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Gear

NOX Audio’s Scout Portable Headset (Review)

04.14.12 | Jayson Napolitano | Comment?

We can say we’re very curious about NOX Audio’s Admiral headset that we saw at Comic Con last year, but while they’re still working on finalizing that beast, we wanted to take a look at NOX Audio’s Scout Portable Headset. While they appear to be earphones more than a headset, the compact design offers more than a few surprises.

Find out if you’re worth picking up in our review after the jump. (more…)
Gear

Listen in Style: ASTRO’s A40 Headset (Review)

08.15.11 | Jayson Napolitano | Comment?

We’ve reviewed many headsets over the years, but this is the first time we’ve taken a look at ASTRO’s lineup. The company needs no introduction as it’s long been one of the biggest names in the field of gaming headsets, being the official headset for Major League Gaming as well as being a constant presence at events including E3, Comic Con, and others.

Does the ASTRO A40 headset live up to the ASTRO name? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Gear

SDCC 2011: NOX Audio’s Admiral Touch-Screen Headset Impressions

08.09.11 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments

We’re still wrapping things up from Comic Con a few weekends ago, and thought the touch-screen enabled Admiral headset from NOX Audio was one of the strangest things we saw at the show (yes, even more strange than some of the cosplayers).

We’ve talked about last year’s Specialist headset and Scout earphones, each with their own unique design elements, but NOX Audio is working full-throttle on the Admiral headset, a unique beast equipped with a touch screen and Wi-Fi capabilities.

Is it worth your attention, or just a gimmick? Find out after the jump. (more…)
Experimental, Gear

Diego Stocco’s Fence Bass: A Survival-Horror Western Track Called Dustland

04.16.11 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment

We’re huge fans of Diego Stocco’s work. While gamers may know him from his brief stint in the videogame industry as the composer of SEGA’s original Conduit, the majority of his time is spent on other pursuits, including playing pianos that are on fire and creating unique sounds for various sample libraries around the world. We also love his cool DS ear logo, which you can read about in our interview with Stocco from the time the original Conduit was released.

Well, Stocco is at it again. He’s recently created a unique metal bass instrument that he’s called the Fence Bass, and with it has created a cinematic track called “Dustland” that he believes would be perfect for a Western film. I think it would fit the survival-horror genre a little better… but maybe we could see it in a Western-style horror flick?

You can see the instrument in action in the video above, and I recommend heading over to his website to check out some of his other work. There’s even a medley of his music from Conduit which unfortunately never received a soundtrack release.

What do you think of the Fence Bass and “Dustland?”
Gear

Win the One-of-a-Kind OMG-1 Synthesizer From Spectrasonics

03.26.11 | Jayson Napolitano | Comment?

Remember our coverage of NAMM 2011? It’s okay if you don’t. One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of the one-of-a-kind instrument from Spectrasonics, the OMG-1 (Omnimoog 1), a unique and incredibly beautiful instrument utilizing an Apple computer at its core, two iPads and 2 iPod touches, and a mini Moog with an extra octave as a controller. Well, Spectrasonics has finally announced how one lucky person can win this beast.

The contest is rather simple. Download the Bob Moog Tribute Library and create a song. Submit it to Spectrasonics by July 15, 2011. Enter as many times as you’d like, and the best track will be selected as the winner. Simple enough, right? The competition for this thing is going to be fierce, so if you’re interested, you better get started now! Hit the official Spectrasonics OMG-1 contest page for more details.

If if you’re not a musician, you have to admire the beauty of this instrument. Will you be attempting an entry?
Gear

More Ultimate for Your Money: Ultimate Ears 500 and 100 Series (Review)

02.18.11 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments

We’ve covered a few Ultimate Ears products on the site. We first looked at the then-priced $199.99 Ultimate Ears 700s, which, while impressive, may have been a tad too harsh on the entry-level enthusiast’s wallet. We then took a look at the more economically priced MetroFi 220 earphones, and took issue with some of their design choices.

Late last year, however, Ultimate Ears launched a number of models to flesh out the Ultimate Ears core series, including the Ultimate Ears 100 line, 200 line, and the Ultimate Ears 500 set.

Do the new sets manage to find that perfect balance between design and cost? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Gear

NAMM 2011: Tron Headphones Are Approaching!

01.20.11 | Jayson Napolitano | Comment?

