Samson Expedition Express PA does Bluetooth and XLR, ships this month for $200

Posted on 09/05/2013 by Jon Fingas

It's been a while since we've looked at enhanced PA speakers, and one of the last big hitters in the category was a little ostentatious. Samson's new Expedition Express keeps things a little lower-key. The one-piece system will take both Bluetooth audio as well as quarter-inch and XLR instrument inputs, but it's subtle enough to feel at home at both the beach and the boardroom. It's also more portable than others -- the small, 10-pound box should be easier to shlep around and lasts a reasonable eight hours on its rechargeable battery. The Expedition Express won't be cheap when it ships this month for $200, and it certainly won't make up for our ham-fisted guitar skills. It might, however, be a solid choice for a backyard party soundtrack.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Source: Samson

Scosche BoomBottle ships for $150, just in time to serenade fellow cyclists (video)

Posted on 10/04/2013 by Jon Fingas

Scosche promised a soundtrack to our biking and hiking when it unveiled the BoomBottle back in January; conveniently, it's shipping the Bluetooth speaker right as the spring thaw lets us give the peripheral a proper workout. The outdoorsy among us can now spend $150 to get a dust- and splashproof stereo system that fits into a bike's water bottle holder, or on a backpack through a carabiner, and plays for 10 hours on a charge. We'll have to wait, though, if we want a dash of color while we bombard other travelers with our taste in music. Gray versions are available now or very shortly at Scosche's site and Walmart, but more season-appropriate blue, green, pink and yellow hues will only sell through Scosche in May.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Source: Scosche

OrigAudio Beets headphones redefine KIRF: Keepin’ It Real Fibrous (video)

Posted on 09/04/2013 by Jon Fingas

We've seen plenty of Beats-focused KIRFs in our time, some better than others. Few, however, play quite so directly on the name as OrigAudio's Beets. For $25, adopters get a set of headphones that bear little direct resemblance to Dr. Dre's audio gear of choice, but are no doubt bound to impress friends -- at least, up until they see a root vegetable logo instead of a lower-case B. Thankfully, there's more to it than just amusing and confusing peers. Every purchase will lead to a donation of canned beets (what else?) to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. For us, that's reason enough to hope that Beats doesn't put the kibosh on OrigAudio's effort. Besides, we could use some accompaniment for our BeetBox.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Source: OrigAudio

Cowon D20 launches in Japan, keeps MP3 players alive 90 hours at a time

Posted on 31/03/2013 by Jon Fingas

There's no denying it: the MP3 player market is in free fall, and competitors often have to either go big or go home if they want to justify their work over the many smartphone alternatives. Cowon is still kicking, and the extreme battery life of its new D20 player may be a good explanation as to why. Along with 13 hours of video, it can play 90 hours of music on a charge -- enough that the tunes could blast non-stop through a long weekend. Not that the player will otherwise rock the boat, as it's still carrying a 2.5-inch, 320 x 240 resistive touchscreen, 8GB to 32GB of built-in storage, an SD card slot and Cowon's familiar (if hyper-stylized) interface. The company is partly counting on a low cost to get its foot in the door. Following a tease earlier this month in Russia, the D20 is launching in Japan at prices between ¥11,800 ($125) and ¥16,800 ($178) -- not a bad deal, so long as endurance rules your world.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Via: Akihabara News

Source: Cowon

iLuv outs Bluetooth speaker trio: Mo’Beats HD, MobiCup and MobiOut

Posted on 06/01/2013 by Billy Steele

Now that Bluetooth speakers are all the rage, iLuv is looking to add to its lineup of said offerings just before the official start of CES. First, the Mo'Beats HD wireless unit features SRS WOW tech and a 3.5mm aux jack for wired streaming. The gadget also touts a space that will cradle that handset or slate while The Black Keys are blasting. Next, the Bluetooth-wielding MobiCup is designed to get cozy in that beach chair this summer with 360-degree speakers, built-in microphone, top-mounted controls and splash-resistant buttons to keep things dry (to a certain extent, of course). Last but not least, the MobiOut (pictured above) is also splash-resistant and sports a built-in mic, but this unit boasts Jump-start tech that will offer a quick charge in a pinch and deeper bass tones alongside high-fidelity sound. The MobiCup is priced at $59.99 and the MobiOut at $129.99, however there's no pricing info on the Mo'Beats HD just yet. While the former two speakers will arrive later this month, the latter is scheduled for May. For a look at the entire lot in order of mention, consult the gallery below.

