Digital Signature Launches the Mint 220 Digital Music Station

Yesterday, Digital Signature announced a sleek new multimedia speaker system called the Mint 220. According to the press release:

"The Mint 220 doesn't just deliver higher quality sound for the iPod -- laptop users want premium sound without the hassle of plugging in cables, once you plug in the transmitter you are ready to listen, and that's where the Mint 220's wireless capabilities really shine," according to Joyce Ahn, VP of Product Marketing for Digital Signature. "Now everyone can have high fidelity audio not just for music, but for all of their digital entertainment -- the Mint 220 truly delivers the best all-around value in its class."

So what's under the hood?

The Mint 220 features Texas Instrument's PurePath Digital™ audio technology, with wireless transmission via Digital Signature's proprietary 2.4 GHz USB transmitter, which is completely lossless over ranges of up to 45'. A remote control offers the final component of complete wireless freedom. With the ability to control all of the user's music, the Mint 220 is as easy to use as it is to set up.

The Mint 220 Digital Music Station features an integrated amplifier, iPod dock/charger, and two 3.5-inch Peerless speakers in the sealed design preferred by many audiophiles for tight control of mid- and high-range sound fidelity in bookshelf systems.

We've got a unit on the way so we'll give you more details then it gets here.

Mint 220 Product Page

Wireless Speaker System For Your iPod

Having your iPod as the center of your music hub has become a very common occurrence these days. Everyone seems to have some system in their house where they plug there iPod in and can enjoy all their music over speakers a lot more powerful then the mini earbuds they are use to. Well Griffin has taken the concept a step further with speakers that detach and can be placed anywhere. This allows you to place the speakers in a location that might be better suited for listening to your music without you having to take the entire music station with you.

They are claiming a range of 150 feet for these speakers which would be very cool if you were having some people over and were hanging out in the backyard lets say. Setup a playlist and bring the speakers outside with you, stick them out of sight and enjoy some sweet music on the patio. The speakers have built-in rechargeable batteries that they claim can hold a 10 hour charge so unless you are planning on having an epic all night party these will be able keep playing for the entire night.

These look like a great solution for someone that just wants a simple product that allows them to use their iPod as their music streaming device and doesn't want to have to bring a bulky base station where ever the party has moved to in order to hear the music. No need to undo any cables and mess up the neat entertainment center. Just bring the speakers and be done with it. Use the included remote to control the iPod and you have what for some will be the perfect listening station.

via gizmodo

JBL and Infinity Team up to Release Wireless Subwoofer

Inifinity and JBL have teamed up to release a wireless subwoofer for those of you who want to position their sub somewhere that makes running cable inconvenient. These wireless subwoofers sport a 400W output via their 12-inch speaker. They can be placed basically anywhere allowing you to have your base hit you from whichever direction you would like.

There is one problem that we see in that it uses the 2.4GHz frequency to communicate with its base station and that frequency is used by just about every wireless gadget you and your neighbors own. So there is a chance it won't be effected by other devices, but our gut feeling is that you could hear drop out in your sound if your neighbors phone rings.

It is scheduled to launch in January so we are interested in hearing what people think of these things. Do they produce adequate sound and are they even necessary? If we hear anything we will surely report back.

via engadget

More Bluetooth Goodness From Parrot

So Parrot is at it again with another cool Bluetooth device. This one we really think is pretty cool. It is a stereo/speaker combo that will stream music from any Bluetooth equipped device and play it over its speakers. Its a pretty sweet setup for the number of Bluetooth cellphones that are out there with audio capabilities. The DS3120 will also allow you to use it as a Bluetooth calling center using its 1.8 inch LCD screen to view the contents of your cell phones contact list.

Parrot has also introduce some functionality that goes beyond just streaming Bluetooth music from a cell phone to some speakers. It has a line in port that will allow you to hook a device that has an audio out to it and play that music over its speakers as well as having a SD card slot so you can pop in a SD card full of your favorite tunes and enjoy. And if that wasn't enough they have also included a FM tuner.

