The large over the ear headset has a microphone boom for chat during gaming, virtual 7.1 surround sound, and it has vibration effects that can be turned on or off. The headset also has integrated volume control, and the mic can be muted. It connects to computers via USB. The microphone is uni-directional to capture the voice without grabbing background noise.

The headset drivers are 40 mm and have a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz with 32 ohm impedance. Sensitivity is 96 dB, and the USB cable is 2.5 m long. The headset will sell for $79.90 and should be available online soon.

The Gratitude has a distinct gold aesthetic and comes with 12 different eartips of varying size and type. The headphone also has a ControlTalk in-line microphone and seamless volume controls. When you’re done tuning out the outside world, the headphones can be tucked away in one of the included carrying pouches. And should you ever have any issues, they come with a one-year warranty.

Okay, so now to answer the next question – the one you’ve been asking since you saw the word “Monster” – how expensive is the Gratitude? To grab a pair you’ll need to shell out $229.95. Yeah, Monster products are always at the high of the high end and they usually are not worth the premium you have to pay. But when it comes to headphones, quality and durability is really important. So perhaps it isn’t too ridiculous. Then again, the $12 pair of headphones at the corner grocery store are probably just fine for many consumers.

[via Cnet]

This pair of earbuds is one of several created in collaboration between thinksound CEO and acclaimed Audio Engineer Aaron Fournier and a set of musicians all aiming to create a pair of earbuds with nothing less than a full range of sound and acoustics worthy of their end price. At $99.99 a pop, we’d expect nothing less than the best for our ears constantly bombarded by the evil of lesser sound-blasters. That’s just what thinksound delivers, thankfully, and in the video you’re about to see you’ll hear just that.

What you’re listening to in the back half of the video there is a new single from Jack White, a fellow you might recognize from the White Stripes, this music played from the audio jack of an iPhone 4S through the ms01 phones and the camera I’m using here: a Lumix GF1. So what you’re hearing isn’t exactly what you’ll hear in the end, but you’ll get an OK idea of how lovely the sound does hum. That said, you’ll only really know how excellent these buds sound once you’ve got them on yourself.

These 8mm drivers inside the phones are working at 18Hz to 20kHz frequency response, and when the buds are in your ears you’ve got passive noise isolation working for you so the sound you want to hear is basically all you’ll hear. The first time I tried the ms01 buds out, the music I’d been listening to for months before came through in a while new way, at a whole new level of warmth and depth. These buds are without a doubt the finest set of in-ear earphones I’ve experienced thus far. I’ve not had this quality sound since I first set up my own pair of gigantic speakers to a record player from the 1980′s – there’s just something there that you can’t get anywhere else.

As far as the actual hardware in the buds besides the buds themselves, the whole setup is lightweight, the cords are PVC-free and “tangle resistant,” and you get a pair of Active Lifestyle Ear Hooks to keep these phones in your ears if you’re the type to have your head jamming around on a regular basis. If you’re in the gym quite often, you’ll also be glad to know that these buds are sweat-resistant.

The plug is 3.5mm large and gold-plated, while the buds have four different sets of flexible silicon ear inserts for all your different kinds of holes. You get a cord clip and a cotton carrying pouch as well as a 1 year warranty to keep your brain at ease. As with all thinksound phones, these buds are made with a tiny eco-footprint and “green” in mind, the phones made of real wood taken from renewable sources, the packaging is made of recycled materials, and the packaging is completely bleach-free. There’s no plastic bubbles, PVC, or gigantic packaging here.

You can pick your own pair of these beasts up right now at the thinksound shop online at store.thinksound.com and check out the rest of their products while you’re at it. You’ll be dropping $99.99 for this set, then you’ve got the option to get extra buds and accessories along with them for a few extra bucks as well. Have at them!

This collection is also known as Urbanears’ 2012SS series, and are available right this moment for all lovers of design, fashionable color-coding, and everyone else who ever wanted a pair of all-yellow jammers. You can now get your own pair of phones or earbuds, several different styles available, in yellow, army green, blue, red, black, gray, white, grape, cream, and sage. Grab the whole rainbow, why don’t you?

For those of you that’ve never before seen these lovely phones in any of their many iterations, have a peek at the Plattan here in its first birthday video from late last year. It’s fun and dandy indeed!

There’s four different kinds of phones: Bagis, which is the most basic earbud, costing $35 USD, Tanto, this being a $40 non-over-ear headphone, Medis, an EarClick set of in-ear earbuds ringing in at $50, and of course the Plattan, a $60 pair of lovely over-ear headphones.

There’s one massive list of strange customers that wear the original LP model customized to their liking – Paris Hilton, Gio Conzales, NERVO, and Lindsay Lohan to name a few. And though celebrity names like Kobe Bryant wont do one whole heck of a lot for audiophiles when it comes to actual audio quality, you can bet that this team of manufacturers isnt going anywhere any time soon. And I’m here to tell you right now: if it’s good enough for Paul Oakenfold, it’s good enough for me.

Unboxing

So we’ve got a pair of $199 headphones here in a box that you’ve got to cut a ribbon to get into. The box itself is impressive enough what with cardboard around it that’s thicker than the jacket of a hardcover book, then the top has a button hinge and a snakeskin strap (fake, we hope) that keeps the contents beyond safe in their travels to the specialty shops. Inside you’ll find padding around a monster shell which contains the headphones and the mass of cords and plugs that come with it.

Package Contents

Inside the shell are the headphones themselves, two detachable cables with 24k gold-plated plugs: both of them fabric, 3.5mm jacks, and universally compatible with all headphone jack-having devices. One is is a classic cable with no added features along it, the other has a 3-button remote control able to work with Apple products including iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. Also inside is a converter plug for plugging these same cables into your larger amplifier, and all of these items are held down with a couple of strap-heavy removable panels that you can use (or not use) inside your shell – one also has a belt clip so you can attach your goods to your side when the shell is too big to bring with you on the go.

Military Grade Construction

The shell is a hard exoskeleton carrying case that’s black-on-black printed and ribbed on the outside surrounded by a red and black zipper and embroidered in red with the V-Moda logo at the top. Inside is a lovely bright red padded container custom molded for your V-MODA Limited Edition Crossfade LP2s. Great for tossing in your backpack for long trips on airplanes or short trips to the recording studio. Don’t worry too much about damage, on the other hand, because with these phones you’ve got an Immortal Life Program – this allowing you a 50% off lifetime discount if you’ve accidentally smashed the crap out of your phones and want to pick up a new pair – cheap!

