CES 2013

A party Monday night at the Palms Towers in Las Vegas launched a colorful new audio brand targeted at ... well, whatever marketing term applies to people in their teens and 20s. (Gen-Z? Milennials? The beard/trucker hat/thick glasses set?) BOOM is a division of DEI holdings, whose other brands include Polk and Definitive Technology. BOOM is a somewhat stilted acronym that stands for "Born On Original Motives." What's that mean? I haven't a clue. But the line launched with seven new headphone models and a Bluetooth speaker, so it's a serious effort. What do they sound like? I dunno. The music in the suite was so loud I couldn't tell. But the company included its $39 Renegade on-ear headphone in the swag bag, and I'm happy to say it sounds surprisingly good-in other words, nothing at all like what you'd expect given the target demographic and the price. After an hour or so of break-in, the highs sound amazingly smooth for $39, and the tonal balance is superb, with clear mids, a welcome spaciousness, and a just-right amount of bass. Check out the accompanying photo essay for more details about some of BOOM's new products.