Tag: Headphones
s-Jays from Jays Headphones – in-ear noise isolators with added bass
Jays Headphones, from Sweden, is currently shouting about its s-Jays headphones. I was quite a big fan of the c-Jays that I tested out recently (video coming soon), but those were over-the-head, whereas these are noise isolating in-ears.
They’ve got some technology that Jays is calling SIREN, which is a tubeless, round balanced armature, promising a good dynamic range and decent bass, which can be rare on cheap earbuds.
They come with plenty of accessories, including a splitter, embiggener, and an airline adaptor, as well as a nice carrycase. They’ll set you back £60, and are available right now. Looks like a decent upgrade if you’re currently running a cheap pair of earphones.
Jays Headphones
Related posts: Jay’s c-JAYS headphones are lightweight, but heavy hitters | Jays introduces BlueStreamer 2 – Bluetooth stereo adapter
Perk up your cheap earphones with the Acoustibuds
What a stroke of genius! These “Acoustibuds” slip over a pair of cheap earphones to make them into a pair of expensive noise-isolating headphones. The guys who run CES agree, awarding them an innovation award at the show this year.
They also promise to stick in your ear better than standard earbuds. The flexible ‘wings’ hold the bud in place “even with perspiration and extreme physical activity”, claims the manufacturer. Not bad for $13 (£8.70), especially if you’ve got one of those awful phones with a proprietary connector meaning that you have to use the rubbish provided earbuds.
Amazon USA (via CrunchGear)
Related posts: AKG headphones range – treats for your ears from a tenner to a tonner | Sony debuts wireless DB-BT101 headphones, and MDR-EX36SC two-in-one headphones
Sony debuts wireless DB-BT101 headphones, and MDR-EX36SC two-in-one headphones
This morning, Sony quietly added the DB-BT101s to its online catalogue. These rather attractive phones are wireless, and connect via Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, so they’ll happily work alongside a bluetooth laptop, PDA, mobile phone or MP3 player.
Those are the all the details we’ve got right now, but they do look lovely, so here’s hoping they’ll get some sort of Western release, along with some tangible specs, in the near future.
CES 2009: Sennheiser announces "world's best headphones"- the HD800s
Sennheiser’s making quite a bold claim here – the world’s best headphones. The HD800s apparently sound better than any other pair of headphones on the planet. I suspect that it might be difficult to prove that one to a jury – surely it’s more than a little subjective?
But let’s not quibble over that – it’s beyond doubt that these are damn good. A brand new “RING” driver, developed specifically for these cans alone, can deliver an amazing 6Hz – 51kHz frequency response. For comparison, your average person on the street can hear about 20Hz to 20kHz. Unless you’re an audiophile, therefore, you’re not going to get much out of these. Sennheiser also claims an amazingly low 0.02% distortion.
Denon announces top-end AH-D7000 headphones
These over-ear headphones are Denon’s latest release to the ‘I’ve got rather a lot of money’ target market. How much money? Well, the AH-D7000s will set you back £800. That’s a lot of money, so you’d be right to ask what you’re getting for that.
You’re getting very high-class components, that’s why. A couple of 2″ drivers with free-edge microfibre diaphragms that’ll play notes up to 45kHz (20kHz is the top end of an average human’s hearing).
You also get housings crafted of mahogany (which I should point out is a highly endangered wood) with carvings on the INSIDE that ‘enhance the natural tonal balance’. The cable is 99.99999% oxygen-free copper, too, so you’ll get absolutely no distortion from that.
What do you think – worth £800? Or snake oil? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Denon UK
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Jay's c-JAYS headphones are lightweight, but heavy hitters
The world of mid-range headphones has just got a little more cluttered with the release of the c-JAYS, from Swedish manufacturer Jay’s Headphones. They’re over-the-head jobbies and they come with three sizes of foam cushion, from small to whopping (whopping pictured above).
You’ve got to love that way that whenever technology companies invent something, they give it a silly name and acronym. In this case, Jay’s has invented something called the Elastic Multi Layer (EML) Membrane, which apparently makes things sound nice, and SGSCC (Single Crystal Copper) cables, which reduce distortions.
For those keeping score, that’s the second time today that an abbreviation doesn’t match up with what it’s abbreviating. I’m not a happy bunny.
SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: Noise-proof headphones test
Annoyed with your current headphones? Bothered by people yapping and eating Rice Crispies on the bus in the morning, and need to replace the crappy pair of earbuds that came bundled with your MP3 player? You need to see this video.
Lucy, Zara and I tested out some of the noise cancelling and noise isolating earphones on the market. Dan made some noise. You can see the results above – the Shure SE102s won out, thanks to their low price and extreme effectiveness. Highly recommended.
Shure SE102s
Related posts: Don’t buy them if you use a pacemaker | Semicircular headphones, so you don’t get hit by a bus
iPod headphones a possible KISS OF DEATH for users with pacemakers
Dr William Maisel, a cardiologist at the Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, caused heart-murmurs across the internet this weekend thanks to his claim that music player headphones could break pacemakers – and stop defibrillators restarting dodgy hearts.
It’s all because of the magnets in headphones, which could, possibly, if held very close to them, make pacemakers and other “embedded” medical devices stop working. After testing eight models of headphones on 60 patients with pacemakers, the doctor found that nearly a quarter of patients’ heart devices suffered some sort of interference…
Pioneer announces HDJ-2000 professional DJ headphones
I should probably have left this announcement for our resident DJ Duncan, but as an aspiring one (and resident trumpeter) I’ll bring you the news that Pioneer has just announced its HDJ-2000 professional DJ headphones.
Let’s take a look at the specs:
These fully-enclosed dynamic headphones have a decent frequency response of 5Hz-30kHz, 36Ω impedance, 107dB sensitivity, and 3,500mW maximum power input. They are constructed with 50mm dome type drive units and come with a 1.2m-long coiled type connecting lead which connects via mini-XLR…
New Panasonic RP-HNJ150, RP-HJE700, and RP-HJE900 earphones
Panasonic has just dropped a bunch of new earphones on the world, the RP-HNJ150, RP-HJE700, and RP-HJE900. The RP-HNJ150 are the low-end model, feature a frequency response of 6Hz-23,000Hz, with an impedance of 16Ω. They’re available in pink, white, blue and black. They’ll cost you US$34.92 (£25 or so).