For the phones themselves, you’ve got a business that’s ready and willing to help you get the best fit and feel the most awesome when you’re using your headset on the regular. Get a taste of trueHERTZ to see what I mean. As far as how hardcore the equipment is, Military-Grade durability should keep you sleeping at night:

The Crossfade LP2 is tested under strict MIL-STD-810G military testing and V-MODA’s even tougher VMQA guidelines:

• Kevlar® reinforced detachable cables and 45-degree plug strain relief can each bend over 1 million times, over 100x industry standards
• Survives 70+ drops on concrete from 6 feet, approximately 3x the industry standard
• Headband can bend 10+ times flat, not break and retain its memory and shape
• Virtually inaudible sound variances across the spectrum of less than 2dB from unit to unit versus 10-30dB+ of inferior products
• MIL-STD-810G environmental tests including high and low temperatures, humidity, salt spray and UV exposure

Sound

As for sound – and I know you’ve been waiting for this after all that talk about every other possible aspect of these phones – you’ve got what V-Moda calls Live Play Sound. It’s a patent-pending “biggest-in-class” set of 50mm Dual-Diaphragm Drivers and V-PORT 3D staging. This setup, they say, is able to recreate the sound of multiple drivers at the same time as it sticks to the consistency of a single quality driver. The Crossfade LP2 phones are fine-tuned with a 31-band EQ, this keeping your eardrums in tact whilst delivering a wide range of sounds with high quality power.

Wrap-Up

And indeed that is what they do. If you were looking for assurance from your humble narrator here that these headphones sound fabulous – they certainly attain that level of approval from me. These are without a doubt the finest set of over-ear headphones I’ve tested at this point for the price point they set at, and are currently my day-to-day go-to pair for everyday listening as well as listening out in the wild – read: at coffee shops and at the library.

For DJ situations, again, I’ll trust the tests of the masters listed above working with the model that came before this one, essentially the same in build and quality. What this set offers is a bump above the original LP model, and without a doubt they are worth the cash you toss down on them at $199. You can also grab yourself a pair of custom metal plate replacements if you really want to – go ahead! Treat yourself! These limited editions are available at V-Moda’s online shop while supplies last.

Connect these mothers to your Android device for listening to the Google Music all night long – connect to your iPhone for some iCloud banging throughout the day! Then for those of you without Bluetooth devices or a need to connect directly, there’s also the option for using a 3.5 mm audio cable in the interim. Charge them up with the included USB cable and grab yourself 22.5 hours of talk time with 180 hours of standby.

That’s right, talk time – these headphones can also be used as a handsfree headset for your smartphone should you feel the need to chatter. The Signal to Noise ratio on these beasts is More than 58Db at 1kHz and they’re designed to fold up nicely for travel as well. And what’s best about these phones in black or white? They only cost $39 USD including shipping! Available in early February for all interested lovers of Bluetooth-compatible sounds.

[via Tenqa]

What on earth you’d be thinking when you pick these up unless you’re one of the people involved in the company behind the two, one simply cannot guess. Crystal Rocked’s claim to fame on the Street by 50 model is that they’re the first group on the planet to have gotten sets of the headphones in for customization specifically, while the Dre headphones they’ve simply gone nuts on without any special bonus. You will notice, if you step back for a moment and see the craftsmanship inherent, that everything the folks at Crystal Rocked have touched here has nothing less that a perfectly fine quality in a big way.

Each crystal has been placed with care, and each device has had its design poured over and perfected. Notice how there’s a perfect amount of crystals placed in the logos, for example. This perfection doesn’t come cheap, of course, with the Street by 50 models chiming in at £580.00, that being something like $900 USD, while the Beats will be costing you a cool £549.00, that close enough $900 USD once again to make your nose bleed. Then there’s the older models, too – that’s right! This isn’t the first time a pair of Beats by Dre have been tricked out with crystals by this crew.

Then there’s a pair of Sennheisers in there, some Audio Technica headphones, and some Sony MDR over-ears as well. There’s even a pair of Beats in-ear earbuds! You can crystalize anything, folks, go for it!

[via Crystal Rocked]

This device also has a S/PDIF input, a line input, and for power and connections you’ve got FiiO’s own proprietary 18-pin port. This port works with FiiO’s L7 dock and E9 desktop amp, but there’s also a standard USB input so you’re not limited in any way. This device is made for you audio maniacs, mind you, with 24/96 over USB and 24/192 over S/PDIF, sounding just fantastic, we can imagine.

You can change the firmware also if you’re not totally satisfied with the sound right away, you able to change bass, treble, gain level, and believe it or not, balance and pan. As the folks at Anythingbutipod say, they’re glad the audio balance feature remains in-tact, and they having looked at the original E7, the smaller version of this FiiO machine, are glad this new device is out like a whip. This device will be released soon at something like $150 USD.

[via FiiO]

In-use

The quality you’re getting here is top-notch, and since this isn’t the first version of these little beasts, you know good and well that V-Moda has once again further perfected the art. Your hearing will be protected by the Faders working to filter noise up to 12dB. They do not BLOCK the noise, they filter it – this meaning that your mids and your high-range audio is still there and still very clear, while the damaging low-end noises galore are plugged up. You can adjust the amount you filter by changing the bud size, also.

The versions you’ll get in the store come with a lovely little shell case, while these early versions show just the buds — you’ll know the 2012 versions from the older ones from the slight difference on the box face, the newer ones having a bright ORANGE splash around the “METAL” bit. The newest versions also come with detachable cords. Otherwise they’re the same fabulous sound-blocking masterpieces.

Verdict

These monsters are certainly worth what you pay for them. If you want throwaway plugs, go ahead and pick up a pack of them from your local grocery store. These plugs will stopper up the sound to the degree that you like and will do it in a fashionable way – so very lovely. Pick up the gunmetal versions (like we’ve got here) for ultimate anytime wearability.

These buds will be available SOON, and when they are, they’ll be $15 USD plus shipping unless you can grab them from your local audio-conscious record store. Grab em online sooner from V-Moda!

Smartphones

We certainly saw our fair share of smartphones on the floor this time around, the major bulk of them running either Windows Phone Mango or a modified version of Android Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich. One of the more interesting devices was Huawei’s Ascend P1 S, it being the new thinnest phone on earth, and its slightly fatter brother the P1, both of them strikingly thin. Next there were a couple of excellent value propositions, it would seem, from Pantech, they showing off two of the six new devices running on AT&T’s LTE network that’ll be up to speed by late this year – the Pantech Element is a waterproof tablet that, when you buy it, you basically get the Pantech Burst smartphone for free. Sony Experia came correct with their new set of Xperia devices with big specs and gigantic cameras: the Xperia ion having a 12 megapixel camera and the Xperia S being the one teased for so long. For Android phones the winner would have to be the Lenovo Racer-A, aka the first device to be running Intel’s Medfield chip – winning not just because it looks like a quality phone, but because it does indeed hold that record. Intel’s entry into the mobile market is likely going to have the longest lasting effect on the mobile industry while all these other phones get replaced – that’s for sure.

