Audio, Sound & Speakers News - Page 24

Over the last few years Sceptre has gone from a little known brand that pretty much only sold online to a brand that you can find in many large retail stores around the country. The company was first known for computer monitors and TVs, but it has now branched out into other product categories.

One of those other product categories is the portable speaker realm. Sceptre has unveiled its latest Bluetooth speaker called the SoundPal. The speaker uses Bluetooth 2.1 for connectivity with your portable device. It also has NFC tech inside for easy paring with NFC equipped devices.

The SoundPal has a microSD card slot so you can play your digital tunes directly over the speaker without needing to connect a smartphone via Bluetooth. The speaker also has a 3.5mm audio input jack for connecting devices that lack Bluetooth.

If you aren't happy with the sound your TV has right out of the box, there is a wide range of solutions that will get you better sound. If you have the room and the inclination, you can go with a full surround sound system with multiple speakers.

However, some people don't want wires and speakers sitting all around the room. For this sort of person, a soundbar might be the best thing and Yamaha has a new offering that has nice features and a nice price. The sound bar is the YAS-103 and it is the follow-up to the best selling Yamaha sound bar ever called the YAS-101.

The main difference between the YAS-101 and the new 103 is that the YAS-103 has support for Bluetooth streaming and for control via a smartphone app. The YAS-103 supports Dolby Digital and DTS virtual surround sound. It also has two full range drivers, two down firing subwoofers, and a bass reflex port.

It's been a while since we talked about Grace Digital. The company is known for making a number of Wi-Fi streaming music players with an eye towards online radio and other content. The company is back with a new Wi-Fi music player that would be at home next to the bed. The music player is called the Encore.

The Encore is fitted with a special tweeter and woofer arrangement for clear vocals and deep bass. The Encore connects to online radio and other content via Wi-Fi network in the home or office. You can save your favorite internet radio stations to a preset for easy access. The device supports just about any internet radio station you can think of along with Pandora, SiriusXM, Rhapsody, and Live365.

The Encore has enough storage to save 100 of your favorite stations to memory. It also has seven alarms with an adjustable sleep timer and a large snooze bar. Other features include a headphone jack, RCA output, and RCA aux-input.

Harman Kardon has been around for a long time and has a reputation for making speakers and other radio gear that sounds good and looks really cool too. Harman Kardon makes the cool Nova speakers that we talked about back in November. These speakers have a cool clear case and NFC tech crammed inside.

Harman Kardon is back with a couple new products being unveiled, including a set of attractive headphones called the Soho and a wireless loudspeaker called the Esquire. The Soho headphones are Android compatible and have an inline mic and remote. That means you can control your music without taking your smartphone out of your pocket or bag and make and receive phone calls.

The Soho headphones fold flat making them only 1.25-inches thick and easy to take on the go. They are available in white, black, and brown colors for £169.99. The Esquire wireless loudspeaker is aimed at people wanting to share their music with a large group.

In a world where stand-alone MP3 players are a quickly dying breed, companies are resulting to extreme measures to sell their products in which they have invested millions into. Sony's W Series Walkman is one of those devices that while it may be a barebones MP3 player with no additional special functionality, has one major thing going for it; its waterproof.

To highlight this unique feature in New Zealand, Sony has began packaging the W Series inside of a bottle full of water with the help from an ad firm called DraftFCB. The bottle appears to be a reusable sports bottle with a stainless steel band around the top that bears the Walkman logo. Getting your hands on one of these will not be easy though as Sony has placed vending machines containing the Bottled Walkman inside of select gyms and pool facilities around New Zealand.

Today ROCCAT announced the launch of its latest gaming headset, the Kave XTD 5.1. The Kave XTD is a true 5.1 digital gaming headset and is built on the foundation of the original Kave headset, with an entirely new ground-up design. The Kave XTD 5.1 features a fully-equipped desktop remote that incorporates a full 5.1 digital sound card as well as several other exciting features.

The Kave XTD 5.1 features ROCCAT Smart Link technology that lets users pair their smartphone with their headset and can make and receive calls during a gaming session by pressing a button on the remote control. The phones audio is piped into the headset, and allows gamers to take their call while in-game without the need to remove their headset. The Kave XTD's software mutes any incoming or outgoing audio from the game or chat software during calls, so no one hears your conversation but you.

