Lots of good things to report about Beats new Solo Pro headphones. Completely redesigned from the original & now iconic Solo, the Solo Pro is the brand’s first over-ear model to feature active noise-cancelling. With the push of a button, users can adjust noise-cancelling to suit the setting. They also feature Apple’s H1 chip for seamless & stable connectivity and charge via Lightning. New drivers and improvements to bass delivery make for smooth sounds. They boast battery life up to 40-hours and come in 2 shades of blue, plus ivory, gray, black & red.
Equipped with 5 speakers to produce powerful bass, dynamic midrange, and crisp highs, the Echo Studio speaker from Amazon is a compact home smart speaker with 3D Audio & Dolby Atmos technology, and of course Alexa for voice-controlled streaming songs via Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, and more. And with Amazon Music HD, you can play 50 million songs in HD plus a growing library of music mastered in 3D.
Reversing the old standard of having a quiver of different guitars, each for a different sound and feel, the Boaz One is a high-quality modular guitar with a groundbreaking design that allows you to change pick-ups or the body within 10 seconds, and without even looking! With multiple pick-up modules & configurations, you get just the sound you want, with unique & dedicated necks and bridges inspired by the classics. Choose from Strat, Telecaster, and Les Paul modules and with the multi-part body of the guitar, you can add or subtract components for a custom look and feel. A funded Kickstarter.
The wireless Formation Flex from Bowers & Wilkins is the latest addition the brand’s high-end Formation line of mesh-networked home speakers. This mesh technology enables seamless, perfectly synced multi-room & multi-speaker sound. The 8.5” tall Flex speaker boasts 24-bit audio, aptX HD support & streaming via AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth. Pair it with another for stereo sound, then add the Foundation Bar & Bass speaker to create legit 5.1 surround.
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC sounds like a good time. These new over-ear phones from the fun-loving audio brand feature adjustable sensory bass, Active Noise Cancellation to block out ambient noise, built-in Tile tracking technology, and 24-hour battery life. Available in Deep Red or Fearless Black.
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Grandfather to the iPod, the original Sony Walkman turns 40 this year. To celebrate, Sony has created an Android-powered digital device in its honor. Yeah, no, this thing won’t play tapes. Instead, it’s fitted with an S-Master HX digital amplifier, bluetooth, 16GB of storage, and a “vinyl processor” for clarifying muddy audio. This model, called the NW-A105, is only available for a limited time beginning in December.
Sony’s Signature Series SA-Z1 desktop speaker system is a studio-quality, near-field powered system integrating a formidable array of the brand’s benchmark audio technologies. Most of which will mean nothing to casual listeners: a Tsuzumi woofer layout, 6-piece aluminum plate construction, I-ARRAY hi-res tweeters, D.A. Hybrid Amplifier, and so on. Basically: the system is engineered to deliver an exceptional listening experience using any playback format you desire.
Roku has a sweet little audio upgrade for your TV. The new Smart Soundbar is a slim wireless speaker powered by 4 premium drivers & features a built-in Roku Ultra for seamless streaming as well. It delivers rich, room-filling sound and connects to most TVs using either an HDMI ARC port or optical audio port. To add a bit of bass to the mix, the brand also created a new Wireless Subwoofer. Both speakers are available for pre-order now.
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Adidas teamed up with Swedish audio technology lab Zounds to create 2 new sport & training headphones. The wireless on-ear RPT-01 & the wireless in-ear FWD-01 were developed by Zounds & rigorously tested & approved by elite Adidas athletes. Both feature rugged, sweat-proof construction & a safety feature called Passive Transparency, allowing natural sounds to cut through the music to keep you alert.
The Beosound Stage is Bang & Olufsen’s first foray into the soundbar category & as usual, they made sure it would blend stylishly into your home while offering the latest in multimedia audio tech.Designed in partnership with Danish architects FIRM, this unassuming flat rectangle can be wall mounted or shelved. Inside, a 50-watt amp powers 11 drivers for realistic 3D sound with support for Dolby Atmos, Chromecast, and AirPlay2. Available in brushed aluminum, wood, or copper finish.
