Audio/MP3

Get a Vizio sound bar and wireless subwoofer for $109.77

I've written many times about the merits of augmenting your TV's crummy built-in speakers with an external sound system. Even if you add lower-end speakers, the difference is night and day.

I've also written many times about Vizio's sound bar, which has sold for as low as $50 (refurbished). It's pretty good on its own, but if you really want to kick your TV sound system up a notch, you need a subwoofer.

Today only, and while supplies last, JustDeals has the refurbished Vizio VHT210 sound bar and wireless subwoofer for $109.77 shipped. That'… Read more

Get a refurbished iPod Touch 8GB for $139.99

The iPhone and iPad get all the ink nowadays, but I think the iPod Touch is one of the single greatest gadgets ever built. It does nearly everything an iPhone can, but with a thinner form factor and without the monthly fees.

Today only, and while supplies last, Woot Sellout has the refurbished current-generation iPod Touch 8GB for $139.99, plus $5 for shipping. I'm pretty sure that's the lowest price I've seen on this model.

Update: Wow, my batting average is a disaster this week. Woot has already sold out. My apologies, cheeps.

Update No. 2: … Read more

Why do musicians have lousy hi-fis?

I know it doesn't make sense, but it's true: most musicians don't have good hi-fis.

To be fair, most musicians don't have hi-fis at all, because like most people musicians listen in their cars, on computers, or with cheap headphones. Musicians don't have turntables, CD players, stereo amplifiers, and speakers. Granted, most musicians aren't rich, so they're more likely to invest whatever available cash they have in buying instruments. That's understandable, but since they so rarely hear music over a decent system they're pretty clueless about the sound of their recordings.… Read more

Get an Altec Lansing Octiv Duo speaker dock for $34.99

Speaker docks rock. They not only amplify your playlists and Pandora stations, but also power and recharge your docked device at the same time.

In my house, where pretty much everyone owns an iPhone or iPod Touch, that dock is in constant demand -- mostly for charging purposes. That's why I'm enamored with today's deal, which supplies two, two, two docks in one product.

While supplies last, Ben's Outlet has the Altec Lansing Octiv Duo speaker system for $34.99 shipped. It's new, not refurbished, and it originally sold for $99.

True to its name, … Read more

My speakers can beat up your iPhone

The day the iPhone 5 goes on sale, millions of people will happily line up to buy Apple's latest marvel. How could they resist? What with the temptations of the iPhone 5's rumored smaller 19-pin dock connector, in-cell technology that enables the screen's touch sensors and LCD to be consolidated into a single layer, global LTE networks, and oodles of other goodies, it's no wonder Americans on average replace their cell phones every 21.7 months. Computers, digital cameras, tablets, and other gizmos have somewhat longer useful lives, but their owners never develop long-term, decade or … Read more

The best in-ear headphone in the world: The FitEar ToGo 334

All of the best sounding in-ear headphones I've tested over the years have been custom-molded to my ears models. Prices vary, but the $399 UE-4 was the least expensive, and most of the top-of-the-line models are more than $1,000. Those prices don't include the fee the audiologist charges to make molds of your ear canals, and the fees add $100 to the price of the headphones. Customs ensure a perfect fit, and the best isolation from external noise. Plus they can't fall out of your ears,

The FitEar ToGo 334 in-ear headphone is made in Japan … Read more

Can a tiny $39 amp make your headphones sound a lot better?

Some "portable" headphone amplifiers aren't all that small, but the Firestone Audio Fireye Mini is downright tiny.

It's just 1.5 inches by 1 inch by 0.5 inch, and the soft-rubber-shelled amp weighs almost nothing, so you can hang it off your iPod, iPad, iPhone or any device with a 3.5mm headphone output. Plugging in a headphone turns the Mini on and lights a bright blue LED, unplugging turns the amp off. Charge the Mini via the USB connection and it'll play for up to 24 hours. It's available in green, gray, purple, red, and white.

The Mini is no giant-killer, but it definitely bumped up the detail and resolution of my Monster Turbine Copper, Ultimate Ears UE-4, and vPulse in-ear headphones.… Read more

CNET Exclusive: 50 percent off a pocket-size speaker with big sound

Liza Maloy isn't a CNET editor, but she has a pretty fun job: She's the CNET Marketplace associate partnership manager, which means she hunts high and low for tech bargains to bring to the CNET audience. Each week, she blogs about deep discounts she brokers. Whenever she can, she gets discounts on products CNET Editors love.

Always on the hunt for exciting new Exclusive deals, a few weeks back I spent some time at the CEA line shows in New York. There I made friends with the Matrix Audio team and fell for their ONE speaker line. These … Read more

The Audiophiliac picks 11 of the world's best headphones

The great thing about headphones is that you can, with a bit of effort, find great-sounding models in every price range. True, the best expensive models definitely sound better, but my picks for the cheapest ones are still pretty awesome. In fact, the $89 Velodyne vPulse headphones are the ones I regularly used long after I wrote the review! There was something about the sound of the vPulse that had me coming back for more. I cover audiophile, in-ear, full-size, wireless, and noise-canceling headphones, and prices run from dirt-cheap to insanely expensive.