The Shure SE215 earphones are not exactly a new product, but we were recently sent a pair for testing and would like to take a short bit of time to give our impressions for anyone considering them.
Shure is known for their quality products and some of their earphones can fetch up to $500+ (like the triple driver SE535). But the SE215 feature a single driver and a much more modest price of $100. And for that amount of money, they deliver a sound almost on par with competitors at $200… like the Beats by Dr. Dre Tour In-Ear Headphones, which we also recently acquired. To be clear, the sound quality is less bass heavy than the Beats and the highs and mids are more crisp. We’d describe it as well balanced and distortion free even at higher volumes. But the more impressive aspect of these earphones are twofold: the sound isolation and the snug fit.
So that tiny speck in the middle of that table is an iPhone. It’s being docked to the BEHRINGER iNuke Boom, as much an object of fascination as one of complete insanity. This is how insane: it measures 4ft by 8ft, it’s speakers output 10,000W, it weighs 700lbs (!) and costs $30,000. Why does this exist? Well… we’re not quite following Behringer’s logic on this one:
BEHRINGER, award-winning innovator of affordable professional audio and music equipment, is excited to announce the launch of the Eurosound consumer electronics brand — concert quality sound at an amazing value. To celebrate the launch, BEHRINGER will unveil the iNuke Boom, the loudest iPod® and iPhone® dock you’ve ever heard at CES 2012. (our emphasis)
So to celebrate the launch of a value brand, they’ve unveiling this behemoth? Right. Makes perfect sense.
Next time a light bulb burns out, consider replacing it with these AudioBulb Wireless Speaker Light Bulbs. There’s an LED ring that outputs about as much light as a traditional 60W bulb, and a speaker in the center. The set of two connects wirelessly to a docking base station, which you can pair with iPhones, iPods of really any music device through the auxiliary input.
A lot can happen at a party, and that’s kind of what makes them awesome. But aside from all the drunken tomfoolery, making everyone happy with the music is always a bit of a task. Either the host is ballsy enough to say “Y’all ain’t touchin the music; you either like it or it’s my boot on your behind.” Or people spend the night unplugging one iPod to connect another. That’s where this concept from Jason Farsai, called the Bose IQ, comes in. It features 5 docks and a touchscreen. People can queue up upcoming tracks and see what’s about to play, while a touchscreen remote lets you do it from afar. The Bose IQ would also presumably charge the devices, which would be cool for partygoers.
The problem with pure concepts, such as this one, is that there’s really no horizon on ever being able to purchase this. Here’s hoping that a manufacturer somewhere will see this and be inspired to bring it to market.
Let’s break that headline down a bit, shall we? The Superbeam USB earbuds from Andrea Electronics are primarily meant to be used with your computer while doing video calls. They are boomless, which means you won’t have that annoying microphone extend right in front of your mouth, making you look like a failed boy-band member. They are also binaural in that they will pick up your voice from both sides, rendering your sound in stereo. And they’re recorders because, well, they can record. In stereo. Without a boom.
There’s talk of neodymium drivers, noise cancellation, “adaptive beam forming” and other tech things that are meant to justify their $129 pricetag. Oh and an extra $10 for the accessory that would let you use them with a regular solo 3.5mm jack for audio only, since they have two plugs. It’s a lot of money to get rid of a boom but maybe not looking like Justin Timberlake on a conference call is worth that much to someone.
This… now this is sure to get you some conversations. It’s a passive ceramic amplifier made specifically for the iPhone. As you can plainly see, it’s in the shape of a horn and contains a docking area at the top that will fit your Apple music device snugly. As musical horns do, the MegaPhone will amplify the sound coming from the iPhone’s speakers due to the specific shape of its walls. It also rests on a thin wooden structure which is meant to raise it above any surface and allow it to vibrate more freely. We’re not sure if the video below is really representative of the level of amplification, but really, it doesn’t matter: it looks awesome. The MegaPhone is compatible with iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and costs 400 Euros. That’s for the black or white version, while a gold plated model will set you back 600 Euros.
Well, it’s not for your headphones only but it apparently has a dedicated headphone mode, with a particular type of tube amp (the 300B apparently) that’s preferred with head mounted gear as opposed to a full set of speakers. Now, we’re big fans of audiophile gear mostly because we know so little about it and it always kind of shocks us that people are willing to part with these sums of cash. In the case of the WA-234 MONO, it’s $10,000. Now for that price, you get a sales pitch in the language of audiophilespeak:
Discrete mono-block, Single-ended, Class-A
Output transformer coupled, EI96 Permalloy core
All triode drive, no semi-conductors.
2A3/300B/45 power tube via Tube Switching Key
Headphone/speaker out via Output Switching Key
Cathode / plate output alternation for headphone
High and low impedance headphone outputs
6SN7 driver, 5U4G rectifier tube
2 RCA and 1 XLR input
3-pin XLR mono output for headphone
Power on plate output 8 watt@300B, 4 watt@2A3, 2 watt@45
Frequency response: 5Hz–62 KHz, -2dB on cathode output
Seiden 46-position stepped attenuator, M-TubeCap, V-Cap
We don’t doubt for a second that the sound they create is princely. But this is 1%er material and we just can’t relate.
There really isn’t much to say about this product other than there’s now some color on them. They’re the same over-ear Studio Beats that have been on the market for some time now, only more colored and in limited edition.
Like you see on the picture.
Maybe Monster wanted to cash in on Colorware’s business?
We wouldn’t post about this usually, but yours truly owns a pair and wishes he’d had that option way back then. For what it’s worth and in this author’s opinion, the audio line of earphones and headphones is the only Monster product that doesn’t suck.
What I like best about Tascam’s iOS device-friendly audio adapter is that it works with pretty much any application that lets you record, sample, or monitor a live audio feed. A single, balanced XLR input lets you plug in professional grade mics, audio equipment or instruments, and a set of AA batteries even lets you feed phantom power to a condenser mic as needed. A simple dial lets you adjust the input levels, and a 1/8-inch headphone jack on the back lets you monitor sound coming from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Pricing and availability are still TBA though.
Related Tags: Audio, Reviews, shure
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