Archive for the 'Audio' Category
Harman, aka Harman and Kardon, has just dropped its new JBL speaker dock that fashions such wonderful features as AirPlay support and an LCD display. While some may question the color LCD due to the iPhone or iPod docked just above it, do note that the JBL On Air Wireless also packs in an FM radio (what, no AM? 
) with RDS and an alarm clock. See, you do need the display.
JBL also relies on the HALO for this new dock sound blaster. HALO, or horizontal acoustic level optimization, “delivers clean, powerful sound that JBL products are known for,” per the press release below.
If you didn’t catch the wireless in the product name, yes, that does mean it has built in Wi-Fi and can connect to your PC or Mac’s iTunes library and stream audio to the JBL directly without the need of your iPhone or iPod, hence the AirPlay.
Grab yours for your Apple beloved device from Best Buy or Apple for a mere $349.99 and fill your bedroom with tunes from your iTunes or iDevice attached player today.
Press Release
HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE: HAR), today announced the new JBL On Air™ Wireless AirPlay® speaker dock, the newest in the JBL® lineup to provide music lovers an even more seamless music experience within the home. With AirPlay technology built in, the JBL On Air Wireless lets you play music from your iTunes® library on a Mac or a PC, and from an iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® device over your existing Wi-Fi® network. Users will enjoy album artwork and song information on the bright color display, and can use the included remote control to play and pause music, as well as navigate to next and previous tracks. AirPlay requires iTunes 10.1 or later and iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 4.2 or later.
Three advanced JBL transducers deliver rich, full-spectrum sound uniformly across a wide-listening area. Distinct stereo imaging is often less than ideal with desktop sound systems, but the JBL On Air Wireless dock’s unique HALO (horizontal acoustic level optimization) design delivers clean, powerful sound that JBL products are known for. It also employs proprietary JBL technology – digital signal processing – to maximize sound quality and output under any listening conditions.
“Since the unveiling of our very first iPod dock, HARMAN has always been at the forefront of creating the most cutting-edge products for consumers,” said David Slump, president, HARMAN Consumer Division. “With the new JBL On Air Wireless speaker dock, JBL will set the standard again by introducing a solution for music lovers to store, access and listen to their music content for an even greater seamless music experience within the home.”
Pricing and Availability
The JBL On Air Wireless speaker dock will be available in April 2011 for $349 MSRP at Best Buy and Apple online and retail store locations throughout the U.S. To learn more, visit http://www.onair.jbl.com.
Product Features
JBL On Air Wireless AirPlay Speaker Dock at a Glance:
· AirPlay wireless music streaming
· Color LCD screen
· Works with Wi-Fi networks
· iPod/iPhone dock
· Digital FM radio with RDS and 10 station presets
· Clock with dual alarms
· Three JBL transducers with 360-degree HALO acoustics
· Proprietary DSP technologies
If you’re looking for some audio action for your home theater or just to liven up a small room where you can’t plop towers into, then you may be interested in Orb Audio’ss new audio bliss. Starting at $239 for these small wonders, you can work you way up to the full package that squeezes in under $1,000. While I wouldn’t call it super affordable like the press release does below, it isn’t a horrible price for some sweet sounding tunes, either.
Press Release
They are small, round, and quite beautiful. But turn them on, and everything about them is big: a big, beautiful sound usually reserved for much larger speakers. A big change aesthetically over those clunky old behemoths of sound. A big difference in the way they’re made, and a big improvement over speakers costing two to three times their price.
Meet Orb, the line of handmade, highly affordable and décor-friendly audio products built by Orb Audio.
“We are more ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ as a product line than almost anyone else in the audio industry,” said Ethan Siegel, co-founder and CEO of Orb Audio. “This is very important to us, and it is made possible by our internet-only, direct-to-consumer business model that cuts out the wholesaler, the retailer, and the resulting markups. Our big advantage is that we spend more money than our peers on custom, advanced components, and then we combine that with a labor-intensive manufacturing and finishing process that yields a better sounding, better looking speaker that also happens to cost less. This is what sets us apart from most of the other systems out there.”
