Some would argue that soundbars aren't necessarily a must-have in one's home entertainment system, but there's no doubt a good set can certainly take the viewing and listening experience to another level. To wit, Harman Kardon has chosen IFA 2013 as the platform to unveil a couple of new, audiophile-grade soundbars, the Sabre SB 35 and SB 26. For starters, the top-of-the-line SB 35 model carries a cool $999 price tag, bringing with it qualities such as 1.75-inch drivers and 1-inch tweeters, Dolby Digital TrueHD / DTS HD Decoding, plus Bluetooth connectivity and access to three HDMI ports -- Harman says that given its mere 1.25-inch in depth, it's the slimmest multi-channel 8.1 bar on the market.
The SB 26, on the other hand, comes in slightly cheaper at $599 and sports dual-driver, two-way speaker modules that are powered by a pair of 3-inch, "mid-range" drivers and a 1-inch dome tweeter. Naturally, choosing the entry-level model means potential buyers will miss out on SB 35-specific features like Harman's Wave surround-mode, which utilizes "advanced digital signal processing to deliver a realistic surround-sound." (There's also one less HDMI incision, and we all know how important something as ubiquitous as that can be.) The company didn't say when we can expect these to be up for grabs; in the meantime, though, check out the PR after the break to go over all the audio nitty-gritty before deciding which SB soundbar is the one for you.%Gallery-slideshow79630%
Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD
Source: Harman Kardon
It's a tricky thing to name your devices after a verb. And when we say "tricky," we mean ill-advised. That Toshiba could willfully overlook Excite as a magnet for terrible (and terribly negative) puns speaks to its distance from the tablet category (remember the Thrive?). Yet, here we have another generation of Excite tablets and this, the Excite Write, is the line's top-shelf offering. Its Wacom digitizer and included stylus mean this tablet can go toe to toe with the Note 10.1; both have the same screen size and 1,024 degrees of pressure sensitivity. But where Samsung's outsized Note skimped on the HD resolution, Toshiba's gone the opposite direction. Boasting a 2,560 x 1,600 display, a Wacom digitizer, a Tegra 4 heart, 2GB of RAM and Harman Kardon speakers, the Write is a welcome chord change in an otherwise uneventful 10-inch Android fugue. Of course, the catch to all of this premium goodness is a premium price: $600 in this case. You still there?
Filed under: Tablets
     |
Harman Kardon and Toshiba have extended their working relationship and are introducing several new products embedded with Harman Kardon speakers. This includes laptops but could also include additional products in the near future. The Toshiba Satellite U845W leads the release and is an example of the agreement. Already on the market with starting price of $929.99, this ultrabook is equipped with two Harman Kardon speakers featuring Odyssey drivers.
Running Windows 8, the Satellite U845W Ultrabook is powered by third-generation Intel Core processors with Intel Rapid Start technology, a 500GB hard drive with 32GB SSD cache or 256GB solid-state drive, three USB 3.0 ports, USB Sleep & Charge and Toshiba Sleep & Music. And last but not least, the thin Satellite U845W boasts a 14.4-inch diagonal ultrawide-HD TruBrite® display with a cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio.
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. And don't forget to enter our giveaway -- leave a comment for a chance to nab AT&T's HTC Windows Phone 8X.
If you plan on picking up smartphones, tablets or laptops for you and your loved ones this holiday season, it's safe to bet most of them won't produce decent sound quality when left to their built-in devices. That's why we're here to highlight some portable audio wares that should help you jam out at home and on the go with pleasing sonic fidelity. We've narrowed it down to wired headphones, wireless headphones and wireless speakers that blend style, portability and, of course, quality to please many an audiophile.
Continue reading Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: portable audio
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
JBL has been on a wireless speaker kick lately -- it might as well throw some truly portable models into the equation. Accordingly, two of the three speakers it's shipping today, the Flip and Micro Wireless, sport Bluetooth audio and a 5-hour battery to cut the cord. The Flip (seen above) is the multi-talented athlete of the bunch: its design can work either upright or on its side to stuff into small spaces, and a built-in mic provides speakerphone duties. The Micro Wireless' puck shape isn't as clever, but it fits a standard 3.5mm input jack and space to clip to a carabiner or lanyard. Both these and the Micro Wireless' strictly wired counterpart, the Micro II, have a bass port to improve the low-end frequencies that are so often missing in this class of speaker. Prices may be the real incentives here: the Flip is the most expensive of the trio at $99, while the Micro Wireless and Micro II are even lighter on the wallet at respective $59 and $39 price points.
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video
JBL freshens its portable speakers with Micro II, Bluetooth-toting Flip and Micro Wireless originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
JBL (Flip), (Micro Wireless), (Micro II) | Email this | Comments 
