April 23, 2014 - IK Multimedia, the global leader in digital modeling technology, announced a collaboration with Orange Amplification® to kick off the exciting release of AmpliTube Orange for iPhone/iPad by giving musicians the chance to win over $2200 in hardware and software music creation prizes! Entries will be accepted on the IK Multimedia website through April 30th, 2014!

“We’ve been creating amp-modeling gear for over 12 years now and you have GOT to hear it to believe us when we say: this is the best one yet – AmpliTube Orange is a real-time mobile Orange amplifier and effects studio featuring digital models of 5 classic and modern Orange guitar amplifiers and one Orange bass amplifier. Each amp and cab model has been meticulously recreated, both visually and in sound to deliver spot-on Orange tone any time, everywhere.”

Prize package #1, $1400 in value:

• Tiny Terror amp head: The original Lunchbox amplifier, Value: $599.99
• AmpliTube Orange for iPhone/iPod touch or AmpliTube Orange for iPad real-time mobile Orange Amps and Effects, Value: $14.99 each
• AmpliTube Orange: The official Orange amp & cab collection for Mac/PC, Value: $99.99
• iLoud: The first studio-quality portable speaker designed for musicians and audiophiles, Value: $299.99
• iLoud Travel Bag: The gig bag for iLoud, Value: $39.99
• iRig HD: High-quality digital guitar interface for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac, Value: $99.99
• iRig BlueBoard: Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac, Value: $99.99
• iRig: Guitar & instrument interface adapter for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, Value: $39.99
• iLine: Mobile music cable kit, Value: $59.99
• Book of Orange: A book about the history of Orange Amplification, Value: $49.99

Secondary Prize Package, over $800 in total value:

• AmpliTube Orange for iPhone/iPod touch or iPad
• AmpliTube Orange for Mac/PC
• iLoud
• iLoud Travel Bag
• iRig HD
• iRig BlueBoard
• iRig
• iLine
• Book of Orange

The “Tiny Terror” is an amp for both the studio and the stage; the original “Lunchbox” amp with more than 30,000 units sold. All valve, 15-watt portable guitar head. Featuring a unique two stage preamp which has a massive tonal range using just three controls. When driven, this little amp has almost as much gain as most four stage lead channels! The Tiny Terror puts a lot of high-priced, boutique amps to shame with its clean crunch to full on overdrive sounds. At mid gain settings this valve head has masses of vintage British character; the Tiny Terror has been built to the same rugged specification as the bigger Orange amps and its portability makes it perfect for gigging around town or rehearsing. The Tiny Terror switches from 15 to 7 watts for studio use and recording.

For a chance to win, please visit the IK website entry page. Entries will be accepted no later than April 30, 2014, midnight EST. Winners will randomly be selected on May 2, 2014 and IK Multimedia will notify the winner via email.

www.ikmultimedia.com/orangegiveaway

For more information about AmpliTube Orange, please visit: www.ikmultimedia.com/orange

For more information about IK’s range of interfaces and accessories for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac/PC, please visitwww.ikmultimedia.com/interfaces

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Intel Reinvents The Desktop For 2014 And Introduces 4 New Overclocking Products. The first question that comes to mind is to why is Intel reinventing something that has already been firmly established in today’s modern world? Well for one thing change; which is not only inevitable, it is also a necessary process in the evolution of the desktop environment. In the beginning, which sounds surprisingly like the first words in the bible J the desktop PC was a beast that had a really small monitor to view everything on and everything was as white as a Canadian winter. Monitors got bigger; colors changed and gaming really bloomed like no one ever thought it would forever changing the landscape of the PC.