The heart of the Orb speaker system is the spherical Mod1 satellite speaker, which is a little bigger than a baseball and is made from high carbon steel. The Mod1 uses advanced technologies like rare earth magnets, Santoprene, Nomex, and CCAD voice coils to produce big, full sound from the smallest possible package. “Using ultra-high quality parts, and using them conservatively, really allows us to push the limits of physics so that these little speakers have a lot of the characteristics of much bigger speakers,” said Siegel. “My partner, co-founder and Chief Designer, Gary Pelled, really pulled the rabbit out of the hat with these speakers.”
All of that great sound emanates from beautiful steel cabinets that are designed with both sound and style in mind – the Orbs sound great and look perfect in the living room. The Orbs are handmade by metalwork artisans and hand-assembled in the company’s Sherman Oaks California production facility. The speakers are round and measure only about 4 3/16 inches in diameter, allowing them to fit anywhere. With six finishes available, they are sure to blend with any décor. The Metallic Black Gloss and Pearl White Gloss are both luxurious, premium baked-on powder coatings that rival the beauty of the finish of the most upscale automobile. Hammered Earth is Orb’s newest finish, which provides a luxurious deep color perfect for any room. The MetallumTM Series consists of three handmade metallic finishes, created by California artisans in very small batches: Hand-Polished Steel, Hand-Antiqued Copper and Hand-Antiqued Bronze. These finishes achieve a level of detail and beauty more commonly found in sculptures than in audio equipment, so consumers can fill their room with sound and art, not big, ugly speaker boxes.
Best of all, an Orb Audio speaker system is modular and upgradable, which is another completely unique feature. Each Orb speaker in an audio system can actually be made from one, two or four individual Orbs (Mod1, Mod2 and Mod4). A buyer who starts with the Mod1 system can upgrade to Mod2 or Mod4 at any time in the future, going from the entry level Orb system to the top of the line, as their needs or budget demand. Other speaker systems have to be completely replaced if you want to upgrade.
For bass, Orb speaker systems also include a choice of two high-quality, very compact subwoofers, the Super Eight and the Uber Ten. Each of these subwoofers again surpass the performance and sound of much larger units with much bigger price tags. By utilizing custom, high performance components, Orb extracts the most performance possible from a reasonable cabinet size.
Orb’s most popular system is the their Mod1 Plus Home Theater System, which includes 5 speakers, the Super Eight subwoofer, a handmade stainless steel speaker stand, and all of the wires and cables needed to set up the system.
This complete package is available for $999.
“We do things very differently than your typical consumer electronics company,” said Pelled. “Almost every part that we can feasibly make in the United States is made here. With most other companies, it’s all done overseas. With Orb, we are designing this stuff ourselves, putting it together ourselves, and supporting almost 100 artists and vendors in California and elsewhere in the U.S. When you export your production, not only do you lose quality control, but you lose the benefit of the discoveries and inventions that come with daily problem solving. On top of that, style and design are the first things to go in mass produced audio systems. By keeping it as local as possible, we can still pay attention to all of these things, using expertly finished steel instead of plastic or fake wood, for example. So, it’s not just about great sound, it’s also about how our speakers look in your room, and the level of attention we are able to pay to every speaker that goes out of our door. But we couldn’t do any of this, since it costs quite a bit more, if we did not have our direct business model cutting out the enormous markups that plague the audio industry. Our average customer saves over $1,000 by avoiding markups, and they receive a speaker system that is simply superior in many ways to the more expensive, mass-produced systems. That is really the key to our success, and our speakers make us proud. We are so confident that people will love them, that we offer a 30-day home trial with a “no questions asked” return policy. It is very easy to give Orb a try and people have embraced the idea from day one.”