As for Windows Phones I’ll have to call a tie until we can review these devices extensively because they’re both so lovely: the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II. Both of these devices are bringing Windows Phone into the future, fighting head to head with the top guns at last.

BONUS: Since Samsung is insistent on saying this device is neither a smartphone or a tablet, here it is in the middle: the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy Note. All of its awesome features remain in-tact, it having a Snapdragon processor instead of an Exynos, and it comes in white as well as black, your choice!

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Tablets

As with smartphones, we’ve got a lot to be excited about in the hardware side of things, not least of all with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 for strength and touchability. As for future-looking devices, the newest iteration of the ASUS Padfone looked oddly enticing. There were also some lovely reader refreshes like the Kyobo Mirasol eReader with its unique form of lighting, it replicating the light bouncing off a butterfly. Windows 8 made a bit of a showing with groups like Qualcomm and their S4 chip showing the possibilities of a Windows 8 mobile world. Acer came back with a new iteration of the Acer Iconia Tab complete with a Tegra 3 quad-core chip. Toshiba made a showing with two devices you might find rather familiar, the smaller version of the Thrive in the Toshiba Thrive 7 and the Toshiba Excite x10, the latter being the one to keep an eye on through 2012.

Then there’s the big guns, both of them winners, both of them coming from no less than Asus and toting, again, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. First there was the undeniably inexpensively priced $249 7-inch quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich toting Asus MeMO 370t, a value we’re sure one whole heck of a lot of people will not be able to resist. Then there was the big showing of not only the Transformer Prime, but the Transformer Prime 700 series with its upgraded display and hardware. We saw the Prime running Skyrim via Splashtop, playing the first multiplayer mobile shooter in a new version of Shadowgun for Tegra, and all of it on Ice Cream Sandwich as the Transformer is now the world’s first Google-licensed Ice Cream Sandwich tablet.

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Headphones / Earbuds

As always, there was a surplus of new headphones this year. Of them, our top three were InSound by Cygnett, the 5-minute Eeers Sonofit earbuds, and the HD700 from Sennheiser. The InSound had very decent ‘active’ noise cancellation and are extremely comfortable. Though easily portable, they are still not built as well as the Sennheisers. The HD 700 instead implements ‘passive’ noise cancellation, and offers a much cleaner, crisper sound. But at CES, people look for innovation – and that’s why Eers by Sonofit were the best headphones. With Eers, anyone can create a pair of custom-fit earbuds within minutes, all of it for a cool $300 USD.

BONUS: don’t forget the conceptual Parrot Zik by Starck and the wild contributions by Skullcandy in the Mix Master headphones.

- contributed by Sam Koutroulakis

Speakers

Though there were certainly one whole heck of a lot of speakers out there, we’ve decided to concentrate on the smaller world of portable speakers for all you mobile people out there. For that, there are a few gems that stick out. First there’s the SuperTooth Disco 2, an upgrade from the already great Disco 1 model, now with plenty of color and a vertical form factor. As for green representations, we had a talk with the makers of Eink who now bring us the Eton Rukus Solar powered boombox, so green it’s accented with the color green, imagine that! As for the tiniest speaker worth a peek at outside a smartphone, that was clearly the Harman JBL on-tour Micro, complete with Iron Man color scheme! The winner of our hearts in this category would have to be the high-blasting Altec Lansing 5000 series all-in-one speakers, these certainly commanding the hoards when it comes to all-in-one power.

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Laptops

Ultrabooks were the hot ticket for the computer side of CES this year, with every major brand introducing new models at or just before the show. While Toshiba’s Windows 8 prototype wowed us with software and the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga showed off some amazing innovation in form factor, the top prize goes to Dell’s more humble XPS 13. Far from Dell’s usual utilitarian design, the XPS 13 Ultrabook is downright stunning, with a combination aluminum-carbon fiber frame that’s 15% smaller than the MacBook Air. It manages to cram a 13-inch screen into a 12-inch body, and with 300 nits of brightness it should be a joy to use. With a Core i5 or i7 processor, an SSD drive, 4GB of RAM and eight hours of rated battery life, the XPS 13 will be a major contender when it becomes available.

- contributed by Michael Crider

Cameras

There were a few cameras at CES that caught our eye. Canon’s revived PowerShot Digital ELPH 520HS crams some amazingly powerful glass into its tiny body, and Liquid Image’s Xtreme Sports Cams brings some great new features into a growing market. But the obvious winner for the show wasn’t even announced at CES: Nikon’s new flagship, the D4. This monster DSLR sets the standard for its line going forward, with insane ISO capabilities and forward-looking support for QXD. But the real innovation is a major upgrade in video capabilities, with dynamic cropping on the sensor for “zoomed” shots even on prime lenses, and the ability to actively monitor audio and stream video over HDMI. The D4 may well be the benchmark when it comes to DSLR video recording, a segment that has nowhere to go but up. At $6,000 it’s a little on the pricey side, but pro photographers will pay any price for the best – and when it comes to high-definition video in a comfortable DSLR format, the Nikon D4 will give it to them.

- contributed by Michael Crider

Televisions

Televisions were one of the hottest categories at CES this year, but not because of size. Previous shows were all about who can get the biggest panel out, but this year image quality ruled. LG and Samsung both introduced 55-inch OLED TVs with incredibly thin, light bodies, stunning black levels and color reproduction that’s the best we’ve ever seen. The best television of CES is Samsung’s Super OLED HDTV – we’re giving it the top spot because the image displayed was just slightly more vivid than LG’s. It’s a close match, however, and LG has the edge (ba-dum TISH) on style thanks to its 4mm, 16-pound body. Sharp’s battery powered AQUOS Freestyle gets a third place nod, because it’s a handy idea that the market is ready for.

- contributed by Michael Crider

Automotive Concept

There were two stand-out contenders at CES 2012 for automotive concepts, Audi and Mercedes. While our main hands-on write-ups of these two titans are going to be published early next week, I can tell you this now: Audi brought some heavy fire with a setup called Audi connect that included all of their innovations of 2011 including voice commands and Google Earth integration and made it explode with a touch-sensitive dial and a setup newly powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core chipset. Mercedes, on the other hand, had several concepts including a very similar in-car screen setup, this time connected to an iPhone, a couple of gesture-activated door demonstrations, and a box inside which a completely gesture-intensive console was shown. Both companies will have massively impressive vehicles in the very near future, that’s for certain.