With that came the all-new breed of super gaming systems with “UBER” gaming CPUs, GPUs and cases of every size shape and color imaginable. We saw a really short span of the SFF PC, but LAN boxes pushed those puny systems to the curb. Then came the “hardcore” competitive Overclockers, Modders and a whole new level of attention keeping the big desktop going with another breath of life. Liquid cooling not only became acceptable, for anyone looking to do overclocking it became the mainstay instead of the “Only For The Hardcore” user it once was. Intel dominated the game throughout the entire what I will call the Big Pc Era, but times have now changed to the point of mobile market taking over what was once the PC dominated market. Intel is moving with the changes and now has product lines from small PC’s such as the NUC (Next Level Of Computing) to tablets, touch-screens, laptops and more.

Intel Updates their AIO lineup and Software

The AIO market is pretty new territory for everyone and it’s starting to take on new ideas and software to help make theme even more user friendly for as many audiences as possible. Intel will have not only new AOI products that will have a great touchscreen interface with a very high definition monitor to view all your work or play. Intel currently is focusing a few key areas in their roadmap and journey to reinvent the desktop, which they started back in 2009/2010. Portability, touch interface and multi-user collaboration were a few of the key areas focused on at that time point. In the 2011/2012 era Intel saw through concept testing that more people were moving away from the standard desktop into other areas such as cloud computing and that models that featured detachable screens that preferably were able to be laid flat were starting to become more and more in demand.

In 2013 Intel introduced their portable AIO line and made them available for the mainstream audience. As can be seen by the provided slides the near future will see Intel working on the next generation of AIO products. New AIOs that will be even more user friendly, but also much smarter and able to interface with the host user on a much different level than ever before. The Intel RealSense Camera, which will lead us to another road in the story as well as advanced audio and a Quad Array microphone are all some things we shall in the future. Intel also announced the release of 12 new pAIO Multi-User, Multi-Touch Applications that will not only offer better family entertainment, but also a lot of really cool software applications that the whole family can enjoy together or alone. Wheel Of Fortune, Parking Frenzy, Prankster Planet, a few different varieties of Halli as well as Tarzan Unleashed (Hopefully Not Unclothed) and for the children Crayola Color, Draw and Sing.

Intel brings the NUC Desktop to new places

We have thus far mentioned Intel ‘s Next Unit Of Computing, which is basically a very small footprint PC that has many different configuration options that can be used for a variety of applications. Form gaming to interfacing in just about as many places you can think of Intel wants the NUC to spread like a wildfire and has shown many different ways of implementing their little baby into your business. Some of the cooler ones involve Point And Pour options at your local bar, you know you walk in and your phone tells the NUC you have arrived and the bartender makes your drink before you even have to bug them.  The same could be done at your local StarFuchs or other such coffee establishments and your drink could be getting steamed or iced without the hassle of waiting to place an order. The ways that you could possible interface are pretty limitless as long as all the devices can properly speak to each other and when that happens it will be interesting to say the least.

Announcing Ready Mode Technology

Intel Ready Mode Technology is a capability that takes advantage of new power-saving states in Intel’s 4th gen Core desktop processor combined with software and board level optimizations which enable OEM desktop computers that are instantly ready and always connected while sipping power. So now in English, okay so say you walk into your home after being out all day with the family or friends and you have a bunch of photos on your smart device, be it phone, tablet whatever and as soon as you walked into your home they were automatically transferred to your home PC? This is just one of the things that Ready Mode Technology will bring on deck when it arrives later this year for the desktop environment. Now all of your portable smart devices will be able to talk to your home PC and losing those personal moments will hopefully become a thing of the past. Other applications include being able to access your PC from anywhere via your personal smart device. So if you need something really important while out and about from your computer without hassle.

