Awesome Audio

YouTuber Squirrel Monkey continues to build an archive of historical videos for modern applications had they existed back in the 1980s and 1990s. This time, music and podcast streaming service SoundCloud gets the CD-ROM and floppy disk installation kit.

(Headphones Recommended) ASMR is a phenomenon where whispers and hush tones produce a weird and wonderful sensation like fingernails gently running down your spine. Fun with Guru put together this supercut of movie and TV audio where the effect can be sensed.

Lotsen is the newest, smallest and most affordable member of Urbanears’ connected speakers. It has an output of 20W, a 4″ woofer and a 1″ tweeter. Like its bigger siblings, it supports all popular wireless streaming solutions and also has a 3.5mm input.

Mat from UK channel Techmoan loves to dig up obscure old technology and examine it in depth. Here, he checks out an old 1970s tech from 3M and Ricoh which allowed audio to be recorded and played back from sheets of paper which were backed with a magnetic coating.

A portable music player for true audio fanatics. It has support for DSD 128/256 formats and PCM up to 64-bit and 384kHz for the ultimate digital fidelity. Offers wireless Tidal streaming, Bluetooth, DLNA and AirPlay, and works with even the largest microSD cards for storage.

An premium sound system for audiophiles. IFI’s bamboo-cased receiver has a 2-channel amplifier, using six high-end vacuum tubes, can drive speakers or headphones, and works with analog, phonograph, digital, and Bluetooth audio sources.

iXOOST specializes in speakers inspired by car exhausts, but the Radial6 was designed to look like an airplane engine. It has two 28mm tweeters, four 57mm mid cones, a 165mm extended range cone and a 200mm subwoofer. It has a Lightning dock and 3.5mm input.

Logitech’s G560 is a 2.1 sound system with Lightsync technology. Its two satellite speakers have RGB LEDs that can provide ambient lighting based on what’s on screen when the G560 is connected to your PC via USB. It also has 3.5mm and Bluetooth inputs.

Audeze’s Mobius planar magnetic headphones have built-in sensors that track your head’s movement and emulate sound coming from and bouncing off your walls. These result in an immersive and room-filling effect. It works via USB, 3.5mm or Bluetooth.

The world’s loudest portable Bluetooth speakers are now 40% louder. The Soundboks 2 is powered by three 72W amplifiers, and pushes out up to 122dB of volume. It also has a new all-black durable case. Its battery is still removable and lasts up to 40h per charge.

Sony’s Xperia Ear Duo are wireless earphones that keep your ear canal open, so you can still hear the outside world even while the earphones are on. They have touch controls and microphones for playback and your mobile device’s personal assistant.

Massdrop and audio specialist NuForce collaborated on a pair of in-ear monitors that focus on affordability and comfort. The EDC3 has three balanced armatures per ear with a slight focus on the mids. It comes with two cables and five sets of ear tips.

Techmoan takes a look at another fascinating bit of retro technology, an alternative approach to portable audio tapes that was being developed by Sanyo at the same time that Philips was working on the cassette tape. We love the heft of that old player.

Beyond the Press got their hands on a nifty bit of gear – Noiseless Acoustics NL camera, a device capable of creating a visual record of sounds based on their location, volume, and frequency. It uses a video camera and dozens of directional microphones to work its magic.

Smaller than a stick of gum and weighing less than 0.4oz, Zorloo’s ZuperDAC-S might be the most portable digital-to-analog converter (DAC) ever made. It’s based on the ESS Sabre 9018 and comes with three cables for all sorts of mobile devices and computers.

The Nebula Mars’ little brother. Anker’s Nebula Capsule is a pico projector and speaker that’s the size and shape of a soda can. It can project an 854×480 display at up to 100″. It has a microUSB port and an HDMI port, and can also mirror the screen of mobile devices.

Sennheiser claims that its new flagship closed back headphones come close to achieving the naturally wide soundstage of open back headphones. Concave Gorilla Glass ear cup covers and sound chambers minimize resonance to create a transparent sound.

Razer’s funky looking new THX-certified gaming speaker system is designed to push out big sound thanks to its Kevlar fiber midrange and silk woven tweeters, and powerful companion subwoofer. They support Dolby virtual surround, and have Razer Chroma lighting built in.

New for 2018, the SK10Y soundbar is a 550-watt, 5.1.2 sound system with Chromecast built-in, so you can use your voice to search and play songs. It supports Dolby Atmos and Meridian Height Elevation tech to make it seem like dialogue is coming from the screen.

The Sound Ray or S-Ray concepts are Samsung’s small and affordable takes on directional speakers, which send sound in a narrow path so that only its target can hear it, even from a distance. There’s a neckband, a handheld and a smartphone cover.

Amp up your living room audio with this affordable system that sits underneath TVs weighing up to 55 lb, and provides room-filling sound that blows away built-in TV speakers. It also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker for music. Full review on Technabob.

Renowned amp maker Ashdown Engineering now has a Bluetooth version of its one-of-a-kind active noise cancelling headphones. Like the original, the OV-1B has VU meters that react to the audio being played. It also adds phone and playback buttons on the left earcup.

The Samsung NW700 Soundbar Sound+ is an upcoming wall-mountable soundbar. Its slim, narrow and monochrome style makes it a perfect match for today’s slim HDTVs. It also has a built-in woofer and has active distortion-cancelling.