Thread dos sistemas de som

[Jorge-Vieira]

Gioteck EX-O5S Gaming Headset Review

We have reviewed plenty of expensive gaming headsets available this year, but what sort of quality can you expect if you only have around £20 to spend? Today we are taking a look at the Gioteck EX-O5s gaming headset, sitting proudly in the budget end of the market.
The Gioteck EX-O5s Gaming Headset offers ‘advanced noise reduction’, ‘HD audio’ and a noise cancelling microphone. It is also compatible with the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 – as well as Mac and Windows based computers.
Features:

• Noise isolating ear cups.
• Noise isolating microphone.
• In-line controls.
• 40mm speaker drivers.
• Console compatibility.
• Mac OS X and Windows compatibility.
• 5m cable.
• USB, TV and 3.5mm audio jack adapters.

Toda a review:
http://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/m...eadset-review/

[Jorge-Vieira]

EASARS Launches Four Gaming Headsets for the Global Market

EASARS, a global leading E-sports peripherals supplier is announcing four new gaming headsets for the global market, the Tornado, the Sparkle, the Trap, and the Vortex. EASARS is a German brand with an R&D center in Frankfurt, Germany. The designer's team is led by Soeren Uherek (a former BMW car designer), who boasts rich experience and an ability to grasp current global designing trends.

EASARS is a brand for Gamers. "Key to victory" is the motto that expresses their passion to create smart solutions for gamers who always want more. In today's knowledge-driven world, intelligence is defined by the ability to win. So, through a richer personalized experience, convenience and smart functional solutions, EASARS delivers its customers to their achievements. As a professional e-sports product designer, EASARS supplies superior auditory equipment to accompany gamers to their pinnacles of victory.

Specifically, the acoustics and design of EASARS gaming headsets rely on outstanding design teams and acoustic research institutions from Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. EASARS has cooperated with a number of top suppliers in signal processing, thus leading the way in high quality physical multichannel, and gaming audio products. EASARS also has in-depth cooperation with internationally famous E-sports players to continue the development and design of professional E-sports products and this is the latest result:

The Tornado is a perfectly designed piece of gaming gear, featuring high-quality speakers, providing detail in high, medium, and low frequencies, and having an improved passive noise-reduction function. They are lightweight and come with a self-adjusting headband design for lasting comfort. The Tornado features strengthened virtual 7.1 multichannel technology that makes positioning more accurate and voices clearer, thus making your gaming experience more real. The strong vibration system provides an optimal 4D experience while playing games or watching movies. The cool breathing LED light on the ear cup additionally enhances the gaming effect.

Additionally, the Tornado comes with a full-function controller including sound modes to adjust for the best audio experiences. Specifically, the Tornado headset is equipped with four custom modes giving different sound effects: RPG, FPS, RTS, and Movie.
When immersed in role-playing games, the (RPG) mode provides an excellent sound effect and sound-level optimization, and is suitable for long wear. When playing first person shooter (FPS) games like CF or Battlefield, the precise sound positioning adjoined with the vibrating bass effect enriches the player's auditory perception with a thunderous feeling. When in the real-time strategy (RTS) game mode, the fully detailed acoustics combined with the big screen allows the gamer to ride through the battlefield for longer durations. Lastly, with Movie mode, you are provided a stronger feeling of spaciousness, taking you to a three-dimensional acoustic field to enjoy a cinema-like sound experience.

The Sparkle has an independent sound chip, and provides anti-noise protection with a closed type ear cushion. The stretchable TPE headband with a self-adjusting function of the ear caps insures a comfy fit for long game play. The Sparkle features 50mm HiFi drivers, and adopts Fengyu noise cancelation in-mic, blocking out environmental noise.

The Trap has robust 5.1 surround sound with 8 independent units. There is also the built-in-Germany VIB2 inertia vibrating unit to bring gamer into a more realistic gaming scene. It has a fully functional wire control with LED light. The ergonomic ear cover design is made of a soft protein leather material to provide ear cushioning and excellent sound insulation.

