Displaying items by tag: android - StereoLife Magazine

Audiolab extends its award-winning, entry-level 6000 Series with the 6000N Play - a network audio player that adds extensive wireless streaming facilities to any high-quality audio system. The 6000N Play combines the versatility of the DTS Play-Fi wireless audio platform with Audiolab's sonic know-how to deliver a great-sounding Wi-Fi streaming solution that is simple to set up and use. Users can stream from any source on their wireless network - smartphones, tablets, PCs, and Macs, as well as NAS drives and music servers - utilizing the 6000N Play's dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi. It also connects wirelessly with other Play-Fi-equipped devices, enabling a fully synchronized multi-room set-up.

Meze is a rarity in the world of headphones and all audio equipment. It's unique that a small company focused on one type of product has gained so much attention, in just a few years. Okay, maybe it's not on a par with the biggest players like Sennheiser, AKG or Beyerdynamic yet, but probably this is not the point here. Factory located in the town of Baia Mare in Romania started from making simple, but nice headphones with ear cups made of natural wood. Is it just an interesting idea that hasn't been supported by any other success? Well, not exactly. The founder of the brand, Antonio Meze, had to think about everything in all its detail because today his company can be an example for other manufacturers.

The sector of headphones and products designed to accompany them evolves so quickly as if they were invented yesterday. But in fact it's over a hundred years of history - the history of two loudspeakers connected by a stick designed to wear them over the ears. Sudden development of mobile devices seems to have pushed new possibilities into this invention. With the appearance of cassette decks, CD players, and finally DAPs, we saw a huge demand for headphones and now it has happened again thanks to smartphones and tablets. The looks of headphones became important too and many people started to pay attention to the quality of sound as well. Many new manufacturers found their place on this growing market. One of them is Meze offering outstanding wooden headphones.

The mere mention of the Sonus Faber's name immediately attracts attention, and not without reason. This is one of the most recognized manufacturers of high-end speakers and - at the same time - one of the first major companies that have decided to go beyond the audio market and turn tu artists, architects, even people from the fashion world. Surely it would not be so successful if the Italian speakers were just ordinary, angular boxes with drivers. For many years, Sonus Faber has been setting standards and creating fashion copied by others. Sleek lines described by the designers as the 'shape of the lute' inspired many other designers, but the performance was difficult to forge. Italians remain faithful to natural materials and rely on everything that is beautiful, exclusive and - what can I say - expensive. In addition, they show photographs illustrating different stages of production, from covering the leather, polishing wooden boards to grinding metal decorative elements. They do not launch new models during the exhibitions, but rather in amphitheaters. Their speakers can be found not only in music lovers' homes but also in museums and art galleries, as well as in exclusive cars like Pagani Huayra.

Sennheiser's world of headphones is actually 70 years of chasing the white rabbit. The story of headsets bearing this logo - the name of the brand's founder - started for good in 1968, when the world's first open-back headphones, HD 414, revolutionized the market. By the end of 1969, over a hundred thousand pairs of them were sold, and more than ten million unto this day. The introduction of unipolar electrostatic headphones in 1977 was the next milestone for the German engineers. I am speaking about the 2000 model, which in some ways was the ancestor of one of the best headsets in the world - the Orpheus HE 90/HEV 90 electrostatic headphones, presented in 1991. As regards the equipment for home and personal use, the company has focused on designer Momentum series and lifestyle Urbanite headphones, introducing new wireless and in-ear products from time to time.