Awesome Audio

Sennheiser chose to promote its new Urbanite headphones using the tried and tested Old Spice route. Watch as a German dressed as a pair of headphones pampers a huge and hairy ear. Join the Urbanite giveaway here.

The Woburn is the middle child in Marshall’s line of speakers. It has two 5.25″ woofers and two 1″ tweeters, as well as two 20W and one 50W amplifiers. Like the Stanmore, the Woburn has Bluetooth, 3.5mm, RCA and optical inputs.

Mic maker Blue breaks into the headphone market with the Mo-Fi. They not only have 50mm drivers, memory foam cups and a highly adjustable headband, they also have a built-in analog amplifier. That’s crazy value.

A compact Bluetooth speaker that promises to be the best at its price range. It has four neodymium drivers, two passive radiators and an 8-hour battery in its waterproof and dustproof case. Skip to 3:45 of this video for a brief demo.

An Android 4.1 music player for audiophiles. The NWZ-ZX1 has a built-in headphone amplifier and can play lossless formats such as FLAC and ALAC (not DSD though). It has dedicated playback buttons and a 128GB flash memory.

Teenage Engineering’s take on the Carlsson Cube is now available for pre-order. The OD-11 keeps the original’s bass reflex design and adds mobile remote control, streaming from your device or from cloud music services and more.

A cloud-shaped lamp and Bluetooth speaker. The color of its lights can be changed or made to visualize the music being played. Cloud also has a motion-activated lightning and thunder effect. A lamp-only version is also available.

Like BioLite’s charging stoves, Pelty uses heat from a fire to power its electronics. A lit candle can power Pelty for up to five hours. The speaker is made from glass and ceramic and connects to devices via Bluetooth.

Soundhawk is a Bluetooth headset that reduces background noise. It comes with a mobile app that lets you pick from different settings (driving, indoors, etc.) and a wireless mic to extend its range. Product video here.

Earin claims it has developed the world’s smallest earbuds. The earbuds connect to media players via Bluetooth and last up to three hours per charge. They come with three different foam tips and a carrying case that doubles as a charger.

Streamz headphones have a built-in music player and storage for audio files. It can stream from cloud services like Spotify, Rdio, Pandora and Google Drive. It also has a 3.5mm input. We’re not sure about its battery life though.

Rocki lets you stream music from a mobile device or desktop computer to speakers. If your speaker has a 3.5mm or RCA input, then you can stream to it with Rocki. There’s also a model with HDMI and optical audio ports. More here.

A compact 3.5W Bluetooth audio player, FM radio and alarm clock. Sound Rise can wake you up with a chime or with music from the radio or your mobile device. It also has a USB charging port and 3.5mm input. Also available in black.

Made for home theater and video gaming, the Sony MDR-HW700DS headphones system can stream over the 5GHz band for less interference and better sound quality. It can also emulate an immersive 9.1 surround sound system.

The MHA100 amplifier works with practically any headphone model, and its crossfeed can deliver a speaker-like soundstage. It can also power speakers, which makes its $4,500 price tag a tad easier to swallow. More here.

Handcrafted using reclaimed timber and modern analog audio hardware. These 75W Bluetooth speakers are available in raw finish or worn out with aged parts and retro colors. They also have a 3.5mm aux in and a USB charging port.

The Pump Bluetooth headphones are coated with Teflon and have Kevlar shielding, making them waterproof and dust-resistant. Their battery lasts up to 8 hours and it comes with several ear bud tips to ensure you get a good fit.

A wireless music player that isn’t box-shaped. The Crescendo has a 24-bit 48kHz DSP, a 50W woofer and two 25W Folded Motion tweeters. It works with Bluetooth, AirPlay, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux and optical input. More here.

Wall-hanging artwork which doubles as a speaker. Soundwall streams music via AirPlay or UPnP and also has RCA inputs. Choose from Soundwall’s stock artwork, upload your own photo or order a blank canvas for you to paint on.

Cone suggests songs based on your listening habits. The portable player has simple controls and taps into your streaming music subscriptions and other online sources. It’s also an AirPlay speaker. Drops this summer for $399.

Part of Grain Audio’s Kickstarter-funded launch lineup, these wooden bookshelf speakers are based on hand-built models used in professional venues. They have 5.25″ woofers and are meant to be used with 25W to 75W amplifiers.

What audiophiles want for Xmas. The AK240 media player has two DAC chips, 256GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a 3.21″ AMOLED touchscreen, a case made of aluminum alloy and carbon fiber and a slick Android-based OS.

An improved version of the ATH-M50, one of the best pro-level yet affordable headphones. The ATH-M50x retains the sound of its predecessor but adds more comfortable ear cups and three detachable cables. Sound tests here.