Marshal Minor Headphones Now In Stock!

It’s been a long time coming (hey, mere weeks in the tech realm seems like forever), but the Marshal Minor headphones are finally out. These miniature buds of audio bliss feature 20Hz-20KHz frequency response, an impedance of 32 ? ± 15% AT 1kHz, SN ratio of 115 ± 3dB AT 1kHz 1mW, and a maximum input power of 5mW. I didn’t get to actually hear these at CES last week, but we’re on the list for review units. So check back in a couple of weeks as to our thoughts and impressions on Marshal’s “baby” headphone. In the meantime, you can find the Marshal Minor’s for $59.99 at MarshalHeadphones.com.

House of Marley Debuts Eco-Consious “Marley” Audio Headphones and Docks. #ces2011

House of Marley unveiled a slew of audio-related products at Tuesday nights CES: Unveiled. Spanning everything from full-size headphones to earbuds to iPhone docks. Besides the obvious ties to infamous musician Bob Marley, the MARLEY line of audio products are all designed and manufactured using as much recycled and eco-friendly material as possible. The three lines — Jammin’, Freedom, and Destiny — follow a “Good, Better Best” marketing scheme and escalate in price accordingly ($99-$499).

Backing up the earth-happy features is handled by a claimed “pure” and “true” sound. I played around with the full line up tonight at CES and must say, they do sound quite nice. Though a more thorough review will have to wait until closer to the estimated ship date of Q2 2011. With that said, hop inside for the press release and a boat load of images to chew on…

Marshall outs another set of high end cans — The in-ear “Minor”

If you’ve stopped by here in the past, you may have gotten the drift that I’m an audio junkie. I love headphones. A few weeks ago, we saw some new headphones from popular audio equipment manufacturer, Marshall. Those babies are set for release on November 15th. (And you can put money down that we’ll have a review for you shortly after!) This morning I received another email telling me that November 15th is going to be a very good day — Marshall has twins!

Review: V-Moda Remote Remix In-Ear Headphones.

The world of headphones is a crowded one. Over the last few years, we’ve seen plenty of companies spring up to produce these little cans of music. At the same time, several companies have expanded into the world of personal audio, adding to their current lineup of products. One such company who has in fact been in the audio realm for several years is V-Moda. The last few years have seen some truly stylish headphones design-wise. But as you all know, headphones that are pretty but sound like crap are pretty much useless as well as a letdown. Form over function at work.

In the V-Moda Remix Remote’s case, which power overcomes and ultimately walks away with the crown? Continue on…

Ultimate Ears defies all odds, pumps out 12 driver (6 + 6) UE 18 Pro’s.

First there was the phenomenon of headphones shrunk into earbuds. Then came dual drivers and noise canceling. 3 drivers left me drooling while 4 drivers started to sound crazy. Well, throw your previous notion of  “crazy” out of the window because Ultimate Ears is kicking up the driver-per-ear race (didn’t know that there was a race) another notch with their Ultimate Ears 18 Pro.

So what’s so great about the $1,350 UE 18 Pro? If you strive for clarity, separation, sound stage, etc. etc., these wallet rapers are your only choice. Featuring a mind boggling 6 — yes, I said 6 — individually tuned drivers and 4 crossovers in each ear. Other bragging points include electrical tuning, triple-sound channels, a new low-distortion cable, in-line filter for each sound channel, and a personalized aluminum carrying case.

99.7% of the population wouldn’t notice much difference between say the triple driver Shure SE530′s and these. Not to mention, the few of us who have $1k+ to spend on a whim don’t usually do so on headphones. If I had the cash however, I would. Maybe I’m just alone.I’m certainly intrigued and would kill to try these out in person with my iriver ihp-120.

Ultimate Ears, if you are listening listening, I’d like to see you at CES next year. Bring your
best.

Yours truly
Mike of Gadgetsteria.

Look for the UE 18 Pro’s to drop in February with the divorce lawyer knocking on your door soon after — you know, ’cause the wife finds out what you spent nearly $1400 (read: anniversary money) on.

**Update: While I generally follow the whole audio/headphone thing pretty closely, I don’t always catch everything. Thanks to Nicole below, I now know UE is not the first to do the 6 driver per ear setup as JH Audio beat UE to the punch. Thanks Nicole.

iLounge

Ambient noise a thing of the past thanks to Yurbuds [Review]

Ever wish you could get some of the background noise blocking characteristics of expensive in-ear headphones without shelling out the top of the line price? One word: “Yurbuds”.