The Vortex brings digital virtual USB 7.1 surround sound gaming. It has cool illuminated LED lights on the ear caps and the light head band is especially comfortable to wear. It also has the built-in-Germany VIB2 inertia vibrating unit to give realistic vibration sensations.

Noticia:
http://www.techpowerup.com/211900/ea...al-market.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Active Noise Canceling Headphone Review

Polk Audio’s Flagship Headset – UltraFocus 8000

image: http://www.legitreviews.com/wp-conte..._a-645x758.jpg

I like to listen to music when I am at home, in the car, working out, just about everywhere today. When I was a student, I listened to music when I studied or hanging out on campus. Lately, I’ve been wanting to shut out my environment at work – not that I don’t like my co-workers, no – but because there is just a bunch of noise when entire group starts to create. Normally, I just grab my earbuds but I can still hear the flock of seagulls in the background. To drown out the background noise, I usually have to crank up the volume to uncomfortable levels.
image: http://www.legitreviews.com/wp-conte...40-645x484.jpg

Today, we are going to take a look at a device which will helps tune out the noise and let you hear the music clearly. The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Active Noise Canceling Headphones retails for $249.95 (but can be purchased for $199.00 online currently) and should give any user one of the best overall sounds from any headset on the market today. The UltraFocus 8000 features battery-assisted Active Noise Cancellation to help eliminate outside noise that interferes with music listening, and an over-the-ear design to be comfortable for extended usage.
The UltraFocus 8000 is also built for those on the go and works with your favorite mobile device. In fact, if you have an Apple device, there are controls on the side of the headphones that will help you to control a variety of audio settings.
image: http://www.legitreviews.com/wp-conte...46-645x486.jpg

The headphones have an over-the-ear design – which you would expect in a noise cancelling headset – with a very large 40 mm driver. The headphones are powered by two AAA batteries that are included. The batteries should last about 40-60 hours of typical use. Like most noise cancelling sets, the Polk UltraFocus 8000 are quite large with ear swallowing padded drivers. There is a hint of carbon fiber in the design making the headsets look sleek but probably elevating some of the weight.
image: http://www.legitreviews.com/wp-conte...51-645x564.jpg

The UltraForce 8000’s comewith gold-plated 3.5mm connectors that work with your Apple, Android and other favorite media playing product. Polk Audio UltraForce 8000 Featured Specifications:

• Dimensions – Product Weight (each): n/a pounds
• Electrical – Max Sensitivity: 110 dB
• Electrical – Minimum Impedance: 32
• Electrical – Total Frequency Response: 8Hz – 28kHz
• Headphone Specs – Apple Remote: on_ear
• Headphone Specs – Included Cables: 55-inch cable
• Headphone Specs – Included Ear Tips: n/a
• Headphone Specs – Input Connections: Gold-plated 3.5 mm
• Headphone Specs – Push to Hear: NA
• Headphone Specs – Style: Over Ear
• Headphone Specs – Type: Active Noise Canceling
• Headphone Specs Transducer – Diameter: 40 mm
• Headphone Specs Transducer – Type: Dynamic Balance
• Shipping – Included Accessories Available Now
• Warranty – Labor Warranty: 1 year
• Warranty – Parts Warranty: 1 year

Toda a review:
http://www.legitreviews.com/polk-aud...rU04YQBQsyl.99

[Jorge-Vieira]

Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D V2.0 Rage Wireless Headset Review

Introduction

---

Creative were once the king of the desktop audio market, but in recent years, there have been so many new names come and go, that it’s been getting harder and harder for even the most established brands to maintain a larger part of the market. That’s not to say Creative fell into obscurity, if anything, they’ve always been making a lot of great products, from their impressive soundcards, to desktop speakers; I myself have a set of Creative speakers on my desk! We review a lot of great audio products here at eTeknix HQ, so I’m very happy to welcome Creative into the mix, as it’s one of the first products I’ve reviewed , so it’ll be great to see how they hold up against the rest of the market.
A great gaming headset isn’t exactly hard to find these days, there’s just so many amazing ones to choose from right now, but Creative have gone all out with their new model, packing it full of features that certainly caught my attention. We’ve got powerful 50mm FullSpectrum drivers, wireless technology via a USB dongle, with 16 hours battery life, SBX Pro Studio audio processing for fully customisable audio, 16m colour customisable LED lighting, 3D surround processing for virtual 7.1, VoiceFX, Scout Mode and more. The headset will support PC, Mac and PlayStation 4.




