi headphone in the world. That didn't exist at the time. We had 100-percent of the market." A quick glance around the floor of IFA will confirm that's certainly no longer the case anymore. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Antec to extend its Bluetooth product range with Pulse, SP1+, SP3 and SPzero (hands-on)
To most people, Antec's probably better known for its desktop-related products, but at Computex, the company made quite a big effort to pimp its A.M.P. (Antec Mobile Products) range of Bluetooth audio devices. You may have already come across the SP1 Bluetooth speaker (pictured above in several colors), but we've been told that an identical-looking SP1+ is coming this October. What's new? Well, the refresh will come with NFC-enabled Bluetooth pairing, as well as CSR's TrueWireless Stereo technology that will let you use one SP1+ as the left channel, and another SP1+ as the right channel (but both drivers in each SP1+ are still active in this case). Do read on to see what else Antec has up its sleeve later this year. %Gallery-191259%
Turtle Beach outs Xbox One headsets, Call of Duty: Ghosts- and Marvel-branded cans
In May, Turtle Beach shouted from the hilltops that it snagged Microsoft's blessing to craft Xbox One headsets, and now it's ready to show off the actual hardware. Based on the outfit's Seven Series, the pair of XO Ear Force cans will be available at the console's launch and feature 3.5mm jacks, detachable boom mics and deliver surround sound through wired connections to controller adapters. At $149, the XO Seven boasts a "premium finish," on-ear cups with noise-isolating memory foam cushions, interchangeable speaker plates and a breakaway cable with an in-line mic for use with mobile devices. Liberating $99 from your wallet, however, will net you the more budget-friendly XO Four, which can also be used with devices outfitted with 3.5mm ports. Bringing other platforms into the mix, Turtle Beach unveiled a trio of Call of Duty: Ghosts-branded headsets, but remained mum on pricing. The wireless Ear Force Phantom boasts dual-band WiFi, rechargeable batteries and compatibility with the Xbox 360, PS3 and mobile devices. The wired Spectre and Shadow are presumably less pricey, and play nice with PC and Mac as well. Sure, E3 may be a video game bonanza, but comic fans are getting some love with an Ear Force Seven headset embellished with Marvel branding, a red accent and swappable speaker covers with different characters.
Necomimi cat ears' creators branch out into brain-controlled headphones (video)
While we've always thought that brain-controlled cat ears are a perfectly viable business model, it's usually in a company's best interest to diversify, in case, you know, the bottom ever drops out of the furry accessory market. Neurowear, the company behind the Necomimi, which provided some of the more memorable moments at this year's CES, showed off its latest project, the Mico, which continues the company's core competency of letting people do stuff with mind waves. In this case, it's music control. A big white pair of headphones are connected to a sensor that rests on your forehead and a dangling clip for your earlobe (a la the Necomimi). The cans connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, using your current mood to select a song from the company's app, which currently contains about 100 tracks. According to the company, the songs have been "neuro-tagged," based on its testing, to ensure that they match up to perceived mood. If your mood changes, just give the phone a shake and it will clean the musical slate Etch-a-Sketch-style.%Gallery-181189%
Skullcandy's Crusher ears-on at CES: rumbling headphones that you'll actually want
Over the years, our ears have been treated (or tormented, depending on perspective) to a variety of rumbles from a multitude of wub-wub headphones. Typically, it's the gaming headphone sector that gets first dibs, but Skullcandy's Crusher is aiming to hit a few more targets. We had a chance to listen to a production version of the impending cans -- slated to ship in March for $99 in black, white and red hues -- and we were pleasantly surprised with what we heard. Er, felt. Actually, both. It's battery powered, but it'll continue to deliver tunes even if the cell powering the thumps goes dead. Moreover, it automatically disables when the music stops, preventing you from blowing through too many extra batteries. There's a slider on the rear that raises and lowers the sensitivity of the rumble, and we preferred it at about half-cranked. Amazingly, the sensation was actually enjoyable -- and moreover, accurate. We probably wouldn't listen to an entire album with the vibration on, but for movies and games? Yeah, that's clearly the sweet spot. Better still, the conventional 3.5mm headphone jack means that it's as universal as these things get, and the overall audio quality was very much on par with what we'd expect for a Benjamin. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look.
