Audio, Sound & Speakers News - Page 6

Anyone hoping to be able to use a HomePod with a screen on it will have to wait a little while before that happens, it seems. And it won't happen in 2023 at all.

That's according to a new report which claims that Apple has pushed plans for a screen-based HomePod until 2024 at the very earliest as it works to ensure it's putting money and resources into products that it deems most important. The HomePod with a display, it seems, isn't on that list.

The report in question comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in this week's Power On newsletter. Gurman says that Apple is keen to ensure that it doesn't have to lay off workers in the same way that competitors Google, Meta, and Amazon all have. Part of that seems to be ensuring that it isn't spending money where it doesn't need to but still funneling attention and finances to other projects.

Nothing is set to announce its Ear (2) wireless earbuds on 22 March and now a new leak appears to have shared details about what the earbuds will have in terms of specifications. We've also been treated to what seems to be official product marketing shots for the as-yet-unannounced noisemakers.

With Nothing having already confirmed when the new Ear (2) earbuds will be announced very soon indeed it was perhaps only a matter of time before more information started to leak out. And that's what's happened with leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks) sharing information with TheTechOutlook.

As expected, it looks like Nothing hasn't changed all that much from the previous model which means that we continue to have a clear case design in terms of the earbuds as well as the case. There are some tweaks though, with the noise-canceling microphone seemingly now moved to the top of the earbud. Whether that will improve performance or not, time will tell.

Corsair has released a pair of new wireless gaming headsets in the form of the HS55 Wireless (USD 99.99) and the HS65 Wireless (USD 119.99). Both models are feature-packed, with long-lasting 2.4 GHz wireless support, Bluetooth, and Dolby Audio 7.1 surround. Both headsets are also compatible with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, in addition to PC and Mac.

In terms of the underlying hardware, both feature similar specs with 50mm drivers and similar flip-to-mute microphones. The difference is in the physical build with the more expensive H65 Wireless featuring a metal construction and leatherette memory foam ear cups. The HS55 Wireless looks more lightweight, with a durable plastic build. Neither features RGB lighting, but both benefit from deep audio customization options within Corsair iCUE.

Both headsets also feature on-ear controls. The Dolby Audio 7.1 surround is exclusive to iCUE, but the good news is that on PlayStation 5, you've got Sony's impressive 3D Tempest audio action. Corsair even includes NVIDIA Broadcast within iCUE, so both the HS55 Wireless and the HS65 Wireless should be great for chat.

Philip is introducing new Sleep Headphones, created in collaboration with Kokoon, to improve one's sleep. In addition to being headphones that you can wear all night long. This includes side-sleepers, which is usually the realm where anything headphone or earbud related is a big no-no on account of the discomfort. The "world's thinnest headphones with integrated biosensors" also detect when you fall asleep and will adjust sound levels accordingly so as not to disrupt you.

The profile here is tiny, with a thickness of only 6mm compared to most earbuds in the 20+mm range, and made of soft silicone.

These earbuds are also great for blocking background noise as they come equipped with white noise filters, which are handy if you're in a noisy environment or there's snoring. This is not to be confused with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), which is not a feature here.

The Sony Walkman is an iconic music player dating back to 1979 when it quickly became a phenomenon thanks to being able to listen to music on the go - on cassette tapes. So much so that back in the day, portable cassette players were referred to as Walkmans even though that was explicitly Sony branding.

With the arrival of CDs, it stepped aside for the fresh-on-the-scene Discman and disappeared as the Apple iPod became the portable music player of choice in the digital age. Fast forward to 2023, and the Sony Walkman is now a premium portable music player, as seen in the new NW-ZX707 (USD 899.99) and NW-A306 (USD 349.99) models.

No doubt, the price of the NW-ZX707 Sony Walkman might make you do a double take, but when it comes to listening to high-fidelity music, high-end components are a big deal. In addition to the larger 5-inch display and enhanced battery life, the NW-ZX707 uses high-polymer capacitors and OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) in the underlying hardware. It also uses what Sony calls a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) Remastering Engine to make compressed music on platforms like Spotify sound better.

Apple has unveiled its second-generation HomePod, which the company claims sports "breakthrough sound and intelligence".

