Akai launches MPC headphone series, we go hands on
Headphones, there’s plenty to choose from these days that’s for sure. But amongst the celebrity endorsed pairs, and the traditional brands there appears to be a gap in the market. Or, so thinks Akai — the maker of the legendary MPC line of beat-machines — as it’s extending the brand to include three new sets of its own: the MPC Pro, MPC, and MPC Earbuds. Akai claims the new additions are designed for use with the kit of the same name, but looking at the design, we’d wager it’s not shy of taking a slice of the more image-conscious / brand aware market either. The daddy of the bunch is the MPC pro (the lower of the two you see above. These come with 50mm drivers and an over-ear design, aimed at improving isolation. The MPC model (the other pair you see above) sport 40mm drivers and an on-ear design. Both the Pro, and regular MPC editions have a metallic red and silver finish, with foldable ear-cups. The baby of the bunch is the Earbuds edition, and these are designed for “active producers,” or dare we say, sporty types too. The ear-hook design is reminiscent of other sports headphone buds to keep them in place. These, however, are Bluetooth enabled too. But, if you’re worried about the latency while you’re producing on the go, there’s a connection for going traditionally 3.5mm-cabled too. Hear more past the break.
Gallery: Akai MPC headphones hands-on
When we first heard that Akai was venturing into the headphone market, we can’t deny we were a little excited. The idea of something specific to the MPC hardware / music production, and potential for MPC-inspired design tickled us. In reality, it’s hard not to think that it’s more about extending the brand onto another line of products. The samples we saw on the floor were early prototypes, and not final models, so things may change, but the design and the three tiered approach suggests this is as much about market appeal as it is dedicated producer hardware. The metal finish looked well designed and reminded us of the Beats Pro line (a little too much perhaps). They fold in, which is always handy for easy storage, and there is also a mic for when using with your phone. Wearing them was comfortable enough, but with no audio to enjoy, we’re unable to sample how they actually sound. So, if that turns out to be a strong point, we can happily take these as the serious producer headphones they claim to be, until then, though, we’re reserving final judgement. Price and availability to follow.
AKAI PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCES MPC(R) HEADPHONES
Akai launches MPC headphone series, we go hands-on
Headphones, there’s plenty to choose from these days that’s for sure. But amongst the celebrity endorsed pairs, and the traditional brands there appears to be a gap in the market. Or, so thinks Akai — the maker of the legendary MPC line of beat-machines — as it’s extending the brand to include three new sets of its own: the MPC Pro, MPC, and MPC Earbuds. Akai claims the new additions are designed for use with the kit of the same name, but looking at the design, we’d wager it’s not shy of taking a slice of the more image-conscious / brand aware market either. The daddy of the bunch is the MPC pro (the lower of the two you see above. These come with 50mm drivers and an over-ear design, aimed at improving isolation. The MPC model (the other pair you see above) sport 40mm drivers and an on-ear design. Both the Pro, and regular MPC editions have a metallic red and silver finish, with foldable ear-cups. The baby of the bunch is the Earbuds edition, and these are designed for “active producers,” or dare we say, sporty types too. The ear-hook design is reminiscent of other sports headphone buds to keep them in place. These, however, are Bluetooth enabled too. But, if you’re worried about the latency while you’re producing on the go, there’s a connection for going traditionally 3.5mm-cabled too. Hear more past the break.
When we first heard that Akai was venturing into the headphone market, we can’t deny we were a little excited. The idea of something specific to the MPC hardware / music production, and potential for MPC-inspired design tickled us. In reality, it’s hard not to think that it’s more about extending the brand onto another line of products. The samples we saw on the floor were early prototypes, and not final models, so things may change, but the design and the three tiered approach suggests this is as much about market appeal as it is dedicated producer hardware. The metal finish looked well designed and reminded us of the Beats Pro line (a little too much perhaps). They fold in, which is always handy for easy storage, and there is also a mic for when using with your phone. Wearing them was comfortable enough, but with no audio to enjoy, we’re unable to sample how they actually sound. So, if that turns out to be a strong point, we can happily take these as the serious producer headphones they claim to be, until then, though, we’re reserving final judgement. Price and availability to follow.
AKAI PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCES MPC(R) HEADPHONES
Initial projects from 3net Studios include the world’s first native 4K TV show
3net, the joint venture from Sony, Discovery and IMAX that’s a 3D channel and more recently a production studio, is ready to announce its first slate of content. While so far the channel has mainly sourced content from the three partners, the new slate of projects, with one that it says is the world’s first native 4K project for TV. Called Space, it combines 3D and Ultra HD footage to explore the universe. Of course, at $20k~ a pop for Ultra HD TV sets and a lack of anyone broadcasting in the format so far it may be a bit early, but it will probably air in standard HD/3D at first and when the tech catches up, it will be ready. Other shows in the works include Marksmen, a 3D motion comic, documentary Frozen In Time: Our History in 3D, Wingsuit Warrior: Jeb Corliss vs. The World and travelogue series Daydream. Anyone that scrounged for HD in the early 2000s is probably familiar with this type of demo-ready content, and if you’re one of the first with a 4K set, it will probably be in your library for a while before Hollywood is ready to sell you the same movies again, just in higher resolution.
Continue reading Initial projects from 3net Studios include the world’s first native 4K TV show
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Initial projects from 3net Studios include the world’s first native 4K TV show originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Four new soundbars from Vizio, just in time for the holidays
If you found the new lineup of Vizio TVs announced last month interesting, then you might want to check out some potential accessories. Vizio hopes that soundbars will be at the top of that list with four new models available online and in stores in time for the holidays. The line is divided in half between the E-Series and the M-Series, with the extra $20 that the M-Series costs buying you a small display and controls up top. Within each series, you have the option to pay an extra $100 for a wireless subwoofer. All four of them do feature SRS TruVolume and TruSurround, though. The full release is available after the break, but sadly doesn’t include as many details as you might want, so you may way to check out Vizio’s website for more.
Continue reading Four new soundbars from Vizio, just in time for the holidays
Filed under: HD
Four new soundbars from Vizio, just in time for the holidays originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Amazon placating delayed Marvel Cinematic Universe pre-orderers with free Avengers Blu-rays
About a week ago we got the bad news that Marvel’s entirely over the top Cinematic Universe: Phase One Blu-ray set would be delayed until spring 2013 while Disney works up a new case, but there is a silver lining for those who preordered from Amazon. One of our readers forwarded us an email sent out to those who preordered, indicating that in the meantime, they will receive The Avengers two disc Blu-ray / DVD combo package, free of charge. It’s not a S.H.I.E.L.D. suitcase w/ glowing Tesseract cube built in of course, but we guess it will have to do until the replacement packaging is ready to go. Anyone who put in an order between June 1st and August 28th are eligible for the free copy and should have received their redemption code via email.
[Thanks, Nick]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Amazon placating delayed Marvel Cinematic Universe pre-orderers with free Avengers Blu-rays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 04:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.