In the box, you’ll find the headset, obviously, a very nice quality sleeved cable for charging the headset, a detachable boom microphone and the USB dongle.

The dongle is simple enough, with a small LED indicator on the top and a pairing button on the side.

The headset is really nicely designed and while there are a lot of plastics on show, they’re of a very high quality, have a nice premium feel to them and also feel pretty tough too.

The black plastics are broken up by some glossy red highlights, which I think look really nice, although I must admit I’m not overly fond of the shape of the ear cups. However, I will point out that so long as a headset is comfortable and sounds great, I don’t care too much what it looks like.

As with most headsets, the ear cups are rotatable, which means it’ll sit comfortably around your neck between games and will also help with providing a clean fit over your ears.

The ear cups are very well padded and coated with a soft leather, so they should provide a very close fit and there’s a soft cloth backing on the drivers.

All the major controls are located on the headset, with a volume dial and microphone mute switch all being within easy reach. There’s also the USB charging socket on the bottom as well as a port for the detachable boom microphone.

The headband is incredibly robust, with a thick metal headband that locks firmly into place and adds extra durability to the whole headset.

The top of the headband is plastered in logos, should you forget which brand you’re wearing.

The padding on the interior of the headband doesn’t look much in the picture, but it’s actually pretty generously packed with memory foam and covered with soft leather to provide you with a comfortable fit and enough support to prevent the headset from slipping.

The microphone has a fully flexible and position boom, meaning you’ll have no issue finding an optical speaking position.

Overall, I think this is a very nice headset, with excellent build quality. I’m not completely taken with the design overall, I think it’s a little fat and rounded looking, but aesthetics is a very subjective matter, so let’s get on to what really matters; the performance.

Toda a review:
http://www.eteknix.com/creative-soun...eadset-review/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Sharkoon Shark Zone H40 Gaming Headset

Sharkoon launches their SHARK ZONE H40 stereo gaming headset. The SHARK ZONE H40 Gaming Stereo Headset is illuminated by a yellow LED. It persuades with its padded, adjustable headband; lightweight design of only around 350 grams and generous, soft earpieces.
Two professional 50 mm premium speakers provide superior sound with penetrating bass and crystal clear highs. The H40 was specifically designed to meet the sound demands of gamers, so no game deciding details were overlooked. Through the ergonomically designed in-line controller, which is even sleeker on the SHARK ZONE designed connection cable for an easier hold, the volume and microphone mute function can be easily controlled.




The side-mounted microphone arm is fully customizable and is smoothly integrated into the design. With the microphone's LED indicator, the selected operating mode is displayed at all times. Is the microphone activated? As soon as it is activated, it is illuminated yellow. It's no longer necessary for gamers to check the status of the microphone by looking at the in-line controller; they can now fully concentrate on what is happening on the game.
The SHARK ZONE H40 Gaming Stereo Headset connects via two gold-plated 3.5 mm stereo jacks, each for the microphone and headphones, as well as a gold-plated USB plug in SHARK ZONE design for the illuminating function. The 2.5 meter long cable also offers a lot of roaming ability for the gamer. Included is a useful transport bag to use for the next LAN party.
The Sharkoon SHARK ZONE H40 Gaming Stereo Headset is available for give or take 45 euros.

Noticia:
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/sha...g-headset.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Syllable G700 Noise Reduction Hi-Fi Bluetooth Headphones Review

Introduction

According to their marketing materials, there are four main issues with Bluetooth headphones of today: poor endurance (battery life), poor sound quality, bulky, and uncomfortable designs and annoying wires.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...nes-review.jpg

With an aim to challenge the rest through their G700 Bluetooth headphones, Syllable has made some big claims from the beginning and thus we will be comparing this product to some previously reviewed models. Can the G700 live up to the hype? Read on to find out.


