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CES 2009: Gaming wrap-up
It's no secret that gaming's presence at CES can barely be felt, but we were lucky enough to find some diamonds in the rough, including a few that made us want to phone a lawyer.
While there was no new gaming software to be found, there was a respectable amount of gaming hardware and accessories that stole our attention. Nyko stood out with the company's Wand and Kama Charge Kit and Mad Catz showed off Street Fighter IV-branded FightPads and FightSticks. We were wowed by the Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision, but unfortunately getting it all set up … Read more
Psyko 5.1 headset puts speakers where they've never been before
We've seen our fair share of surround-sound headphones, but the Psyko 5.1 PC gaming headset goes about it in a unique way. Instead of loading separate audio channels in each ear cup, the Psyko 5.1 places them on the unit's headband and it's the ear cups that house the actual subwoofers.
With the speakers located on the top of your head, the Psyko 5.1 relies on the strategic positioning of the channels in the headband to create the surround sound effect. Currently the Psyko 5.1 is only available for PC, but the company … Read more
No encryption capabilities here
Oddly placed under the Encryption Software category, this app merely serves to restrict common resource settings. With an easily navigated file tree-style interface, Security Officer for Windows does make it easy to set the restrictions. The program's Help file may explain the program's functions to experienced users, but it does nothing to explain the consequences of the restrictions. This is use-at-your-own-risk software.
Each user set up on the system gets a tree of restriction categories, and you merely need to open the category to see a list of restriction check boxes. Users can scroll through shell restrictions, control … Read more
Eleven years later, 'Zaireeka' is within reach
In 1997, when the Flaming Lips released Zaireeka, I'd been following the antics of their leader Wayne Coyne pretty closely.
His Boombox Experiment, which involved 40 boomboxes and an equal number of nearly identical cassettes, was a great demonstration of how music is an actual physical presence in a room. As an audience member walked among the boomboxes, the sound changed. That's the power of acoustics, which is often ignored by gear freaks but is absolutely critical in everything from recording to live performance to setting up your home stereo correctly.
Zaireeka--the word is a combination of "… Read more
Energy RC-Micro 5.1: Small speakers, big sound
"The bigger the speaker, the better the sound" is a rule of thumb that you're likely to hear from many audiophiles. Thankfully, every rule has an exception. In this case, it's the Energy RC-Micro 5.1. Energy's latest surround-sound speaker system sports downright miniscule dimensions--the satellite speakers are a mere 4.7 inches high--but they deliver the sort of sound you'd expect from much larger speakers. Among the highlights were the $1,000 system's ability to blend seamlessly between the tiny satellite speakers and the 8-inch subwoofer. While the system's size does … Read more
Two new headphones from Acoustic Research hit this fall
Acoustic Research announced two new specialty headphones models on Friday: a 5.1 USB solution and wireless headphones that offer uncompressed sound quality up to 100 feet.
The ARW200 5.1 Dolby Digital headphones connect to any PC or Mac via an open USB port and provide you with three separate speakers in each ear. The headphones also fold up in an included travel bag for 5.1 on the go. Also included is optional software should you want to save your personal treble and bass settings. Retailing for $100, the ARW200 are available now. We recently took a look … Read more
80: Driving (and savoring) the BMW M6!
Nissan cars may soon brake to keep you out of trouble
New Alpine GPS device looks like all the rest
Edmunds finds U.S. fascination with fuel efficient cars may be short-lived.
Does surround sound audio have a future?
Surround sound is a no-brainer for movies and games--it helps you forget you're watching a two-dimensional screen, and immerses you in the action. Movie theaters have been incorporating it for well over a decade, and sound designers for games assume a 5.1 system.
But for music, surround sound faces a number of barriers. Listeners need new equipment--speakers, a 5.1-capable amp, and a player capable of playing either SACD or DVD-Audio discs. (DVD-Audio discs can be played in traditional DVD players, so home theater owners who've already set up their systems for surround sound can hear a … Read more
Vizio rolls out an HTIB with a wireless subwoofer
Most people love surround sound, but can't stand all the messy wires required to make it work. Vizio's new Jive SV5.1 Enhancement kit attempts to solve that problem with a wireless subwoofer that's placed in the back of the room and feeds two rear speakers--eliminating the need to run wires from the front of your home theater to the back. The Jive SV5.1 integrates with your current stereo TV speakers, adding a center channel in the front, and the aforementioned wireless subwoofer and rear speakers in the back. While that's great in terms of … Read more
