700

A new high in high-end headphone amplifier design

The Fosgate Signature Headphone Amplifier is one of the very best-sounding amps I've ever used. It was designed by one of the greats, Jim Fosgate, a man who earned 18 audio related patents, founded a number of successful electronics companies -- oh, and he pioneered high-power car audio systems. He was also a big supporter of the very first home surround format -- quadraphonic -- in the early 1970s, and so committed to the format that even as quad was winding down, he designed the Fosgate Tate 101, arguably the finest quad processor of the era. Fosgate also created … Read more

How do you like your headphone sound: Accurate or bassy?

Most of the headphones I've tested over the years weren't designed to have a neutral balance of bass, midrange, and treble frequencies. Manufacturers are well aware that most people like bass, and that buyers tend to favor one headphone over another based on how much bass it produces. I think that's obvious, but a recent study cited in Brent Butterworth's blog countered that assumption. "The Relationship between Perception and Measurement of Headphone Sound Quality," a paper by Sean Olive and Todd Welti presented at last October's Audio Engineering Society convention found that a … Read more

Amped Wireless' 802.11ac router, the RTA15, is so amped!

LAS VEGAS--Amped Wireless, maker of extra-long-range, high-power Wi-Fi products, showed off at CES 2013 the upcoming RTA15 High Power Dual Band AC 700mW Wi-Fi Router, the company's first that supports the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

Like previous routers from Amped Wireless, such as the 600mW Gigabit Dual Band R20000G, the new RTA15 promises to offer incredible Wi-Fi coverage.

According to Amped Wireless, the new router features three high-gain, dual-band antennas and 10 total power amplifiers: four 5GHz 700mW, two-stage amplifiers, two 2.4GHz amplifiers, and four low-noise amplifiers. As the result, Amped Wireless claims it can cover up … Read more

Lenovo Erazer X700 desktop targets PC gamers

LAS VEGAS--Taking a page from the Alienware design book, Lenovo has a new high-end gaming desktop on the way this March. The Erazer X700 doesn't look like it will compete with the likes of Maingear, Origin, and other boutique PC vendors in terms of design, but it might offer mainstream PC gamers an affordable way to get their hands on some decent 3D horsepower.

The specs for the Erazer X700 will sound familiar to any PC performance enthusiast. Overclockable Core i5K and Core i7K CPUs, support for Nvidia graphics cards up to two GeForce GTX 680s. Lenovo has also … Read more

Here comes Microsoft Surface Pro, 64 bits and all

Microsoft's Windows 8 Pro version of the Surface will arrive soon, giving consumers probably one the highest performing tablets to date.

Microsoft is already dropping not-so-subtle hints that the device is coming "early in 2013." And now it appears to have made its debut at the FCC.

Let's look at what else Microsoft is saying about the 2-pound tablet that sets it apart from the current Surface RT tablet.

64-bit computing in a tablet: Surface with Windows 8 Pro is "a 64-bit tablet PC." That's not a trivial point. You get all of … Read more

Giant killer: ALO's tiny Pan Am headphone amplifier

Frankly, I was a little disappointed when I first unboxed the new ALO Pan Am tube headphone amp. It looked so cute and tiny; how could it possibly deliver the goods? The dainty 4.6-inch-by-3.8-inch footprint makes it easy to place anywhere. The amp's rear end houses three inputs: stereo RCA and 3.5mm analog inputs and a USB connection. The built-in digital-to-analog converter accommodates up to 24-bit/96-kHz audio. The amp is available in anodized silver or black finishes.

I started listening with my trusty Grado RS-1 headphones and loved the clarity. The Pan Am has the … Read more

Lamborghini debuts drop top Aventador Roadster

My favorite model in Lamborghini's lineup has for many years been the Gallardo, but the flagship Aventador is unquestionably the most powerful. With today's unveiling of a Roadster version, the Aventador also gets an injection of style.

Rather than a power-retractable roof, the Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster features a two-panel carbon-fiber roof that is manually removed and stored under the hood when not in use. Presumably, this configuration is partially to keep weight down and partially because the Aventador's V-12 engine sits where your average convertible top would be stowed.

Where the coupe displays its 700-horsepower engine … Read more

Lamborghini makes Aventador more fuel efficient for 2013

I can that imagine someone at Lamborghini thinks that the Aventador's 700-horsepower split between all four wheels is probably enough power for one car. (And no, I don't agree with that person.) I assume this because rather than getting a nominal power bump for this model year's update, the 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 gets a mile per gallon bump thanks to the addition of cylinder deactivation and idle stop-start technologies that allow the V-12 engine to instantaneously and momentarily make less power in the pursuit of using less fuel.

The Cylinder Deactivation System (CDS) works like this: … Read more

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ready for Transformer Prime, Infinity Pad

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is the latest Android device to see its Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update, coming less than a day after Asus indicated it would be here "soon."

As is the case with every other Android 4.1 update, the Prime benefits from features such as Google Now, speed improvements, and enhanced notifications. Those of you who own the Asus TF201 tablet are advised to check the "About Tablet" section for a firmware update. Be sure to have plenty of juice in the battery and a good 10 minutes set … Read more