When we reviewed the Sleek Audio SA6 earphones last October, there was no disguising how positively we felt about the customizable in-ear monitors. So, when Sleek told us that we could expect the same and more from their custom-molded earphones, the freshly-rebranded CT6 Customs, and offered to fit us for them while at CES back in January, we couldn’t resist trying them out. It’s been a while since our SA CT6 Customs arrived; have they lived up to expectations?
As busy weeks go, this one has certainly been something to write home about (or at least a Week in Review about), with CeBIT, PMA and an Apple mega-announcement all taking place. ASUS arguably stole the former show in Germany, with the Eee PC 1008HA “Shell” once again proving that netbooks needn’t be the ugly cousins to expensive ultraportable notebooks. For our full CeBIT 2009 coverage, hit the tag.
All the way back at CES 2009, Vincent and I squirmed in our seats as Sleek Audio shot bright pink gunk into our ears. It was all in the name of high-quality sound, as from those ear-canal molds the company then made us each a pair of their Custom earphones. It’s too early for the full review, but for now here’s some first-impressions and the all-important unboxing video.
Unboxing video after the cut
Things are traditionally quiet in the tech world the week following CES, but we’ve seen our fair share of intrigue over the past seven days. Biggest news, in terms of share impact at least, is Steve Jobs’ surprise leave-of-absence due to “health concerns”, which has managed to overshadow both the teased redsn0w iPod touch 2G Jailbreak and rumors that the upcoming Mac mini refresh will use NVIDIA’s Ion chipset.
In cellphones, it looks like the Helio Ocean 2 is almost ready to ship, but it could be too little, too late now that the Palm Pre is catching all the headlines. Latest Pre rumor is that Vodafone UK will be picking it up as an exclusive; for all the details on Palm’s new smartphone, check out this round-up post and then head over to Pre Community.
If you’ve spent any time here at SlashGear you’ll probably know that we’re big fans of Sleek Audio. We rated their SA6 in-ear monitor earphones highly, then their W-1 Kleer wireless adapter took a successful product and cut the cord. At CES last week we stopped by the Sleek stand to check out their Customs, individually made based on silicon moulds of your ears, for a perfect fit. At $300 they’re the current pinnacle of the Sleek Audio range; after the cut, we let the company fire gunk into our ears.
If the lossless wireless sound offered by Sleek Audio's W-1 adapter appeals, but your budget doesn't exactly stretch to the $320 the company asks for a set of SA6 earphones and the wireless system, DigiFi's Digital Opera earphones may fit the bill. First announced back in May, up until now the earphones had only been available in Korea; now, Kleer themselves are offering them - together with other products using their lossless technology - in the US.
Read The Full Story
SlashGear's Sleek Audio Giveaway ended last week, and we're pleased to announce the two winners. Taking first prize - a set of Sleek Audio's awesome SA6 in-ear monitor headphones and the company's W-1 Wireless Adapter - is SlashGear reader Jamaise Wilson. Taking second prize, a set of SA6 headphones, is Heather Creely. Many thanks to Sleek Audio for donating the prizes!
Remember, you can still win a Tokyoflash Radio Active Active Reactor watch - no longer available to buy - in our current giveaway, together with two runner-up prizes of any watch from the company’s current catalog. Head over to the competition to find out how to enter, but do it fast - the closing date is Monday 29th December!
Review of the week was ASUS’ Eee Top ET1602 touchscreen nettop, which proved itself quite capable of taking on any doubts over an Atom-based PC and throwing them out. It’s certainly left us excited about next-year’s models, which are meant to have bigger displays and improved media capabilities. Meanwhile we’re still playing with Nokia’s 5800 XpressMusic Tube; check out our first impressions.
It’s been a shorter working week what with Thanksgiving on Thursday, and much of the gadget news has been around what offers, bargains and discounts were on offer at cash-strapped retailers. SlashGear has done its bit to ease your present picking pickle, with the 2008 Holiday Gift Guide. We’ve also had reviews of Sony’s VAIO LV and VAIO RT all-in-one PCs; will you be lucky enough to find one of these monster media machines under your tree next month?
After our earpiphony back in October with Sleek Audio’s SA6 customizable earphones, we’ve been waiting eagerly for their wireless adapter. Created using Kleer lossless technology, unlike the Bluetooth A2DP profile there’s no unwanted compression involved; the range is meant to be better, too. Can the Sleek Audio Wireless W-1 setup live up to our great expectations?
Most anticipated news this week was the launch of the BlackBerry Storm on Verizon Wireless, RIM’s first touchscreen handset. If you’re at all considering the Storm then make sure to check out our two part super-review: part one is here, part two is here.
Meanwhile, Apple released firmware 2.2 for the iPhone, bringing with it Street View and over-the-air podcast downloads among other things. Check out the full details of the upgrade here. That release was followed in short order by QuickPwn for v2.2. What the new firmware didn’t include was MMS messaging, but that might be arriving sooner rather than later if Mobispine have their way.
When we tested Sleek Audio’s SA6 headphones back in October the one significant improvement we wished for was a wireless option. Of course, at the time we knew that Sleek had been working with Kleer on just such a solution; the Sleek Audio Wireless adapter arrived at SlashGear today, promising CD-quality audio, and while it’s too soon for a full review we wanted to share the unboxing video with you.
Unboxing video and gallery of the Sleek Audio Wireless adapter after the cut