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Accessories

Here at CES a large focus is also on accessories for all the electronics announced, and while we saw plenty of impressive designs like the new Wrapsol anti-slip pads we’ve decided on one. Cygnett is known for constructing well built, quality cases for phones and tablets, not to mention their durable tablet stands. Since the mobile phone market has exploded everyone has a few cases to offer but Cygnett’s offerings were one of the most memorable. With simple designs that are actually easy to both get on AND off while still protecting the product they were our clear winner.

For a video rundown on a few cases from Cygnett including their new Icon Art series by artist Nathan Jurevicius be sure to check out our Insider Talk with Cygnett Creative Director Sophie Swann.

- Contributed by Cory Gunther

Mobile Carrier

When caught up in the mass of tech news here at CES, we often forget that a team’s mobile collaboration is only as good as the signal they’re running on. There isn’t one, but more like two obstacles a team requires of its carrier to perform at maximum efficiency. The first is consistency; a reliable data signal that will always be there when needed. The second is actual data strength. Processing videos and uploading images over a fast connection is essential if you plan on delivering the best CES coverage. And for both requirements, Verizon 4G LTE was unbeatable for CES 2012. With speeds of up to 14Mbps on the showroom floor and a consistent signal throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center, other carriers couldn’t come close.

- contributed by Sam Koutroulakis

Our most used gear

When the topic of most used gear comes up it could mean anything based on what you did at CES. Some might just answer — my shoes. Obviously we used cameras just about every possible minute. Here at SlashGear we were busy looking for wall power outlets and churning out stories to share with our readers and have as a team came up with a final conclusion. When it comes to outright sheer production MacBook’s rule. When it comes to mobile production it’s actually the complete opposite and Android rules, with only one iPhone on our team with a whole hoard of Galaxy Nexus for the rest.

Apple’s Macbook Pro and Air gave our team most of the tools needed (not counting a few heavy cameras) and our Macs outnumbers PC laptops 6-to-1. When we change over to the mobile aspect it was completely the opposite and we had 2 iPhones compared to about 10 Android smartphones, and 4 LTE Android tablets. With large screens, big batteries and awesome wired/wireless tethering options with Verizon 4G LTE our Android phones were the clear choice — and winner.

- Contributed by Cory Gunther

CES 2012′s Top Innovation: No One

While there certainly have been some interesting bits here and there at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, nothing made us absolutely drop our collective jaws. You could take the winners from the categories above and choose your favorite, sure, but nothing blew us away to the point of saying it absolutely won the show. It seemed as though most companies came to the show as a matter of requirement rather than because they wanted to show off their biggest and best. Instead we’re hoping for quite a few individual showings throughout the year from manufacturers as it continues to be the thing to do when you want the most individual attention.

When Vincent Nguyen, SlashGear’s Editor in Chief, was asked what he thought represented CES this year, his response was simple “nothing.”

The fact that this isn’t the only time we’ve heard this response from not just our own staff, but many of the people we spoke with throughout the convention may well be the first indication that bigger shows like CES are on their way out – what do you think?

For those of you that do not know, Mix Master Mike is one of the most notoriously fantastic DJs on the planet, emerging on a global scale when joining the Beastie Boys as their resident spin master on such gems as Hello Nasty and their newest album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. What these headphones are is a DJ-friendly set of features like dual-cable inputs (one on either phone), one-touch mute, single-channel cue control from your pair of articulated earcups, and 50mm speakers. Your plugs are gold plated of course, as all plugs should be, and you’ve got interchangeable cables with a mic.

These headphones are light, have a 20-20K Hz frequency response, and can flip out and forward so you can jam with them as off-ear speakers as well. These phones will run you $299.99 and come in a couple of different color combinations online: Black and Kidrobot. The second pair are basically the same colors as the first, but come with the the “Dunny” outline pattern on the top, Kidrobot’s specialty. Good luck finding the ultra-wacky color scheme we’ve got here in Las Vegas!

Beats grabbed up 53% of the $1 billion headphone market last year racking up some big money for Beats and its partner Monster according to NPD Group. Things are changing for Monster and Beats though as the two firms have now split away from the partnership that made the headphone so successful. Insiders claim that the split resulted from tension over which side of the partnership deserves more credit for the success.

Beats was able to go from a new brand to the segment leader in a few short years. Today, you can find Beats Audio tech in all sort of computers like the Spectre Ultrabook we spied at CES recently. Beats tech is even found in car audio now too. Sales of Beats gear was 60% of the money made by Monster last year. Monster will be offering up its own high-end headphones soon. Beats is retaining the rights to the sound tech in the headphones post split, the design, and the brand.

[via BusinessWeek]

To engage noise-cancellation, just flip the switch to ‘On’ and roll the wheel located on the base of the right earmuff. You will hear a faint hum when noise-cancellation is working and no audio is present. The InSound headphones proved to play great bass notes, but the vocals and mid-range were slightly thin. However, noise-cancellation worked properly across the board. Blues and jazz sounded excellent when noise-cancellation was engaged.

The InSound headphones are not currently available for purchase, but if priced properly they will be a smart buy. Those further interested should know the sound quality and craftsmanship is not comparable to top tier’s like Custom Studio Beats by Dr. Dre. However, the InSound portable form factor will make these an excellent choice for those that want to travel.

With an innovative new design these impressive fully open dynamic headphones will be one for the high-end that is for sure. Speaking about this new design, the ear cups have been designed with the sound waves coming in at a slight angle rather than straight on and flat like most. Sennheiser has also revealed their new ventilated magnet system design that will direct the airflow of the fully open cans in a way that will reduce distortion and present a cleaner sound.

The technology might be confusing for most but for the die hard audio fan this will surely be something you’ll want to look into. Essentially as the magnet delivers the sound the airwaves make their way out of the open design but it usually manages to find its way back around. The new magnet, along with the angled cup design allows for a flow that will direct this away from the cups and therefor give a better audio experience with less turbulence or distortion. In case you were wondering about the design of the cups, they are also designed all around the flow of air and soundwaves to keep things clean, clear, and crisp.

Enjoy a few photos below and hopefully we’ll have one in for review soon.

The exterior muffs have touch sensitive panels to help regulate sound volume and power. It is also said to have an easy connection through NFC (Near Field Communication). Whether this is to provide better stereo quality sound or to just connect to your device – no other headphones are currently equipped with NFC.

