audiosplitz: News

IFA 2016 - Sony's Portable Audio Lineup

September 25, 2016

IFA held in Berlin is always a great place to find breaking news on the latest in consumer electronics. This year didn't disappoint. In this article, let's focus on Sony, which launched a whole slew of portable audio products. Sony President and CEO, Kazuo Hirai was there to talk about the company's latest developments.

What's So Special?
Sony introduced a 6 new products in its portable audio range (I must emphasize 'portable') - 2 players, 1 headphone and 3 wireless in-ears. All support Sony's LDAC codec, which promise a high quality sound over Bluetooth. Let's check out the unique features of each.

Players -
1. NW-WM1Z / NW-WM1A Walkman

Sony introduces a new Signature Series flagship line of products for audio purists of which the WM1Z, with a gold-plated copper chassis and black WM1A are a part of. Sized at 73 x 124 x 20mm, both are capable of High-Resolution Audio.

They support Sony's LDAC codec for wireless high quality sound over Bluetooth (no news on aptX though) and come with a microSD slot to add more music if needed. There's Sony's DSEE HX audio upscaling technology to digitally enhance the sound quality. Wanna know the price? Read on. Your eyes may just pop.

WM1Z (gold) specs - 455g / 256GB / 33h MP3 playback
WM1A (black) specs - 267g / 128GB / 33h MP3 playback

You can now purchase the NW-WM1Z on Amazon for USD 3,199.

2. NW-A30 Walkman

For something more affordable, the NW-A30 series slots in nicely with the Sony's h.ear lineup with 5 sprightly colors.

NW-A35 specs - 98g / 16GB / 45h MP3 playback
NW-A36HN specs - 98g / 32GB / 45h MP3 playback / includes noise-canceling (NC) in-ears

Headphones -
3. MDR-1000X (Wireless over-ears)

The noise canceling headphone category is really spicing up with the Bose QC35, Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ and Sennheiser PXC 550 having been released recently. Sony's offering is the MDR-1000X, weighs 275g and looks pretty darn good.

The MDR-1000X is an over-ears headphones and a High Resolution Audio device that supports the LDAC codec (yes, it's compatible with the WM1 series). Its most interesting feature is its 'Quick Attention' mode where you place a palm over the earcup to allow a conversation to take place. It sports touch controls and you can activate ambient sound mode to stay aware of your surroundings while listening. Available in Beige / Black.

Specs - 275g / 20h (NC on) and 22h (NC off) playback

You can now purchase the MDR-1000X Beige or Black from Amazon at USD 399.

Wireless In-Ears -
4. MDR-XB80BS (Sports Clip-ons)

These are of the clip-on variety, similar to the Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless. They are washable, have an extra-bass mode, come in three colors and when connected by Bluetooth, can stream music with Sony's LDAC codec.

Specs - 27g / 7 hours playback / IPX5 rated / 12mm dynamic drivers

You can now purchase the MDR-XB80BS Black / Red / Blue from Amazon at USD 149.

5. MDR-XB50BS (Sports Wireless)

These are straightforward Bluetooth in-ears with arc supporters to insert in the ear to minimize dislodgement. They also have an extra-bass mode and come in Red / Blue / Black.
Specs - 22g / 8.5 hours playback / IPX4 rated / 12mm dynamic drivers

You can now purchase the MDR-XB50BS Black / Red / Blue from Amazon at USD 79.

6. MDR-XB70BT (Neckband)

The XB70BT are neckband earphones, a category popularized by LG TONE, that come in 3 colors.
Specs - 43g / 9 hours playback / 12mm dynamic drivers

You can now purchase the MDR-XB70BT Black from Amazon at USD 99.

Availability
They will all be slated to be available in Singapore in October to November 2016. If you want to get any of the products earlier, do click on the links above to purchase from Amazon.

Pricing
We are checking on Singapore pricing. If it is the same as last year, this will be released closer to the launch date. For the moment, here are the expected prices worldwide.

