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It's been almost a month since KEF announced its first headphone series, and yesterday we finally got the chance to try out its M500 cans and M200 in-ears at the company's Hong Kong launch event. In fact, it's worth noting that while KEF originated from the UK 52 years ago, it's been part of Hong Kong's Gold Peak Group since 1992. That said, much of KEF's R&D is still done back in an English county called Kent, where the engineers attempted to port their company's sonic signature over to its M series headphones. The result? Let's just say we prefer one to the other.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wearables
Mostly known for its extravagant speaker systems, KEF is finally taking a whack at ear gear. Today, the company announced two new types of HiFi headphones, known as the M Series, which include a pair of on-ear cups (M500) and a set of in-ear buds (M200). Priced at $300, the M500 sports a full aluminum frame and sweat resistant padding, along with a 10mm driver for lows and a 5.5mm driver for mids and highs full-range 40mm neodymium driver in each earcup. If enclosed head gear isn't your thing, the $200 M200 offers an aluminum housing and a pair of silicone ear tips with an adjustable arm for improved comfort. Like their pricier sibling These earphones feature a 'DDD' dual dynamic driver system with a 10mm driver for lows and a 5.5mm driver for mids and highs. While we've yet to spend time with the M500 or M200, their press pictures and specs aren't too shabby. Call it a hunch, but we doubt they'll need any celebrity endorsements. For more info on KEF's new headphone line, hit the presser after the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wearables
Crucial's budget-friendly yet high-capacity 2.5-inch M500 SSD has finally cropped up for sale today, as have the reviews of it from the usual enthusiast sites. While it's still not exactly low-cost, many applaud the fact that the company's $600 960GB drive is the cheapest near-1TB model you can get on the market. It uses Micron's 20nm MLC NAND flash, a SATA 6 Gb/s controller and is the first to implement the new 128Gb MLC NAND die. According to Benchmark Reviews, it certainly bests its m4 predecessor with peak speeds that reach 500 MB/s read and 400 MB/s write, with 80,000 IOPS in operational performance.
Both TweakTown and Anandtech concur that it's not quite as fast as its closest competitor, the Samsung 840 Pro, but as Anand Lai Shimpi said in his review: "If you need the capacity and plan on using all of it [960GB], the M500 is really the only game in town." TechnologyX, however, gives the nod to the 480GB model, if only because it's about $200 cheaper if you're willing to compromise on space. Crucial also offers the M500 in 120GB and 240GB for $130 and $220 for those with smaller wallets. If you're keen to see the full breakdown on this tiny wonder, head on over to the sources to judge for yourself, or just click on the Crucial link below to get your own.
Filed under: Storage
Source: Benchmark Reviews, Tweaktown, Anandtech, TechnologyX, Crucial