Bluetooth audio streaming is also available, and will likely be the primary wireless connection. Though, a 3.5mm analogue line-in is available. Automatic sound activation through a built in motion detection sensor is also obvious innovation from a pair of headphones. Though they haven’t officially priced the ZIK, its sound quality was superb – and could easily retail for $399.

The “cans” hermetically seal your earlobes in on each side, then fill the in your earlobes with silicone to create a sealed earbud. The uses a medical-grade bladder to keep the material sealed inside you ears and the mechanism, with the cans holding the pumps for each ear. The process takes about five minutes, after which you’ve got a pair of awesome earbuds literally made just for you.

Sonomax SonoFit Custom DIY Eers fitting Video

The system allows allow for high-quality custom headphones to be sold directly at retail locations, without waiting weeks or months for a custom fitting. The PCS-100 and PCS-200 models are $200 and $300 in Canadian currency, and can be bought from Sonomax’s web store or retail partners.

The company reckons that’s handy for those using the EHS-63 headphones while exercising, so that you can avoid getting run over while out jogging. They also have super-clingy silicone earbuds that promise to stay in your ears even if you’re really pushing hard.

The EHS-70 “Massive Sound” and EHS-71 “Refined Sound” claim to do exactly what the names indicate, with the former having Dynamic Receiver Speakers clad in full aluminum alloy casings and finished in black and silver. They have anti-tangle cords and come with a leather carrying pouch. Finally, for the wired models, the EHS-71 also uses aluminum, but prioritizes noise isolation from the outside world.

As for the Bluetooth models, the Samsung HM1800 has simultaneous MultiPoint pairing to two devices, and has noise reduction too. The HM6000 has a more refined design and isolat dual-microphone noise cancellation from Samsung’s labs; paired with the Samsung FreeSync app for Android it can be used for voice dictation too.

The Samsung EHS-60 and EHS-63 are available now, priced at $19.99,  $49.99 and $39.99 respectively. The EHS-70 and EHS-71 will follow on in February, priced at $79.99, $129.99 and $79.99 respectively.

What you’re going to experience here has been described by musician Pharrell Williams as “like legal drugs with no side effects” and been summed up by Zimmer as “an amazing immersive Soundtrack for your life.” Essentially it’s sounds all around you that you’re going to have to grab and touch without seeing. A game like this has never been truly accomplished in such a way, and with the team they’ve got working on this project, you know you’re in for a treat. Have a peek at this teaser trailer first:

What you’re hearing and seeing there is the woman in the video speaking and hearing her voice being augmented and played back instantly. This is part of the experience you’re going to get when you play the game with headphones and your mic turned on, exploring the sonic landscape as you allow Dimensions to dunk you in ears first. This entire project is being powered by the open source visual development environment Pure Data. So much code for so few sounds at the surface – there’s much more depth here than what meets the eye, if you catch my meaning. Download the app from the iTunes Appstore now.

These are far from budget headphones with a price of $349.95. They are offered in red, blue, green, orange, pink, purple, and silver in addition to the normal black and white versions already on the market. The large over the ear headphones promise comfort and high-end studio quality sound. The headphones will have the same features as the standard colors.

The features include the 1/8″ to 1/4″ adapter, Monster iSoniTalk cable for the iPhone, Blackberry, and other music phones. The headphones have powered sound isolation tech that runs off a pair of AAA batteries. The headphones also come with a carry case and a cleaning cloth. The Beats audio name has been tied to a bunch of computers and smartphones recently. One of the smartphones is the HTC Sensation XE we talked about back in September. Check out the commercial for the colored headphones below.

You’ve got a basic 3.5mm stereo plug to start with here – plug them in to any of the thousands and millions of devices you’d normally plug your headphones in to. The cord your plugging in is fabric covered and 120cm / 47-inches long – tangle resistant, of course. The frequency response of these magical beasts is 20Hz to 20kHz, and you’ll be blasting your eardrums out at a sensitivity of up to 115dB. All your everyday devices will work fine with these phones, but know that you’ll be able to go up to a max input power of 40mW if you find the need.

You’ve got a massive collection of colors on the line, from Tomato to Mocca to Indigo to Mustard, and now you’ve got the most excellent of them all: quilted black. Or Black Quilted as they say, and this edition just costs $20 USD more than the rest of the line. Head over to Urbanears online store to pick up a pair right this second, and make sure you take a peek at the close-up pics below to see what you’re getting into.

What you’re going to get here with the SYNC by 50 are a pair of custom-acoustically tuned headphones that are able to deliver what the team at SMS by 50 call non-compressed CD-quality audio. Inside is Kleer technology offering you 16-bit digital sound as well as long batter life, low to no interference and next to no feedback. Both SYNC and STREET have undeniably high-quality audio blasting through the earpieces, but the Kleer makes that sound work with no wires.

The SYNC by 50 phones have 40mm drivers and are tuned to bring nothing but the best, and with its included 3.5mm wireless transmitter boasting a 50-foot range, you can walk around your house like a maniac with noone else the wiser. With Kleer technology you’ll also be able to have up to four listeners with their own SYNC headphones listening to the same source at the same time. I can’t imagine a use for that feature, but it sounds fun!

There’s an “S” indicator light on the phones to show you when you’re all synced up and ready to listen wirelessly, and you’ve got 17 hours of battery life in these mothers so you don’t have to worry about stopping in the middle of an album. SYNC comes in two colors, Shadow Black and Ghost White, and each pair have memory-foam cushions wrapped in leather to keep your head comfortable while you jam. Adaptors, wireless transmitter, hard-shell carrying case, micro USB charging cable, and wired microphone cable are also included.

Both headphone sets are available right this moment for pre-order and they’ve got, again, an ESTIMATED ship date of December 5th. If you need these for holiday gifts, I suggest you act quickly. Prices on these phones are MSRP of $399.95 for the SYNC and $299.95 for the STREET and you can pick them up over at SMSby50.com right this second. Then get to waiting by downloading a bunch of 50′s albums from the Android Market.

The headphones will be launched “soon” and are far from cheap with a price of $399.95. The website is up and offering a bit of detail on the headphones including some pics. Beats says the Executive headphones are high definition and they have a premium design. They appear to be clad in leather and have brushed aluminum accents.

Beats promises deep bass and sound quality that allows you to hear the music just as the artist intended. Beats Executive also have noise cancellation to block out external sounds and an automatic turn off feature to save the battery life. With batteries inside the noise cancellation would be active, though that isn’t specified in the teaser material. We will keep an ear open for more details on a specific launch date.

