headphone

Premium-headphone honchos jostle for your ears

A long, long time ago, way back in 2008, Monster's Beats by Dre line of headphones exposed young music listeners to better-quality sound. Ushering in a new premium, pro-sumer segment of the market, Beats combined a focus on audio quality with a fashion and design sensibility that numerous headphone companies are trying to capture today.

Sales of headphones priced over $100 have become the engine of growth in the audio market as a result, growing 65 percent (units) in the first half of 2012 and accounting for 43 percent of all headphone revenue, according to The NPD Group's Retail Tracking Service. Monster accounts for approximately half of the sales in this segment.

Of course, a large part of Beats' success is built on the name and image of Dr. Dre, and as such, has inspired numerous other musician-endorsed headphones. Offerings from Soul by Ludacris, Sync by 50 Cent, and House of Marley have proved to be notable entries into the market. The strategy clearly works. … Read more

Sony X Headphones have Simon Cowell's backing

If you've watched any "American Idol" the last couple of years, you've probably noticed a heavy dose of record impresario Jimmy Iovine's Beats headphones on the show -- from the hat that he always wears to the omnipresence of the product itself. It's awful in many ways, but that's what corporate sponsorship is all about. And it seems to be working as plenty of teenagers keep asking their parents for overpriced $300 headphones for their birthdays.

Well, Simon Cowell and Sony want in on the celebrity headphone action and have released the $299 … Read more

The Burson Soloist will make your headphones sound better than ever

The Burson Soloist looks and feels like a scaled down high-end stereo power amplifier, but the Soloist is a headphone amp. The chassis is constructed from thick slabs of machined aluminum that dissipate the heat from the amp's Class-A electronics. The amp would appeal to Ferrari and Leica camera owners who appreciate no-holds-barred industrial design. The Soloist is the real deal.… Read more

An awesome-sounding headphone amplifier Kickstarter project

It was just a few weeks ago when my buddy Tyll Hertsens was raving about Colin Shaw's Sicphones amplifier Kickstarter project. Hertsens never steers me wrong, so I contacted Shaw, and a few days later I received the amp. Hertsens was right. This design uses a newly available SemiSouth silicon carbide transistor, and the amp sounds amazing. If Shaw makes his Kickstarter goal he'll be able to sell amp kits for as little as $229, and assembled amps for $279! DIY-ers can spring for just $35 and get the Sicphones amplifier PC board, assembly instructions, and parts source … Read more

Logitech UE rolls out new wave of headphones and wireless speakers

Logitech purchased the Ultimate Ears headphone line way back in 2008. Since then, slowly but surely, the UE logo has been creeping in as the upscale Logitech audio brand -- witness the UE AirPlay speaker from earlier this year.

As of today, the Logitech UE branding officially goes large with the introduction of seven new audio products. Among the new models are two mobile Bluetooth speakers, three new headphones with memory foam cushions, a noise-isolating in-earphone with four-armature speakers in each earpiece, and the next evolution of the Squeezebox Radio powered by Logitech UE's new mobile companion app.… Read more

Headphones under $50

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If you're looking to improve the quality of your music, headphones are the most important link in the chain. Today's phones, tablets, and computers are capable of spectacular audio quality that was unthinkable just 10 years ago, but you're not going to hear it with the headphones that came in the box.

Fortunately, you don't have to spend a lot of money to hear a dramatic improvement in headphone audio quality. In this Top 5, we have the best headphones for under $50, as selected by CNET … Read more

Ten hidden controls of the iPhone headphones

It's never too late to discover that those boring, all-white headphones Apple threw in with your iPhone can do a lot more than adjust the volume.

In fact, any headphones that include a remote (or have a remote adapter attached) can be used to control your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch in up to 10 ways.

Thanks to this post by Business Insider, here are all the ways you can use your headphones as a remote controller, allowing you to perform useful functions without taking your iDevice out of your pocket.

If you're listening to music, toggle pause … Read more

The 404 1,107: Where we're all friends with Gems (podcast)

- What artists and songs were found on John Lennon's long lost jukebox?

- Ultimate Ears' custom tuned in-ear monitors.

- Condav99's custom Nintendo Boomcase! More on Boomcases here.

- Can a tiny $39 amp make your headphones sound a lot better?

- The Audiophiliac picks 11 of the world's best headphones.

- The Philips Shoqbox is our favorite camp-friendly, rugged Bluetooth speaker.

- Self-portraits done to a different drug every day.

Follow Steve Sphere Guttenberg on Twitter.

Bathroom break video: Steve Coogan impersonates Steve Hawking.… Read more

The 404 1,103: Where our crime is that of Curiosity (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Sol Republic introduces headphones for cats.

- Digipacking: what to put on your emergency flash drive.

- Literally the worst word on the planet.

- How to use psychological tactics to avoid strangers on the bus.

- eBay testing same-day delivery service for iOS called eBay now.

- One percenter turns home theater into Nolan's Batcave.… Read more

The best in-ear headphone in the world: The FitEar ToGo 334

All of the best sounding in-ear headphones I've tested over the years have been custom-molded to my ears models. Prices vary, but the $399 UE-4 was the least expensive, and most of the top-of-the-line models are more than $1,000. Those prices don't include the fee the audiologist charges to make molds of your ear canals, and the fees add $100 to the price of the headphones. Customs ensure a perfect fit, and the best isolation from external noise. Plus they can't fall out of your ears,

The FitEar ToGo 334 in-ear headphone is made in Japan … Read more