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Klipsch headquarters walkthrough: behind the scenes and between the ears
Every time trade shows such as CES and CEDIA open their doors, the collective masses are flooded with headphone after headphone, speaker after speaker. After awhile, one driver looks just as round as the next, and frankly, you start to take for granted what all goes into bringing the tunes we all dig to our ears, dens and underutilized kitchens. One of the mainstays in the audio industry opened their doors up to us this past weekend, and it didn't take much arm pulling to get us inside. We've generally found the design and sound qualities associated with Klipsch gear to be top-shelf, and we've struggled in the past to find too many gripes with the headphones and sound systems we've had the opportunity to review. Needless to say, we were quite curious to hear about (and see) what all goes into imagining, designing, testing and qualifying the 'buds and speakers that we've enjoyed for so many years, and if you share that same level of curiosity, join us after the break for the full walkthrough (and a few heretofore unreleased secrets, to boot).
Phiaton brings the visual delight to audio gear
Phiaton -- not to be confused with Volkswagen's futile attempt to break into the luxury sedan market -- is setting out to grab dollars from audio geeks that have a thing for style. The firm is actually part of Cresyn, and is attempting to put its name on the map by introducing four new exotic looking headphones, a pair of oddly-designed earbuds and a vivid music docking station. Regrettably, there are no prices to share on any of the aforementioned gear, but if you've ever secretly craved cans wrapped in faux alligator skin, this company is sure to impress. [Via CNET]
iStuff PhoneDock: the wannabe HiFi for iPhones
It was simply a matter of time before someone crafted a HiFi-inspired boombox tailored to play extra nice with Apple's iPhone, and now that the handset is loose (officially, that is) in the UK, iStuff is delivering the "world's first iPhone compatible speaker dock." The device, which is also compatible with dock-connecting iPods, sports a four-inch woofer, a pair of mid-range drivers and a couple of tweeters, all powered by a 40-watt amplifier. Furthermore, the unit includes a S-Video output, 3.5-millimeter auxiliary jack, USB connector and an IR remote to keep the jams spinnin' from the comfort of your own couch. The PhoneDock claims to be superior to those other guys by not introducing static / noise when an iPhone is connected, but who knows how much truth there is to all that. Nevertheless, those willing to take the plunge can snag one now for £129 ($272).[Via TechDigest]
Boynq offers up myriad of artsy speakers, peripherals
It's been a tick since we've seen any randomness from Boynq's labs, but it looks like the firm has worked up quite a number of design-centric speaker stations, iPod sound systems, and superfluous USB-related gizmos of late. Among the standouts are the iCube II (pictured), which sports ten-watts of amplification, an iPod docking port, line-in, dedicated treble / bass controls, and a rather sexy look, too. Additionally, the tooth-shaped Sabre operates much like the aforementioned device but touts twice the wattage and a video output, and the USB-powered Alibi webcam looks an awful lot like a robotic pet of some sort. Do yourself a favor and check out a few more photos of Boynq's zany lineup after the jump.
Onkyo apes Bose with latest iPod-friendly CD player
We tried to resist, honest, but it's just impossible to turn a blind eye to the similarities here. Onkyo's CBX-Z10 and CBX-Z20 iPod-friendly CD players do manage to include ten-watts of amplification, video output, a headphone jack, the firm's Acoustic Drive speaker technology, a CD player, and an obligatory iPod dock, but what's not listed in the specs that you still get (for better or worse) is the eerie resemblance to Bose's Wave Radio. Furthermore, the Z10 looks to come dressed in white while the Z20 dons a black motif, and aside from "improved audio quality" from the latter, they each look to be identical. Priced at ¥43,000 ($361) and ¥50,000 ($420), respectively, these two units are even priced like a Bose, but at least Onkyo bothers to tell you the frequency range of the drivers within.[Via Impress]
Ruh Roh Shaggy: Art Army Van weds iPod dock, Mystery Machine
We've seen our fair share of far-out iPod docks, but Mike Leavitt's latest go at creating a piece of functional art makes us yearn to bust out the tie-dyed bandannas and throw a Scooby-Doo marathon bash. The Art Army Van is a modified plastic Mystery Machine toy, which now includes a modernized paint scheme, removable rear CD rack, passenger seat-mounted speaker, and the obligatory iPod jack in the captain's chair. The wheeled machine comes in at 10- x 6- x 6-inches in size, and while we're not entirely confident that such a masterpiece is worthy of a whole $200, we can't deny the temptation to snap one up. Click through to see this groove rider in action.
Logitec cranks out six new iPod speaker stations
You won't have any difficulty convincing us that the iPod speaker system niche is entirely oversaturated with copycat offerings, but apparently, that message isn't fazing Logitec. The company has announced a whopping six new speaker docks for various Apple players, including the LDS-Xi900BK 2.1 system that utilizes NXT Surface Sound technology and gives users an extra pair of auxiliary inputs and a TV output, and the LDS-Ri500 (pictured above) series that looks more like a tag-along safe than a AC or battery-powered boombox with FM radio capability. Furthermore, the LDS-Si101WH and LDS-Si100WH/BK get downsized in order to handle your nano or 2G Shuffle, and while prices are still up in the air for the half dozen devices, they should all hit the shelves simultaneously come June. Click on through for a bundle of pics. [Via AkihabaraNews]
Boston Innovative's iMep boombox sports iPod dock and LCD
We know, the iPod boombox market is entirely over saturated as it is, but Boston Innovative's latest attempt at joining the fray is so fully featured (and oh-so-cheesy), we can't help but check it out. The fire engine red device can purportedly be snapped up in black as well, and features a built-in iPod dock, seven-inch LCD, CD / DVD player, stereo speakers, integrated NTSC TV tuner, an AM / FM radio tuner, USB port, and support for SD, MMC, and MS flash cards. Notably, you'll also find optical and coaxial digital audio outs alongside the typical composite video output, as well as a connection for an external television or radio antenna. A couple of models enable users to pick a flip-up screen or a front-mounted display, and while we wouldn't count on the sound quality to be anything worthy of praise, you can pick one up for your next excursion for $300.[Via CNET]
