Hasta La Gadget!

Gone is the day when headphones could be respectable without some kind of corporate tie-in or Lady Gaga endorsement. Alas, even Harman’s revered AKG division has roped in the venerable Quincy Jones for its new (wait for it) Quincy Jones Signature Line. We’re talking three models here, ready for launch in October and ranging from the Q 701 “reference class” over-the-ear cans (pictured), the Q 460 lightweight headphones, and Q 350 buds. The Q 701 features ergonomically-shaped cushions of velvet, an “unbeatable” linear frequency response covering 10Hz to 39.8kHz, a 45-mm high excursion driver, and detachable 99-percent oxygen-free cables. The portable $229.99 Q 460 on-ear headphones feature a 3D-axis folding system and an iPhone compatible in-line remote with microphone and play, pause, and skip functions. The in-ear Q 350 also bring iPhone compatible and target the “audiophile on the go” with $149.99 to burn. Seems fitting for a man with 79 Grammy nominations (and 27 awards) to benefit from his name. And you can feel better about him selling out knowing that an undisclosed sum from every pair of headphones sold goes towards the Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium — a foundation dediqated to eduqating Ameriqan kids about musiq. Ironic, because the Grammys might actually be relevant if American music corporations knew anything about good music.

Continue reading Harman AKG teams up with Quincy Jones on Signature Line of headphones

Harman AKG teams up with Quincy Jones on Signature Line of headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a good, long while since we visited the upper rungs of Shure’s in-ear monitor lineup (about four years, to be exact), and for good reason: the E500 / SE530 was already a stellar product that the company was understandably in no rush to replace. Of course, for the heart-stopping $500 they commanded, buyers had every right to expect aural perfection — just as they do with the new SE535 that replaces them. Price? Still $500, of course. Read on to find out exactly how Juno Reactor sounds after you’ve been relieved of half a grand.

Continue reading Shure SE535 review

Shure SE535 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a world where teens are suffering hearing loss at an alarming rate due to ear-bud headphones, Ultrasone’s patented S-Logic listening technology is to the rescue. Focusing on directing sound to your outer ear (or the pinna for you anatomy majors) rather than directly into your ear canal like most ear buds and over-the-ear headphones, these headphones’ Natural Surround Sound reduces sound pressure by up to 40 percent, says Ultrasone.

Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to pick up some attractively woody audio accessories, all from the iWave Grass Roots collection. Targeted at the green buyers, iWave’s collection includes headphones, earbuds, and cases, all made from reusable, environmentally friendly, and recyclable materials. Even the egg-crate packaging is recyclable.

Items in the collection include iPhone and iPod cases ($24.99), earbuds ($19.99), and headphones ($29.99). Cheers to iWave for keeping it all affordable. You’ll find the complete collection at Neiman Marcus, Microcenter, FYE, Tekserve, and more. In Europe, they’ll be in Apple Stores.

Really, the Panasonic RP-HJE 130 is just another earbud. Price is a good indicator of headphone quality, and after that you choose whether you need noise-canceling or an in-line remote and you’re done. But the real genius behind the RP-HJE 130, the thing that will make people buy a pair, is something that has nothing to do with Panasonic. It’s the packaging.

It’s fantastic, right? The design was done by the Scholz And Friends agency in Berlin, Germany, and shows the two hook-shaped buds as a pair of eighth-notes linked together by a bar formed by the in-line remote. The design was so good that it won a Cannes Lions award this year. These buds, it is certain, would jump off the shelf at you, whatever their specs.

And those specs remain a mystery. A Google search for “RP-HJE 130″ comes up with nothing but articles about this design. Switch to Google Shopping and you get precisely zero results. But then, I guess it doesn’t really matter. After all, it’s better to pick headphones on their quality, not their packaging, which will be ripped open and tossed into the recycling-bin after a few minutes anyway.

Panasonic Earphones: The Earphones Note [Coloribus]

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