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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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 

The post Alienvibes EP02 40mm Over-Ear Headphones Review appeared first on Tech of Tomorrow.

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 

The post 50,000 Watt Sound System Anyone? James Murphy has you Covered appeared first on Tech of Tomorrow.

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.

The post Meze 73 Classics Wood Headphones Review appeared first on Tech of Tomorrow.

So not only will spring love be in the air, Mac Pro lovers will also have reason to rejoice as well. Now, not only can they finally get a machine with all the latest CPU and GPU power, but also with all the new emerging technologies like Thunderbolt and USB 3.0, which has been a real bummer for those who could take advantage of what those new technologies have to offer the business person who values time just like money. Faster rendering and decoding will play an essential part in improving overall work productivity as it will take less time to do those intricate processes that are a major part of the media arena.

A lot of folks will never go anywhere near a Mac Pro, but I can tell from experience that once you have one though it is hard to use anything else in your studio as it just performs and performs without very much down time at all. For those who have waited your wait is almost over and it really is about time. It is actually a very strange turn of events as Apple is usually very tight lipped about their releases, but for some odd reason they are being very candid and open about the new Mac Pro as maybe even they know they have waited a bit too long for this refresh. The last refresh was a very ho-hum and disappointing one and hopefully this will change in the very near future. Opinions and or comments from you good folks is always a welcome thing? Let me know what you think, has Apple fallen asleep for too long with this audience?

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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.

The post ST Audio Trusound Unplug Bluetooth Speaker Unboxing & Sound Test appeared first on Tech of Tomorrow.

The Asus XONAR Essence STX sound card is made for those users who listen to a lot of music and want that music to contain the warmth of natural sound reproduction. With industry leading 124dB SNR (Signal To Noise Ratio) (SNR is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise.) Asus has developed a sound card that allows users to experience Audiophile level audio via their PC.

Using the highest grade Nichicon “Fine Gold capacitors offer the best dynamic performance and natural sound reproduction as well as a perfectly shielded EMI-Free analog output path that allow the best frequency response in a noise free environment. For those audiophiles who have the absolute best in headphones will like the built in audio amp that drives the headphones with almost Zero distortion.  The XONAR Essence STX offers an exceptional 10Hz to 90KHz Frequency response that goes higher than most standard headphones can even match. This card has the full suite of features for the gamer, audio buff or person who just wants better clearer audio. Check out our YouTube channel where Elric does the unboxing and first look.

The post ASUS XONAR Essence Headphone Amp Unboxing (Video) appeared first on Tech of Tomorrow.

The new Super C handheld supercardioid condenser combines ruggedness and low handling noise with unprecedented ergonomic comfort. It features the same proprietary capsule technology employed in Holophone’s highly acclaimed surround microphones, including the award-winning H2-PRO, the go-to mic for the world’s most prominent productions in Broadcast, Concert Sound, Film, and Music Recording.

Holophone’s new mics deliver more than just great sound quality; they also deliver individuality with many different designs and colors to suit any personality. With its retro-modern look that will turn heads and a distinctive, balanced ergonomic design, the Holophone’s Super C series offers a precision fit and finish that elevates the microphone from a simple tool to a true musical instrument.

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The Sharkoon X-Tatic Pro delivers full functionality range by its compatibility to both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gaming consoles. Also, with the Dolby Digital decoder and chat support, it provides optimal gaming sound with realistic 3D tone and spatial sound location on both platforms. The Sound Control Unit (SCU) and associated cables the Sharkoon X-Tatic Pro can also be connected to other sound sources such as PCs, Tablet PCs, surround sound speaker systems or DVD players.

There are a total of eight speakers that deliver the native 5.1 sound of the X-Tatic Pro. Each ear cup has a 27 mm center speaker, a 30 mm front and a 30 mm rear speaker plus a 40 mm subwoofer. The impedance of the headset is 32 ohms. All channel volume, master volume, and the chat volume can be regulated separately through the integrated controller. The inline controller is equipped with a microphone mute and MVM selector switch. By activating the MVM function, the user will be able to hear their voice within chat and better control their own speech volume. The cable controller also has a built-in clip which fastens to your shirt and allows easy access. The comfortably padded headband as well as the ear encircling, vertically and horizontally swiveling ear cups, the flexible and detachable microphone plus the 410 cm long head set cable ensure a high level of user comfort. The headset also only weighs around 350 grams which makes it great for long hours of use.

Check out more here!

Sharkoon X-Tatic Pro

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