The Kave XTD features 3 drivers per ear cup that have been aligned at a 12 degree angle to provide clean, crisp, and immersive sound. The remote control also features the ability to connect a true 5.1 audio speaker system to your PC from the 5.1 sound card built into the remote, and users can switch from headset mode to speaker mode with the push of a button. Finally, the Kave XTD 5.1 features a sensitive boom mic that is positioned perfectly for accurate communication with your fellow players.

Headphone and earbud maker, Skullcandy has just released a new bluetooth wireless speaker called the Air Raid. The people from Skullcandy claim that it is louder than the competition. They are also saying it is "it is built like a tank and loud as hell." The Air Raid can hold a charge of 14 hours has two 50mm drivers. The Air Raid is a nice portable size and perfect for occasions like parties, camping, tailgating etc. You won't have to worry about breaking it either, they claim it is life proof and is water resistant. Air Raid will be available for $150.

From Skullcandy,

"Bring the loud. Draw crowds, combat bad audio, and stay connected with Air Raid. It's the only portable Bluetooth speaker both loud and rugged enough for those who don't tread lightly.

SteelSeries has just unveiled its latest H Wireless Headset, which is a new multi-platform wireless headset. The H Wireless Headset provides "robust sound, lag-free wireless and versatile functionality bring superior audio to a wide range of platforms, including PC, Mac, mobile devices, consoles, home entertainment, streaming devices and more." The new SteelSeries wireless headset boats some impressive Dolby technologies, including:

What about gaming? Well, SteelSeries has your back with two innovative gaming features. The first, is ChatMix, which lets the user tune the right balance between game and chat audio, which comes in handy, as you can increase another gamers voice, but keep your game volume tuned to your specific liking.

The second gaming feature is LiveMix, which automates that process. LiveMix will reduce game audio on-the-fly to the users' choice, but get this - only when chat audio is detected. This is a great feature, thanks to its automation.

Tomorrow during Nokia World, the company is expected to unveil several new mobile devices including the all new Lumia 1520 phablet, Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet, and several budget friendly Asha devices. What was not expected however, was the Nokia Guru, a iPod Shuffle-like music player with NFC capabilities.

TweakTown's favorite leakster @evleaks posted a photo this morning via his Twitter account which shows off the new Guru music player in a very Lumia blue color. At the moment, the only solid piece of information we have on the Guru is that it will feature NFC connectivity, a 3.5mm headphone jack, volume buttons and a microUSB port for charging and possible data syncing.

What is unclear is whether this device stores MP3 files, or if it is just a streaming device for the Lumia line of phones. My bet is on the latter if you are wondering. A streaming device such as this only makes sense as the MP3 player as we know it is dieing and is being replaced by bulky smartphones which always have an issue with cord length when placed in a pocket. This device could pair with your phone, and mount easily on your arm or shirt for a workout experience where one does not fight headphone cords constantly.

Earlier today, SteelSeries introduced the world to its latest flagship headset, the Siberia Elite Gaming Headset. SteelSeries says that the new Siberia Elite features the high-quality audio drivers and is equipped with Dolby technology that creates a realistic 7.1 virtual surround sound. The headset will be available for pre-order in September and will retail for $199.99.

The new headset's design features a self-adjusting suspension system that is anchored to a still arc. The headset's ear cups feature RGB illuminated dials that are capable of reproducing 16.8 million color options. These dials control the Siberia Elite's audio and microphone, while the company's SteelSeries Engine 3 software ushers in new levels of customization and profile generation.

"First introduced in 2004, SteelSeries' Siberia headset brought together amazing audio quality with first-ever features like a self-adjusting suspension design and circumaural earcups to the market. The headset quickly became popular amongst gamers with its outstanding quality and performance as well as caught the attention of DJ's and musicians, appearing in popular videos and in places that expanded even beyond our core gaming audience," said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. "Siberia is recognized today as one of the fastest growing and highly rated line of headsets by consumers from around the globe. Expanding upon this legacy, today we introduce the next level of Siberia audio combining the acclaimed features, which makes the Siberia brand successful, with the newest and highest-quality audio technology and software that can truly be categorized as Elite."