Specifications

These headphones will connect to your device through a range of options, including Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and an optional (and removable) 3.5mm cable. This connection will see the 40mm drivers pump out an impedance of 16 OHM and provide a frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...nes-review.jpg

Weighing 281g, this product isn't the lightest we've felt and that would be partly due to the solid metal framing and a 400mAh in-built battery, which claims a 12-hour playback time. The G700 is also much larger than other products we have tried, measuring 8.2 x 6.8 x 2.3 inches.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...nes-review.jpg

With a claimed standard Bluetooth range of 10-15 metres, the standby time sits at a handy 320 hours. The headband is a mixture of solid metal framing and leather covering, alongside on-ear leather earcups being supplied.


Pricing & Availability

At the time of writing, the Syllable G700 is available for a reasonable price of $99.57 from GearBest with free shipping, however, the sound and comfort has to be tested before the price is deemed worthy. It sits around the same price range as gaming headsets like the Kingston HyperX Cloud I/II and the portable (but wired) Noontec Zoro II HD. If it can keep up with these products in their respective departments, expect it to score highly.


What's in the box?

Featuring a provided flat micro-USB charging cable, a 3.5mm AUX sound cable, product information card and carry case, it's refreshing to see that the full range of provisions have been covered. We've seen a few companies leave out the carry case and it's a real shame, seeing as these products are designed for travel, they will easily become worn, scratched and beaten by being carried in your luggage, handbag or backpack. The soft pouch allows you for a little extra protection, especially against scratches on the bare metal frame.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...nes-review.jpg

The audio and charging cables are of great length, because one again, many companies are offering inadequate charging cables which severely limits your ability to top up the device. It's quite often to see 5cm micro-USB cables supplied which are quite annoying when put to use.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...nes-review.jpg

The AUX cable has an extremely solid feel and seems well constructed alongside the joins around the actual 3.5mm connection look and feel well made.


PRICING: You can find the Syllable G700 Noise Reduction Hi-Fi Bluetooth Headset for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Syllable G700 Noise Reduction Hi-Fi Bluetooth Headset retails for $119.99 at Amazon.

Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at PLE Computer's website.

Canada: The Syllable G700 Noise Reduction Hi-Fi Bluetooth Headset retails for CDN$174.30 at Amazon Canada.

Toda a review:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/710...iew/index.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Astro Gaming A40 Headset with MixAmp Pro Review

Introduction

Astro Gaming is generally known for producing some of the best console headsets on the market alongside their competitor, Turtle Beach. Seemingly existing since the dawn of competitive console time, Astro is also well known for their MixAmp bundles, meaning any 3.5mm jack headset can plug into this USB Dolby surround-sound beauty and enjoy game play on consoles, PC, or Mac.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...pro-review.jpg

We'll be testing Astro's A40 with MixAmp Pro bundle in this review and comparing it mainly to the likes of the Kingston HyperX Cloud II as both headset manufacturers claim the utmost quality and comfort in their marketing of these champion products. The Cloud II has become my personal headset of use since reviewing it, but the large community support behind the Astro A40 leaves a lot to prove. Can it live up to the hype? Read on to find out.


Specifications

Released in October 2014, this product allows you to enjoy Dolby 7.1 surround-sound through a USB connection (when used with the MixAmp Pro), coupled with a frequency response of 20-21,000 Hz and a nominal impedance of 48 Ohms through it's 3.5mm jack into the MixAmp Pro supplied.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...pro-review.jpg

Weighing in at 324 grams, it's a little heavier than other headsets we have tried like the Cloud II and Tt eSPORTS' Dracco captain, but Astro combat this heavy weight by providing plush cloth in the earcups and headband.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...pro-review.jpg

The detachable rubber microphone connects to the base through a 3.5mm jack and offers a unidirectional sound pick-up.

The MixAmp Pro supplied features four pre-installed equalizer options, a button to enable and disable the Dolby Surround-sound, the ability to toggle your sound to enjoy louder gameplay or voice communication alongside a power button and your normal volume control. The MixAmp Pro helps you to connect your A40's to a PC (through USB with an optional Optical connection), a PlayStation 3 and 4, or an Apple Mac computer.