The new Custom Series in-ear monitors are custom handcrafted from “advanced, medical-grade silicone that is extremely soft”. The silicone will naturally adapt to a listener’s body temperature, and allow it to form a flexible yet uniform seal that guarantees comfort for long listening durations and also passively isolates noise up to -27db. All three new models have a impressive frequency response range of 16Hz ~ 20KHz, which will will insure the highest fidelity and quality out of any audio experience, be it music, movies, games, or sound engineering.

Availability for the Altec Lansing by ACS Custom Series In-Ear Monitors begins this month (November). Pricing goes like this; the triple-driver armature A3 will be $999.95, while the A2 (dual driver) and A1 (single-driver) models will have a suggested retail price of $749.95 and $499.95, respectively. So go ahead and schedule that appointment with your audiologist, since these custom monitors are going to start selling very, very soon. And it’ll be interesting to see how these stack up against the increasingly popular Beats by Dr. Dre line, especially since Beats is working with smartphone maker HTC now.

[via Altec Lansing]

Inside the microphone and remote on these bad boys theres a proprietary chip that’ll let you, the user, navigate your iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad with ease. The remote is located inside the FX cord and will let you flip through tracks, play, pause, and pick up a telephone call, no troubles. For the MINOR there’s a brand new technology called EarClick that’ll secure the earphone in your ear, and there’s a set of interchangeable earpads that’ll be able to fit perfectly in YOUR oddly shaped ear. The MAJOR comes with a 6.3mm jack adapter so you’ll be able to pop em into your guitar amp as well as your iDevices OR any other 3.5mm headphone jack, of course.

Have a peek at the charts here to see some rather nicely designed layout showing the specifications and extra features found in both sets of ear blasters. Note that both pairs, MAJOR and MINOR come with a one year premium replacement warranty, that meaning if anything busts, you’re set with Marshall. Also have a peek at the gallery below to see some close-up photos of the pairs, and either head down to your Apple store or go straight to Marshallheadphones.com to pick them up now.

MAJOR FX over-year headphones are $140.00 USD
MINOR FX in-ear earbuds are $80.00 USD

OR, at Apple.com,

MAJOR FX over-year headphones are $129.95 USD
MINOR FX in-ear earbuds are $64.95 USD

The Diablo amp is a limited edition device that is very small and has no power cap. The original Diablo had a power cap for use with ear buds. The downside to no power cap for ear bud wearers is that the limited edition amp can break ear buds with too much power. The device also claims that it can improve the battery life of mobile media devices by as much as 50%.

The amp has a machined volume knob and a metallic red casing with LED charge indicator light. It has an internal rechargeable battery good for up to 20 hours per charge and charges via USB. The amp also has dual output so you can share the music with two people. The device will sell for $99 and will ship on November 25.

Specifications of the new headphones haven’t been revealed, but we’ll update as soon as we know more. Nokia has both wired and wireless options, some using NFC to automatically pair the Bluetooth connection.

Pricing and availability is yet to be confirmed.

The OE2i version has an inline remote and mic that allow you to make and receive calls with the iPhone and control tracks on iPods. The OE2 headphones have a standard audio cable for connecting to any device. Both models use the Bose TriPort design for better sound. The ear cups are tuned to give the audio a balanced and natural sound.

The headphones are designed naturally for improves bass so there is no mechanical bass booster. The ear cushions are made from memory foam and conform to the user’s ear for comfort. Neither of the earphones has noise cancellation tech inside. The OE2 sell for $149.95 and the OE2i sell for $179.95 and come in black or white colors.

The leaked ads are snazzy in bright magenta with Nokia’s blue graphics getting vandalized by Monster graffiti. Instead of the tame Nokia and its “fabulous” headset, thanks to a partnership with Monster, you’re getting a “fierce” new headset. They definitely convey the vibe that Monster is making good old Nokia more “cool.”

It’s not clear whether the partnership will pan out to be an exclusive deal like HTC’s Beats deal, but more details will likely be unveiled at the upcoming Nokia World event later this month, where the company is expected to launch its much rumored Windows Phone 7.5 Mango handsets. Rumors have suggested three new handsets from the company, including the Nokia Sea Ray, Sabre, and the Ace.

[via PocketNow]

The over-ear model features 40mm drivers with precision-wound copper voice coils and rare-earth neodymium magnets. The ear pads are made from memory foam that conforms to each user’s ears when warmed. The headphone can also fold to fit into a travel pouch and they come with two gold-plated audio cables, a case, a gold-plated 3.5mm quarter-inch adapter, a computer adapter, and a clothing clip.

The earbud model features a bi-hybrid motor structure with a 10.7mm dynamic driver for low frequency reproduction and 6.3mm balanced armature drivers for mid and high frequencies. The soft ear cushions are made with hypoallergenic silicone.

Available now, both models come in either white or black and are iPod/iPhone-certified. Beyond listening to music, you can also answer and end calls, skip tracks, and adjust volume thanks to Scosche’s tapLINE III control surface and mic. The over-ear model is priced at $230, while the in-ear model is $250. For more details, visit the product page here.

[via iPodNN]

The Beats Wireless headphone uses Bluetooth and can be used for both listening to music or answering phone calls. The right ear muff has all the music and call controls, including for volume control, play, pause, forward, back, and call answering. The headphone also features a rechargeable battery.

This sounds like it will work perfectly with upcoming handsets from HTC, which has recently secured an exclusive deal with Beats Audio after a $300 million investment. This exclusivity is for smartphones only, but will certainly give HTC an edge in the competitive Android market by adding that extra “cool” factor and tapping into the popular music scene.

[via Wireless Goodness]

One of the more interesting points Karnes lets us know is that the point at which deterioration of hearing in this high school age started in a real way to deteriorate was right around 2004. It’s no coincidence that this is the same year that the iPod was first released. Karnes goes on to note that because of the now-norm activities of digital music players, laptop video watching, video chatting, and the list goes on, the close monitoring of safety standards in earphones and earbuds should be much more of a priority than it is today – one thing Karnes notes that’s again alarming is that this unmonitored audio listening at unmonitored loudness exceed all too often the safety standards for even industrial sound levels.

To solve this problem, or at least take a swing at it, is a set of earbuds make specifically for children (though adults can wear them too,) which limit the volume output blasted through the speakers.

What this means is that no matter which device you’re plugging your earbuds into, you’ll be listening to the audio as the same listening level. This set of buds is an electrical device which does not affect the frequency response of any products that are currently on the market, still having a what Karnes describes as a great dynamic range, and superior noise isolating. There’s a triple flange, four different ear tips being available for a large range of ear sizes – AND if you want your whole ear filled, noise isolation means you’ll want to perhaps turn your volume DOWN because “you’re not competing with the outside world.”

