Hasta La Gadget!

V-Moda’s been seriously edging for the audiophile crowd lately — namely with its Crossfade M-80 on-ear headphones, the VAMP headphone amp for the iPhone 4/4S, and a soon-to-be disclosed followup dubbed as Vamp Versa. That brings us to its soon-to-be released M-100 headphones, which haven’t really been a secret since their inception, making them a special set. Unlike many companies who strive for secrecy in regards to upcoming products, V-Moda’s taken a drastically different approach with its latest cans, with owner Val Kolton stating that they’re effectively the first crowd-sourced set of headphones.

Many headphone lovers out there likely know that Kolton’s been heavily in contact with the Head-Fi community, hoping to craft the best sounding, looking and fitting ear-gear possible. As he puts it, “the easter egg and inside joke is that the [M-100 headphones] can actually stand up. It is the first headphone that we know of that ‘stands above the rest’ and all others fall down/crawl. It also can stand on top of a few other new brand’s models almost like Cirque De Soleil.” It may be hard to tell based on the fashion-focused looks, but the company is adamant that its audio gear goes through more stringent research and testing than some of the biggest names out there, and that it’ll show in the end products. Most notably, its TrueHertz testing where, for the M-100, “six points from 5hZ to 12kHz are measured to be within [its] obsessive quality control levels.” According to Kolton, most companies only check at 1Khz, and allow for much wider variances. He followed up stating that “like fine wine, a headphone is only as good as its fit (taste buds) and its driver variances (grapes/cork). To us, all brands advertising ‘HD’ sound [aren’t being forthright] unless they believe or even know these key components are “‘fugazi.'”

For perspective, the M-100 is essentially the third iteration of the Crossfade LP over-ear headphones. Aside from a few tweaks to the design, it’s packing an audiophile-focused tuning (rather than DJ) that’s based on blending the voicings of its M-80 on-ears and the LP2 over-ears. It wouldn’t be unfair to say the company is aiming for a flat, yet fun sound — all in a package that’s fit to take to the streets like its earlier offerings. Those familiar may know that just under 150 of the first 200 production-quality models are currently floating around as early stock and test units for a final bit of real-world feedback before mass-production begins — and this editor’s been lucky enough to get his mitts on a set for some initial impressions. So, is the product shaping up to match all the hype? Click on past the break our take.

Continue reading V-Moda’s M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wearables

V-Moda’s M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are plenty of gaming headsets, but only so many specifically tuned to the PlayStation audience that aren’t made by Sony itself. Mad Catz’ Tritton label has just shipped a version of its Kunai wired headset optimized for both the PS3 and the PS Vita that might redress that (admittedly minor) deficit. About the only real customization for Vita owners is the option for a shorter 3-foot cord, but PS3 owners can plug in through USB and adjust voice volume independently from the gunshots and explosions. Regardless of which game console the Kunai links to, there’s a modest 25Hz to 20KHz headphone frequency range and few frills aside from a detachable boom microphone. Tritton is mostly counting on the price to lure us in, which just might work — at $60, berating players in-game with a Kunai will cost as much as one of the games themselves.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Tritton Kunai headset ships to chatty PS3 and PS Vita gamers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We took a gander at the Kunai Stereo Gaming Headset for the Nintendo Wii U sometime in the middle of this year, and here we are with Mad Catz announcing the Kunai Stereo Gaming Headset for the PS3 and PS Vita shipping. Released under the TRITTON audio brand, Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc., said, “The release of the Kunai demonstrates our commitment to the audio category, furthering our strategy to provide gaming headsets across all major hand-held, console, and PC gaming platforms. We believe the ability to use the Kunai both for gaming and as a lifestyle headset provides a unique opportunity for us to expand our market share and deliver innovative products to the passionate gamers.”

No idea on pricing details yet, as the product page did not reveal anything further, but I am quite sure that scrounging around the Internet is going to reveal something eventually. Do you game with a pair of headsets, or do you prefer to have a full array of speakers to get the job done for you? [Product Page]

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For those who enjoy listening to music with a lot of bass, it would be safe to assume that bass is a high priority for you when you shop for headphones or speakers. Well it seems that even if you have managed to cobble together the bass-iest sound system you could come up with, chances are it will probably pale in comparison to “The Giant Speaker”, which is what a group of students from the University of Wisconsin have named their creation. A group of engineering students decided in the Spring of 2011 to create a subwoofer with a cone that measures 6 feet in diameter.

The materials used for this project wasn’t the best, although given their $600 budget we guess that was to be expected. The driver was made from fiberglass instead of carbon fiber, which is the preferred material of choice. Powered by a 400V DC power supply, the speaker relied on 24 Neodymium magnets to drive it and according to its creators, “The Giant Speaker” managed to run at frequencies between 5Hz to 50Hz. Now despite the fact that we weren’t actually there to hear the subwoofer for ourselves, based on this YouTube recording we can tell that this has some serious bass so if you’d like to get an idea of it, check out the video above.

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Apple’s iPod touch is certainly no slouch, although it is most definitely less powerful than its iPhone sibling. That being said if you were wondering how Apple’s latest iPod touch handles, it seems that Japanese website, Macotakara has managed to get their hands on what appears to be device benchmarks, showing that the latest iPod touch features an A5 processor clocked at 800MHz which should provide users with an experience similar to the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S itself is no slouch which means that if you were planning on getting the new iPod touch, you should be pleased with its performance. The iPod touch is expected to begin shipping later this month and if you’re wondering what sort of features it will be packing, Apple has released the official user’s guide for the iPod touch which is a free download from the iBookstore.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPod touch pre-orders begin to ship, FreedomPop iPhone sleeve gives iPod touch limited phone capabilities,