Customer service also makes this company with the little speakers a big winner in people’s minds. “In retail, customer service in electronics is pretty much dead,” said Siegel. “But with Orb, you can look up the reviews online and see how our products are shipped quickly and packaged really well. You will also see how we’ll gladly spend hours on the phone helping our clients set up their system, including parts of the system they didn’t even buy from Orb, like a TV. If you email us, you’ll most likely get a response within a few minutes. And if you call us, it’s not unusual for one of our executives, or one of our engineers or speaker designers, to answer the phone and help you. People might think that a store can provide better service than an online company, but we are proving every day that is simply not true. With Orb, you’ll always be talking to someone who’s very knowledgeable and who has the power to help you with anything you need. It’s all a matter of exceeding expectations, no matter how high, and we apply that belief to our service as well as to the quality of our speakers.”
Orb Audio products are priced starting at $239 for a Quick Pack of two satellite speakers, which of course can be upgraded to any complete Orb system in the future. More information about Orb Audio products, pricing, and purchasing can be found at www.orbaudio.com, and at 877-ORB-AUDIO (877-672-2834).
Jump over to the review and be sure to watch the video review as well. This may just be your next boom boom for your iDevice.
Readers of SvenOnTech will know my love for anything AKG and Harman continues to bring more of the audiophile love to the States with two new wireless headphones. The K830BT is a Bluetooth headphone that gives you simple play, pause, forward, back, volume, and call answer and hangup remote capabilities. Like the K840KL, it belts out sweet music to your ears via its over the ear headphones. While the K830BT uses compression to get the music to your dome, the K840KL uses, “Kleer wireless technology features CD-quality sound with uncompressed 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio reproduction”. Read the release below for more on the goodness.
Press Release
HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE: HAR), today announced the availability of two new wireless headphones, the AKG K 830 BT and AKG K 840 KL. Running through the airport, catching the next conference call or listening to the latest tunes on the plane will be a much more pleasant and stress-free experience with the new AKG® wireless headphones.
Perfect for the constant jetsetter who takes calls on the run yet enjoys listening to tunes on the train, the K 830 BT features Bluetooth® technology and is compatible with iPod and iPhone models, and other Bluetooth portable players. For the audiophile who wants to lose himself in music without being bound by a cord, the K 840 KL features Kleer® wireless technology and streams lossless CD-quality audio over the air from iPod and iPhone models, or other portable music players. Both pairs of headphones feature a proprietary 3D-Axis2 folding headband for a comfortable fit without pinching or ear fatigue.
The ear-cup-mounded control on the K 830 BT headphones allows users to raise and lower volume, and answer and end phone calls, and can play, pause or skip music tracks. Users can leave their source device safely in a pocket, backpack or briefcase while on the go with up to eight hours of playback time between charges. A directional microphone, also on the ear cup, eliminates the need for a boom mic.
The K 840 KL headphones deliver pure, uncompressed 16-bit stereo audio over a robust 2.4 GHz radio link, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the music with virtually no interference. With these mini on-ear headphones, users can freely move as far as 65 feet from the audio source and still enjoy high-quality sound. For added convenience, users can adjust the volume on the actual ear cup, as with the K 830 BTs. The K 840 KLs also feature an extended battery life of up to two weeks in normal use.
“Phone charger, laptop AC adapter, iPod headphones – we have too many cords in our lives,” said David Slump, president, HARMAN Consumer Division. “AKG is proud to introduce innovative products that continue to bring studio-quality sound to every ear for a portable and more seamless experience in our everyday lives.”
Availability
The AKG K 830 BT mini on-ear headphones featuring Bluetooth technology are available now for $249 at www.harmanaudio.com/AKG830BT. The AKG K 840 KL mini headphones featuring Kleer wireless technology are available now for $299 at www.harmanaudio.com/AKG840KL.
