THE BEST Sound

Next time you’re throwing a party, kick out the biggest and best audio with JBL’s oversize Bluetooth sound system. It cranks out a massive wall of sound via its two 6.5″ woofers and three 2.25″ tweeters, and can run for up to 18 hours on battery. It’s also got mic and guitar inputs, and you can pair two together for true wireless stereo.

Procnias albus – aka the white bellbird – has a call that sounds more like a fire alarm than something that should come out if its beak. The dove-sized bird can belt out a noise that registers up to 124.5 decibels. That’s nine decibels louder than the previous record holder, the screaming piha, and roughly as loud as a pile driver.

Ever wonder what the quietest and loudest sounds in the universe might be? With the help of their imaginary robot Noisy, and Microsoft’s anechoic chamber, Bright Side digs into this question, and some of the science behind the way sounds travel and how our hearing works.

In a just barely Halloween-themed episode, musical expert 12tone walks us through the complexities of distortion, and what it is about such sounds that make them more creepy and off-putting than others – sort of like the way he draws from right to left across the page.

Anker teamed up with Amazon to create a 2.1 channel soundbar that has Fire TV and Alexa technology built in. It supports full 4K UHD content with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, while it cranks out 100 watts of sound and has built-in dual subwoofers for cinematic sound. Drops 11/21/19.

THX has taken wraps off an all-new version of its iconic “Deep Note” trailer, created by the team at American Meme. It’s packed with vibrant CG animations, and a wonderful array of dynamic, spatial sounds to put any audio system through its paces. Sounds especially great on headphones. Go behind the scenes with its creators here.

Kick out the jams at your next party with Sony’s jumbo-size party speaker. It has a colorful 360º party light, Bluetooth support, a CD player, gesture-based DJ controls, karaoke mode, microphone and guitar inputs, and more. You can even chain multiple devices together for bigger spaces, and it has wheels for transport.

The THX sound, the Mac and Windows startup tones, the Nokia ringtone, and the Intel Inside music are all immediately recognizable. Two sound experts explain the psychology and conceptual approach behind such memorable auditory cues, and why they’re so important to brands.

These days, you can’t go more than a few hours without encountering some gadget with a human-sounding voice. The Science Elf provides a concise look at the history of machine-made speech, from early mechanical devices through modern voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.

Artblox can take the waveform from a musical passage, words, or any other short sound, and etch it onto a block of clear acrylic. They can be personalized with your choice of color scheme, and an optional QR code which lets you play back the recorded sound via a mobile device.

Musician Steve “SamuraiGuitarist” Onotera presents a hyperbolic short film about an itch he’s been wanting to scratch – stringing together all 37 of his stomp boxes, to hear what it sounds like when he routes his guitar through them all. That Miku stomp box is hilarious.

During most of his concerts, musician Rob Scallon performs Rain, a tune that relies heavily on a delay effect pedal. But he recently decided to see if he could replicate the sound through a combination of room acoustics and enlisting the help of two other guitar players.

Do you fart $100 bills and dig slow jams? Grab the BeoLab 50 Speakers ASAP, then. The deluxe speaker delivers 2100w via seven drivers and seven 300w amps, and Active Room Compensation measures room acoustics and creates custom filters for it. (Thanks Todd!)

Like all Bose SoundLink speakers, the Micro is exceptionally loud and clear for its size. It also has a flexible strap and a durable silicone rubber case. It’s water-resistant up to 3.3ft and lasts up to 6h per charge. The biggest downside? No 3.5mm input.

Dr. T ASMR sends a pleasant tingle down our spines as he opens up a LEGO Star Wars kit and makes as many crinkly, crunchy, tappy, and whispery noises as possible. As with all ASMR videos, it’s best enjoyed with headphones on.

Film Radar explores how effective sound design, sound editing, foley work, and sound effects serve to elevate scenes to a level of intensity and immersion that even the best visuals alone could never achieve on their own.

You’ll want to put your headphones on and go full-screen to get the most out of Stereokroma’s hypnotic video, featuring super crisp macro photography of frozen fruits and veggies being thawed, accompanied by appropriate, if not exactly realistic ASMR sound effects.

Pyle just took wraps off what could the baddest Bluetooth speaker ever. This beast blasts out an impressive 1,000 watts of power to turn any space into an instant dance party. Supports NFC pairing, and has an FM tuner and 3.5mm input. Plays for up to 5.5h on battery power.

You’ll want to put your headphones on for this one. Car fanatic 19Bozzy92 decided to record his latest video with a 3D binaural microphone. The resulting audio is the next best thing to standing trackside as these amazing Ferrari F1 cars zip around the circuit at Mugello.

Place the Sounddeck under your big screen, and connect a single cable for instant theater quality sound. Six full-range drivers, two subs, and a 280w Class-D amp push out impressive volume and expansive acoustic imaging. Also supports wireless music streaming.

German-engineered audiophile grade bookshelf speakers that deliver big, warm sound, a wide soundstage, and wireless streaming, supporting iOS, Android, and PC music libraries, Internet radio, Spotify, Soundcloud, Last.fm, Rhapsody, and TIDAL. Multi-room capable too.

Stereokroma’s macro video of incense slowly burning uses a combination of sounds to create the ASMR effect, which produces a “distinct, pleasurable tingling sensation in the head, scalp, back, or peripheral regions of the body.” Best enjoyed with headphones.

(Gore) Editor Jacob T. Swinney compiled this short series of scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s films in which sound effects sit front and center, demonstrating how effective and important the use of good audio is to complement visuals.

We’re used to optical illusions, but sounds can play tricks on us too. The Pulse on WHYY demonstrates how we make sense of gibberish by providing our brains with context. Part of the Your Brain exhibit at Philly’s Franklin Institute.