The pricing is as follows:
(Use landscape mode on mobile to view)

Product	Retail Price
NW-WM1Z Walkman	USD 3199
NW-WM1A Walkman	EUR 1200
NW-A35 Walkman	AUD 349
NW-A36HN Walkman (with NC in-ears)	AUD 449
MDR-1000X headphones (NC)	USD 399
MDR-XB80BS sports in-ear	USD 149
MDR-XB50BS sports in-ear	USD 79
MDR-XB70BT in-ear	USD 99

Apple

Beats' and Apple's 2016 Audio Lineup

September 09, 2016

This was an incredibly exciting week for audio tech, with IFA 2016 held last weekend and Apple's Special Event just yesterday where the iPhone 7 was launched.

I was itching to send out a couple of articles out but I decided to refrain. I was in Krabi, Thailand (yet again) for the past week but with two babies in tow this time round. It was a wonderful experience where time could be spent as a family and a conscious decision was made to live as a digital hermit. I feel that sharpening the saw gives new perspectives to life and this trip definitely reinforced this view.

And now that I am back in SG, with a keyboard proper, let's dive in to check out what Beats and Apple have in store. I'll tear away the marketing talk and attempt to present a balanced view of these new products.

What's The Big Deal?
Well, the talk of the town centered on the iPhone 7's headphone jack (or lack thereof). We had talked about this sometime last year, but now that the removal of the 3.5mm jack is cast in stone, Bluetooth earphones are now a much more interesting proposition. Sure, Apple made a Lightning connector but the SGD 14 (USD 9) accessory seriously looks daft to use considering that you can't charge the phone simultaneously. So with that, there are 4 products to check out - 1 Apple and 3 Beats, all wireless and powered by Apple's W1 chip that promise more power on a single charge.

Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter

1. Apple AirPods
So we found out that the rumors were true. This is Apple's first attempt at truly wireless buds that Earin, Bragi and Samsung have all already released. They weigh an ultra light 4g and promise a 5 hour (listening) battery life on a single charge, better than most we've tried, and up to 24 hours in total when combined with its 38g charging case. Its design appears to mimic the mono Bluetooth headsets (remember those?) worn in the early 2000s. Could be a hit or miss. We'll look on in anticipation at how it fares.

Battery Life - 5 hours / 15 min Quick Charge for 3 hours
Colors - White
Price - SGD 238 / GBP 159 / USD 159
Availability - October 2016

2. BeatsX
This is the first Beats product with a new industrial design since the Apple merger and they are in-ear neck-phones, a category popularized by the LG TONE. They should sit comfortably around the neck, come with wingtips for better fit on the go and the buds magnetically latch to each other when not in use.

Battery Life - 8 hours / 5 min Quick Charge for 2 hours
Colors - White/ Black
Price - SGD 198 / GBP 129 / USD 149
Availability - Autumn 2016

Read - BeatsX Neckband Headphones Review

3. Beats Solo3 Wireless
It appears that you've seen these 215g on-ear headphones before. You sure have because it looks identical to its predecessor, the Solo2 Wireless that we reviewed. The big diff is the Solo2 had 12 hours of power whereas the new Solo3 Wireless boasts a more impressive 40 hours. All the colors are designed to match the new iPhone 7 range. Oh, and price is almost SGD 100 down (SGD 490 to SGD 398).

Battery Life - 40 hours / 5 min Quick Charge for 3 hours
Colors - Gloss Black /Gloss White /Silver /Rose Gold /Black
Price - SGD 398 / GBP 249 / USD 299
Availability - Out now

4. Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless
The design of these sports wireless in-ears is practically the same as the Powerbeats2 Wireless (also reviewed), apart from the color accents being applied to different areas for the Active Collection range (Blue/ Red/ Yellow). The battery has doubled from the 6h of its predecessor to 12h. Price-wise, it's more agreeable at SGD 268 instead of SGD 310.

