Hasta La Gadget!

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.

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

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Sony

Sony ships new Extra Bass headphone lineup to the US, delivers that Direct Vibe to your brain originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Sony (XB400), (XB600), (XB800), (XB60EX)  | Email this | Comments

Sure, I like Diesel, but I never thought I’d see them make headphones. That’s probably one reason why Monster, whose widely-publicized split from Beats, provided the technical know-how to help make these. I’ll give the VEKTR Headphones one thing: they look unique.

These headphones look like they came out of some science-fiction movie. The cans are covered in jagged lines, that give them a sort of asymmetric feel. They remind me of a Lamborghini Aventador or an F117 stealth fighter.

Thusfar, Diesel is vague about the exact technical specs that go into these headphones. One thing I know is that they don’t have active noise-canceling, but are priced like a pair of cans that should. On the other hand, they do offer large, comfortable ear cushions and a microphone and remote for your iPhone, iPod, or Blackberry. I also like the unusual tri-folding headband design.

You’ll have to spend $279.99(USD) in order to get your hands on a pair of VEKTR headphones, though you can score a pair for about $30 less over on Amazon.

The love of audio. It’s a dangerous condition, because every minute spent obsessing over headphones or specs or conflicting opinions is a minute not spent enjoying your favorite tracks or discovering new ones. That’s why a review like this, which compares the iPhone 5 with rival phones based largely on acoustic qualities, runs a high risk of time-wastage — no one really needs a cacophony of flowery words with no concrete conclusions.

How to steer clear of the technological equivalent of a wine-tasting? By trying our damnedest to focus only on the more practical pros and cons of these top handsets, specifically from the POV of someone who listens to a lot of music on their phone. We’re talking about someone who likely prefers high-bitrate recordings and who is ready to spend money on something better than the earbuds (or EarPods) that come in the box.

In addition to testing Apple’s new flagship we’ll also look at the iPhone 4S, which is now a ton cheaper than it was a few weeks ago, as well as the Galaxy S III (both the global and the Sprint US version) plus the HTC One X (global and AT&T), and run them all through an audiophile obstacle course that goes right from purely subjective observations through to slightly more scientific tests as well as storage, OS and battery comparisons. There’ll also be some consideration of the iPhone 4, Nokia Lumia 800 and PureView 808, although it’ll be more condensed.

And yes, we’ll end up with an overall winner, but the research here is about more than that. Different phones may suit different people, depending on their priorities. Moreover, new handsets are just around the corner — the Lumia 920, the Note II, the LG Optimus G and whatever other goodies the future undoubtedly holds — and so it makes sense to have a bed of knowledge against which new entrants can be judged. Interested? Then let’s get started.

Continue reading Smartphones for audiophiles: is the iPhone 5 more musical than its rivals?

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile

Smartphones for audiophiles: is the iPhone 5 more musical than its rivals? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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