AKG K 830 BT Features
· Bluetooth wireless technology streams music and phone calls from any Bluetooth device
· Volume, music and phone controls on-ear cup limit the need to interact with source device
· Directional microphone on-ear cup offers compact design while eliminating the need for a boom mic
· Comfortable fit enables hours of continuous listening with no pinching or ear fatigue
· 3D-Axis2 folding headband folds compactly for easy portability
· Long battery life includes up to eight hours of playback time between charges
AKG K 840 KL Features
· Kleer wireless technology features CD-quality sound with uncompressed 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio reproduction
· Extended battery life gives listeners more playback time and less downtime with up to two weeks between charges with normal use
· Extended operating range offers more freedom of movement, working more than 65 feet from the audio source
· Comfortable fit allows for hours of continuous use with no pinching or ear fatigue
· Passive noise reduction effectively seals out most ambient sounds for undisturbed listening
· 3D-Axis2 headband folds to fit into a compact hard carrying case for easy portability
About HARMAN
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 11,800 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $3.5 billion for the 12 months ended December 31, 2010. The company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.
VocaLive provides vocalists with a suite of 12 real-time professional vocal effects along with a capable recorder for studio quality sound in a portable package. When used with the newly announced iRig Mic, VocaLive gives singers an easy-to-use but extremely powerful music creation tool that provides professional results previously achievable only with expensive hardware or complex computer software.
VocaLive includes 5 Vocal Effects – Pitch Fix (for tuning correction or stylized quantization FX), Choir (a 3-part harmonizer), Morph (an X-Y pitch and formant shifter that changes the tonal quality of the voice from subtle deepening to radical gender bending), De-Esser and Double (Double effect gets unlocked by registering) – along with 7 Studio Effects – Reverb, Delay, Parametric EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Phazer and Envelope Filter – that together create the perfect vocal processing solution. The effects can be combined into a chain of three processors and saved as presets. A collection of dozens of Presets is also included to get you up and running immediately.
VocaLive gives you the ability to record vocals or other instruments (single or multi-track) with effects, sing along with your favorite songs from your iTunes library (with a Voice Cancel feature for practicing over songs with existing vocals) and warm up your voice with the included Vocal Tools. VocaLive is an incredible professional vocal effects workstation that you can take with you anywhere.
For the best quality, use VocaLive on stage or in the studio with IK’s new iRig Mic. You can also have fun with it or record quick ideas using the built-in iPhone mic, or you can use VocaLive with earbuds that have a built-in mic.
With its 12 professional effects, Recorder and Vocal Tools, VocaLive is the most powerful vocal processing tool available on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad!
VocaLive features:
• Real-time vocal processor + recording app
• 3-processor vocal effects chain
• 12 professional studio quality vocal effects
• Single track Recorder expandable to a full 4-track studio available for in-app purchase
• Import and play songs from your iPod library or computer for use as backing tracks
• Voice Cancel feature lets you create sing-along backing tracks by removing the vocal track from existing recordings
• 50 Presets included with 4 Favorites for fast recall
• Includes metronome and vocal warm-up tools
• Low-latency for real-time vocal processing
• FREE version also available
Pricing and availability:
VocaLive is now available from the iTunes App Store at 19.99 / €15.99.
A Free, expandable version is also available that allows the user to purchase the individual effects a-la-carte inside the app. Vocal Effects cost $4.99 / €3.99 each, and Studio Effects cost $2.99 / €2.39 each. The 4-Track Recorder for both the Free and Full versions costs $4.99 / €3.99
For more information on VocaLive, audio and video demos, please visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/vocalive
www.ikmultimedia.com/vocalive/videodemo
iRig Mic, the quality condenser microphone for iPhone/iPod touch/iPad to be used with VocaLive, costs $59.99/€49.99 (excluding taxes).
For more information: www.ikmultimedia.com/irigmic
A “Best in Show” winner at the 2011 Winter NAMM show, FirstMix connects via USB and allows users to DJ using their iTunes or other music library. FirstMix ships with Cross LE DJ software from MixVibes and is also compatible with Traktor, Virtual DJ and Algoriddim’s DJAY and other popular DJ software.