Pricing & Availability

This version of the Astro comes with a $249.99 price tag on Amazon at the time of writing. It's sitting at around $100 over the Kingston HyperX Cloud II, however, this headset comes bundled with the MixAmp Pro, which is valued at $130 by itself. This means that although it costs $100 more, you're getting a $130 MixAmp Pro bundled into the kit.


What's in the box?

Where do we begin? This model comes with the A40 headset, the MixAmp Pro with a USB cable to power it, an optical cable sound connection, a single 3.5mm female to dual 3.5mm male adaptor, a small 3.5mm extension cable, the separate microphone, a quick-start guide, and finally the warranty information.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...pro-review.jpg

There's unfortunately no carry pouch included with this product, I can foresee a hard carry pouch with various slots for the cables to be placed would come in handy. Otherwise you're going to have to carry the whole original box to your local LAN party or friends house. Manageable yes, but not optimal.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/conte...pro-review.jpg

The myriad of different connections look extremely daunting at first, but in the end, they are actually quite useful given this headset can be suited to many different applications.


PRICING: You can find the ASTRO Gaming A40 and MixAmp Pro for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The ASTRO Gaming A40 and MixAmp Pro retails for $249.99 at Amazon.

Australia: The ASTRO Gaming A40 and MixAmp Pro retails for $329 at PLE Computers.

Canada: The ASTRO Gaming A40 and MixAmp Pro retails for CDN$269.99 at Amazon Canada.

Toda a review:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/711...iew/index.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

DigiCare Do bone-conduction headphone reviewed

Page 1 of 4
Review: Ambient noise all the time

Bone conduction headphones will not replace your classic headphones in terms of sound quality, but the new technology has at least two advantages.

DIGICare’s bone conduction headphones, named simply DO, are lightweight and they are designed for an active lifestyle. The main advantage over classic headphones is that your ears are not covered and you will be able to hear ambient noise all the time. For example when you are running, hiking or driving a bike while listening music it is of main importance to hear approaching cars, or bears. In this review we want to share our findings after playing around with DIGICare DO headphones for several weeks.

How it works?
In order to hear sound, the sound needs to reach the cochlea, which happens in both cases (standard headphones and bone conducting headphones) through the vibration of small bones found behind the eardrum. This means that there is really no need for the sound to pass through the middle ear and eardrum like with the standard headphones. This is the second advantage of this technology, as ears will not get damaged from very loud output as is the case when the headphones are placed into or over the ear (here is the link if you want read more about the effects of exposure to loud noise).

Toda a review:
http://www.fudzilla.com/reviews/3763...phone-reviewed

[Jorge-Vieira]

Sharkoon H10 Gaming Headset Review

Today we are taking a look at the Sharkoon Shark Zone H10 Gaming Headset, Sharkoon has already proven itself as a quality budget brand with the M20 Gaming Mouse, but can it bring the same level of quality to its headsets? Lets find out…
The Sharkoon Shark Zone H10 features 40mm drivers in a closed back design. It’s an analog headset, so it features separate audio jacks for the microphone and headphones, rather than one USB connection.
Specifications:

• Driver Diameter: 40mm.
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20,000Hz.
• Sensitivity: 92 dB.
• Max Power: 100 mW.
• Connector: 3.5mm gold plated stereo jack.
• Cable Length: 2.5m.
• Weight: 285g.

Toda a review:
http://www.kitguru.net/site-news/hig...eadset-review/

[Jorge-Vieira]

TSST Handy Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

Recently we have reviewed a few of Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology’s (TSST) portable charger accessories. Today we have a look at their portable bluetooth speaker, named Handy. Though not yet available in the UK, it will cost £34.99 – so is not the cheapest speaker set out there. We see if it’s worth the cash. With the Handy portable speaker, TSST have clearly gone for a no-frills approach. This is obvious as the Handy will just play your music – no gimmicks, no showy features. Connect to the speaker via Bluetooth or 3.5mm jack and you’re off – nothing else to it. But does that mean the Handy is any good? We have a look and decide if it is worth buying.

Features

• Advertised 10 hour play time.
• Bluetooth V2.1 & 3.5mm connections.
• Weighs 187g without case.
• Charges via microUSB port.

