If the whole of human knowledge were to be wiped out tomorrow, how would you recreate the consumer electronics industry so you can jam out to some rockin’ tunes? Why you’d build these unique 3D-printed headphones. Except for some twists of wire, these cans consist of thin pieces of printed plastic and the speakers are actually plastic with a coil of copper wire embedded, by hand, into a set of… → Read More
In case you haven’t noticed, rapper Dr. Dre has his own line of headphones. They’re called “Beats By Dre” and until now, they were made in concert with the company Monster. Apparently that has changed now and Beats are its own thing now, and that’s good. I’m not a fan of Monster products, but that’s a story for another day.
I went on a bit of a tirade on Twitter about how Beats were replacing… → Read More
A new patent application uncovered by AppleInsider today shows that Apple is working on ways to make hybrid headphones that work via both Bluetooth and a wired connection, and can switch seamlessly between the two. It’s a system designed to come in handy during physical activity, complete with the ability to recharge directly from the attached device. → Read More
Since launching its first product in 2008, Beats has gone from an obscure niche headphone brand to a multi-million dollar business with plenty of star power (Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, etc.) catapulting the brand into the mainstream spawning several celebrity and musician endorsed rival brands. Now it’s going after an older crowd with the Executive over-the-ear headphones, which I’ve been… → Read More
We don’t design and hardware quite as much as we used to, but I’m making an exception for these. A good while back, I wrote about a pair of headphones I thought was the most understated and attractive I’d ever seen. They were the TMA-1s from Danish design house AIAIAI, and while I never got to get my hands on them, I’m going to make it my business to try their new pair out. → Read More
With the rise in popularity of Dr. Dre’s Beats, audio company Bose saw a niche they weren’t capitalizing on – the cohort of kids who aren’t afraid of paying $229 for a pair of wildly overpriced headphones. Their reaction? To create and sell a pair of lightweight, over-ear headphones for the cool crowd for $149. Called the OE2s, these headphones feature comfortable memory foam earcups and support… → Read More
Short version: Looks good, sounds good, fits… okay. It’s not for marathon gaming or all-day use, but the Chimaera is a solid headset for home gaming. Nothing out of the ordinary. → Read More
Need some noise canceling headphones? Sure, we all do. That’s why Audio-Technica is selling these QuietPoint active noise-canceling headphones that range from $220 to $79 for the lowest-end model. The best thing? They keep working even if the battery is dead, so you can still listen to music albeit in non-noise-canceled mode. All models run on one AAA battery. → Read More
Short version: A solid pair of headphones with some token efforts towards ruggedness. Aside from an increased resistance to water, they’re not remarkably tough, but the sound is good and the remote is nice and chunky. → Read More
Short version: While the technology is interesting and unorthodox, the Carbon seems to miss out on the most important role of a headset: sounding good. → Read More
I’ve seen Psyko at the last two CESes, both times with their original product, a headset that uses a totally unique system to provide real surround sound. But they’ve finally put out two new headsets, both refinements to the original design. → Read More
During the month of March, if you buy Sennheiser’s HD 515 headphones you’ll get a free pair of Sennheiser OMX 60 earbuds. Cool right? You can buy the cans almost anywhere, just don’t forget to send in the mail-in rebate.