These won't be for sale until October and they look to be expensive, roughly $500 for the set, but if you have a lot of music on your cell phone or if you love streaming music over Bluetooth, this just might be the product you were looking for :)

via engadget

Philips SHD9100 Wireless Headphone Review

So Philips has shown a very sexy pair of wireless headphones off at the IFA show and we have to say that having looked at a lot of wireless headphones over the years these are by far the best looking. Most systems are usually very unattractive, bulky messes, but just looking at the image you can see that Philips did a great job with the style. The base unit alone looks beautiful, something we would love to see sitting next to our stereo.

Some of the highlights that Philips is touting is a lightweight, breathable headband so you don't get that sweat band on your head like some other headphones can cause. There is a claim of a 40 meter range, but we aren't sure how realistic that is in the real world. With the amount of interference that exists in our office alone we would be surprised if these worked at 20 meters. All in all they look like a great pair of wireless headphones, although there is no word out of Philips when these will be for sale

As always, we will keep our ear out for anymore news and let you know.

via engadget

Jabra Multifunction Bluetooth Headset

Jabra is set to release a pretty innovative product when the BT8030 Bluetooth speaker comes out. This headset is more then meets the eye. You can use it to listen to any Bluetooth equipped music player to enjoy cord free music, but if you happen to want to share your music with other people you can unfold the head set and turn it into a full fledged speaker system.

What we like about this is the versatility. We aren't sure what the quality will be like, but we have had the situation crop up way to often that you are trying to let your friend listen to the music you have in your headphones and you have to try and bend the ear pieces so they can hear. Now with the BT8030 you can just uncurl them and turn them into a local speaker set.

As with so many things that we post here, we aren't sure when it will be released, but if we hear anything we will let you know.

via engadget

XOUNT's Crazy Speaker That Loks Like Furniture

Yet another attempt to make the speakers that play our music blend into the rest of the house. One problem so many people face is how to put speakers in your house without them looking like big square boxes stuck everywhere and having wires all over the place.

Well the people at XOUNT are attempting to change that by changing the way we think about speakers. This obelisk looking speaker doubles as a light source and is wireless. All this doesn't come cheap though, at $443 per speaker it can become pretty pricey to outfit your home with these things. They do offer ( for another $70 ) different coverings so you can change the look of each speaker you buy.

Another bonus is ( for another $222 ) you can have an iPod docking station added in, allowing this to be a completely self contained entertainment center.

via engadget

Crazy Speaker Chair to Impress and Confuse Your Guests

So here we have another crazy speaker chair that just looks weird. It is hard to tell from the pictures we have seen if this will be at all comfortable, but if you are into weird furniture with speakers this might be your dream chair.

It comes with an included CD player on one side, a jack for your MP3 player on the other and a large speaker inside the chair to really make you feel the bass. It is only a concept chair, so don't expect to see it at your local Target any time soon, but we thought it was pretty cool.

via gizmodo

Advantek Networks Portable Bluetooth Speaker System

We just recently came across this really cool product from Advantek Networks called the ABT-SPK-A8. Ya we know, great name right. Not sure why companies feel the need to give their products such crazy names that no one can actually use. You'll never see someone say, "hey Jim did u get out the new ABT-SPK-A8, its really sweet". Seems like they could have spent just a few more minutes and come up with a name that had some actual words in it. OK, so this isn't a really a problem with the product itself, just us ranting over what we get so frustrated with. So onto the actual review.

This looks to be a pretty cool device. It will allow you to stream any audio being broadcast from a Bluetooth enabled device. And its not limited to just your music. You can pair it up with a bunch of different systems, so say for instance you are rocking out to your favorite tunes on the back porch and your buddy calls, well this can drop the music and switch to the phone.

We aren't sure how it will sound, but the convenience factor is pretty high. Granted its small size this isn't meant to entertain anyone else but you, so don't expect this to be the life of the party.

via coolest-gadget

Parrot Bluetooth Speaker System

Parrot has a very cool wireless speaker system that we think is a very interesting option. Using Bluetooth these speakers will be able to play music from any device that is broadcasting over Bluetooth near by. Most wireless speaker systems we have seen have been rather large while the Parrot Party is only nine inches long. So you can bring this just about anywhere and use it to add some more omf to your party.

