It’s rare for a product to “wow” me right out of the box. So I surprised myself when I let out an audible “Ohh” as I opened the box containing the Harman/Kardon Soho Wireless headphones. They just oozed class and elegance—in fact, I’m reminded that I had a similar reaction to the Harman/Kardon Esquire Mini Bluetooth speaker. Black leather, stainless steel, and a hefty dose of panache. Could the Soho Wireless possibly sound as good as they look?
Long gone are the days when the kids sat with their parents, gathered around a single television set in the living room, all watching the same broadcast show. Today, TV is a whole different deal. There are a lot more ways to watch it. It seems you only have to wish for a cool new way to view TV, and BAM! - it magically appears. Here's a peek at two of these new products.
I showed up at the gym without my favorite Audio-Technica earbuds. So there I was, staring at a pair of gym-branded earbuds hanging next to the water bottles and headbands...
Consumer alert: we’ve all been misled for years, with companies selling us wireless headphones with wires. While they might use Bluetooth to wirelessly transmit the signal from the player to the headphones, typically there is still a cable of some sort connecting the left and right earpieces. HearNotes is truly wireless – or WireFree as they like to say.
The Hi-Res Audio Initiative just announced two exciting items at their Update press conference. The first was the new “Stream The Studio” awareness campaign. Second was the announcement that Napster will be streaming Hi-Res audio by this spring. In addition, Pandora and HD Tracks will be involved in Hi-Res streaming, along with Tidal.
Christmas came early in my house. A package just arrived from Kinivo with an assortment of products that I felt I should share—start spreading that holiday joy just days after Halloween. It’s never too early for that, right?
House of Marley is known for using or reusing products that support sustainability while also functioning practically and performing up to a level that would make Bob Marley proud. The new No Bounds XL speaker ($149) uses an array of sustainable materials throughout to create a buoyant and impact-resistant speaker that’s begging to get outdoors.
While every manufacturer is making speakers in any color you want, as long as it’s black, id America is breaking the mold with their colorful new portable Bluetooth speaker, the TouchTone. This is a compact speaker that won’t break the bank - it’s available now for $80. It comes in a variety of colors, with an even greater palette available soon.