In a new press release published on Apple's website, the company explains that the second-generation HomePod comes with several upgrades in the audio and functionality department. Apple explains that users will now be able to create smart home automation through an upgraded Siri, inform users with alerts when carbon monoxide or smoke alarms are triggered while also being able to read the temperature and humidity of a room.

Additionally, the new HomePod offers advanced computational audio for a new listening experience, including support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks. For perspective, Apple launched the original HomePod at $349 but decided to reduce the price when it saw the success of smaller similar devices such as Google's Nest, and Amazon Echo. Reactionarily, Apple decided to cut the price to $299 in 2019 and roll out the HomePod Mini, which has been widely popular, according to the press release.

When it comes to PC sound there's no shortage of quality headsets and maybe a few decent speaker options. Thankfully we've seen the arrival of PC soundbars in recent years, with Razer's Leviathan range being one of the more notable offerings. The latest revision though is certainly the most interesting to date as it sports AI-powered head tracking that is then used to directly beam PC audio to your ears. Powered by Audioscenic technology it sounds very cool.

The head tracking in the new Razer Leviathan V2 Pro is handled via an IR camera that sits on top of the soundbar, which then uses the five full-range 2-inch speakers inside the soundbar for some adaptive beamforming action. Which is the process of firing and controlling frequency responses across multiple speakers to shape and direct audio. Or, if that description didn't make a lot of sense - chalk it up to audio magic.

With audio being directional for the most part, if it works as described then no matter where you are in terms of being in front of your PC, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro will deliver consistent audio quality. In terms of the audio itself, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro features THX Spatial Audio to simulate 3D sound, which makes full use of the speakers and in-built downward firing subwoofer. Bluetooth support is also included, alongside a handy 3.5mm headphone jack, and Razer Chroma RGB lighting across 30 distinct zones.

Apple launched its first-gen AirPods onto the market three years ago now, back in 2019, and have been purchased (loved, or hated) by millions and millions of customers across the planet. But what about its successor: the upcoming Apple AirPods 2?

Well, the new Apple AirPods 2 are getting some attention on the rumor mill, with Mark Gurman saying that Apple will launch its new AirPods 2 earbuds without any health features such as heart rate monitoring. These types of future-gen health-related features were something most people expected, but we might be getting a more simple update from Apple instead.

The new Apple AirPods 2 will reportedly be launching with improved audio quality, better battery life, and NO health-related features according to Mark Gurman in his latest "Power On" newsletter. The biggest issue appears to be the battery life of the original AirPods Pro, where if you purchased the original AirPods Pro back when they launched towards the end of 2019, you might be getting some not-so-great battery life out of them as the batteries would be nearing the end of their life.

Sony's new ultra-high-end Walkman is so hardware super-powered that you probably won't have the music collection to truly unleash it, but the new NW-WM1ZM2 is here, and it costs a whopping $3700.

So... what does a $3700 ultra-high-end Sony NW-WM1ZM2 Walkman get you? Inside, Sony is using an S-Master HX digital amp with "fine-tuned" capacitors, thick Kimber Kable (which links the amp to the headphone jack), and a 99.99% pure gold-plated, oxygen-free copper chassis.

Sony is using a larger 5-inch 720p display, a larger power supply, and an improved upscaling algorithm that's capable of CD-quality audio (16-bit, 44/48kHz). Inside, Sony gives you 256GB of expandable storage, Wi-Fi streaming, a USB-C port, and up to 40 hours of battery life if you're listening to 96kHz FLAC audio. There's also support for 32-bit, 384kHz audio in MQA and WAV formats, but I'm sure you know about the NW-WM1ZM2 if you're using those audio formats.

SteelSeries announced and released their new Arctis Nova Pro gaming headset at Computex 2022, which the company teased has been "four years in the making".

The company set itself some great goals from the start: removing pain points when gaming, and the best audio in gaming. SteelSeries has provided a clean look, has AI-powered voice clarity, high-fidelity audio, and the best comfort so you can be wearing them all day without feeling discomfort... and that's a big deal.

SteelSeries uses a dual-battery "Infinity Power System" for "unlimited battery life", where you can use one of the batteries in the headset, while charging another -- and then swap them out when needed. The new SteelSeries Arctic Nova Pro gaming headset is tapping "Quantum 2.0 Wireless" letting gamers mix two audio connections simultaneously: this allows for communicating with your friends over the phone, while you're gaming on your PC or console.