Hasta La Gadget!

If you come all this way to the Consumer Electronics Show, why introduce just a single product? You wouldn’t, as evidenced by Maxell’s smorgasbord here in Las Vegas. Kicking things off is the outfit’s new Acoustabar soundbar lineup, which boast integrated subwoofers and hardwood enclosures. The 32-inch Eht model includes ten speaker drivers, while the SD320 delivers 430 watts of audio through five drivers. Moreover, that guy touts a built-in iPod dock, and it allows for connectivity with any TV, DVD player and game console. The 32-inch SD-400 simply steps up to 520 watts of audio.

Once you’re done dreaming of ways to enhance your own home cinema, the outfit has one to consider for the kids. The KDP-1 projector includes an inbuilt DVD player and provides a plug-and-play experience that’ll shoot up an image as large as 45-inches. You’ll also get built-in speakers, a microphone input for karaoke and an undisclosed native resolution. We’ll confess that not knowing the latter scares us a bit, but those who couldn’t care less can find it nowish for $129.99. As you’d expect, Maxell’s also dishing out a slew of new storage products. It’ll be pushing out 1.8- and 2.5-inch SSDs (64GB, 256GB and 512GB models) in late 2011, SDXC cards and readers sooner than that, a number of USB 3.0 flash drives / HDDs and a non-networked. MP-100 media player. There’s plenty of details on earbuds, iPod cases and other accessories after the break, too.

Continue reading Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES

Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Corsair is sending out another raiding party into gaming audio waters today with the introduction of its very first set of speakers, the SP2500. Priced at $249 and boasting 232 watts of floor-shaking power, this jumbo 2.1 package is an unabashed play for PC gamers’ hearts. We’ve spent some quality time with the SP2500s hooked up to our own desktop and can tell you that the company’s boasts about these speakers’ full volume range being usable is no lie. They’re basically designed to be loud … really, really loud. Check out the gallery to see just how massive they are and hop, skip, jump, or leap past the break for our fuller impressions. Spoiler: we’ll be discussing loudness a lot.

Additionally, lest your wallet’s not padded enough or your aural needs not quite so extreme, today sees the debut of Corsair’s more modest SP2200 2.1 set for $99 alongside the introduction of an HS1A gaming headset, the latter being an almost carbon copy of the well received HS1 from last year, save for the replacement of the USB connector with a more conventional analog one.

Continue reading Corsair SP2500 review

Corsair SP2500 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

LAS VEGAS — We’ve seen more than a few “wireless boomboxes” that can stream music from your computer to a set of remote speakers. Few promise as much as the inMotion Air from Altec-Lansing.

Announced here at CES Wednesday, this unit seemingly has all the bases covered. It can stream your music library from your computer up to 300 feet away via its own wireless adapter, and it can stream the songs stored on your phone or your iPad via Bluetooth. It’s smart enough to be able to navigate your existing shared iTunes or Windows Media libraries, and it comes with a remote control that works with both file systems, so you can call up songs, playlists or internet radio stations while the thing sits next to you on the back porch. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery will be good for seven hours, the company promises.

The design of the inMotion Air is stark but monumental: It’s an austere, slim wedge with silvery buttons on top and a handle built into the back to carry it. It weighs a little more than a pound, and it comes in a matte black finish or in gunmetal gray. We haven’t had a change to hear it yet, so we can’t comment on the sound quality. It will cost $200.

Connecting wirelessly involves plugging a small adapter into the host computer. The adapter also has stereo outputs on it, you can just plug your desktop speakers into the adapter and leave the thing plugged in without having to swap any cables whenever you want to switch from one speaker system to another.

Anyone sitting nearby can sync their phone or iPad to the inMotion Air by connecting over Bluetooth and make it play the songs stored on their devices. Audio playback over Bluetooth is notoriously sub-par, but Altec-Lansing says it’s tried to keep the quality higher than average by using the Apt-X codec. The technology boosts the fidelity and clarity of the audio coming over the Bluetooth signal, Altec-Lansing claims.

See Also:

• TDK Resurrects the Boombox
• Ears-On With the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Boombox
• Sonos S5: All In One Wi-fi Boombox
• AirPlay Can Stream to Apple TV From Any iOS App – Not Just iTunes

You’ll be forgiven for being a little misty on who exactly Orbitsound is — the British company has only sold its T12 soundbar in the domestic market — but today it’s reminding everyone of its presence with a brand new product for CES-goers in the T14 you see above. The company’s patented “spatial stereo” sound is still the big selling point, promising a revolutionary aural experience that eliminates the need to occupy the traditional sweet spot for enjoying stereo sound. That’s achieved via six 2.5-inch drivers and a studio-class amp that “senses” surrounding acoustic conditions and calibrates output for best results. A bold claim, to be sure, but you’d expect no less for something that will cost $600 when it becomes Orbitsound’s first global launch later this year. Wireless technology is also put to good use, with the T14 communicating through the air with its accompanying subwoofer and wireless iPod / iPhone dock. We’ll be tracking one down while here in Vegas and trying to figure out just how spaced out its sound really is.

Continue reading Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on)

Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Hear that? That’s the sound of a million new products being introduced here in Vegas… in glistening 7.1 Dolby surround sound, no less. Turtle Beach has just ushered out its new flagship device, the Ear Force PX5. Designed for use with Sony’s PlayStation 3 (but perfectly usable with the Xbox 360 or any other audio source), this here gaming headset is wireless in nature and is the company’s first to incorporate dual radios — one for surround sound, and another for chatting on the PlayStation Network via Bluetooth. This is also the first of its kind to incorporate customizable presets; there’s a DSP chip that lives inside, and the bundled software interface allows you to program voice prompts, custom EQ, compressors, Bass Boost, etc. Then, those settings are saved right on the headset, enabling your CPU to take a breather while the cans themselves handle the math. Moreover, the BT feature can be used to accept mobile phone calls or listen to audio streams, and if you needed any more reason to invest, it also supports voice morphing. You heard right — it can be programmed to disguise a gamer’s voice, which is partially awesome, and partially the worst thing ever to happen to online chat. Hop on past the break for the full feature list, and look for this one to land in the Spring for $249.95.

Continue reading Turtle Beach adds dual radios, customizable presets and voice morphing to 7.1 Ear Force PX5 gaming headset

Turtle Beach adds dual radios, customizable presets and voice morphing to 7.1 Ear Force PX5 gaming headset originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments