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The California Silverado headphones feature a pair of 40mm Titanium drivers, producing a frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz with an impedance of 50 Ohm. These headphones also provide a leather headband with quality stitching, die-cast sound chambers, leather ear cups, an authentic metal construction and a knitted cord with the Duo Jack Technology. This technology allows your friends to plug in and share what you’re listening to. Unfortunately, it draws more power from your device so that neither one of you loses audio quality. The California Silverado headphones retails for $225.95. [Product Page]

This is for sure: if you’re a gamer seeking a primo wireless surround sound headset, now is a very good time to buy. It’s been less than two weeks since Astro Gaming’s A50 wireless surround headset impressively traversed the Engadget review gauntlet, and now the crazy kitties that are Mad Catz and Tritton are up for a turn. It’s taken the duo well over a year and a half to get its full range of Microsoft-licensed Xbox 360 headsets off the ground, with the flagship Warhead 7.1 Wireless Surround Sound Headset set to hit shelves in just a few days.

Aside from packing some innovative and exclusive features for Xbox 360 users, it stands as the only totally integrated wireless headset for the system — for the first time you won’t need a pesky controller-to-headset cable or a controller-mounted Bluetooth dongle for voice chat. We’ve been fortunate enough to get an early look at this $300 Dolby Headphone-enabled headset, so join us past the break and we’ll let you know whether it’s been worth the wait — or whether it’s too much, too late.

Continue reading Tritton Warhead 7.1 Wireless Surround Sound Headset for Xbox 360 review

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Wearables

Tritton Warhead 7.1 Wireless Surround Sound Headset for Xbox 360 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You do know that Parrot makes more than just the AR.Drone, right? It was at CES earlier this year that we first caught a glimpse of — and subsequently began geeking out about — the Parrot Zik by Starck. For those unfamiliar, these headphones are jam-packed with enough technologies to make even the geekiest audio lovers smitten. Priced at about $400, they feature Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth connectivity, on-board capacitive touch-control, active noise cancellation, head detection, a jawbone sensor for speech and Parrot’s audio-enhancing DSP app for iOS and Android — not to mention a striking design by the renowned Philippe Starck.

This isn’t the first time Parrot and Mr. Starck have worked together, but this does mark their debut in the portable audio market (as opposed to home-based speaker systems). In the case of this review, not one, but two Engadget editors spent some time testing the product. So, do they impress? More importantly, are they worth the $400 asking price? You know the drill: meet us after the break where we’ll lay it all out.

Continue reading Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around?

Filed under: Wearables

Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We heard late last month that the John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR headset would be hitting Kickstarter any day now, and it turns out today is that day. The project has just launched on the crowd-funding site with a goal of $250,000. To reach that, the team (led by company founder Palmer Lucky) is offering a variety pledge options, starting with posters and t-shirts for $15 and $25 (or $10 for a simple thanks), and of course the headset itself that is initially only being offered as a developer kit. It will set you back $300, which also includes a copy of Doom 3 BFG, and is expected to start shipping in December (signed kits and a complete bundle are available as well). Those that act fast can also snag one of 100 unassembled prototype kits, which run $275 and ship a month earlier in November. Despite that developer-only status, though, the project is already off to an impressive start — it’s raised over $50,000 as of this writing. You can find the usual video overview of the project after the break.

Update: The 100 prototype kits are now sold out, and the project itself has already sailed past the $100,000 $150,000 mark. John Carmack also clarified on Twitter that he’s not “backing” the project in any official capacity, only endorsing it as a “wonderful advancement in VR tech.”

Update 2: And the project has now easily met its goal on the first day. Those interested are still able to make a pledge any time over the next 30 days.

Continue reading John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR project hits Kickstarter, developer kits start at $300 (update: $250k goal met)

Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables

John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR project hits Kickstarter, developer kits start at $300 (update: $250k goal met) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Id America’s Metropolitan in-ear headphones feature a lightweight aluminum housing. Available in six different colors, these headphones have a tangle-free fabric cord, three sizes of earbuds and an included microfiber carrying pouch. There is also an in-line remote/mic module that enables you to answer/end phone calls or navigate through your musical library. The Id America Metropolitan in-ear headphones retail for $29.95. [Id America]