Battery Life - 12 hours / 5 min Quick Charge for 1 hour
Colors - Black /White/ Flash Blue/ Siren Red/ Shock Yellow
Price - SGD 268 / GBP 169 / USD 199
Availability - Autumn 2016

Beats Powerbeats 3 Wireless - Shock Yellow

Bang & Olufsen

IFA 2016 - Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 Launch

September 02, 2016

Ampifiers

IFA 2016 - RHA's New Specialist Product Range

August 29, 2016

25 Aug - The second biggest tech show after CES, IFA 2016 will be held from 2 to 7 Sep in Berlin. To kickstart the slate of launches prior to the event proper, RHA throws its hat into the ring with 3 new "specialist" products - 2 earphones and 1 amplifier.

IFA 2016 - RHA Dacamp L1, CL1 Ceramic, CL750

What's So Special?
Five year old British-based RHA has traditionally been developing products in the earphone domain such as the T10i we reviewed previously. Now it has come up with its first portable amplifier.

1. Dacamp L1

RHA's first effort in this product type is a fully balanced DAC / headphone amplifier that leverages on an ES9018K2M DAC chip and a class AB amplifier for each stereo channel. In plain English, this translates to high quality digital audio file processing from mobile / desktop sources.

There are a vast array of inputs (USB / micro-USB / combined optical- and line-in) and outputs (four-pin balanced out / earphone-out / line-out). Dacamp L1 is compatible with Android / iOS / PC / Mac with dials for Bass / Treble / Gain. Oh, and its 4000mAh battery promises up to 10 hours of usage.

2. CL1 Ceramic
The 14g CL1 Ceramic rises to become RHA's new flagship earphones with moldable and wrappable earhooks. Two things set these buds apart.

i. Dual-drivers - We have seen similar implementations such as the Klipsch Reference XR8i Hybrid. These earphones offer traditional dynamic drivers and a ceramic plate transducer (now you know where the product name comes from). The plate boasts "unprecedented control over high frequency and harmonic tone reproduction". Combined, this should promise a more than decent audio output with the dynamic drivers that takes care of the bass and mid-range and the ceramic plate to handle the treble.

ii. Customizations galore - For a pair of in-ears, the options provided here really attempt to impress. You can choose from the 2 sets of braided cables provided (one traditional cable with a 3.5mm jack and one balanced cable with a 4-pin mini XLR linkable to Dacamp L1) to connect to the CL1 Ceramic earbuds via SSMCX. There are 11 earbuds to choose from ranging from silicon (2 sets of S / M / L), double-flange (S / L) and Comply Foam Tsx-200 Comfort Plus (S / M / L).

3. CL750
These buds appear to slot themselves in the upper mid-range tier of RHA earphones, between the T- and MA-series of products.

The CL750 uses dynamic drivers, termed CL Dynamic ultra-wideband transducer, for "authentic sound reproduction up to 45kHz". They leverage on RHA's trademarked Aerophonic design, employed in their MA-series and are certified as high-resolution audio capable by the Japan Audio Society. Similar to the CL1 Ceramic, they come with the same 11 earbud pairs to choose from.

Let's check out a teaser video courtesy of RHA:

Pricing and Availability
Worldwide, all 3 products are expected to be available from October 2016. We are now checking on Singapore availability.

Dacamp L1 - GBP 400 (SGD 714)
CL1 Ceramic - GBP 350 (approx SGD 625)
CL750 - GBP 100 (approx SGD 179)

Beats

Euro 2016, Copa America, NBA Finals and Beats

June 27, 2016

Let's take a break from the reviews and launch information for a bit.

Instead, let's check out some videos related to events from the past week (and no, we sure as hell won't be talking about Brexit).

Let's jump in.

3 major sporting events that are (or were) ongoing:

1. Euro 2016

As I'm writing, Les Bleus just sent Ireland back home (it's 2-1 btw) so nope, they couldn't avenge Henry's 2009 infamous goal. France had a bit of a scare by conceding a 2nd minute penalty but they bit back. Antoine Griezmann almost got a hat-trick but two ain't so bad either.

Speaking of Monsieur Antoine, Beats got some folks from the French, English, German and Spanish squads for a football party in a tunnel. Griezmann, Kane, Gotze and Fabregas do what they do best with The Prodigy's iconic Firestarter blasting, while they coolly walk to the arena with the Beats Studio Wireless.