“We took many of the best features from our Gemini professional DJ products and integrated them into FirstMix for anyone who is interested in a fun and easy way to get started in digital DJ,” says Mark Wilder, Vice President of Marketing for GCI Technologies. “FirstMix lets you ‘scratch’ right out of the box and gives you the tools you need to put together a great party mix.”
Other key features include the ability to seamlessly mix songs together, spice up tracks with effects, play music in reverse, adjust bass and treble output and record your set. Priced at $79.95, the FirstMix is the newest addition to Gemini’s Digital DJ Controller line and will be available through musical instrument, electronics, and DJ retailers in May, 2011.
For the latest information on FirstMix and all of Gemini’s DJ gear, visit www.geminidj.com and follow us at facebook.com/TheGeminiDJ and twitter.com/gemini_dj.
Panasonic is going crazy with announcements today. From TVs to portable stereos to Blu-ray, Panasonic drenched the AV market with news today. More 3D, more sound, more Skype, more iPhone, but less CO2 emissions are some of the highlights of the various press releases we’ve provided for your viewing pleasure. Take a look at what’s coming from one of the worlds leader in sound – a long favorite of mine – in the coming months.
Read more at the jump…
Jump over to www.sonos.com/android to get more deets and how to download the free app to your phone.
Electric Pocket today announces the launch of Ringtone Remix Pro for iOS, putting the power of a ringtone creation studio onto iPhone smartphones. With Ringtone Remix Pro, iPhone users can easily create their own free ringtones from the music they already own and connect with Dropbox to sync and share ringtones.
Ringtone Remix Pro, by the makers of popular iOS apps such as BugMe! Ink Notes, MailTones and Nag Timer, offers iPhone users a fun, attractive and simple-to-use interface for creating a free ringtone collection from the music they already own. Rather than paying for ringtones or settling for the beginnings of songs instead of their favorite lines or chorus, Ringtone Remix Pro lets users create ringtones from their own music collections and zoom in to clip their favorite section of each song.
With Ringtone Remix Pro, iPhone users can:
· Choose any song from a music collection to use as a ringtone for callers and calendar alerts
· Zoom in and choose their favorite part of the song to use as the tone
· Preview tones to hear how they will loop
· Choose to have the ringtone fade-in as an escalating tone
Ringtone Remix Pro offers the easiest ways to get ringtones from the iPhone into iTunes, including via email, Dropbox and iTunes File Sharing. Not only do these options make it simple to keep a ringtone collection current, they offer the best ways to share custom-created ringtones with friends.
Creating ringtones with Ringtone Remix Pro is easy. Users simply pick a track from their music collection, select the section they want from the real music waveform, then save the tone. Ringtone Remix Pro offers a zoomable waveform showing the selected music track. To pick the exact piece of the track, the user simply slides the start and end sliders into position and presses the “Save” button.
Ringtone Remix uniquely features an automatic ringtone selector – pressing the “Magic Wand” button in the app quickly analyses the selected track and chooses a section of the track to use as a ringtone, skipping very quiet introductions for best effect.
Ringtone Remix Pro is available for an introductory price of only US$.99 in the iTunes App Store.
A free Lite version is also available.
For more information, visit www.electricpocket.com.
Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today its new OWC Media Center Solution for the 2010 Mac mini to address the growing need of consumers wanting to search, navigate, consume, store/backup, and sync digital content from multiple content sources and devices with one easy to use solution. The OWC Media Center Solution includes installing the Plex digital media management platform onto a customer’s 2010 Mac mini, upgrading the mini with 4GB of OWC RAM, and bundling all the necessary hardware – including an OWC Mercury Pro™ Qx2 storage solution, OWC Slim portable CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc burner, Elgato EyeTV Hybrid tuner or HD DVR, and Apple Remote – to deliver a complete and hassle-free Plug and Play Mac mini based home theatre/entertainment solution. OWC will be demonstrating the new OWC Media Center Solution and other first-to-market products, like the OWC Mercury Aura Pro SSDs for MacBook Air models, in booth #513 at the Macworld Expo, which begins today in San Francisco, California.
