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MP3 Insider 184: Insert lyrics here (podcast)

This week, Donald and Jasmine discuss a monumental smackdown between the Beats Solo by Dr. Dre and the Bose On-Ear Headphones. OK, maybe not quite monumental, but it is certainly interesting. Of course, if you think we're going to reveal the outcome without making you suffer through all three judges' rantings on the matter, you're sorely mistaken. Also on tap for this week: Cowon trots out a new video player, V-Moda makes an appearance with some new iPhone-friendly headphones, and Real takes a huge, industry-changing beating from the MPAA-holes. Plus, what exactly do the MP3 Insiders think about keeping all our media in the cloud? Tune in to find out.

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The 404 Podcast 527: Where the sound is the thing

We have no idea what today's show title means, so we're happy to welcome Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg back on the show to spell it out for us. He's also here to officially kick off "The Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound" contest! Read Steve's blog on the contest here. Keep in mind that this is not "American Idol," so entries won't be judged by musical talent, but on the quality of the recording itself. This is your chance to prove your recording skills and promote your favorite unsigned band, so submit your entry on a CD and you'll be entered to win a pair of Monster Turbine Copper or Monster Turbine Gold in-ear headphones!

Click here for official rules and entry form (must complete and send along with CD). The contest ends on April 17, so good luck everyone!

The phrase "private Web browsing" has always been a bit of an oxymoron, but a new site called Have Your Friends Been There? threatens to broadcast your NSFW surfing to your closest friends and family. We're not exactly sure how it works, but the site works like this: you create a customized list of "naughty" Web sites, HYFBT generates a link that you can send to friends, and you wait for the results to come in, essentially catching your friends in the act. Think before you click on random URLs and don't forget to clear your history, people!

We've got plenty more to talk about in today's rundown, including a wrap-up of last night's spectacular hockey game, an update on the massive PSN meltdown and a segment we like to call, "What the hell did Justin do in his sleep last night?"

Finally, our hearts go out to the victims of the Chilean earthquake, and we urge all our listeners to join us in donating money to help. It's super easy; just text "Chile" to 25383 for Habitat for Humanity, 20222 for World Vision, 85944 for the International Medical Corp, or 52000 for the Salvation Army, and your $10 donation will automatically get added to your monthly phone bill.

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Enter the Audiophillie music contest for a chance at winning big prizes

There have always been good- and bad-sounding recordings, and advances in technology haven't really tilted the balance all that much, but they've changed the playing field. Musicians and bands no longer have to go into a high-priced studio to make a decent recording. If you fancy yourself as any kind of recording engineer here's your chance to strut your stuff.

The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound contest is hosted by The Audiophiliac and my friends Jeff Bakalar, Wilson Tang, and Justin Yu over at The 404 podcast. Winners will receive either a Monster Turbine Pro Gold or Pro Copper in-ear headphone, a review on this blog, and we'll play the winning songs on The 404. There will be six winners in all.

This isn't "American Idol"; we're not looking for the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, it's all about the recordings' sound quality.

I like natural-sounding recordings, ones that sound as realistic as possible. Voices should sound like voices, guitars like guitars, etc. You could record your tunes in your bedroom or basement; low-tech, uncompressed, unprocessed sound quality is a plus. Or make yours in a great-sounding space like a church, concert hall, or club.

I wouldn't rule out recordings made on an analog cassette deck (but the entry must be on CD). Or use a portable digital recorder like the Zoom H2. Or your laptop.

Point is, you don't need a lot of expensive gear to make a credible entry, just skill and knowledge of what good sound sounds like.

But I also love recordings that don't bear any relationship to reality. The creative use of effects and processing that take the sound to another level are just as welcome. Go nuts and push the boundaries. Make a sound I've never heard before.

Music categories range from rock, blues, folk, soul, jazz, acoustic, and world music.

The Audiophillie Awards, selected solely by the Audiophiliac, will be reviewed in the Audiophilac blog, and winners will receive (1) set of Monster Turbine Pro Gold or Pro Copper in-ear headphones. Approximate retail value is $399 for the Turbine Pro Copper, and $299 for the Turbine Pro Gold in-ear headphones. I'll review the winners here, and we'll play the winning songs on The 404.

To enter this contest you need to (PDF link) download, print, and complete the contest entry form, which you can also get it from The 404 .

Read the full contest rules to enter after the jump.… Read more

Crave giveaway of the week: HP Monster Digital PowerCenter 800G

To kick off its partnership with HP on a new line of cable and power conditioning products, Monster is offering up the HP Monster Digital PowerCenter 800G w/ Green Power in our Crave Giveaway of the week.