At first, I thought they were a tad gimmicky — slipping what are basically rubber/synthetic sleeves over your current ear buds and all of a sudden gaining sonic qualities often lost to the nuances of everyday life that invade your music listening experience. But I was surprised, quite surprised in fact.

My Yurbuds came pre-fitted to a pair of stock iPod earbuds. As many of you out there know, the buds aren’t special in any way. Honestly, I’d go as far as to say the iPod style ear buds are nothing but crap. Sonically the are. But I’m not nit picking over the choice of freebie headphones because they were (1) free and (2) show off what the yurbuds can do quite well.

Perhaps the usage of stock iPod ear buds was a great idea. A fair amount of the general population has used the now iconic white earbuds at least once or twice in their lifetime so they have at least a small taste of what those white buds are (or more accurately…*not*) capable of. They are what you’d expect — lifeless. The highs are severely rolled off unless EQ’d in which they become way too harsh. The mids are overpowering and muddy. The bass (if you can find it) is either invisible or a mosh pit of nonsense. So how do the yurbuds help?

Now don’t misunderstand the purpose of Yurbuds. They’re not meant to add sound quality or make up for your set of buds’ poor audio reproduction. They’re designed solely to block out ambient noise which in return has the added benefits of making more apparent the pros and cons of your particular buds.

In the case of the stock iPod earbuds they shipped with, they make bass a night and day difference on heavier (read: hip-hop and similar) songs. It isn’t necessarily clean or articulate bass, but for bassheads, anything is welcome. The mids become even more apparent and forward while the highs somehow manage to slip further into the background. A little EQ’ing helps eliminate some of these stark differences so that most will be pleased.

The biggest addition however is the now quieter yet louder environment your encapsulated in. Gone are the simple sounds of the air-conditioning, the TV blaring in the background, the annoyingly loud guy at the coffee shop next to you, etc. etc. Instead of hearing all of the background sound that invades your personal listening space, you hear nothing but music — the music you set out to hear in the first place. Besides “added” sound quality by way of background noise reduction, you can set your player at a lower volume level, reducing battery drain and giving your ears a much needed break in the process. A trifecta of sorts if you will.

If you find yourself blessed/cursed with an audiophile ear, the Yurbuds won’t add quality to any earbud that lacks it from the factory. But most of the global population aren’t audiophiles and the like, *raises hand* meaning that for most consumers using the stock iPod/mp3 player earbuds, the Yurbuds actually do quite well.

Overall, for their intended purpose the Yurbuds work wonderfully well as I’ve come away again, quite surprised that some blue rubbery skin can make even stock iPod earbuds sound as they did to my ears. After all is said and done, we come to the million dollar question: Are the Yurbuds in their most basic form — the rubber sleeve that fits over your earbuds — worth the $19.99 asking price? If you’re the type that can’t fathom spending $30+ for headphones of any type and don’t buy into the whole “audiophile” thing, then yes, Yurbuds are very well worth it as you’ll more easily enjoy the added sonic benefits. Audiophiles and the like not so much. There’s other options for you out there. But then again, you kind of people already know that. Lol.

If you’re interested in a pair of Yurbuds for yourself, simply take a photo of your ear so the Yurbud team knows what size to send you and email your photo to “[email protected]”.

• Visit Yurbuds

Apple’s In-ear headphones now available!

I would consider myself pretty close to an audiophile. I use AAC 256 for music on my iPhone because of space limitations and the battery life is already terrible enough. However, I have an old iRiver iHP-120 that to this day trumps ANY player available. With that, I use FLAC. I have also been through many headphones. From Shure e2′s to my current Super.fi 5 Pro’s. The latest being $249. Expensive by more casual listeners perspective, but on the audiophile side they are pretty reasonable for the quality they have. The super.fi’s have a dual armature design…just like Apples new headphones. Except, Apple’s new headphones are only $79. If they sound even remotely close to the superfi’s, then these new headphones from Apple are going to be a steal! Sadly I lack the funds for anymore headphones, so, I will have to wait for other reviews to come out. If these Are indeed exponentially better than the stock Apple buds, Apple has Given us quite a bargin.