Access And Manage Content Anywhere With Any iOS Device
At the heart of the OWC Media Center Solution is Plex, the first open three screen (PC, TV, mobile) media platform designed to simplify and improve the way people view and manage personal, commercial and streaming content sources across a variety of connected devices. With Plex installed, Mac mini owners can watch videos, access their music library, and control their Plex media manager at home with the included Apple Remote or while mobile with any iOS Device with the Plex iOS application installed.
Plug And Play Media Organization And Storage
The OWC Media Center Solution offers pre-configured Plug and Play organization and high performance storage of all your digital media, whether from local drives, network shares, optical media, and/or the Internet in one, easy to use application without having to install any additional third party plug-ins or programs. Because it requires virtually no hardware, networking, or home theater knowledge, the OWC Media Center Solution ensures even the most novice Mac mini user will able to access their favorite TV programs, movies, photos, and more with the intuitive, yet visually striking interface that compliments the home theatre experience.
Streams Free Media For Greater Viewing Options
Obtaining new content from free online sources with the OWC Media Center Solution is easy too. With the Plex App Store, a built-in library of free third-party plug ins, users can expand their media viewing choices by streaming content from websites like Apple Trailers, Hulu™, Joost™, Netflix®, Pitchfork™, Vimeo®, and YouTube™.
Backup And Save Content
With the included OWC Mercury Pro Qx2 storage solution, users can save up to 12TB of content – enough space for up to 6,145 hours of DVD quality movies – backed up by the safety of RAID 5. And with the optional OWC Slim portable, bus-powered CD/DVD/Blu-ray optical drive and the included MakeMKV application, users can make backups of purchased DVD and Blu-ray media and convert the files for use on any iOS and Android based device.
Watch And Record TV In High Def
Watching and recording TV with a Mac mini has never been easier than it is with Elgato EyeTV products. The OWC Media Center Solution offers a choice of either an EyeTV Hybrid to watch and record cable and broadcast TV channels broadcast in standard definition and unencrypted HD; or an EyeTV HD DVR for capturing up to 1080i HD from a cable or satellite receiver with component video connections. Once a program is recorded, it can be exported to the OWC Mercury Pro Qx2 for permanent storage and later viewing.
Live Product Demos Presented At Macworld Expo
The OWC Media Center Solution for 2010 Mac mini will be demonstrated live at the Macworld Expo in OWC’s booth #513. Pricing and ordering information for the custom configured bundle for 2010 Mac mini, which will include a 48 business hours or less installation turnaround, various shipping options, and OWC’s renowned warranty coverage; will be announced by the end of January. For additional OWC Media Center Solution details and answers to commonly asked set-up and usage questions, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnkey/Mac_Mini_Media_Center/AV
For more information on the OWC catalog of over 2,900 performance upgrades and accessories, or for reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/.
“By creating a comprehensive, yet option rich bundle and configuration service, we eliminated all the hassle of incorporating a 2010 Mac mini into a home theatre system,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “This is the ideal solution for managing and viewing personal and public content whether it be a single user or an entire family with multiple devices.”
The OWC Media Center Solution Includes:
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 storage solution in choice of 4TB, 8TB, and 12TB models pre-set with folders linked to Plex Media Server.
Optional OWC Slim portable, bus-powered CD/DVD/Blu-ray optical drive
HDMI audio and video connection cables
Apple remote control
Quick Start guide
Choice of:
o Elgato EyeTV Hybrid TV tuner stick for watching and recording cable and broadcast TV channels broadcast in standard definition and unencrypted HD.
o Elgato EyeTV HD digital video recorder (DVR) for connecting directly to a cable or satellite receiver to capture premium programming in full HD.