Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

It’s been possible for a while now to set up your sound card to output fake 5.1 channel surround sound to your headphones. Theoretically, since you only use two ears, you should be able to do some fancy soundwave stuff and replicate 6 channel (or 5.1 or whatever) sound using only 2 channels of audio. I’ve tried a couple ways of doing this with software, and so far, it’s sucked.

These headphones from Zalman (the Zalman ZM-RS6F+M, to be specific) are also able to produce 6 channel sound. But, they do it using 6 separate drivers, which means that (I can only assume) it sounds a heck of a lot better than the fake stuff. You’ll need a sound card able to output discrete front, center, and rear channels, so it’s not like you can just jack these right into your iPod or something.

I can’t tell whether the drivers are that great, but you probably shouldn’t expect to be blown away by the sound quality. For movies or computer games, though, it might be a cool effect. The Zalman 6 channel ZM-RS6whateveritis headphones are $57 from Brando.

[ Brando ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While they’re far from being the smallest earbuds on the market, the Philips Tapster stereo headset takes advantage of bluetooth to cut the cord between your earbuds and your MP3 player or smartphone. It supports Bluetooth HSP and HFP profiles for making calls and is A2DP compliant for streaming stereo music. Their overall size is no doubt a by-product of the Tapster’s batteries, but on the plus side the large surface is touch sensitive, and doing things like adjusting the volume or answering calls is accomplished with simple taps or swipe gestures.

And while the Philips website makes it look like the Tapster headset is a shipping product (there’s even a ‘Buy’ button on the page), from what I can tell that’s not the case just yet.

[ Philips Tapster Bluetooth Headset ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Despite the product name, iMuffs are unfortunately not designed to keep your ears warm, which is unfortunate given that many of us have already seen the thermometer drop well before the freezing mark. They will however allow you to listen to your iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Photo, iPod Touch, iPod Mini and all 3rd generation iPods without having an annoying headphone cable dangling from your head. You will need to attach the iMuffs Bluetooth transmitter to your iPod since they lack that connectivity by default, but once paired you’ll be able to stash your MP3 player in your pocket while still controlling volume and playback via the headphones themselves.

The iMuffs can also be paired with a Bluetooth equipped smartphone, and include a built-in echo and noise canceling mic allowing you to make calls in-between listening to your music. Their built-in battery can be recharged via USB, and provides a decent play time of about 16 hours. The iMuffs MB210 are available in black or white, and can be bought directly from the Wi-Gear online store for $129.99.

[ Wi-Gear iMuffs MB210 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve always been tempted to pick up a headphone amp, or build my own from a Penguin Mint tin, but I’ve never been that thrilled by their relatively large form factor. But the FiiO E5, which bears a striking resemblance to a certain shuffling MP3 player, looks like the perfect solution. It weighs just 26 grams and the integrated clip allows you to attach it to a belt or collar so that it won’t weigh down your headphone cable. When compared to FiiO’s previous model, the E3, the E5 is about 30% more powerful and produces a far more neutral sound. And it’s powered by a built-in 200mAh lithium battery that’s recharged via USB and provides about 20 hours of use. While no release date or pricing info has been set, GenerationMP3 expects it to retail for just under $20.

[ GenerationMP3 - FiiO E5 ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m looking forward to the day when I can finally cut the cord on my earbud headphones, and thanks to Sony Ericsson, that day seems just a bit closer. Register Hardware recently took a look at the company’s HBH-IS800 Bluetooth stereo headphones and found them to be close to perfect, as long as you’re cool with the price. The headphones are barely larger than a standard set of earbuds, but manage to cram a small battery in one side, and the Bluetooth electronics in the other. It still comes with a short cable with an in-line mic and control button connecting both earbuds together that some might find inconvenient, but on the other hand it also probably makes it harder to lose the earbuds individually.

Sony claims a battery life of about 4 hours when listening to music, and 11 days on standby, but those estimates were conservative with the headphones running for about 4 1/2 hours before completely shutting down. And like I said, even though an official price hasn’t been announced yet, you can expect these to be sold as a premium product (look at that swanky case) with a premium price tag.

[ Register Hardware - Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Bluetooth stereo headphones ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Jonathan Kimak

It can be a pain trying to wear a beanie hat(or a toque if you’re a fellow Canadian) and headphones at the same time. Even earbuds can either fall out or get crunched too tightly into your ear. The iLogic Sound Hat solves the problem by putting the headphones into the hat. The Sound Hat’s headphones come with a standard 3.5mm jack that will work with the majority of mp3 players, cell phones and other devices.

In addition, since the headphones are covered in the fabric it will have better sound suppression so that the person beside you is less likely to hear what you’re listening to. So don’t worry, your reputation will stay solid even if you are listening to the latest Celine Dion song.

The hat sells for approximately $28 US.

[ iLogic Sound Hat ] VIA [ New Launches ]

By Jonathan Kimak

The iSound, designed by Seohyun Baek, is a set of headphones that allow you to listen to your mp3 player while still hearing the background noises around you. This is good for those of you that ride your bike to work and haven’t been able to listen to music because your current headphones block everything out making it harder to notice sounds of things like oncoming traffic.

The headphones use a semi-circular design so that they don’t cover your whole ear like other headphones. This allows some background noise to find its way into your ears making the experience more like listening to a stereo. Of course this will reduce the dynamic range of the sound but it’s a trade off for safety.

This is definitely a niche product as those of us who are allergic to spandex and bicycle seats are usually trying to drown out the sounds of everyone else’s mp3 players and cellphones blaring away during rush hour.

[ Yanko Design ] VIA [ TechEBlog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Someday bluetooth equipped headphones will be indistinguishable from regular models, but unfortunately today is not that day. And that’s why these new DR-BT160AS ‘Active’ stereo headphones from Sony feature a large pod on either side to accommodate batteries as well as the bluetooth reciever. On the plus side, if you’re a runner or like to listen to music during physical activities, you won’t have to deal with a pesky cord bouncing around and can instead stream music from a bluetooth friendly MP3 player or cellphone. The headphones also includes a built-in mic allowing you to make or take calls if you are using it with a phone, and a set of playback buttons for remotely skipping tracks or adjusting the volume. The soft elastomer hangers feature a sliding earpiece shaft ensuring a secure and comfortable fit, and the whole thing is splashproof meaning sweat won’t hurt it, but you’ll probably want to keep it out of the rain. Expect it to be available from the Sony website sometime in October.

[ Sony DR-BT160AS ] VIA [ Digital Drops ]

By Jonathan Kimak

This conceptual headset, named the Nike FeelFree, uses binaural beats to stimulate the brain in a variety of ways. Binaural beats are a combination of two tones at slightly different frequencies. One tone is presented and heard by one ear while the second tone is presented and heard by the other ear. The user must have stereo headphones on for the binaural sounds to have an effect.

Depending on the frequencies, the binaural sounds emitted can help with meditation, focus, learning and sleeping. The FeelFree will have adjustable settings for each of those functions. The aim is for an individual to wear this for a period of time during their activity of choice and be able to get the maxium beneficial effect from it. The frequencies for concentration, betweeb 13 and 40Hz, are also linked to arousal, so be careful where you choose to study.

I have a CD that uses binaural sounds mixed in with relaxation sounds that is meant to stimulate the brain into a meditative mode without the need to spend 20 years sitting atop a mountain. I haven’t used it often enough to say whether it actually works or not though. The FeelFree would not use music or hamper your hearing as it would conduct the sounds through the bones in your head.

I think it would be quite cool if this ever got made.

[ The Design Blog ] VIA [ Tech Digest ]