No batteries are required, this component device again working with any device with audio output on the market today, and they’ll be shipping to US, UK, and Euro retailers on the 20th of October, 2011. Dixons, Amazon.com, HMB, are amongst the places you can get them at launch and they’ll be right around $49 USD right out of the gate. That price is for the Earphone-only ETY•Kids5, then there’s the ETY•Kids3 Headset + Earphones set for $79 with 3-button Apple control.

Sound nice to you? The ETY•Kids project is currently housed at http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/etykids.html

You might think at first that this is a set of BT headphones. The HS-905 BT does come with a set of headphones, but those headphones are wired. The HS-905 BT is a BT receiver that will also act as a transceiver to all output devices. That means you can use it to shoot wireless sound via BT to anything from your home theater to your headphones. It also has an integrated mic to allow the answering of phone calls on a music phone and controls for volume and more.

The device can stream music for up to six hours per charge and will last on standby for up to 165 hours on a single charge. Charging is done by USB microUSB cable and takes about two hours. The included headphones have 10mm drivers, 20Hz-20KHz with an impedance of 16ohm. You can plug any 3.5mm device into the HS-905 BT.

As you expect with an inline remote the S4A remote can control call answer and end, redial, and the mic can be muted. For music the remote controls pause/play, track forward/rewind, volume, and they are designed to block noise. The ear tips are designed to fill the ear and block noise as well as keep the sound in your ear.

The remote and mic also support voice searching and voice commands. The app required for the mic to work only supports Android 2.1 and later devices. The headphones sell for $99 and come with a carry case and multiple ear tips. You can pre-order now for $99.99 with an unspecified shipping date.

[via Android Community]

The Crossfade M-80 features a patent-pending pure sound technology that uses 40mm Dual-Diaphragm Drivers to deliver multi-driver sound with the energy efficiency and quality consistency of a single driver. Hence, no batteries or artificial sound processing is needed to produce a pure balanced sound. The memory cushions are designed to provide the best balance of sound isolation, staging, and ergonomics.

Interchangeable custom shields for the M-80 will be coming soon to allow you to customize the stylish headphone, which is built with military-grade durability, using a lightweight steel construction and Kevlar reinforced cables. The Crossfade M-80 is available now for $230.

[via V-Moda]

Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Beats by Dr. Dre and chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, spoke very highly of HTC and the way their business is run. In particular, Iovine noted that he saw Apple and the way they work, noting that it was because they had a head in Steve Jobs, and saw that same strength in HTC with its head Peter Chou. Iovine also pumped up his own brand noting that in the three years that Beats has been a brand, headphone sales in the USA have quadrupled in sales in ages between 12 and 24 years, all due to Beats.

The point Iovine seemed to want to drive home the most was that in order for the music industry to “get back on it’s feet,” music would have to transfer to the phone, and that people would only accept this transfer if the audio quality was A+. Iovine drove this point home by noting that HP sales have been “remarkable” since the addition of Beats Audio to their hardware, this creating a situation where people have a choice between Apple, PC, and HP, instead of HP just falling into the HP fold.

NOTE: it appears that even though this is an exclusive deal for smartphones, Beats will continue to seek out tablets, as the HP TouchPad already has Beats audio integrated.

HTC’s CEO Peter Chou noted several times that the amazing audio offered by Beats is key for the full mobile experience. Chou said that it’s not only the sound, but the culture that goes with the Beats brand that HTC sees as valuable. This, Chou said, would help to continue to differentiate HTC from the rest of the smartphone market.

Chou noted that this was going to be a holistic experience, not just in headphones, but in the smartphones themselves. This leads us to believe that the actual speaker systems, not just the headphone audio, may be enhanced in all HTC devices in the future. When asked then why HTC decided to “buy Beats rather than license it,” Chou noted that they didn’t actually BUY Beats, they invested in it for $300 million USD, creating an environment where everyone can continue to license Beats for their devices (other than smartphones, of course) rather than just HTC.

Iovine commented on the exclusive deal with smartphones, on the other hand, noting that they now had an “exclusive relationship with HTC on phones because that’s where the play is.” This, Iovine noted, was the next step in Beats’ mission to fix digital music everywhere, noting that we’ll certainly see very large companies across the board upgrading their sound systems because of what Beats has done for the record industry and for electronics as a whole.

Finally there was a question on when Dr. Dre’s new album Detox would be released, to which Iovine said he didn’t have a date but did note that Detox headphones were already out.

Dre!

Drop Detox!

HTC announced just today that they have a “major announcement” set for tomorrow morning and we all wont want to miss it — could this be the major announcement that was slated for early tomorrow? When we first heard about HTC’s plans we were quick to start judging what it could be. From something like the HTC Puccini to even the next major Android or WP7 phone from the Taiwanese company. New details are slowly leaking out and it appears HTC and Beats have been working together for a little while now and are just going public.

HTC and Beats have been working together to create superior mobile audio experiences for consumers, which will result in a line of HTC devices integrated with Beats sound innovations, available this fall.

I don’t know about you guys but I was expecting something a lot bigger. Then again $300 million is pretty major if you ask me. HTC CEO Peter Chou will be doing a live teleconference for the announcement early tomorrow morning so we should be finding out the details on everything then. This partnership with Beats Audio might be only smartphone related but we could also see HTC build an Android powered MP3 player to rival the iPod. With the help of Beats Audio Electronics HTC aims to bring high performance sound to the smartphone market.

All the details are still coming in so we will be sure to update this story when we hear more. From initial reports we should be seeing HTC devices with Beats powered audio as soon as this fall.

RHA is the audio arm of the Reid and Heath Group, a Glasgow, UK based headphones start-up. The promise is pro-grade audio with affordable price tags, and indeed the three models that have graced the SlashGear test bench all come in at under £50/$82.

RHA SA-850

The SA-850 headphones sit at the top of RHA’s new range, though at £49.95 ($82) they’re an affordable flagship. The company has spared no hyperbole, as you’d expect, and so they get 40mm titanium-coated mylar drivers with neodymium magnets and CCAW coils, adding up to a 16-22,000Hz frequency range, 113dB sensitivity and 32ohms impedance.

The earcups themselves are compact but eye-catching, thanks to gloss-finish casings, chrome mounts – within which they rotate but don’t swivel – and a leather-effect headband that has ben liberally stitched as though the seats on a classic sportscar. RHA has finished things off with a detachable, fabric-braided 1.2m cable (with gold connectors) that does an excellent job of avoiding tangles and is easy to unknot.

