http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/links Latest links, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17913 Making a pitch to athletic iPod Shuffle users sick of fighting with tangled headphone cables, RCA on Friday released its new S2501 Jet Stream portable media player. The smallish PMP discards both wires and Bluetooth for proprietary Kleer wireless audio transmission technology, which RCA claims offers better battery life and audio quality.The thin, 3.63-inch tall player offers a 1-inch color LCD for browsing music, viewing photos and playing video, a splash-proof body with a clip, and 1GB of flash mRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:45:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17910 Buying an iPod dock that literally costs 10 times as much as an iPod takes a special kind of person, but luxury gadget guru David Wiener is betting that special person is out there. Wiener, who built a name for himself with high-end Ferrari-branded products, introduced the Art.Suono iPod dock on Friday, a $1,499 system that combines a heavy dose of automotive design influence with a new standard in wireless audio transmission.The dock, which basically amounts to a circular billet aluminum slab trimmed in carbon fiber, takes input from any audio source, including iPods, computers, CD players, MP3 plRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17888 Giving notebook users one less wire leash to bind them to a desk, Creative on Wednesday unveiled the X-Fi Notebook card, which makes streaming audio to any pair of speakers easier. When combined with Creative’s Wireless Receivers, the X-Fi card can send digital music to up to four pairs of speakers.The card fits into a standard ExpressCard slot and transmits with a range of up to 100 feet, allowing notebook users to trade their tinny built-in speakers for a fulRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:50:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/23648/ I travel some and have a hard time hearing my music and videos on the airplanes. What I have found is that with a simple Portable Audio Amplifier I can amplify and enhance the sound quality to a much better level. There are a couple of different options when it comes to Portable Headphone Audio Amplifiers. One is the Boostaroo , which has the ability to will double the available volume from your audio player and separate the audio signal into individual stereo channels to drive 3 separate sets of headphones or speakers. Naturally it will depend on the ohm rating of your headphones, but the Boostaroo can increase the volume of your player by 100% with no more than a 0.3% harmonic distortion. If you are watching or listening to something that two or tree people want to hear I highly recommend the Boostaroo . If you are looking for something that improves the sound quality for MP3 MP4 Players Computers or Mobile Phones when using earphones or headphones and not so much into sharing the audio with others and are wanting a more quality for an awesome personal listening experience right between your ears I recommend the FiiO... Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:45:09 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17661 Olympus has taken the wraps off five new consumer-oriented digital camera models today, including the semi-rugged 1050SW and the new SP565 UZ with a 20× zoom. The company has also unveiled a new green packaging initiative, in which it has cut out 70 to 80 percent of the plastic used to package its audio products and xD picture cards.First up, the new semi-rugged Stylus 1050 SW sports a "shockproof, waterproof, and freezeproof" body that uses a touch-sensitive body—rather than a touch-sensitive display—to access most camera setting. The 1050Sw offers a 10.1 megapixel resolution and Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:30:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17542 Home theater fans will tell you there's no substitute for a high-quality home theater system that's been carefully installed and tuned to a particular room. But everyday humans will often tell you that acquiring, installing, and tuning a home theater audio system is better left to another species entirely.That's where products like soundmatters' SLIMstage40 hope to get a foothold in the home theater market, offering high-quality home theater audio without requiring complicated installation or a degree in funny-colored wires and cryptic interfaces to install. The SLIMstage40 is an all-in-surround bare designed to fit neatly be Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17462 Peripheral and accessories maker Belkin has announced that its TuneCast Auto FM transmitter has been certified to work with Apple's iPhone 3G, and now carries the "Works with iPhone" label…along with "Made for iPod."The Belkin TuneCast enables iPod and iPhone users to push music from their phones or media players to their in-car audio system using a short range FM transmitter: find an empty spot on your dial, set the TuneCast to that frequency, and violà! Music from the iPod or iPhone plays over the car stereo.The TuneCast Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:45:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17420 It’s one small step for man…beginning on September 4, NBC will begin lie streaming on NFL games on Sunday Night Football.All 17 weeks will be carried on the web, available on both the NBC and NFL sites, with the TV audio feed. However, viewers will have a choice of several camera angles from which to view the game. There will also be special stats and a picture-within-picture option. The service will only be available in the US.Steve Bornstein, the NFL's executive vice president of media, said:"This is an exciting step forward for us as we offer our fans a new way to consume NFL games. We are combining NBC's Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17347 Having dabbled in rapping, producing, and running his own company, it looks like Dr. Dre has finally moved on to the twilight phase of his career: endorsements. Monster unveiled its bass-thumping Beats by Dr. Dre headphones on Tuesday, a pair of cans reportedly optimized by Dre himself for studio-like sound.