Toda a review:
http://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/d...peaker-review/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Astro A50 Wireless Xbox One Gaming Headset Review

Introduction

---

Astro is by far one of my all time favourite gaming brands. Their gaming headsets are quite simply some of the best around and have even given pro-audio and audiophile grade headsets a run for their money too. We’ve reviewed several Astro headsets over the years and they’ve always been premium quality products, with legendary performance and a great design. Of course, this kind of quality comes with a price and while Astro aren’t known for being budget-friendly, the phrase “you get what you pay for” has certainly rung true in past reviews. So, will we see a repeat performance today? And will Astros’ own reputation be tough to live up to?

“Just as consoles evolve, so do our headsets, so we’ve fine-tuned and updated our A50 to make the best available headset in wireless gaming to your Xbox One. Broadcasting with cutting edge wireless Kleernet 5.8ghz technology, the A50 employs three varied EQ modes designed to fit your audio needs. The uni-directional microphone delivers communication to your teammates by isolating your voice from any background noise in the room. We’ve designed this headset to be lightweight and adjust easily to your cranium to ensure maximum comfort for those games that last long into the night. And when you’re done it fits perfectly on its own headset stand.”

The Astro range covers all major formats, but their latest effort is designed specifically to work with the Xbox One. That’s not to say I can’t use it on the PC, but the re-branding of the A50 in this case means that it comes with a lovely black and green design to match the Xbox One official colours, an Xbox One controller connection adaptor and it’s certified to work with the console. As you can see from the specifications, the A50 is very well equipped with high-quality drivers, high-end wireless tech and a whole lot more.

The headset supports Dolby Digital 7.1 signal processing, 5.8GHz Wireless and more.

I don’t normally care for the packaging on products, but the box for the Astro is really nice and doubles as a storage box for the headset; everything is laid out nicely on the interior.

The headset and transmitter base at are the front of the box, behind which you’ll find the headset stand components and a few cables.

There’s also a clearly laid out quick start guide, which will make setting up the headset a much easier process.

All the included cables are of a good quality. There’s a pair of USB cables, the Xbox One cable, which has a flat tangle-free design and a TosLink optical cable.

The base unit is nicely designed, with a soft matte finish on the top and a little bit of glossy trim. There’s a pair of buttons on the top, one for main power, the other for Dolby mode.

The base of the unit has a thick rubber grip, so there’s little chance of it sliding around when placed on your desk or TV stand.

Around the back, you’ll find all the major ports, but most interestingly is the Opt Out, which allows for optical pass-through, great if you want to feed the audio to your TV or AV receiver when not using the headset, as it means you won’t have to swap over cables.

The headset is absolutely gorgeous, which I know is a subjective matter, but the look and feel of it just screams ultra-high quality. The soft touch black finish on the back of the drivers looks stunning and provides a nice contrast to the bright greens of the trim and cables that surround it. The back of the driver says “Voice” and “Game” on it, this whole panel is actually a massive two-way button and just tapping either side of the headset allows you to switch between channels for volume control.

The ear cups can be rotated inwards to provide a better fit on your head, as well as when wearing the headset around your neck. The side of the ear cup has a power button, profile switch and volume control wheel.

The ear cup padding is a high-quality memory foam with a very soft and comfortable cloth cover. The ear cups are quite large and are an over-the-ear design.

On the other ear cup, there are two more ports, one for the Xbox One cable hook up and the other is a micro-USB for charging the headset.

The headband is expandable with a cool sliding mechanism.

You can see the wire coiling up as you compress it, which is a nice touch. Despite this only being a push-through to adjust system, it feels incredibly strong and locks firmly in place once adjusted.

the headband has two solid support bars with a pivoting center part, which will help provide a clean fit over your head, without throwing the headset off-balance.

There’s more luxurious padding on the underside, which will help provide you with a comfortable fit.

The microphone has a fold up design and features a flexible and positional boom.

Overall, this is one fantastic looking headset and the build quality is nothing short of exceptional.

As I said before, this headset comes with a headset stand. The stand can be clipped together from the three plastic components included in the box and even has a small section on the bottom to house the transmitter base unit; perfect for keeping your headset stored neatly and preventing it from getting scratched which charging.