Unfortunately, despite the rotating earcups, we had some problems getting an entirely comfortable fit. Although there’s plenty of scope to twist them down, the earcups simply wouldn’t rotate upward as far as we’d have liked, because of the – seemingly intentional – design of the hinge itself. That left the headphones failing to sit evenly on our ears, and proved somewhat uncomfortable after extended use. If you have a broader head you probably won’t have the same issue, though we wouldn’t say we were unnaturally narrow-faced.

It’s a shame, because with a decent fit the SA-850 produce a solid sound, despite the price tag. Bass is thoroughly evident and sturdy, managing a powerful thump without losing definition, while the mids and top end are clean and reasonably crisp. We might be tempted to up our budget if we listened primarily to vocal or string-heavy tracks, seeing as the SA-850′s lack a little of the sparkle more expensive cans manage, but there’s a healthy dollop of twang from electric guitars and dance or rock aficionados will find plenty to please them.

RHA SA-500

The SA-500′s slot into the middle of RHA’s traditional headphone range (the SA-200 are the entry-level model, which we didn’t have to review) but, at £34.95 ($57), they’re priced more like budget cans from rival firms. At first glance they’re very similar to the SA-850 set, but closer examination shows the glossy earcup covers have been replaced with matte, the chrome trim is missing and the headband is more discrete without the stitched quilting pattern.

40mm mylar drivers are used, as in the more expensive set, but they lose out on the titanium coating. Perhaps more worrying to the bass-heads among us, the frequency range has been curtailed somewhat, spanning 20-20,000Hz. You still get the fabric-braided cable, however, and the somewhat frustrating earcup design that lacks swivel exactly where we’d like it.

The shortened bottom end has little impact on what are still some bass-friendly headphones, with the SA-500′s still more than capable of drilling through your ears with a slap of well-timed lower frequencies. In side-by-side comparison with the SA-850′s a little muddying of the mid-range becomes apparently – those twangy guitars lose a little of their definition and luster – but altogether they’re still miles ahead of the dreary bundled headphones most PMPs are supplied with.

RHA MA-350

RHA only has a single set of in-ear earphones in its range, but don’t assume they’re an afterthought. The distinctive shape – which reminds us a little of a B&O speaker, with its arching aluminum cone – is apparently based upon “the aerophonic design of a trumpet’s bell” while the fabric-braided (non-detachable) cable and gold-plated connectors are carried over from the headphone line.

You get a fair amount for your £29.95 ($49): the earphones, a soft carry case for them, and three sizes of silicone tip to suit different scales of ear. The latter may not be bristling in flanges and moldings like some tips we’ve seen, but they slot into the ear and grip with no issues, even while jogging.

Given the price, we were cautious of expecting too much from the MA-350′s; happily the cut-price earphones proved us wrong. We’re not sure whether the trumpet-styling adds to it, but the sound has a decent slug of bass that undercuts a full-bodied midrange and some neatly crisp treble. Pitted against more expensive in-ear options and the RHA’s understandably come off worse, but what’s impressive is how well the sound from the MA-350′s sits together. It’s a very natural, listenable audio, without any of the imbalance that could end up showing up shortcomings elsewhere.

Wrap-Up

We’ve been stung before by low-price headphones that promise the world but deliver audio that sounds like it’s been delivered through an echoey bucket. Happily, the RHA trio go a long way in restoring our faith. Budget needn’t mean uninspiring and, when judged against the sticker price on any of the three models, it’s tough not to be impressed by what music they can produce.

Our lingering concern about the SA-850 and SA-500 headphones is in the fit, not the function. Obviously that’s a subjective element; if you can try them on before you buy, we’d recommend it. Ironically the cheapest model, the MA-350, is perhaps the most successful when you take into account how little is being asked for them.

The budget headphone segment is a hotly contested one, difficult to break into when Sennheiser, Sony and others have huge economy of scale and coveted shelf space at retailers. What’s clear, though, is that there’s a big improvement to be had by upgrading the bundled earphones that come with a new phone or iPod with a set of aftermarket alternatives. Fit quibbles aside, each of the RHA options offer a significant step up in musicality for the equivalent of a couple of albums (if, that is, anybody still buys those).

This isn’t the first time we’ve come in contact with the Ludacris in audio situation, the first time being WAY back in 2009 when Chris Davies interviewed the rapper / producer / actor as he sat beside Monster’s Noel Lee. At the time they’d been speaking about “possible” projects. Now we’re talking about Ludacris matching up with Soul Electronics, completely separate group, to create these lovely noise-canceling headphones in several color combinations.

The fact that Ludacris recently starred in the newest installment of the Fast and the Furious series of car-racing movies is not to be mistaken for the five-model-lineup this SOUL by Ludacris headphone extravaganza is turning into. The SL300s are only the tip of the iceberg, there’s still the High Definition On-Ear models SL150 and SL100, and the SL99 and SL49 High Definition In-Ear headphones to come! This entier line will and does contain pro-voiced sound technology with “advanced circutry and drivers” designed by a team of engineers who have also reportedly “developed some of the most notable acoustic breakthroughs in the audio industry.

Also note, since it’s the most awesome feature ever, all modes feature gold-plated connectors for seamless signal transfer. The SL300 models are now available nationwide at Apple.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Headphones.com, Brookstone, Buy.com, Bobizzo.com, AAFES, InMotion, MacMall, Microsoft Store, Huppin’s OneCall, Ovation and Vann’s and are going to run you approximately $299.

The outside of the converter is covered in 24K gold plating making it shiny and cool to look at. The device also has a Swarovski crystal on the volume knob to mark the pointer for volume level. The adapter has an analog RVA output, digital coaxial output, and a 3.5mm headphone output. It measures in at 2.68” x 1.50” x .82”.

The circuit board inside the device is enhanced using a cryogenic process. It has a double jitter reduction mechanism at data level and an oversampling filter stage. It also sports a 2V output and has analog volume control. It uses no capacitors in any of the audio signal paths. The device is powered completely by the USB port on your computer and is available right now for $399.

The new Revamp headphones are in-ear style and they have a universal one-button mic that will work with the iPhone, Android, and other smartphones that use a 3.5mm port. The single button should allow you to control your music and answer phone calls too. The earphones also use V-Moda Active Flex detachable sport ear hooks.

Those earhooks will help keep the earphones in your ear when you are active. V-Moda uses the soft and snug fitting BLISS 2.0 ear tips to block outside noise. The Revamp ships with four different sizes to fit just about anyone. The Revamp headphones will normally sell for $120, but they will go for $99.99 during the fourth season of True Blood.