(btw, I still think Breathe is way better and if you don't get what I'm talking about, take a listen to this)

2. Copa America Centenario

Argentina just whooped USA's ass 4 goals to nil to clinch a spot in the finals with last year's winners, Chile. Their talisman, Lionel Messi, hit an incredible hat-trick as a sub (yes, a sub!) against Panama and beat Batistuta's 54 goal record in style with a corker of a free kick that slotted right into the very top-right of Brad Guzan's goal.

It's quite hard to spot Messi with a pair of headphones and it's no different this time round. Can't say the same for Neymar (with a Brazil-colored accented Beats) and Ronaldo (with his own brand - the ROC Sport Black Platinum over-ear).

So what does bringing up Messi have to do with headphones? Absolutely nothing. We did say we were talking about sporting events didn't we?

3. 2016 NBA Finals

LeBron James nailed this big time. He cemented his place in NBA folklore by dragging Cleveland Cavaliers from a 1-3 game deficit to a stunning 4-3 turnaround. His entire hometown of Cleveland celebrates and we're pretty damn sure that Beats is absolutely delighted for him too, rightfully so.

This vid sums it all up. It's from 2014 but still very much relevant. To the tune of Hozier's epiphanic Take Me To Church, LeBron comes back home and does some serious work outs with the Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless. Doesn't this just make you want to get your ass off to do some weights?

Bluetooth

Motorola VerveOnes+ - True Wireless and Waterproof

June 23, 2016

Just a week back (16 June), Motorola launched a slew of 5 earbuds to light up the portable audio space. Headlining the troupe are the VerveOnes+, a pair of true wireless earbuds that are "completely waterproof".

What's the Big Deal?
These Motorola-branded earbuds are actually developed by Binatone that acquired the exclusive license rights in 2015 to manufacture certain Motorola accessories.

That said, we see the introduction of the VerveLife family of products namely 5 Bluetooth earphones - 2 truly wireless, 1 sports wireless and 2 neckband buds. In case you are wondering what the '+' is for, it's to mark the sports-centric models where they come with an IP57 rating where there is waterproof protection from sweat and rain.

1. VerveOnes+ True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
USD 249.99 - On Amazon
Headling the products are the VerveOnes+. We have seen some awesome truly wireless earbuds and this potentially ranks right up there, especially with the IP57 waterproofing. You swivel the edge of the black/orange case to unveil the buds that can last 3.5h on music playback and up to 12h with charging from the case.

The button on each bud is for play / pause and is configurable via the Hubble Connect app.

Let's check out what this can do:

2. VerveOnes True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
USD 199.99
This has the same features as the VerveOnes+ but have no waterproofing.

3. VerveLoop+ Wireless Bluetooth Sports Earbuds
USD 79.99 - On Amazon

This is a sports wireless model where there is a singular cord linking the left to right buds. It offers a top-in-class battery life of 9.5 hours, comes with 4 eartips and 3 ear loop stabilizers for better fit and IP57 waterproofing.

Like the UA Headphones Wireless, the charge point is on the in-line remote.

4. VerveRider+
USD 79.99 - On Amazon
This is a sports neckband pair of buds where you can sling them comfortably around your neck.

The buds magnetically latch onto the ring for easy storage and last for a decent 12 hours of music playback.

If you have 'em, flaunt them.

5. VerveRider
USD 69.99 - On Amazon
This has the same features as the VerveRider+ but has no waterproofing.

All the VerveLife products are supported by the 'Hubble Connect for VerveLife' app that can be downloaded from Apple AppStore or Google Play, though note that support extends from iOS 8 / Android 4.4.4 and above. In case you misplace your buds, the app will help to locate their last location. How neat is that?

Availability
They're supposed to be up for sale on 16 June on the VerveLife store. They currently can't be purchased in Singapore. However, you can support us by getting them via the respective Amazon affiliate links below:

VerveOnes+ USD 249.99
VerveLoop+ USD 79.99
VerveRider+ USD 79.99
VerveRider USD 69.99