Tritton Kunai headset ships to chatty PS3 and PS Vita gamers
There are plenty of gaming headsets, but only so many specifically tuned to the PlayStation audience that aren't made by Sony itself. Mad Catz' Tritton label has just shipped a version of its Kunai wired headset optimized for both the PS3 and the PS Vita that might redress that (admittedly minor) deficit. About the only real customization for Vita owners is the option for a shorter 3-foot cord, but PS3 owners can plug in through USB and adjust voice volume independently from the gunshots and explosions. Regardless of which game console the Kunai links to, there's a modest 25Hz to 20KHz headphone frequency range and few frills aside from a detachable boom microphone. Tritton is mostly counting on the price to lure us in, which just might work -- at $60, berating players in-game with a Kunai will cost as much as one of the games themselves.
Print your own headphones on a MakerBot Replicator and beat Dre at his own game
As 3D printers become more and more accessible to a consumer audience, one question lingers above the rest: why? Granted, they're incredibly cool, but what, if any, are the practical implication of such a technology? For the most part, the great ambassadors of 3D printing have largely been printable toys -- cool, but not particularly useful. The question, as posed by John Mabry reads as follows, What if printed prototypes could become actual products? Meaning, once off the print bed an object could be assembled without any tools and be made functional by readily attainable components. An attempt at the answer comes in the form of the 13:30 printable headphones, which can by created on a MakerBot Replicator and coupled with some off-the-shelf components, making for a pair of slick-looking, functional headphones that, at the very least, will help you stand out from the rest of the Beats By Dre enthusiasts on a crowded subway train.
Sennheiser unveils HDVA 600 analog headphone amp, asks for $1,600
Along with a few IFA 2012 announcements, Sennheiser peeled back the wraps from its HDVA 600 headphone amp, an analog flavor of the previously unveiled HDVD 800. Like its sibling, the freshly revealed hardware sports a glass panel for peeking at its innards and an anodized aluminum exterior, but leaves the digital inputs behind. While the 800 carries a hefty $2,000 price tag, the 600 will set customers back a smaller -- but still substantial -- sum of $1,600. Both units are tailored for the likes of Senn's flagship HD 800 headphones, so they should easily be able to drive cans that require up to 300-ohms. The pair won't be available in the US until later this fall, but in the meantime, you can breeze past the break for specs and more details in the press release.
50 Cent talks up two new headphones in his SMS Audio line (video)
We'd be lying if we told you that we fully expected to be hanging out with 50 Cent when we traveled around the world to Berlin, but earlier today we grabbed a moment with the Queens-based emcee to discuss his venture into the world of high-end headphones. In particular, we wanted to ask how his products, including the new Street On-Ears and Street DJ Pros, stack against some better known rapper-endorsed audio technology -- namely Dr. Dre's gimmicky Beats and his tie-in with HTC. For starters, 50 was keen to stress that this is no plain endorsement: Studio Master Sound (SMS) Audio is his company and he's invested in it. Regarding the products themselves, he reassured us that they have nothing in common with the Beats / HTC marketing about bringing hardware and software together to create some kind of eardrum wizardry. Instead, he just wants to bring together all-round qualities like durability, comfort, and "professionally tuned" 40mm drivers, alongside fresher styling than you'd get from companies like Bose or Sennheiser. The booth at IFA was too hectic for us to give the new 'phones a fair run-through, and in fact 50 Cent didn't have a great deal to say about them at this point either. As you'll see in the video after the break, he preferred to hold up his slightly older flagship wireless set, called SYNC, as evidence that SMS Audio has audiophile credentials to justify its high price points. Speaking of which, we're not sure how much the latest models will cost or when they'll become available, but for guidance the SYNC headphones cost $400 while regular Street wired headphones will set you back around $250.
