headphones

Five Days to New iPhone: Rumor Round-Up

Kit Eaton — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:02:59 -0400

As we get closer to the new iPhone, the rumors get hotter (even hotter than our last round-up). Here are the more interesting stories, one of which is a doozy.

Zip-Together Headphones Concept Means No More Tangles?

Kit Eaton — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:37:44 -0400

Gah, headphone cables are hateful. My wife swears by Sony's design, claiming they've optimized the size and slipperiness so that when they do tangle, they at least undo easily. But every time I dig out mine they're a spaghetti'd mess. I want someone to make Ji Woong's YI headphones.

Longshot Rumor: iPod Shuffle's "DRM Chip" is a Microphone

Kit Eaton — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:43:28 -0400

The new iPod Shuffle caused a whirlwind of controversy last week for no particular reason--the Shuffle's not the world's most important product, and requiring special headphones is no great shakes.

Cool Gifts: Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones

Lynne d Johnson — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:57:10 -0500

These objects of perfection first became available this summer, when only tech gadget enthusiasts and real audiophiles (Will.i.am was rocking a pair on Larry King Live when King interviewed him about his Obama is President song, "It's a New Day") were first introduced to them.

Logitech Acquires Headphone Maker

Chris Dannen — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:38:54 -0400

Logitech [NASDAQ:LOGI] announced today that it will drop $34 million in its acquisition of Ultimate Ears, a heaphone company specializing in in-ear headphones, stage monitors and musicians' earplugs. The company's pro-oriented product line is reflected in the price points of some of its products; the company offers headphones custom-molded to your pinnae -- the outside part of your ear -- for a whopping $900.

Panasonic Earbuds Use Cubic Zirconia For Better Sound

Chris Dannen — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:25:46 -0400

It's hard to make news with headphones, but Panasonic (NYSE: MC) has made its best effort yet. Its new RP-HJE900 will use pieces of cubic zirconia – the stuff used to make passable faux diamonds – inside its assembly to suppress sound distortion. No word from Panasonic on the science behind that claim, but the rest of the stats on these earbuds are impressive without the fake diamonds inside: a sound pressure sensitivity of around 100dB/mW, with a broad frequency response of 6Hz–28 Khz.