 Intel Introduces 4 New Overclocking Processors

Okay so now lets get to the meat and Potatoes of Intel’s announcements, those about new CPUs as everybody loves a new CPU as it always means faster products and price drops on older technology. First off is the all-new Intel; Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition, which will be availed to the public in the 2^nd half of 2014. This will be the very first Intel 8-Core desktop CPU that will also feature DDR4 memory and be supported by the new Intel X99 Chipset. Pricing as of yet has not been announced, but expect then to be fairly pricey, not kidney pricey, but maybe a pinky finger, just saying LOL

Next up we see the all new Unlocked 5^th Generation Intel Core CPU with Intel Iris Pro Graphics. What we know so far is what you see it’s a new 5^th Gen CPU that is based off the code named Broadwell tech and will be available for the 9 series chipset for the desktop market. These new Broadwell CPUs show Intel delving even deeper into the onboard graphics market something AMD has heavily relied upon lately with their FX and A series APUs. This will be the very first desktop processor to feature the Iris Pro onboard and hopefully it will satisfy the user group who really appreciates that side of the technology. I myself am a gamer and so far onboard has mean Ho-Hum, but maybe Intel is trying to change that one generation at a time.

To celebrate 20-years of Pentium processors Intel will release their first-ever Anniversary Edition Pentium CPU, which will be available mid year in 2014 and is really a cool thing for the collector as well as the enthusiast. This will be the first Pentium to support Intel Quick Sync Video, will be completely unlocked and be supported by both the 8 and 9 series chipsets. Pricing and other details are scarce right now, but nonetheless this is really cool idea that Intel has with this CPU and I know that I want to get my hands on one when it come out, and if you are an Intel fan you may just feel the same way. Pricing and all the rest will just have to wait, but the very concept is something that will be very interesting to see when it hits the shelves later this year. Happy 20^th to the Pentium folks may she ever grace our PC with plenty of power and features.

Last but by no means least is Intel’s latest Unlocked 4^th Generation Core CPU Codename: Devi’s Canyon, which is slated for release mid year 2014 along with many of its counterparts show here today. These processors are being made for the new 9 series chipset motherboards and will feature improved thermal interface material (Better Overclocking) and updated packaging materials. Intel claims that these new CPUs are being re-engineered for enhanced performance and overclocking and should be just an improvement with a speed bump over current generation CPUs. Pricing, speeds and SKUs have yet to surface, but Intel will surely do something to make them appealing to you in one way or another. Well that wraps up Intel’s announcements for the coming few months and the news sounds quite exciting with cool new things for the summer months from what we can see here. Thanks for reading Tech Of Tomorrow my friends.

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Apple loves using the “Air” moniker on its products, hence the Macbook Air and iPad Air, and may throw the iPhone some “Air” love as well. This theoretical iPhone Air will be 0.22 inches thin, according to Sonny Dickson. This razor-thin design may house a super high-res “Ultra Retina” screen, boasting 389 PPI. Size-wise, previous speculation points to two display options: 4.7 inches and 5.7 inches, a vast difference from the 5s’s 4-inch canvas. An A8 processor clocked at a blazing 2.6GHz will power the device, Dickson says.

A lot of Android phones have come out in the past six months, such as LG’s G2, have featured Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) built into the camera. OIS is a technique used to help reduce blur caused with the motion of a camera during exposure. OIS has proven to be superior to digital stabilization, which smartphones have traditionally used. Considering the iPhone’s camera has not seen an overhaul since the 4S back in 2011, Apple is definitely interested in giving the camera a makeover this fall. OIS is an inclusion that would put Apple’s flagship smartphone on pace with its Android and Windows Phone counterparts and will help continue the legendary legacy of cameras equipped on the iPhone.

If all these rumors end up shaping our next-gen iPhone, then we sure have something to look forward to. This is not a “baby-step year” for Apple. With Samsung, Apple’s biggest competitor in terms of market share, using 2014 as a “baby-step year” with the Galaxy S5, Apple definitely has a chance to usurp sales back to its side. This upcoming fall all are eyes on you, Mr. Cook.

Source: LinusTechTips

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Speakers can also range quite a bit depending on their features and what market they are trying to reach. Simple audio is reaching into a very niche market that falls right on the border of desktop and high-end audiophile. The Simple audio “Listen” branded set is also a very interesting product all around as it has an abundance of features that make them appealing in a variety of ways.