Admittedly no one is going to call the cops on you while you are rocking these speakers since they only have two 3 Watt speakers, but still its a great option to have. With more and more devices sporting Bluetooth these days this would make the perfect companion for your party on the go.

at Amazon

Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones

One thing that has always frustrated us with all the devices we have here is the amount of cables that accumulate after awhile. Sure plenty of them are necessary like power and all, but so many of them are just the product of slow advances in technology. OK, so we might be overstating the problem slightly, but so much of the world these days is either wireless or going wireless we just wish we could do away with them all.

One place were there has been great advances in wireless technology has been with headphones. We have reviewed a bunch of other wireless headphones( here, here, here, and here ) and they have all been good, but they have all been huge with a large base stations and meant for the home stereo.

Logitech is aiming the FreePulse squarely at iPods and MP3 players to make a stylish and small headphone you can use anywhere. We personally don't like the earbuds that ship with the iPod and we hate the wire that hangs down from your head when you are listening to music. So the thought of plugging in a Bluetooth transmitter to the iPod and have wireless headphones on is genius in our book. And for under 80 bucks at Amazon its hard to beat!

Review: Hands on with the Rocketfish Wireless Rear Speaker Kit

One of the things we always have a problem with is how to get rear speakers in our main living area without having to run cables under rugs or all over the walls to make it behind the couch. Well Rocketfish has come out with a great product with their Wireless Rear Speaker Kit.

The concept is simple enough, have one unit hook into your rear speaker slots and beam the audio to a receiving box that his hooked up to the actual rear speakers. While the concept is simple it is the execution that gives so many companies problems. You not only have to have a strong signal that can be received at a a good distance, but you have to maintain the audio fidelity as much as possible. We have heard other wireless systems that got the job done, but the sound produced by your speakers sounded tinny or hollow.

With this system we got very nice sound out of our rear speakers as we blasted a few of our favorite movies out over our stereo. We were greeted with nice subtle sounds coming from either side of us. We never heard any drop outs and the sound was as true as if we had the speakers plugged directly into the receiver.

Continue reading: "Review: Hands on with the Rocketfish Wireless Rear Speaker Kit"

Audio Technica AT-SP550TV Infrared Speakers

Well if you didn't think companies could attempt to deliver products to fill every possible convenience you can think of check out the AT-SP550TV! You hook up the transmitter to your TV and you put the receiver wherever you like to sit. The transmitter beams the sound to the infrared receiver and outputs the sound only where you are.

This is great for anyone who has ever had the problem of trying to watch the big game while someone else in the house needs some quiet time. No need to turn the volume up super loud so you can hear it across the room. Just hook up this crazy device and you can enjoy whatever is on TV without disturbing anyone else.

Currenly these are only slated for release in Japan, but we will keep you posted if they land State side.

via engadget

Onkyo MHP-AV1 Digital Wireless Headphone Review

Over at Audiocubes we came across a very nice set of wireless headphones from Onkyo.
These headphones operate in the 2.4GHz range and offer 5.1 Dolby Digital sound! That will allow you to listen to the most demanding of digital media without any real loss in quality.

You hook up the base unit to your stereo via a digital connection or over standard RCA cables. The headphones are completely adjustable allowing you to fit them to your head and block out just about all external noise. These aren't noise canceling headphones, just form fitting so that the nice big cushy ear pads do most of the sound blocking for you.

The headset's rechargeable batteries should last around 9 hours before they need to be charged again. The base unit has a power cord so no batteries are needed there. From looking at the specs on both the transmitter and receiver we were very impressed.

Transmitter

Transmission band: 2.4GHz band (2400MHz~2483.5MHz)
Corresponding audio format: Dolby digital, DTS and AAC, 44.1/48kHz linear PCM, analog 2ch
Input terminal: Optical digital 1, Coaxial digital 1, RCA pin 1, 3.5mm stereo mini- 2 (front 1/rear 1)
Output terminal: Optical digital 1

Receiver

Driver unit aperture: 40mm
Playback frequency zone: 20Hz - 20kHz
Power source: Private nickel hydrogen electric battery x2
Electric battery duration: 9 hours
Charge time: 6 hours

We are seeing more and more high quality wireless headphones hitting the market as of late. Just a few years ago the thought that there would be a lot of affordable wireless headphones that actually sounded great seemed like a pipe dream. Not anymore. We are very excited for the future as more companies start offering wireless headphones as the digital music landscape continues to evolve.

You can pick these bad boys up over at AudioCubes.com.