Sony Walkman makes a hi-fi comeback

Sony isn't ready to give up on the iconic Walkman just yet. The Japanese company just put out the Walkman ZX2, targeting the audiophiles in us. This portable hi-fi music player can play almost any file type out there and if you pair it with a headphone amplifier, you'll get the best sound possible out there. If you're worried that your iTunes collection will go to waste, Sony has DSEE HX technology that works to upgrade these compressed files to get them back to studio-quality resolution. It has 128GB of memory that's expandable via microSD and promises 60 hours of listening to MP3s and 33 hours of listening to hi-res audio. It'll cost quite a lot though at US$1,200. 

Source: Popular Science 

Divoom unveils Bluetooth speaker with selfie remote capability

Feeding our narcissism further is the Bluetune Bean from Divoom. This second generation Bluetooth speaker lets you listen to your favorite tunes for up to six hours. It even acts as a speakerphone with its built-in microphone. And it is portable enough to clip on your bag. But what sets it apart is that it can act as a selfie remote as well. The Divoom Bluetune Bean retails for US$25.

Source: Engadget

Harman creates individual zones for car audio

Are you and your family always arguing about who gets to play their music on the car stereo? Now, Harman’s going to make you a bit more anti-social with its new in-car setup. It lets drivers create “individual sound zones,” which won’t interfere with the different sounds played in the other areas. It breaks down the interior into “virtual, simultaneous in-car entertainment systems.” It will be created using the car’s current setup as well as the addition of twin 50mm directional units added to the headrests and flat electrodynamic planar loudspeakers in the car’s headlining.

The zones can be controlled individually by the passengers but, of course, it doesn’t offer complete isolation. It does limit it so you wouldn’t be distracted to what your sister is listening to beside you. It can be integrated into any Harman audio system through an amplifier or be tailored to fit a specific vehicle layout. And it can be paired with Harman’s HALOsonic active noise cancellation technology, which is created to combat road and engine noise.

Source: Gizmag

CES 2015: Bang & Olufsen introduces BeoPlay H8, first wireless headphones

It looks as sleek as any other Bang & Olufsen device. The new BeoPlay H8 from the premium audio brand is the company’s first Bluetooth, noise-cancelling headphones. It has high-quality playback features like aptX/A2DP and features a custom metal touch interface. Active noise cancelling is touted to last for around 30 hours when wired and 14 hours when wire-free. But with this high-quality cans expect to pay a hefty price. It’ll set you back US$500 when it launches later in the month.

Source: Engadget