One of the biggest features that I feel make the “Listen” stand out is their ability to be a very portable and yet solid made product that can be used in any room in your house or any Bluetooth device as well. If you want to use them as your desktop audio system they can connect via the 3.5mm cable and regardless of which OS you use be it Mac based or Windows you can hook them up via USB for automatic USB connectivity. When using USB connection the “Listen” speakers use the native sound drivers of your sound system to power the audio, but you can get even better response by using a high-quality amplifier and the 3.5mm connection. The system will automatically stop playing if you are connecting a different type until you unplug the previous cable.

If you have amazing built in audio that is cool, but most onboard audio solutions are ho-hum for quality music reproduction and more geared toward gaming. The “Listen” comes with a 3-Inch midrange speaker with rare earth magnets and has FerroFluid cooled tweeters as well as bass reinforcing pressure driver. A pressure driver is a passive speaker that is slaved to the active driver(s) via the acoustic chamber. It typically consists of a frame, a rubber surround, and a weighted driver. The additional weight allows the pressure driver to use its mass to reinforce low frequencies. By utilizing a pressure driver, Listen’s low-frequency response is extended, rolling off (-10dB from reference) at approximately 45Hz ±5Hz with volume level at or below ~80%. The speakers should sound very clean with little noise interference even at high volumes.

The 2-way design ensures that the “Listen” can reproduce a broad range of frequencies and by utilizing SPL Sound Pressure Levels the “Listen” can produce a full range of frequencies without distortion or tone loss. The speakers contain a separate digital amplifier for each speaker and by providing separate digital amplifiers for each driver the “Listen” speakers are able to take advantage of several benefits to make them sound amazing. First, this design provides plenty of amplifier headroom to reproduce audio accurately, even at higher SPLs and peak output. Second, it allows us to use precisely tuned, phase compensated, DSP-based active crossovers. The bass reinforced pressure driver has an extra heavy weighted driver to ensure a clean low tone without muddy sound reproduction

Active crossovers that use a DSP to accurately reproduce the different frequencies ranges with out producing a harsh or unbalanced sound are part of what make the “Listen” a separate animal than your standard speakers. Simple audio also incorporates Dynamic Compression, which allows on the fly compression that eliminate clipping or distorted sounds even at maximum volume levels something only seen in the studio and usually during the mix-down phase of the process not on a speaker. The “Listen” provide Dynamic power allocation that allows a flat frequency response and also changes the way the speaker works and the way it actually reproduces the source signal. The speakers compensate each other at a different level than normal speakers and allow both speakers to be heard clearly regardless of how low, or how loud you have them. At lower volume levels, the woofer will receive slightly more power relative to the tweeter; at higher volume levels, the woofer will receive less power, allowing Listen to maintain a flatter frequency response across a wider range of volume levels.

The speakers are made to work anywhere with their various connection types and for those wanting an even fuller sound the “Listen” come equipped with a Subwoofer out. This feature is for those who want to utilize a subwoofer in their sound system, and something that no PC speakers I have owned came with unless they had a subwoofer in the speaker setup with the original purchase.  All in all just a lot of features that set them apart from the pack. Because Listen is a bi-amplified design, they treat the tweeters and woofers as separate channels for measuring power. Using a 1KHz sine wave, the woofers measure 21W RMS per channel with 8% THD+N, and using an 8KHz sine wave, the tweeters measure 19W RMS per channel with 3% THD+N. This means each speaker’s power is 40W RMS for total system power of 80W RMS. Ergonomically designed with a complete touch interface as well as remote control makes usage very friendly. I am very eager to get these speakers hooked up to my different systems as well as how they sound in different locations, but from my initial feeling and the specs that the “Listen” has I have very high expectations to how they should sound. I will use all of the different type of connections as well in an effort to see which one brings forth the best sound and also compare them to 5 different sets of speakers in a comparison of different priced and different spec speakers. Thanks for reading tech Of Tomorrow. Pricing is slated at around the $499.99 mark, but these are not meant for the meek, but rather the connoisseur who wants great audio and portability in the same housing.