“Artists and producers work hard in the studio perfecting their sound, but people can’t really hear it with normal headphones,” Dre said in a statement. “Most headphones can’t handle the bas Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:15:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/news/148452 The consumer electronics giant puts its weight behind Tru2Way, which uses a small card in the TV to communicate with your cable provider. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/ah/reviews/speakers/lifestyle-desktop-and-portable/edifier-e3350 The impossible; that's what motivates me. In fact, isn't that what motivates all of humanity? The first astronaut in space, an electric powered car, the telephone, the atomic bomb. There are so many examples of people achieving what was once thought the impossible. Our personal impossible achievements may not be on the same level as the printing press, but still the impossible is what drives us. When reviewing the E3350 system by Edifier, I wondered if they set out to achieve the impossible. Did they ask themselves, "Can we make a sound system that is both an audio and visual piece of entertainment? Can our sound system also be its own art collection?" I believe that these questions drove the design of the E3350. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:05:24 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17073 One of the little known ironies of the music world is that that largest maker of musical instruments on the planet isn't a name like Fender, Gibson, or Martin—although those names certainly command a lot of brand recognition. No: it's Japan's Yamaha—its logo it three tuning forks!—the same people who make motorcycles, golf carts, jet skis, and powerboats. And a lot of those instruments—and audio gear—command the respect of industry pros.Last year, Yamaha partnered with Japanese media artist Toshio Iwai to create the Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/ah/reviews/processors/denon-avp-a1hdci The Denon AVP-A1HDCI represents bleeding edge technology that only a select few manufacturers can compete with regardless of price. This processor truly is a master of all domains. It?s not cheap to own this combo set from Denon, but such is the case with statement pieces and first implementers of new technologies. From its Realta video processing engine, to its sophisticated Audyssey room correction, top notch construction and component usage, you?re getting Mercedes level performance and refinement at Acura prices. Your high end audio snob friends may snicker at this system, especially since they likely spent 2-3 times more for hollow boxes, but I suggest humbling yourself by saying nothing. You don?t want everyone driving the same car you?re driving, do you? Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:50:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/22775/ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:15:14 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16981 Audio gear maker Monster has announced it is now shipping its iCarPlay 250, a combined wireless FM transmitter and car charger for Apple's iPod and iPhone lines. The iCarPlay 250 not only enables users to simultaneously charge their Apple device while pumping tunes to any nearby FM-capable audio system, but also enables users to charge their devices in the home or office: just pop the USB cable out of the cigarette lighter adapter, and pop it into a powered USB port."Monster was the first to design a model that far outperformed the competition in terms of sturdiness and reliability," said "head monster" Noel Lee, in a statement. "We were also the first to design an FM transmitt Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:15:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/18306/ In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we discussed many things: the standby power supply, main power supply, horizontal and vertical deflection circuits, degaussing, and tuners. In Part 3 of this series, we will discuss the IF (Intermediate Frequency), AGC (Automatic Gain Control), sound IF, sound amplification, and the remote control circuits of the basic television set. IF (Intermediate Frequency) Circuits The most important feature of the IF amplifier is selectivity. Selectivity is the process of allowing only the desired frequencies to pass, while rejecting all others. There will be about three or four separate amplifier stages in a color TV IF circuit. By amplifying the signal in stages, the amounts of distortion in the IF signal waveform are reduced. The IF stages of a color TV set are fixed-tuned to a single IF frequency. Both the video and audio IF signals travel together through the IF amplifiers. The IF amplifiers need to have a bandwidth of at least 4.5 MHz, if amplification stages range from 41 MHz to 46 MHz. Traps through the circuits are used to attenuate transmission of the video carrier of the next higher channel, sound carrier of the current channel, and the sound carrier... Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:30:05 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16766 Taiwanese computer maker Acer has decided to go after the lucrative high-end PC gamer market with the new Aspire Predator, sporting an armor-like orange-and-black casing and high-performance components designed to let gamers take their pixel-powered mayhem to new extremes. And we'll try not to make any assumptions about the demographic Acer is targeting with the tagline "Faster. Deeper. Harder. Further."The Predator's case can be raised up on cantilevered armed to reveal the optical drive and card reader; the unit also sports top-mounted USB and audio ports for easy access. Under the hood, the Aspire Predator sports a "highly overclocked" In Wed, 21 May 2008 13:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-10784_3-9941913-7.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The two Japanese audio equipment makers will combine to form JVC Kenwood Holdings, which will focus on home and car audio equipment. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:43:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16630 For well over a decade Neil Young has been threatening to release his massive archive of material from a career that dates back to the early 1960s. The veteran, whose resume includes years of solo work along with time in Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is finally willing to take the plunge and issue it, but it’s going to be coming on Blu-ray discs, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Young made the announcement at the Sun Microsystems Java One Conference in San Francsico, stating that there will also be interactive an online components to it all.He picked Blu-ray because of its superior audio a Thu, 08 May 2008 10:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Blaupunkt_Brisbane_SD48/4505-6726_7-32957749.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The Blaupunkt Brisbane SD48 is a simple, digital-age stereo ideal for those who store small amounts music on SD cards or USB drives, although iPod owners will find it frustrating. For an entry-level stereo, it offers a good range of audio customization features. Wed, 07 May 2008 06:35:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16533 GPS manufacturer TomTom has announced new entries in its One and XL lines of GPS portable navigation devices, along with a new flexible, foldable car mount designed to make the units more useful in vehicles. The devices also include a new audio system designed to make spoken directions even clearer, and MapShare technology that incorporates map corrections and improvements from other TomTom users."The updated TomTom ONE and TomTom XL are now even more desirable, offering unrivaled ease of use, extreme portability, the most comprehensive and up-to-date maps, and personalization options to suit the individual user—all at an affordable price," said TomTom president Jocelyn Vigreux Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:30:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16383 Nokia has taken the wraps off its new Nokia 6212 Classic phone, which features integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that lets users share content and conduct transactions with other NFC-compatible devices in close proximity. The idea is that users will be able easily swap Web links, pictures, contact information, audio, and more from phone to phone…and, of course, conduct transactions, like buying items and using the phone as a credit card or travel ticket."NFC-capable handsets such as the Nokia 6212 classic are set to change the way mobile phone users interact with devices and services in their surroundin Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/16316 Snip:"The N95's music player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, and WMA files, as well as Real's OM-DRM and Microsoft's WM DRM 10. We had no problems loading music onto the device via an 8GB microSD card, and the music player found our files quickly. The audio quality is good, though the bass output could be stronger. We're extremely happy that the phone has a standard 3.5-mm jack, and the built-in speakers are surprisingly loud and clear even at max volume. The FM tuner's sensitivity is excellent: We picked up even fringe stations like 88.3 (WBGO) in New York City -- as long as we had the headphones plugged in, since they act as the antenna.The video player supports MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, H.263/3GPP, RealVideo 8/9/10 fo Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:51:01 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/reviews/143984 This Bluetooth accessory lets you stream tunes from your phone and talk hands-free--if you have a compatible phone. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/M_Audio_Studiophile_AV_40/4505-7869_7-32381162.html?part=ecoustics-cnet M-Audio's Studiophile AV 40 is a PC speaker for music lovers who care more about sound quality than compact size or rock bottom pricing. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:59:00 -0400