tdk

Before today, the TDK brand meant only one thing to me: mixtapes. Just the mention of it makes me nostalgic for peeling the cellophane off a 5-pack of cassettes, like a fresh pack of cigarettes.

It's been at least 15 years since I dubbed a tape, and honestly, TDK has been off my radar ever since. That is, until today, when they dropped by CNET to show off the coolest-looking portable speaker I have ever seen in my life.

When I saw TDK's latest Three-Speaker Boombox (seriously, that's their name for it), I think I may have squealed a little. Priced at $499, set for unveiling at CES, and due out in January, this sonic beauty hits on all cylinders--combining sound, features, and design in a way makes my audio nerd heart swoon.

Under the hood, you have three drivers: a 15-watt woofer at the center, flanked by two 10-watt stereo speakers with edge-driven tweeters at their center. Because the speakers aren't covered by a grille, TDK utilized woven carbon fiber speaker cones that can stand up to the elements. All together it's 35 watts RMS, which doesn't sound like much--but you feel every watt. Turned up just halfway, it's a house party.

Feature-wise, you're looking at iPhone/iPod support (via USB), AM/FM radio, USB stick (MP3, AAC, WMA), and a slew of aux input options, including RCA, minijack, and a 1/4-inch instrument input that can be blended with the other audio for instant karaoke/block party high jinks. The unique audio support for iPhone and iPod takes the digital signal from the dock connection and decodes it to analog using TDK's own integrated converters. The company also throws in an EQ with 5dB of cut and boost, represented on an OLED display on the front and controlled using the system's oversized aluminum knobs.… Read more

I test a lot of earphones and headphones here at CNET, and often what I'll do is try out a review sample for a while and then pass the product on to get a second or third opinion from other editors or our resident audio guru, Steve Guttenberg. I don't tell the person I'm passing the headphones on to how much they cost. In that sense, the editor's judgment isn't colored at all by pricing.

In the case of TDK's EB900 in-ear headphones, I thought they sounded good. They had a nice clean sound … Read more

Thanks to the increasing prevalence of Bluetooth-compatible devices (such as iPads, iPhones, and nearly all other smartphones), wireless headphones are starting to proliferate like never before. However, the only problem with Bluetooth is that it takes already-compressed audio (usually MP3) and compresses it even more, so it loses a little something in transmission.

On the other hand, a company called Kleer promises to deliver wirelessly uncompressed digital audio at CD quality. It says that when you compare it with other technologies like Bluetooth, you'll hear the difference, and--at least with TDK's $130 Kleer-powered WR700 wireless headphones--we did.

Of … Read more

We usually don't do this, but we're in the process of testing a pair of EB900 in-ear headphones and noticed they were on sale for $34.95 at J&R Music World and appear to include free shipping. The TDK900s have a list price of $122.85 but they really sell for around $70 at other online stores (see link below).

What makes them a good deal? Well, both Steve Guttenberg, our resident audio guru, and I felt they sounded as good or better than many $100 earphones. While the bass is a little boomy (too much), … Read more

If there was any doubt about the state of solid-state drives, Computex seems to be putting it to rest.

SanDisk, TDK, and Intel, among others, are announcing new solid-state drives while Asus is launching the Eee PC 1000 with a larger-capacity drive.

Solid-state drives (SSDs) are used increasingly instead of hard disk drives in small computers like the Asus Eee PC and devices like the Apple iPhone because SSDs use less power and are generally more rugged--due to the fact that they have no moving parts.

The Asus Eee PC 1000, for example, will be offered with SSDs up to … Read more

TDK seems to be going the opposite route from Cabasse, at least in the shape of its speakers. Where the latter seems partial to spheres, the Japanese company has gone cubic with its latest design.

The "Flat Panel 2.1ch Acoustic Sound System" (we thought only TVs and shoji screens were allowed to call themselves "flat panels") does have rounded corners, though. That's apparently to reduce cabinet distortion, according to Tokyomango. It also comes in red, black, yellow and gray, but we're not sure if that's such a good thing: With those kinds … Read more