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Sol Republic is a new headphone company whose roots lie in a product you’re all well familiar with: Beats by Dre. But unlike those $400, bass-happy cans, the Tracks headphones only cost $100. More »

Chances are you’ve already seen the Sonos Play:3 thanks to the leaktacular thing we call the internet. Now the tiny streaming Hi-Fi system is official and ready to start beaming that shiny new Spotify account you just scored all around your home. Inside the relatively compact chassis is a trio of digital drivers, one tweeter and two mid-range, as well as three Class-D digital amps. Unlike its big brother, which has been rebranded the Play:5 (instead of the S5), there’s no active subwoofer on board, but it does sport a passive bass “radiator” that adds a surprising amount of depth to this little shelf speaker. The $299 streamer requires a Bridge ($49) to actually kick out the jams but, once you’ve got the basic system in place, you can tack on additional Play:3s and even combine them as a stereo pair for better separation of those all important right and left channels. There’s even an accelerometer built in that automatically switches from standard to mono and tweaks the EQ settings when the speaker is turned on its side. We only spent a brief period of time with the Play:3, but it was surprisingly loud and quite clear even at neighbor-annoying volumes — though, we’re reserving final judgment until our review unit shows up. In the meantime, check out the galleries and the PR below.

Continue reading Sonos Play:3 compact streaming media Hi-Fi gets official for $299, we go ears-on

Sonos Play:3 compact streaming media Hi-Fi gets official for $299, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wimbledon, typically a quiet leafy suburb in the great urban sprawl of London, tends to get a little noisier around this time of the year as the world’s top tennis players descend upon it with a grunt and a huff of exertion. It’s precisely those un-British howls of effort that the BBC is offering to filter out for you with a new Wimbledon NetMix tool. It’s a simple audio mixing slider, available to BBC Radio 5 Live listeners, that adjusts the balance between ambient on-court sound and the soothing timbre of commentators’ voices. The technology’s enabled by the guys and gals at Fraunhofer, who were nice enough to do it for free, and is being introduced in response to a great many complaints received by broadcasters about the primal screaming that’s accompanied this year’s matches. If the reaction to the NetMix slider is positive, it could find further job opportunities on the Beeb’s iPlayer or in coverage of other sporting events.

Wimbledon NetMix lets you turn down on-court grunts in favor of staid commentary originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New audio input capabilities are nothing new for JVC, but soon you’ll be able to show off your guitar chops alongside whatever bands you choose to idolize — so long as you’re kosher with rocking a boombox atop your left shoulder, of course. The company has announced that the 2011 offering from its Kaboom line will showcase a guitar / microphone input (1/4-inch) with mixing capabilities to allow for gigs to be played from anywhere you darn well please. The RV-NB70 will have all the key ingredients of previous models, including an iPod dock (updated to be both iPod and iPhone compatible), a USB host that enables use of a mass storage device, an audio input and CD / radio playback. True to the original’s design, this fellow features much of the same look while promising 40 watts of guitar soloing power. Your next box ‘o fury can be had right now for $299.95, and if you’re eager for an encore, the full presser (as well as a demo vid) is just past the break.

Continue reading JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together

JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Turtle Beach announces PX3 and Z6A gaming headsets, set to debut at E3

Turtle Beach announces PX3 and Z6A gaming headsets, set to debut at E3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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