Product Page & Availabilty: 

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Now guitar players, bass players, midi drummers/keyboard and vocalists can all plug directly in via the all-new IK Multimedia iRig PRO. Just think about this, now musicians can connect in ways never before ventured in with the ability to record and share in virtually any location with no real restrictions except your imagination.

Connectivity has never been easier as the iRig PRO features a high-quality 1/4″-XLR combo input connector for connection with standard XLR cables, 1/4″ mono line or instrument signal cables, and a switchable 48V phantom power supply for use with studio condenser microphones.

It has an ultra-low-noise, high-definition microphone-and-instrument preamp, a high-quality 24-bit A/D converter, a preamp gain control plus LED indicators for device status, MIDI, phantom power and signal level. IK Multimedia’s iRig PRO is powered by the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, or USB, when used with instruments or a dynamic microphone. A 9V battery (included) provides phantom power to compatible microphones. iRig PRO also features a standard MIDI input for connection of MIDI devices like drum machines, controllers and MIDI keyboards.

Getting up and recording is very simple all you need is your instrument and the proper cable as the required Universal Apps and Software are Included. For iPhone and iPad users, iRig PRO comes with a suite of IK Multimedia’s most popular apps for mobile music creation on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, including AmpliTube FREE (the #1 app for guitar players) for guitarists and bass players, VocaLive FREE for singers, SampleTank FREE and iGrand Piano FREE for keyboard players and iRig Recorder FREE for recording engineers.

Plus, all these apps work together with Audiobus integration, offering a truly complete set-up for making any type of music. Additionally, exclusive AmpliTube gear and SampleTank sounds are available as free add-ons for iRig PRO users.For Mac users, iRig PRO includes AmpliTube Custom Shop, the industry standard guitar-and-bass processing software; a free version of AmpliTube Metal; T-RackS Custom Shop, the mixing-and-mastering effect suite with a free version of T-RackS Classic; and SampleTank XT, a sound workstation that includes over 1GB of sounds. All these software titles are available both as plug-ins for the most popular digital audio workstations (including GarageBand), or as standalone applications for immediate plug and play action.

Pricing and Availability

iRig PRO will ship in September from music and consumer electronics retailers worldwide for $149.99/€119.99 (exc. taxes). iRig PRO can now be ordered from the IK Online Store and select retailers.

Source: IK Multimedia

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This special edition of the headset comes in a black with red trim design, with red LED lights that can be set to 6 different settings: fast pulse, slow pulse, High Bright, Low Bright, Off, and an active mode which has the LED flashing in response to sounds coming from the headset.

It also features a noise cancelling microphone that focuses on the voice of the user, doing its best to drown out any background noise that can get in the way of important clear communication during a match, that can also be stuffed inside the left earcup if not being used.

This wouldn’t be a special Valve promotion though if it didn’t include some kind of special cosmetic item or in game hat, and in this case anyone who purchases this headset will get a special exclusive item for Nature’s Prophet, The Scythe of Vyse. Along with the headset, a pair of special edition mouse pads were also announced, one depicting Tiny and the other Vengeful Spirit

At the moment these items are exclusively available for sale at The International 3 in Seattle to attendees, and will become available to everyone else through the Steel Series website and select retailers later this summer. The headset retails at $119.99 and each mousepad at $19.99.

Via: SteelSeries

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The people over at Ineo Tech have brought us a headset, the Alien Vibes EP02, which clearly draws at least some inspiration design wise from the Beats line, with packaging that is clearly reminiscent, and a headphone design that features a lighter, more curved design.

The headset itself is fairly stylish, coming a number of different colors ranging from the basic subdued black and white, to flashier brighter colors like red, pink and purple. They fit snuggly over your ears, and are surprisingly comfortable over prolonged use, never causing your ears to get tender or sore unless you’re blasting every song full blast.