With the new Portable Home Speaker from Bose you get the seamless streaming of Apple’s AirPlay2 and SpotifyConnect plus the convenience of Google Assistant & Amazon Alexa voice functions. The 7.5” tall aluminum speaker features an integrated carry handle, IPX4 waterproofing, USB-C charging plus an optional charging dock, bluetooth & wi-fi support & it delivers 360º sound. Available 9/19.
Despite the perfect picture, most OLED TVs deliver lackluster audio. A new company called Canvas aims to fix this with their new 3-D hi-fi audio system. Like an oversized sound bar, the Canvas acts as a stand for your flat panel LG OLED TV and features a 4-channel HiFi-grade amplifier with 200W output plus it boasts 30 liters of acoustic volume, much more than other soundbar + subwoofer systems. Available for pre-order now.
The new WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds have a name that should get someone in Sony marketing fired. But these little buds are awesome. They feature built-in Google Assistant, active noise cancelling, and crystal clear 24-bit audio via a built-in DAC. They give you 6-hours of playback with Noise Cancelling & an additional 24-hours with the included charging case.
The Scandinavian collective behind the Urbanears audio brand has always delivered smart, functional products and design. The Rålis—the brand’s first portable speaker—is a perfect example. It’s another clean, uncluttered design that delivers multi-directional sound with a 20+ hour battery life, IPX 2 water-resistance, Bluetooth 5.0 wireless, & multi-host playback. Slate blue, haute red, & mist grey are the first colors to drop. More soon.
Keeping water out of your ears while surfing isn’t easy. Maybe SurfEars 3.0 adjustable surfing ear plugs will finally do it. They are customizable, and come with six sealing gels—three pairs in different sizes—plus adjustable ear tips, ensuring a secure, water-tight fit. The design also allows them to let in sound while water stays out.
RIMOWA makes legendary aluminum luggage. Bang & Olufsen are masters of high-end audio. Fittingly, the two brands teamed up to create the ultimate travel headphone. The result is the limited edition Beoplay H9i. Made with anodized aluminum and premium leather, they boast wireless connectivity and noise-cancelling and the touch-sensitive right headphone housing can be controlled with a simple swipe or tap.
speaker, and the upgraded Sonos One Gen 2, but the brand has made sweet if subtle improvements that make it more advanced. There’s a new, more powerful processor, increased memory, and Bluetooth Low Energy technology, for faster & easier pairing.”/>
It’s not easy to spot the differences between the original Sonos One speaker, and the upgraded Sonos One Gen 2, but the brand has made sweet if subtle improvements that make it more advanced. There’s a new, more powerful processor, increased memory, and Bluetooth Low Energy technology, for faster & easier pairing.
The premium, American-made RS200 Wireless Loudspeaker System from McIntosh delivers rich, room-filling audio whether you’re streaming from a handheld device, playing digital music stored on a computer, or using legacy audio sources. With 650 Watts of total power delivered to 8 drivers in a 2-4-2 configuration for full-spectrum sound, plus an input for an external subwoofer, it is a serious system offering Apple AirPlay 2; Bluetooth 5.0 w/support for AAC, Qualcomm aptX HD & aptX Low Latency, DTS Play-Fi & DLNA support.
Pro-audio innovators Sennheiser recently released their first fully wireless earbuds. The Momentum True Wireless earbuds deliver premium sound with exceptional clarity and simple, fingertip controls. They’re IPX4 rated for sweat resistance, offer 4 hour battery life and the pillbox-style charging case holds enough juice for an additional 8 hours of power.
Firefly Smart Wireless earphones have a sweet feature that most wireless buds don’t: Ambient Sound Mode. This “situational awareness” technology allows you to tune in or tune out the sounds around you. Perfect for those outdoor activities like biking or jogging when you want to be aware of what’s going on around you. They also deliver HD sound & feature an 1PX5 waterproof rating.