Like Belkin's Conserve surge protector, instead of having your electronics sit there in standby mode and each sip a little bit of power, the Digital PowerCenter 800G lets you completely shut down components so power drain is cut to zero (you plug your computer or other electronic device into the "GreenPower Control" outlets). At the same time, it leaves certain … Read more

Comparison test: Three Monster Turbine in-ear headphones

And now there are three Monster Turbine in-ear headphones: the original and still great Turbine ($180), Pro Gold ($300) and now Pro Copper ($400). Which one sounds the best?

From the outside the three Turbines' earpieces look the same, differing only in the plated color finish; the standard Turbine's look is, cosmetically at least, my favorite. Its black chrome is the most understated, the Pro Gold is finished in gold, and the new Pro Copper is, you guessed it, copper.

All three Turbine metal earpieces feel solid and sturdier than most in-ear headphones, and my fears that the metal construction would adversely affect comfort in the winter months turned out to be a false alarm.

The Turbines are also heavier than the other in-ear models I've tested, but overall comfort is average, and the generous assortment of eartips included with the Turbines go a long way to toward insuring the best possible eartip-to-ear-canal seal. Like every in-ear headphone I've ever used, if you don't get a proper seal sound quality suffers.

The Copper and Gold models come with two really nice travel pouches, and get this: a one-time, no-questions-asked replacement guarantee. So when you break them you automatically get a new one. Sweet!

But this report will focus on the sound differences between the three models. I still love the Turbine, it's a seriously powerful in-ear headphone, and in early 2009 it immediately became my reference, displacing my trusty old, and more expensive Etymotic ER-4 in-ear headphones. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1159: Wear clean underpants on the Internet

We discover that the Internet is just as dangerous as outside, which means you need to wear clean underwear. Natali also invents the IPADBJ?RN for all you iPad-wanters who need to use it hands-free. And we declare Donald Bell Emperor Pimp of portable entertainment devices.

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Top Stories

iiNet slays Hollywood in landmark piracycase http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/iinet-slays-hollywood-in-landmark-piracy-case-20100204-ndwr.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8498100.stm Meanwhile Italy goes in the opposite direction http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/02/italy-preparing-to-hold-youtube-others-liable-for-uploads.arsRead more

Monster buys Yahoo's HotJobs for $225 million

Yahoo has shed another property deemed expendable by CEO Carol Bartz, selling HotJobs to Monster for $225 million.

Part of the deal includes a provision that installs Monster as the exclusive provider of job ads on Yahoo's home page for three years in the U.S. and Canada, according to a joint press release. In addition, Yahoo will receive annual payments from Monster based on traffic metrics, allowing it to bank some job-search related revenue for a few years without having to actually run the operation.

"The sale of Yahoo HotJobs to Monster, and the three-year traffic agreement … Read more

Monster downloads

There's an abundance of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing clients these days, each boasting a combination of features designed to distinguish itself by making the bit torrent downloading experience easier or more complex, depending on how much control each user needs. Goforshare's Torrent Monster takes the more complex approach, offering a plethora of features and settings that give users an unusual degree of power and control over the searching and downloading processes on Gnutella, the largest P2P network. Its connection optimizer matches your download speed to your Internet connection bandwidth. Torrent Monster also has a sophisticated library manager and features … Read more

Wii Classic Controller Pro coming Stateside

We've been recommending that fans of the Wii Virtual Console take a look at the Nyko Wing for their old-school gaming needs, but come April we may have to switch our recommendation to the Wii Classic Controller Pro.

Available in black or white, the Pro adds a second row of shoulder buttons along with two grips on either side. It certainly looks more comfortable than the original Nintendo offering and it'll work with more than 450 current Wii, Virtual Console, and WiiWare games. Just like the Classic Controller, it will need to be plugged into a Wii remote … Read more

The 404 Podcast 504: Where we'd buy that for a dollar

Wilson is supposedly out sick this morning and can't be on the show, but it's obvious to Jeff and me that he wanted a head start on Wednesday's Apple Event. Either way, we're happy to have CNET's Smartphone Senior Editor Bonnie Cha here to replace him. We casually discuss our weekends in the first half of the show, which include some serious headphone shopping and a viewing of the documentary "Anvil." Bonnie also tells us about her weekend run-in with the new cast members of MTV's Jersey Shore.

With the January 27 Apple Event just around the corner, speculation about the Apple tablet is reaching critical mass, but an interesting Call From the Public raises new questions about the possibility of an Apple gaming console.

Judging from the amount of gaming press in attendance, there's a solid chance that the hardware will be gaming-friendly, but the chance of Apple unveiling a gaming-only console is slim. If anything, we're predicting a strong push toward gaming development on the new platform.

Thanks to everyone who sent in photos of their strategically placed 404 stickers and tattoos! Keep them coming, or be sure to listen to the promo in the break for how you can get your own merch.

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