Hasta La Gadget!

This is a sort of hardware / software announcement for Spotify, a hardware partnership with a number of big names in audio like Philips, Pioneer, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Marantz and Yamaha that allows you to keep the party going on those Spotify playlists. Start playing one on your handset, click play on a compatible speaker system, and it will keep streaming on the speaker without interruption — even when you take a call or leave the vicinity of your WiFi network. The audio system will actually start streaming music directly from the cloud. That means you can, say, turn on an iPad in another room and let your party guests skip songs — though, granted, that might not be the greatest idea, depending on who you invite.

Specific devices have yet to be named, though compatible systems will be branded with a Spotify Connect logo, so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into. Those should be arriving in a late-October / early-November timeframe. Spotify will be holding up its end of the bargain by rolling out a software update for iOS ahead of those launches. Android and other operating systems will be receiving it at a later date.

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Friday Denon announced in Japan the launch of two new AV Amp with the AVR-X2000 and AVR-X1000. Announced at 84,000 and 55,560 yen respectively both models comes with DLNA 1.5, WAV and FLAC Support in 24bit/192kHz, Audyssey MultEQ XT, Apple Lossless, Audyssey Dynamic Volume, Audyssey Dynamic EQ, USB, iPhone support and on Screen GUI.

AVR-X2000 Specs
Fully discrete, identical quality and power for all 7 channels (150 W per channel)
The plenty of network capabilities and functions allow you to enrich your entertainment world including:

1. AirPlay
2. DLNA 1.5 certified
3. Windows 8 compatible
4. Internet Radio
5. Spotify and Last.fm Online service support(availability depends on country)
6. Photo streaming
7. flickr
8. FLAC-HD (192kHz / 24bit), High-resolution audio file playback
9. Gapless Playback for WAV and FLAC

Support 4K video to enjoy 4 times higher resolution videos than current HD on larger displays and screens. (upscaling, pass through and GUI overlay)
Pre-out for zone2
Horizontal colour-coded layout of speaker terminals for easy connection, and included label sheets for marking speakerwires and HDMI cables
Improved Setup Assistant, providing easy-to-follow setup instructions with Graphical User Interface (Hybrid GUI, 9-languages)
7 (including 1 front) x HDMI inputs with 3D, CEC and ARC support, and 1 x HDMI output
Optimised Bass redirection, for powerful bass performance in configurations without subwoofer
Upgraded front panel design with two knobs (source, volume)

AVR-X1000 Specs
Fully discrete, identical quality and power for all 5 channels (145 W per channel)
The plenty of network capabilities and functions allow you to enrich your entertainment world including:

1. AirPlay
2. DLNA 1.5 certified
3. Windows 8 compatible
4. Internet Radio
5. Spotify and Last.fm Online service support(availability depends on country)
6. Photo streaming
7. flickr
8. FLAC-HD (192kHz / 24bit), High-resolution audio file playback
9. Gapless Playback for WAV and FLAC

Horizontal colour-coded layout of speaker terminals for easy connection, and included label sheets for marking speakerwires and HDMI cables
Improved Setup Assistant, providing easy-to-follow setup instructions with Graphical User Interface (Hybrid GUI, 9-languages)
5 (including 1 front) x HDMI inputs with 3D, CEC and ARC support, and 1 x HDMI output
Optimised Bass redirection, for powerful bass performance in configurations without subwoofer
Upgraded front panel design with two knobs (source, volume)

The new Denon AH-D400 “Urban Ravers” over-ear headphones feature a 50 millimeter driver, a built-in headphone amplifier and a rechargeable battery that offers up to 12-hour of operating time from a single charge. Weighing at just 305grams, the Denon AH-D400 “Urban Ravers” over-ear headphones are currently available for $399.99. [Denon]

Spotify didn’t want to leave all the spotlight time to phone manufacturers today. To start, it’s widening its toehold in the living room: three Denon AV receivers and four Marantz counterparts now have support for streaming Spotify Premium music through respective firmware updates, with control coming either through the on-device screen or through Denon’s mobile remote app. You’re not necessarily left out if you have no compatible home theater to call your own, however. As long as you have a device with at least Android 4.0, an update to the Spotify app will let you apply audio effects or share Premium music between NFC devices through a tap. All of the updates are free — just know that you’ll need Spotify’s full $10 per month subscription to grease the wheels. Check the source links for the supported receivers and app updates.

Filed under: Cellphones, HD, Mobile

Spotify comes to Denon and Marantz receivers, shares music over NFC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wireless headphones are getting more popular, but I’ve always believed that corded ones have better sound. These premium headphones from Denon are part of their high-end wireless headset collection, and look like they are an option if you want over-ear headphones that are wireless.

The Globe Cruiser Bluetooth 3.0 Headphones feature active noise cancellation, pentagonally-shaped memory foam ear pads, and 40mm drivers. There’s an included smartphone app allowing you to customize some settings, along with an interface to play your music. The headphones hold a charge of up to 10 hours, and can be plugged in for continuous usage. They have dual microphones and a wheel situated on the outside of an ear pad to select your tunes remotely. Frequency response is rated from 5 to 37,000 Hz.

The headphones pack flat, which is always good when you travel. While they look great, and the features sound impressive, they’re not exactly cheap. The Denon Globe Cruiser headphones will set you back $499.99 (USD) for a pair. They’re available for pre-order over on Amazon.

[via designboom]