Press release and rebate after the break. → Read More
Short version: Klipsch’s first on-ear headphones aren’t much to look at, but they’re surprisingly powerful, almost too much so. If you like booming bass and don’t care for surround sound and all that jazz, these could be good for you. → Read More
Short version: These headphones are expensive, but they’re also light, compact, and sound great. Pro tip: opt for the Kleer version, as it adds both range and fidelity for a pretty reasonable increase in price. → Read More
Outdoor Technology has just come out with some dog-tag-like Bluetooth headphones called OT Tags. You can get them in either black or red and when not in use they hang down like dog tags – see what I mean? The Bluetooth headset offers stereo listening from any Bluetooth device and if the connected device is a phone, then you can also make and receive calls. → Read More
Check out these neat little earbuds from Urban Ears. These hipster buds come in eight different colors, have an inline mic and remote, and the ends snap together around your neck when not in use. → Read More
While Boba Fett obviously has an air of “danger and mystery,” did you know that he also enjoyed Jazz and early Dixieland? That’s right: Jango Fett, whose real name was Bruce Fitzgerald Fett and was born in Aukland, wasn’t called Jango for nothing (he dropped the silent D because they didn’t have that particular consonant combination on his adopted planet of Kamino)… → Read More
Short version: Here we have a pair of earbuds that lets you go under water and still listen to Waters of Nazareth by Justice. The sweat-proof and waterproof design make for a great pair of buds to take to the beach, wear during swim practice, or take anywhere you think may get a little wet. → Read More
Short version: An attractive and compact pair of headphones, not revolutionary by any means, but powerful and portable, and hey, they say “Marshall” on them. → Read More
Here’s something I want for Christmas: Daft Punk edition TRON headphones! Made by Monster—I’m assuming quality similar to the Beats—these ear cans come with LED lights. A first for Monster, the LEDs will light up and mimic movements from the character’s costumes. → Read More
It was way back at E3 that I saw newcomer Nox Audio’s first gaming headsets, the Specialist and the Scout. I reviewed the Specialist shortly after, and pronounced it excellent. The Scout has apparently had some production issues, since it’s taken five months to come to market, but it’s now available to purchase. → Read More
Back before kids had earbuds or earnodes or whatever, you used to listen to your Robert Plant on big studio cans, man. You’d just sit back with a J and just let the music wash over you while your mom and dad totally spaced out to Reagan in the living room and you were totally in the zone. Bam! Guitars! Boom! Drums! Like you could see the colors of the music, man. So that’s what… → Read More
KRK, makers of high-quality studio monitors, have just announced for the first time, they will offer headphones of similar quality. Made for those who make music or just listen to music, the KNS series is for people that are serious about sound. There will be two models offered; the KNS-6400 and the KNS-8400.
The headphones have a frequency range of 10Hz-22kHz on the KNS-6400 and a range of… → Read More
Basically all we know about these upcoming Marshall headphones is that they’ll be available on November 15 and that they bear the name of the vaunted monitor cabinet and amp company, Marshall. If the image is any indication, they’re perfect for hipster graffiti artists. → Read More
Ultrasone, the high-end German audio guys, are putting out a new set of high-end headphones with a few tweaks to their formula. The Pro 2900 is the first Pro series set to be open-backed, a style I prefer, and they’re also offering two cable choices: balanced and single. → Read More
We’ve been fans of Klipsch’s Image line of headphones for some time now, so we welcome the latest updates with open ears.
The ones I’m most excited about are the Image S5i Rugged. When you live in Seattle, you spend a lot of time worrying about whether you’re going to get rained on, and it’s nice not to have to worry about your electronics. → Read More
Sony in Japan introduced [JP] two high-end headphones today, the MDR-Z1000 and the MDR-EX1000 (an in-ear model). And both models boast some pretty good specs. The MDR-Z1000, which is pictured on the left, features 5Hz – 80kHz frequency response, 24Ω impedance, and 108dB/mW sensitivity. → Read More
It’s not clear to me exactly what exactly people like Quincy Jones and Dr Dre do to make their particular brands of audio gear better. I mean, they put their name on them, probably because they are satisfied with how they sound, but is that the extent of their involvement?
Well, whatever the case, Quincy Jones (a Garfield High School alumni like myself) has seen fit to put his stamp on a new set… → Read More
How many of you out there have the scratch to pay a grand for your headphones? Raise your hands. None! But let’s be honest here. Look at your headphones. Now look at the picture to the right. Now back to your headphones — now back to the picture. Sadly (if you’re as poor as yours truly) your headphones probably will never be the Reference Monitors pictured. But you can dream. And… → Read More
Short version: SteelSeries makes great keyboards and mice, but headphones have always been a weakness of theirs. The 7H isn’t bad, really, but considering what’s out there for the same price or less, it’s a hard set to recommend. → Read More
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