Toda a review:
http://www.eteknix.com/astro-a50-wir...eadset-review/

[Jorge-Vieira]

SteelSeries Siberia V3 Gaming Headset Review

Introduction

---

Today is a great day, as I finally get to take a look at the latest entry in the ever-popular Siberia gaming headset series. The original Siberia was widely regarded as a great headset, the V2 was and still is thought of as one of the best price vs performance headsets on the market and now we’re at V3, will it continue the trend and be even greater than its predecessors?
As you can see from the specifications below, the V3 is equipped with all the basics. Good quality drivers, a unidirectional microphone and 3.5mm jack plugs; nothing extraordinary, but certainly everything you’re likely to need.

In the box, you’ll find a small booklet to help you setup the headset, although it’s not rocket science really. There’s also a 4-pole to dual 3-pole 3.5mm adaptor; the V3 is compatible with mobile devices and desktop systems.

The headset its self comes hard-wired with a 4-pole cable, perfect for hooking it up to your MP3 player, tablet, smartphone or any other 3.5mm compatible audio output.

The back of the drivers have a nice finish to them with a mixture of gloss and matte plastics that feel durable, but incredibly lightweight. There’s a pivot on the back of the ear-cup to help provide a closer fit over your ear.

At the back of the left ear-cup, you’ll find a small switch to mute the microphone, it comes with a raised section that makes it easier to find and toggle without having to take the headset off and look for it.

As with the previous Siberia headset, the microphone has a flexible boom and can be retracted back into the earcup; a nice solution to hiding the boom when you don’t need it, without having to resort to a detachable one.

The microphone looks pretty straight forward, but the pull-out/push-away design, combined with the flexible boom makes it really easy to find a comfortable speaking position.

The headband is very similar to previous headsets in this range. Instead of a sliding headband, you have two fixed outer supports that help keep the headset clamped over your ears, while the soft inner section is sprung and will auto-adjust to your head size.

It’s a really cool design, but it also helps cut out a lot of unrequired materials, which in turn helps reduce the weight of the headset.

There’s very little padding here, but since the inner band moves outwards, it still very comfortable to wear; more so than most headsets with thick padding.

The springs are strong, but quite forgiving and it means you never need to adjust the headset; even when switching between users.

The headband design is durable but also very forgiving and you can put quite a lot of strain on it without any concern that it is going to break. This is good for those who plan to chuck the headset in their backpack and travel with it, as it’s certainly not going to break anytime soon.

There’s a soft leather padding on the ear cups that is comfortable to wear, but also provides a nice clean fit over your ears, blocking out a lot of unwanted external sound, whilst also keeping your personal audio from leaking.

Overall, a very nice looking headset with great build quality and a lightweight design.

Noticia:
http://www.eteknix.com/steelseries-s...eadset-review/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Vesper VM101: First Piezoelectric MEMS Microphone That's Also Waterproof And Dust Proof