The head band’s cushion is just think enough to provide only a minor sensation of it being on top of your head, and rests lightly on the back of your neck when you’re not actively wearing them. The set takes a pair of triple A batteries that last a good amount of time as long as you remember to turn the headset off when not in use, lasting as long as three days straight if you forget.

One of the nifty little parts of it’s design is that one of the symbols on the side is actually a disguised mute button, one that you hold down to turn off sound temporarily to hear what’s going on around you. It’s not that much easier than just sliding the earphones off your head, but it’s convenient since you don’t have to put them back on either.

 
In the box you not only get the phones themselves, but a carrying case, a pair of audio cables, one with mic the other without, an eighth inch to quarter inch adapter, airline adapter, and a cleaning cloth along with instructions. The audio cables are a little shorter than I’d prefer, but are still just long enough to work with portable audio devices or hooking up to a desk setup.

As far as it’s actual performance sound wise goes, they did a great job with noise cancelation and make a great option for traveling and isolating yourself from the outside noises. Like many headphones these days, the Alienvibes EP02 focus heavily on bass, but do so with out completing overbearing the low end. We know unless you can actually put a set of headphones on, it’s impossible to get a true idea of how they sound but we went ahead and recorded a few different genres of audio samples with a Zoom H1 stereo recorder right between both ear cups to give you some sort of reference.

Click here to listen

The midrange is a little less focused than I would have liked, so with vocal driven songs/acoustic music it doesn’t sound as pronounced as I would have liked but for rock, electronic, obviously hip-hop or anything drum and bass focused, these excel. Also, one thing to note, with how media driven things are with portable entertainment on our smartphones/tablets, these make a great option for watching movies/tv shows.

Overall, the headset is super comfy, visually pleasing, and sounds better than a pair of Beats by Dre headphones at a much lower price tag. While these aren’t audiophile grade headphones, they aren’t “flat” by any means, but if looks are important to you and you still want solid, bass driven audio quality, you may want to check these out. Again, the shining point for me however was the comfortability, as with many headsets, I usually need a break after extended listening, but these seemed to avoid that and remain one of the most comfortable set of headphones I’ve used to date. If you’re interested in picking up a pair we have a coupon code for $25 off – use NGJD997Y at checkout through the Alienvibes storefront, which apply to the red, black and white models.

Audio Sample Credit: “Lazy Day” – Royalty Free Apple Jingle, “Daybreak” – Overwerk, “The Human Zoo” – Elric Phares 

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The invention of the sound system changed all of that and from the first record player to today’s modern super systems music can now be heard almost anywhere at anytime at the push of a button. The one thing that really brings the life to most clubs, parties and well, concerts, is the sound system and how loud and how well it sounds. Without the invention of the sound system many forms of music might never have well existed at all. We wouldn’t have reggae, ska, dub, disco, or funk. There would be house, techno, synthpop, trance, hip-hop or dubstep. Without the sound system, we’d still be dancing the waltz.

James Murphy was the frontman of now defunct LCD Soundsystem and a guy who spent 20 years working as a sound engineer only to be distracted by becoming a rockstar in the process. Now, however, Murphy is getting back to his roots working with David and Stephen Dewaele, who are better know by their trade names Soulwax and 2manyDJs to help build his dream sound system for a 3-night engagement in Manchester called Despacio.

Despacio in Spanish translates to slow, which is what was the original plan by the Dewaele brothers was as they planned on using this for technique to play records between 95 and 115 bpm for a night in Ibiza. These guys are really into the concept of slowing down records and playing them in a way that has a more swampy sexy effect (their words) explains David, claiming when we moved it to Manchester we just stuck with it and keep trekking forward.

