Hasta La Gadget!

We might have had full specs and a price for the Marshall Minors for a good couple of months already, but in true rock star form, they’re only now arriving in stock. As of today, your order for a pair of these premium buds will be met with no delay, meaning that if you want to jump on the Marshall Headphones bandwagon, it’s just a matter of clicking a few boxes and dispensing with $59. Keeping up with current trends, Marshall’s Minors come with a secure EarClick system that promises they won’t fall out once inserted as well as an integrated mic and in-line remote for added functionality. All they need now are a good home and a loving owner.

Continue reading Marshall Minor earphones now available, to buy and to own

Marshall Minor earphones now available, to buy and to own originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Etymotic, a company we’ve seen here at CES and in the past, has developed a pair of earplugs that protect your hearing against things like loud explosions and gunfire. The EB1 and EB15 Electronic Blast PLG Earplugs, retailing for $449 and $499, respectively, are aimed toward buyers such as hunters, musicians and soldiers — folks who are exposed to loud noises and need protection. The analog earpieces are powered by a 312 hearing-aid battery and will last three weeks. There’s no on/off switch — just a high and low gain control. High gain is used for environments that require an amplification and the opposite applies for low gain. In other words, if a soldier is out on the battlefield and needs to hear an enemy inside a house, he’d switch to high gain to generate a louder sound. The difference between the plugs is simple: the EB1 is for people who are going to be around one-off noises and the EB15 are for those who are going to be exposed to prolonged noises. We got a chance to test out the plugs on the loud show floor and we gotta say, the difference between high- and low-gain modes is easily recognizable and we feel like these earplugs will make superb head-hole protectors. Plenty of complicated graphs and numbers in the gallery below.

Etymotic EB1 and EB15 earplugs hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The US Library of Congress hasn’t been shy about embracing the modern age of digital media, though in this case it’s having to deal with some decidedly lower-fi data storage. Universal Music Group has announced it’s donating over 200,000 master recordings of early 20th century music to the Library, which will be cataloged and digitized — for future safekeeping and in order to be streamed online starting in the spring. It doesn’t seem, however, that the intellectual property rights will be passing with these recordings, as the press release states this agreement continues the Library’s “unprecedented authority to stream commercially owned sound recordings online.” Either way, it’s good to know that the original copies of works by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald will reside in the hands of an organization dedicated to their preservation. Full press release follows after the break.

Continue reading Library of Congress receives 200,000 vintage master recordings from Universal, will stream them online

Library of Congress receives 200,000 vintage master recordings from Universal, will stream them online originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SteelSeries is on hand here at CES, and as with Sleek Audio, Turtle Beach and hordes of others, it’s also introducing new cans at the show. First up is the Spectrum 7xb wireless headset for Xbox 360, which touts a retractable microphone, four-piece breakdown for travel and interchangeable cloth and leather earcups. You’ll also get in-game volume controls along the right earcup, LiveMix technology — which balances in-game audio with voice communication — and the new ExactSND feature, a quick-button option that allows users to switch between three settings that have been preconfigured for different sounds. It’ll ship in Q2 for $149.99. Moving on, the Siberia Neckband is making a triumphant return, this time with innate support for the iPod, iPhone and iPad via an inline three-button remote. More details on specifics are embedded after the break, with a ship date of today and a price tag of $79.99.

Continue reading SteelSeries trots out Spectrum 7xb headset, Siberia Neckband for iPod, iPhone and iPad

SteelSeries trots out Spectrum 7xb headset, Siberia Neckband for iPod, iPhone and iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For those who’ve been wondering what Altec Lansing’s got up its sleeves for this year, we stopped by its CES booth to check out its forthcoming range of speakers and iPod docks. Most notably, a few of the new models bear the same ID as the Octiv Duo, featuring a curved face with a central ridge running lengthwise across the speakers. Come Spring, European folks will get to pick up the VS2721 2.1 system and the VS2720 2.0 kit, with the former besting its predecessor — the trapezium-shaped VS2621 — with a wired remote for volume, tone, and mute controls. Meanwhile, US buyers will still be seeing the current VS2620 and VS2621 desktop speakers instead of the aforementioned twosome, but they’ll also have the BXR1321 budget 2.1 system sporting the new ID, as well as the BXR1320 USB-powered 2.0 speakers. More after the break.

Continue reading Altec Lansing Q1 2011 product line hands-on

Altec Lansing Q1 2011 product line hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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