Gallery: iLuv Mo'Beats HD, MobiCup and MobiOut

Continue reading iLuv outs Bluetooth speaker trio: Mo'Beats HD, MobiCup and MobiOut

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Source: iLuv (1), (2), (3)

Soundmatters’ $250 Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker to debut at CES 2013

Posted on 03/01/2013 by Deepak Dhingra

Shortly after revealing the foxLv2 aptX Bluetooth speaker, Soundmatters is adding another member to its foxL range with the Dash 7. This pocket-friendly soundbar doubles up as a speakerphone and carries a $250 sticker, boasting pristine omnidirectional sound and also bundling an angled stand for direct on-axis listening. Tipping the scales at 200g, the Dash 7 stands just about 18mm tall and is designed to be nestled below your slate without restricting the view. The speaker plays well with the diminutive foxLo subwoofer too -- a pairing that promises to add some punch to impromptu parties. The Dash 7 will come in red, white, black and silver when it lands later this month, but the core specs are currently MIA -- a problem we expect to resolve as early as next week when we encounter the accessory at CES.

Continue reading Soundmatters' $250 Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker to debut at CES 2013

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets

Comments

Source: Soundmatters

V-Moda ships its listener-influenced Crossfade M-100 headphones

Posted on 18/12/2012 by Jon Fingas

V-Moda's Crossfade M-100 headphones represent a rare experiment that suggests some of the listeners themselves are the best designers. We're about to learn whether practice matches theory now that the over-ears are shipping. Those who spend $310, slightly more than the originally promised $300, should get a black or white body, an in-line microphone remote and a set of removable shields to tailor the look. V-Moda justifies the price mostly through a more refined sound than the M-80 as well as as a folding, dual-input design that's built for traveling and sharing. A pair of M-100s is expensive relative to some off-the-shelf headphones, but potential customers may already know whether or not they're buying -- many of them had a hand in the venture, after all.

Continue reading V-Moda ships its listener-influenced Crossfade M-100 headphones

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Source: V-Moda

Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

Posted on 05/10/2012 by Jon Fingas

Parrot has taken some time trotting out the Zikmu Solo speaker since we first saw it at CES, but those enamored with very vertical audio can rest easy now that the unit has a North American release schedule. Both Canada and the US can buy the Philippe Starck-crafted speaker in November, when it will cost $999 for Americans in its black and white guises (sorry, no red for now). While that's a lot to pay for a 100W speaker, Parrot is counting on the unique acoustic design, a conventional iOS dock and a mix of Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi to tempt people away from the land of horizontal sound. It's undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to make a speaker dock the focus of a room -- and that's part of the point, isn't it?

Continue reading Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Parrot | Email this | Comments

Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won’t trigger as many earthquake warnings

Posted on 05/10/2012 by Jon Fingas

As enraptured as we might be with Behringer's monolithic iNuke Boom, the 8-foot-long frame and 10,000W output don't really lend themselves to a home installation. Not unless we want to produce false positives on the USGS' earthquake meters, anyway. We're happy to say the company has addressed that domestic oversight with the iNuke Boom Junior. The iOS- and iPod-capable speaker dock won't launch nearly as large-scale an audio assault at 50W, but it's also less than a twentieth of the size of its parent; no one will need a forklift to get Junior into the living room. In spite of the less than ego-inflating dimensions, the smaller system appears balanced with discrete woofer, tweeter and mid-range components as well as separate bass control. We just wish it was slightly more futureproof. As glad as we are that the iNuke Boom Junior's $180 price at Costco spares us from raiding our retirement funds, the speaker is still using a pre-Lightning dock connector and lacks any wireless audio -- iPhone 5 owners will have to turn to an adapter or the aux-in jack. At least we won't be violating any local noise laws in the process.

Continue reading Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won't trigger as many earthquake warnings

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Apple

Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won't trigger as many earthquake warnings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Costco | Email this | Comments

Sony ships new Extra Bass headphone lineup to the US, delivers that Direct Vibe to your brain

Posted on 03/10/2012 by Jon Fingas

If you'd like your Sony headphones to be a little less judgmental, we've got good news. The company's MDR-XB400, MDR-XB600 and MDR-XB800 Extra Bass headphones, along with the MDR-XB60EX in-ears, have arrived in the US for those who want low-end frequencies without the talent show branding. All four carry Sony's newer Advanced Direct Vibe to emphasize the sub-bass notes of "today's music styles" (read: electronic and hip-hop) as well as a serrated cord that keeps the cord tangling to a minimum. Working your way up the range mostly improves the frequency range, which starts at an already bass-heavy 5Hz to 22kHz in the XB400 and scales up to a tooth-rattling 3Hz to 28kHz for the XB800; you'll also see the sensitivity jump from 100dB/mW to 106. Provided you don't mind tweaking software to occasionally recover some treble, the entire collection is ready to wobble your head at prices that range from $60 for the starter XB400 headphones to $150 for the XB800.

Gallery: Sony Extra Bass over-ear headphones