Vesper, the leader in advanced acoustic-sensing technology, launched the VM101, a piezoelectric MEMS (microelectromechanical system) microphone that achieves typical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 68 dB.
According to Vesper, this is currently the highest acoustic performance of any commercially available MEMS microphone and almost twice as high as the 65 dB performance of the closest competitor. VM101 is the first piezoelectric MEMS microphone, which means it converts sound pressure into an electric charge.
The VM101 solves many current device problems, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smartphones, especially as voice becomes a critical feature of many "smart" devices around us. We're just now starting to use voice to control smartphones, TVs, set top boxes, cars and smart appliances, and this trend will only grow in the future.
However, all of those voice enabled devices need both good software that can identify what you're saying as well as a good capability to capture that sound as clearly as possible. This becomes even more important if you're not in a completely silent room or speaking right into the device itself.
Next-generation devices and microphones will need to capture your voice even if you are farther away (such as in the case of a set top box or smart TV) and even if there are other sounds in the background. If there are multiple people speaking at the same time, it would also be useful if the device knew how to identify only your voice. This could become more important as these technologies move to recognizing more conversational, rather than fixed, commands.
"Voice is expected to supplant touch as the dominant user interface in consumer products. This makes higher-performance MEMS microphones increasingly critical because they are right at the beginning of the audio signal chain," said Matt Crowley, CEO at Vesper.
Vesper's VM101 solves a large part of this issue by being an ultra-high SNR microphone as well as by supporting a feature called "audio zoom," which allows devices to focus on someone's voice, not unlike a camera would focus on a person's face. By forming arrays of up to four microphones, OEMs could also double the distance at which sound can be captured.
Unlike capacitive MEMS microphones, which are made up of multiple membrane layers that trap air between them, the VM101 is made up of a single membrane that can create the strongest signal possible.
The VM101's simpler design is also what makes it highly reliable and resistant to water, dust or shock damage. According to Vesper, the second biggest reason for smartphone returns, after cracked screens, is a microphone that stopped working or functioning well. This usually happens due to water or dust damage, so a microphone such as the VM101 should be highly appealing to smartphone manufacturers that may want fewer costly device returns.
"You can actually drop VM101 into Boston Harbor or bury it in sand at the beach, and it will still work properly," said Crowley. "With microphone failure, the second most common reason for smartphone returns after cracked screens, reliability is vital. Having such a robust microphone potentially alleviates major headaches (and returns) for manufacturers."
Compared to capacitive MEMS microphones, the Vesper VM101 manages to maintain its performance even after water damage or being covered by dust particles.
The VM101 has a 10,000x faster startup than capacitive microphones, which means it's ideal for "always-on voice," and it consumes less power, too (150 μA typical power consumption).
In a few years, Vesper believes that its microphones, which will be used in smartphones, wearables and IoT devices, will have better audio quality and performance than much more expensive professional microphones that exist today. The piezoelectric MEMS microphone technology is still in its early days and could be further improved by 10 or 20 times in the future, according to the company.
Vesper has already started sampling the VM101 to interested customers and will begin mass production in Q4 2015.

Noticia:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ves...one,29187.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

PowerColor Announces the Devil HDX Sound Card

PowerColor rolled out the Devil HDX PCI-Express sound card. Designed with a strong focus on output quality, and targeted at PC enthusiasts with high-end headphones, the card is driven by a C-Media CMI8888 native-PCIe master processor, wired to Wolfson WM8741 primary DAC, with 124 dBA SNR, driving the headphones and front-out channels. Amplifying this, is a TI LM4562 OPAMP, which is swappable.

Nichicon Muse electrolytic, and metalized polypropylene caps man all channels, reducing signal loss. Only the electrical portion features solid-state capacitors. The card draws power from a 4-pin Molex input. The entire audio area is electrically isolated from the PCIe slot power input. The main PCB features a 6.3 mm headphones jack, supporting cans with up to 600Ω impedance, stereo RCA out, and 7.1-channel optical SPDIF (TOSLINK) outputs. A daughterboard gives out additional analog channels and inputs via 3.5 mm jacks. On the software side of things, you get C-Media's Xear3D software customized by PowerColor, with ASIO 2.2 support.

Noticia:
http://www.techpowerup.com/213055/po...ound-card.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

ASUS Unveils Three High-end STRIX Series 7.1-ch Sound Cards

ASUS unveiled two new high-end 7.1-channel sound cards under its premium STRIX brand, the STRIX RAID DLX, the STRIX RAID Pro, and the STRIX Soar. The three are based on a common base card design, and differ with features and DSPs. The DAC component of the card consists of a native-PCIe multi-CODEC HD audio controller, wired to an ESS SABRE 9006a DAC, dedicated to the front audio output, with 116 dBA SNR; and a separate 110 dBA SNR DAC wired to the main headphones amplifier. On the RAID DLX, the front-out DAC is a higher quality SABRE 9016a.

The main amp can handle 600Ω impedance headphones. On the software side of things, is a Raid mode (positional audio), Sonic Radar (lets you pinpoint enemies based on audio, and a new Sonic Studio control panel interface. The RAID DLX and RAID Pro come with an external module with audio jacks, and physical switches to audio feature controls, besides volume control.

Noticia:
http://www.techpowerup.com/213037/as...und-cards.html