Sennheiser boasts anti-counterfeit efforts, unveils new authentication technologies
Sennheiser is using Tesa PrioSpot authenticity labels plus a "fool-proof" online look-up system as part of its anti-counterfeit efforts in China.
Engadget's back to school guide 2012: portable audio
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we're taking our audio with us -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! With all of the studying and on-campus traveling you're about to delve into, sometimes adding a bit of music to your step can spice up those mundane times in your daily routine. That's why we've rounded up a selection of portable speakers and headphones that'll not only help you rock out whenever the mood strikes, but also go a step further by letting you take phone calls without skipping a beat. It may not be audiophile-grade gear in the official sense, but it won't matter when you're enjoying good sound just about anywhere your smartphone-connected life takes you.
Ultrasone IQ unveiled as company's first in-ear headphones, hybrid drivers in tow
Heads up, audiophiles! Here's a little gem we spotted at the Hong Kong High-End Audio Visual Show over the weekend. Dubbed the Ultrasone IQ, these turn out to be the German company's first ever in-ear headphones, and luckily they're more than just ordinary buds. You see, packed within each aluminum alloy capsule is a combo of a traditional dynamic driver and a balanced armature driver, with the former taking care of the bass plus lower-mids, and the latter covering the rest -- specific frequency response to be confirmed at a later date. The technology isn't new, of course, but it's all about the fine-tuning to match the price tag -- we've been told to expect around HK$6,000, which is about US$770. This author was fortunate enough to try the pictured prototype at the event and was left impressed by its definition, but the final product will apparently perform even better when it hits the market in late September. Just to seal the deal for hardcore users, these buds feature MMCX connectors, meaning you can swap the original cables with the bundled headset kit (for iPhone and major Android devices) or other third-party wires. Launched alongside the IQ were the Signature DJ and two new additions to the Edition 8 line: Romeo and Juliet, which seem like a nice idea for audiophilic couples. Alas, details are light here in terms of prices and availability, but at least Romeo and Juliet will perform identically as the original Edition 8. The new DJ cups, on the other hand, await official specifications. For now, hit the gallery to take a look at all of Ultrasone's new offerings. %Gallery-162379%
Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around?
You do know that Parrot makes more than just the AR.Drone, right? It was at CES earlier this year that we first caught a glimpse of -- and subsequently began geeking out about -- the Parrot Zik by Starck. For those unfamiliar, these headphones are jam-packed with enough technologies to make even the geekiest audio lovers smitten. Priced at about $400, they feature Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth connectivity, on-board capacitive touch-control, active noise cancellation, head detection, a jawbone sensor for speech and Parrot's audio-enhancing DSP app for iOS and Android -- not to mention a striking design by the renowned Philippe Starck. This isn't the first time Parrot and Mr. Starck have worked together, but this does mark their debut in the portable audio market (as opposed to home-based speaker systems). In the case of this review, not one, but two Engadget editors spent some time testing the product. So, do they impress? More importantly, are they worth the $400 asking price? You know the drill: meet us after the break where we'll lay it all out.
Ferrari, Logic3 team on headphones, may be closest we get to an Enzo's engine note
Ferrari likes to brand just about everything. That said, the two new lines of in-ear and over-ear headphones it's introducing with Logic3's help seem like more natural fits for the supercar brand than for other gadgets. The speed-loving elite will inevitably swing towards the Cavallino series' premium materials and universal microphone remote. Us plebeians have to consider the more plastic-laden Scuderia range, which still manages to pack in some Formula 1 styling along with the remote control. Prices are high at $150 to $315 for the Scuderias, or $201 to $352 for high rollers eying the Cavallinos -- but it's hard to dispute that either series is much more likely to turn up at our houses than a hybrid Enzo.