If you think your system has a pair of hairy balls, just take a look at the system these lads have made that features a huge 50,000-watt rig that has been designed from the ground up from these three. The beastly monstrosity consists of eight enormous 11-foot speakers stacks, which are positioned in a circle around the audience surrounding them with a complete wall of sound. Most systems are geared for maximum audio level or decibel levels, but not this one, this system has been tuned for optimal sound quality not maximum volume. The guys consider this system to be a dinosaur that has fused with modern technology and James says if dinosaurs had lived and evolved along side with modern creatures this would be the resulting creature. I mean take a look at just one of the speaker cabs as the guys just causally sit upon the behemoth like its no big deal, but you can see these are some of the largest speaker cabs ever assembled.

James goes on to explain that the old school discotheques were just sound systems really giant HiFi’s, albeit off the hook and more like sound reinforcement systems, live systems, Dub Step, PAs and so forth. In fact, Dub systems were the very first designed to actually get really specific about large groups of people all moving around to pre-recorded music. Then disco systems like the Paradise Garage started using HiFi and dub techniques to make big noises. Things being what they are technology wise smaller and more efficient boxes and drivers were developed with minor compromises on sound quality, but with things like size, power requirements and so forth. As each new evolution occurred some minor compromise was made, but we eventually ended up with today’s modern club system that have a great range in how they are made and implemented. Systems range from ear bleeding loud and obnoxious with shit sound that is so loud no partygoer can even hear their own thoughts all the way to the ultra-modern systems that have sound so sweet it makes the ears sing. These systems are geared toward modern dance music and sound great for that style of music, but AC/DC’s “Hells Bells’’ may not have that same quality.

Despacio the company goes another direction and they are designing systems that will play not only modern dance music, but play the “Hells Bells” style of music as well and with that same quality sound reproduction. To get to that end the trio says they will only play vinyl through those systems as that medium just plain sounds better to their trained ears. When asked why this was so James stated that anybody can use digital music, but why be lazy and do things the easy way when you have better options at hand. Getting the components right is also very important here as well. McIntosh an Audio Company founded in 1949, just before the very first sound systems starting showing up in Jamaica has provided all the components for this project. The company’s heritage included supplying amps for the most famous rock shows of all-time the Woodstock festival of 1969 as well as creating the Grateful Deads Wall OF Sound. James says that the McIntosh amps are “Banuts” Which is a combination of bananas and nuts. All three of the trio use McIntosh in their homes and studios as they are true devoted fans to the technology and they say it also just looks so damn awesome to boot. The front panels with the blue VU meters are just simply a classic design.

With 8 of these bad boys surrounding you and 8 humongous stacks with amps built-in and the blue VU meters, the total package with meters moving is better lighting than many clubs have in-house. Once the three nights are played, the system will not be dismantled and the guys feel like they should find a mystical island to build a shrine on in hopes that it will last forever. Stephen adds that they would like to do a US tour with the sound system and like the rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer the systems would need three trucks just to transport it from town to town. The flyer should be a helicopter shot of the three trucks driving on the turnpike saying “MURPHY, DEWAELE and DEWAELE on the roof.”

Given that the collective talent of these three gentlemen is immense and that they have worked in unison on different things the question arises?: Will you guys collaborate on anything new in the future together? They said that although this was a lot of fun and that they enjoy working together at this moment no plans have been made to do anything else other than fun for the moment. “The truth is that we’ve made some amazing music together but ‘someone’ has been too ‘busy’ tasting wine and producing popular music, so none of it has been finished yet,” David adds. Despacio is running for three consecutive nights in the ballroom of New Century House during the Manchester International Festival, from July 18th to the 20th.

Via: The Verge 

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When I first received the Meze 73′s, I immediately started cranking music through them starting with Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, then onward to Jazz and Classical Music to get an overall feel for how these headphones sounded compared to my current flavors of headphones, which consists of AKG K 271 mkII’s, K240′s, K121, Shure SRH 840′s, V-moda CrossFade LP, Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and the Sennheiser HD 558 of which I use in both recording and playback sessions in my studio. The 73’s are made of handcrafted Ebony wood and no two are identical due to this fact. The speakers consist of 50mm drivers and the phones have nice padded ear cups for comfort that are well made and do not feel sticky or restricting. The detachable TPE cables connect individually to each side of the phones with another 3.5mm plug that goes to your sound source. You can use the 3.5mm plug with your iPhone or other media devices.

