Tag: music

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Connected Objects Music

Spaco compact speakers save space and work via voice control

One problem with small wireless speakers is the quality of their sound. In other words, let’s face it: They tend to not even be all that great at the main function they were designed for.

patent-claimedSpaco is a line of 720-degree, voice-controlled speakers with adjustable lighting that also tout high-end audio performance. The speakers can be controlled by voice even in noisy situations and also offer a special levitation feature providing what its makers call uninterrupted surround sound. A 720-degree acoustics field is created by the combination of 28 dynamic and electrostatic diaphragm drivers that provide what they say is multidimensional, movie-theater grade audio. Music can be streamed from any device that has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and Spaco supports  Wi-Fi networks with any 802.11b/g, 2.4GHz broadcast-capable router. Set-up is done via an Android and iOS app.

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Music

Tiny ONEmicro speaker uses cordless phone tech for a Bluetooth extraction

There is no shortage of small, wireless speakers on the market that use Bluetooth technology. But the sound quality of many of them leave a lot to be desired.

ONEmicro is a small, portable wireless speaker that uses the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard instead of Bluetooth. DECT provides superior sound quality, its manufacturer, ONEaudio, says. The speakers have been tested at over 90 dB and they fill up 120 square feet of space. The battery lasts 20 hours in HQ mode and 25 hours in ECO mode.

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Music

Oddio headphones offer a modular design with swappable components

It would be nice to be able to change the look of one’s headphones or upgrade the speakers on them every once in a while so that another headphone purchase isn’t necessary if the owner gets bored with their design or wants to improve their sound performance or other features.

patent-claimedOddio is a set of modular headphones with swappable components. Users can change its colors or the speakers, and also swap out the ear cups for a different sound profile. Skins, modules and batteries all are attached magnetically. Users can also attach Bluetooth or Active Noise Cancellation modules based on their needs.

A set of basic Oddio headphones starts shipping in December. It has a future price of $220. But early bird Indiegogo backers can order a set starting at $129 for super early birds. A “Pokemon Go” set comes in a choice of blue, red or yellow and with up to 12 characters per ear cap.

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Music

Sonic Blocks let you roll your own speaker set

Wireless speakers continue to be popular thanks to the growing popularity of mobile devices and the convenience of streaming music from them using Bluetooth. Networked wireless speaker systems, meanwhile, have become popular also for much the same reason, as well as the success of Sonos.

patent-claimedSonic Blocks is a wireless speaker system that goes at least a couple of steps further than most rival products. First off, it’s a modular system made up of 6-inch speaker blocks. Second, while most wireless speakers rely solely on Bluetooth, Sonic Blocks also allows users to stream music via Wi-Fi for superior sound quality. It’s also compatible with the DTS Play-Fi multi-zone wireless audio technology for Android smartphones and tablets.

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Connected Objects Music

The GoDJ Plus is a lightweight DJ system that still drops tons of bass

Being a DJ is a glamorous job, filled with the people, parties, and music that would make anyone jealous of the lifestyle. But truly doing a great job means knowing music history and having the right equipment at the ready. The problem is that all of that equipment together usually ends up being heavy and awkward to effectively move around.

The advent of tablets have been great at lightening a DJ’s load but lack all the physicality of a true DJ deck. Enter the GoDJ Plus, a fully featured, portable DJ system that’s the size of A4 paper with a weight of just under two pounds to match. The sleekly designed, aluminum system sports two decks with two screens, two sets of LED-backlit pads, and a full set of tools from an EQ to a sampler to a sequencer. Interestingly, the GoDJ Plus doesn’t require a smartphone or a laptop to operate. Instead, 16GB of internal storage and an SD card slot lets DJs load in their own music or download songs from major streaming services using the device’s Wi-Fi connectivity, with dedicated CPUs within dedicated to each track, hardware, and software for optimal performance.

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Music

ASome transform your ordinary headset into awesome Bluetooth headset

It would be nice to add Bluetooth functionality to the earphones one already owns and loves to use.

ASome is an audio adapter that attaches to earbuds or headphones and adds Bluetooth functionality that enables them to be used with smartphones and other portable music devices. It comes equipped with a Qualcomm aptX chipset and a 210mAh battery that provides 10 hours of playback on a full charge, its makers say. ASome also features a multi-pairing feature via Bluetooth 4.1, allowing users to connect two devices simultaneously.

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Music Networking

TurnUp lets you turn up your with the flip of a switch

Wireless, multi-room speakers are becoming increasingly popular. But they don’t come cheap –- especially if customers want to install them on the wall instead of on a table or shelf.

patent-claimedTurnUp is a multi-room, wireless speaker that fits in a light switch or wall power outlet and can be used to control not only music, but a room’s lights. The speaker uses Bluetooth 4.0 and is easy to install. It can be controlled by voice from any computer, as well as from any smartphone or tablet.

Up to eight speakers can be connected. The device also answers phone calls. It works in conjunction with an Android and iOS app. TurnUp ships in December at future pricing of $129.99. But Kickstarter backers can get one for a pledge that starts at $89 for early birds. Its makers hope to raise $77,000 by June 10.

 

 

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Music Networking

Nativ networked music system boasts high fidelity, large capacity

There are so many streaming music systems on the market that it’s hard to tell many of them apart outside of the industry-leading Sonos products.

Nativ, however, is a high-resolution music system with a distinctive design that adds video streaming to the mix. It’s made up of two separate devices with audiophile components: Nativ Vita, an 11.6-inch, touchscreen music player that provides a whopping 4 TB of music storage, access to a streaming service and whole home audio; and Nativ Wave, a digital-to-analog converter that connects Vita or any other digital device to an amplifier or AV receiver. Wave comes with a headphone amp for connection to a set of headphones (not included).

Vita resembles a tablet and can also be used without Wave to stream music directly to wireless speakers and headphones. It can also be attached to a TV via HDMI or wirelessly via Google Cast to view music videos. The built-in multi-directional microphone enables voice control to tell Vita what music to play, adjust the volume or skip to the next song.

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Chargers/Batteries Music

The Ripcord USB cable powers all your musical gadgets anywhere

For the roving musician, inspiration can strike anywhere. The good news is that there’s never been a better for this to happen, with a plethora of options — both digital and analog — for playing and recording music. The bad news is that all of this equipment, from guitar pedals, amps, synths and keyboards to mixers, MIDI recorders, and tuners, all need to be powered by batteries that are too expensive or power outlets that may not be compatible or not there at all.

The team behind the Ripcord believe that due to its ubiquity, USB power is the future. To take advantage of the fact that most people carry already carry with the USB chargers, power banks, laptops, and smartphones all with USB ports, the Ripcord was developed to be a plug-and-play power cord that allows the standard 5V output of USB ports to charge musical equipment requiring 9V.

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Connected Objects Music

Harsaa multi-function earbuds offer NFC, sleep monitoring and more

There are many earbuds on the market, but few of them aspire to offer many features beyond good quality audio.

Harsaa are noise-cancelling Bluetooth earbuds that include NFC and emergency messaging, and also track activity and monitor sleep. As part of its NFC tap-and-go sharing feature, users just have to swipe the earbuds over their smartphones to transfer any information they choose.

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