audio

I've heard most of the world's best headphones, but somehow missed the Sony MDR-R10. Only 2,000 were made. Production started in 1989, and at $2,500 a pair, it was the most expensive headphone in the world. The headphone cognoscenti scooped them all up years ago, and right now MDR-R10s rarely come up for sale. When they do, they usually go for more than $6,000!

The MDR-R10's 50mm "Bio-Cellulose Dome Diaphragms" are credited with producing the headphones' superclear treble and oh-so supple bass. The headphone also sported real lambskin-covered ear pads, and the … Read more

My first encounter with one of Adam Audio's smallest speakers, the ARTist 3, took me by surprise last year. That little speaker is still in the line, but when I learned Adam just introduced a less expensive, but slightly larger desktop speaker, the F5, I was eager to get it in for review. The ARTist 3 has a better tweeter, bigger amps, a more robustly designed cabinet, and it's a lot nicer looking. The F5's black vinyl-covered cabinet is strictly business, and at $499 a pair it lists for $300 less than the ARTist 3.… Read more

LAS VEGAS -- When it comes to emerging tech, crazy accessories, and carrier news, you can always count on a mobile conference to deliver.

CTIA 2013 was a much quieter show than in years past, with the biggest carriers and manufacturers largely opting out to focus on their own launch events.

While this confab felt the brunt of companies' shifting strategies, the absence of the brightest stars meant that we had time to scope out other finds that would usually be drowned out in the din.

Future shows are expected to regain CTIA's breakneck pace and vigor. A move … Read more

Moo0 Audio Effect is easy-to-use freeware that applies basic special effects to audio clips. Audio Effect can alter the volume, pitch, bass, treble, and other tonal aspects of MP3 and WAV files. It's a very basic tool, which means you can finish a job in less time than it takes to learn which buttons to press on that "full-featured" audio editor. Moo0 Audio Effect is suitable for Windows XP to 8.

We could resize Moo0 Audio Effect's compact user interface by dragging the corner, or we could toggle between Minimum and Advanced Options views. A Language … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- Making waves for the first time in the U.S., the Pearl and Oyster wireless speakers from Damson Audio have washed up on the beaches of CTIA 2013. Both Bluetooth products are designed by the British manufacturer, but it's the first time we've seen them on this side of the pond.

Small in stature, you'd be ill-advised to think the Damson Pearl can't belt out serious sound. To the contrary, the gadget uses a special rubbery foot plus down-firing woofers on its bottom edge to significantly boost its audio impact. Indeed, after being … Read more

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While it's hard to imagine there being a real competitor to YouTube's dominance of the Web video market, Vimeo has quietly made quite a name for itself in the past few years. With billions of videos and a robust sharing platform that has been used by businesses and thought leaders alike, Vimeo is one of the top video sharing sites on the Internet and the mobile app for iPhone and iPad is a perfect representation of why.

When you first open Vimeo, you'll see what makes it so different. This is a site about creating great content, … Read more

The Fostex TH600 full-size headphones' sound is downright addicting. They take you inside the sound of a recording like few other headphones can. Unfortunately, Fostex's U.S. distribution of its high-end headphones is very limited (it's a Japanese company), but Fostex dealer Moon Audio was kind enough to send over a sample pair of TH600 headphones ($1,299) fitted with an extra-cost Black Dragon V2 cable. Fostex also offers much less expensive models, including the $129 T50RP, but the company mostly caters to the pro sound market.

The TH600 has large 50mm drivers, matched with an unusually powerful … Read more

I've said it many times: the very best audio is frighteningly expensive, and so are the world's best cars, cameras, clothing, boats, and so forth. The good news is there are really pretty spectacular finds at the other end of the audio rainbow. I love it when I come across an over-performing budget-priced speaker, and lately, I've found quite a few. Here's a newly revised list of standout designs.

Since this list covers a broad range of speaker types, there's no ranking order; each one is exceptional in its own right. I have spent time … Read more