• Frequency Response: 18hz-22Khz
• Speaker Size: 50mm
• Sensitivity: 107+/-3dB at 1KHz, 1mW
• Impedance: 40 Ohm
• R&L Balance: <3dB*50Hz-6KHz, 1mW
• Detachable Cable
• Plug: 3.5MM

Some people swear by burning in a headset and recently I have been implementing this aspect of my testing phase, so we will talk about first the initial sound and then the burn in sound.  Before the burn in I must confess the Meze 73’s did not sound bad at all and in fact many of the Pop and Jazz songs sounded pretty well balanced, warm and Metal sounded loud and clear. I then plugged the headphones into my headphone amp and played a variety of sounds for over 24 hours straight at the highest volume the Meze 73’s could handle. This means having music blaring through the cans at all hours of the night and wee morning as well, which unless you have a big house you will either have to just deal, or use a pillow and try to damper the sound.

Now I will try my best to impart in words what my ears have been hearing and how the Meze 73’s fit as far as sound goes. To me there are bass heavy, treble heavy and muddy sounding types of headphones and the sound depends on what applications you could or would use them for. The Meze 73’s have a very clean and clear sound with treble that pierces the ears if turned up too much and bass response that is not over prominent, but still has enough presence so you know its there.  For those looking for earth shattering bass these are not for you as Hip Hop and Rap, although sounding clear, my friends who are into that genre claimed the sound was too pretty for them on the Meze 73’s. That to me was not an insult in any way as the 73’s do have a very pretty sound character to them as they are very clear and clarity is the key word I would use to describe them in the broad sense. Some of the headphones that I have tested had a significant character change in the sound after a 24 hour burn-in, but the Meze 73’s already had a very well rounded sound right out of the box and although I could hear a slight change in the color of the sound I do not feel that these headphones actually require a burn-in period to sound great.

I spent quite a few days comparing these against others, as well as having friends also do the sound testing to get a balanced opinion on how they sounded by other people’s ears.  For studio monitoring while recording vocals, I was not too happy with the Meze 73s as I could still essentially hear a lot of background noise that distracted me from what I was doing as they do not have cups that cover my ears or are made for noise cancellation only passive noise isolation. For listening to any type of music the Meze 73’s sound really great and the only thing is the type of phones you like that may make them differentiate from others. The one thing that I did not really like were the included cables as to me they were just so light, as if I might just accidently break them, but for others this may be a positive thing as like I said they are very light.  At the end of the day I cannot really say anything bad about the Meze 73’s as they did sound great and never failed at high volumes like others. Being that the headphones cups are made of ebony wood (no two are identical) these are fashion statements as well as being a very nice set of cans to listen to your music and multimedia with. The Meze 73’s cost around $240.00, which for some will be way to pricey, but for those who want a one-of-a-kind set of kick ass headphones these are surely worth taking a gamble on and if you have a real headphone amp the clarity only gets better.

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The new ST Audio True Sound is a device that I feel not only is the ultimate in portability it also has the best sound in its class as it fills a small room with quality sound that does not sound stressed even at full volume. Ordinarily I am sure that most Audiophiles will opt out for a real set of speakers, but for the on-the-go user this little badass will provide you with hours of sound without all the cable and wiring mess of a standard home system.  The first time the device was turned on for me I was in the middle of the mall where they had a train rolling by and yet I could still hear the music clearly and that was my decision making moment as the mall is loud as is and with the train, even louder and yet the sound still cut through. The device is very easy to use and setup and today we bring you a unboxing and demo of this new product from ST Audio. Thanks for watching.

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