Remember those glowing Tron headphones we saw at Comic Con last year? Well, they were on hand at NAMM 2011, and while the movie has long since been released, the headphones have not yet been released. I spoke with the event staff from Monster about the delay, and mentioned that the DVD/Blu-Ray release may be a better time to release the set given that they missed the movie launch. They agreed, and said they’re due out very soon.

One new development, however, is the fact that they had both black and white models on display. They also had a glowing Tron audio docking station for your iPod and other digital music devices. I know I’m greatly looking forward to these, so we’ll keep you posted on coverage. Additionally at the show, Monster was showing off the “Beats by Dr. Dre” headphones, and noted that they had just released the Lil’ Jamz earphones which you can check out on their website.

We’ll have more coverage of the glowing Tron headphones in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! And find more photos of the headphones and audio dock after the jump. (more…)
Gear, Music Production

NAMM 2011: Weird and Amazing Things from the World of Musical Instruments

01.20.11 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments

Yes, while most of our team was away in Alexandria having a blast covering MAGFest 9, I was stuck in bright and sunny California, and decided to waste away at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show 2011. Held in Anaheim, CA for as long as anyone can remember, the show brings together manufacturers of everything from pipe organs to MIDI cable connectors. It’s all here, and I explored miles upon miles of floor space to see if there was anything new and exciting on the horizon. And there was.

Touchpad guitars? Neon guitar strings? A miniature piano? It was all there, and you can see these and more after the jump! (more…)
Gear

Comic Con 2010: Want Some Glowing Tron Headphones?

07.23.10 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments

Yeah, pretty crazy looking, but they should sound good. At the Tron booth here at Comic Con, there’s a display case containing a number of items sporting this fancy embedded blue lighting, from keyboards to controllers to, of course, these headphones. While different items are being produced by different companies, the headphones come courtesy of Monster, who you may know from their high-end product lines of cabling.

While we honestly don’t know much about the headphones, we do know that they’re meant to sound good when listening to music, making us think they’re more like headphones than a traditional gaming headset. We’ll certainly be hearing more about these in the near future, as they’re set to launch sometime before the end of 2010.

What do you think of the glowing goods? Think Monster has what it takes to make a great pair of headphones?

Hit the jump for another photo of display case containing all the Tron products. (more…)
Gear

E3 2010: Headsets Galore Coming Your Way

06.21.10 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments

E3 is an insanely busy place. With all the new games, press conferences, appointments, and parties, it’s sometimes easy to forget the boothes featuring the latest and greatest gear. Everything from new mice and keyboards to plastic peripherals for your motion-controlled games to gaming headsets can be found on the show floor, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to tell you what’s coming up from some of the companies that were on hand at E3.

We have impressions of headsets from Tritton Technologies, Turtle Beach, NOX Audio, and SteelSeries for you after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Gear

Peace Walk In Style With The Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Walkman!

05.13.10 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment

Too much use of the word “walk.” Sony and Konami have teamed up to bring you an exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker themed Walkman to celebrate the release of the game in Japan. The limited edition NWD-W253/Z Walkman sports a camouflage paint job and comes pre-loaded with six tracks from the game, including “Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Main Theme,” “Heavens Divide,” “CHRYSALIS,” “Outer Heaven,” “Zero Allies!,” and “Love Deterrence.”

Sounds like a pretty nifty idea, although it will set you back a hefty 11,800 Yen (about $128 USD). Honestly, the biggest news to me here is that Sony is still using the Walkman brand. When I first saw this, I thought they were releasing a cassette tape player, as the Walkman name kind of outgrew the Sony-specific brand to become a catch-all phrase for any portable tape-playing device. This is, in fact, a 4GB digital audio player, so maybe Sony will actually sell a few.

What do you think of the player? Are you looking forward to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker next month?

[via Siliconera and GameSetWatch]
Gear

Ultimate Ears Sound on a Budget: MetroFi 220 Earphones (Review)

05.02.10 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments

A couple months ago we reviewed the flashy Ultimate Ears 700 earphones. While they’re an amazing pair of earphones, we understand your hesitation when considering their $199.99 price tag. Well, Ultimate Ears still has you covered. Their MetroFi line was developed specifically for listeners on the go, with the 220s being their top of the line set in the MetroFi family. Oh, and they’re only $79.99.

So, with such a difference in price, what exactly do you miss out on with the MetroFi 220s? I can tell you right out that they still sound great, and many of my favorite design choices from the Ultimate Ears 700s carry over into this set, but of course there are some drawbacks well.

Find out if the Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220s are the right choice for you in our review after the jump. (more…)