1958

The year that changed hоw individuals lіѕtеnеd tо music fоrеvеr. It wаѕ the уеаr оf the реrѕоnаl headphones’ birth and the introduction of Rаdіо Cоrроrаtіоn оf America’s first ѕtеrео LPѕ. It’s no surprise that hеаdрhоnеѕ revolutionized the way people listened to muѕіс, but just how fаr has hеаdрhоnе technology evolved in the раѕt 50+ years?

Frоm the MDR-3 Walkman hеаdрhоnеѕ to the nеwеѕt іn High-Resolution Audio technology, hеrе аrе just a fеw оf Sоnу’ѕ standout product timeline.

1979 — Fіrѕt Walkman® Cоmраnіоn Headphones

The MDR-3: соmрасt ѕіzе and lightweight design

Crеаtеd with the іdеа that hеаdрhоnеѕ should bе compact and lightweight, these hеаdрhоnеѕ wеrе sold separately аѕ аn ассеѕѕоrу to the fіrѕt-еvеr “Walkman®” (mоdеl TPS-L2). Fоr the fіrѕt model іn the “H-AIR” series, the dеѕіgnеrѕ wanted tо сrеаtе headphones thаt соuld be uѕеd tо еnjоу music anywhere аnd аnуtіmе. They hеlреd revolutionize thе wау реорlе thоught аbоut lіѕtеnіng tо muѕіс оn-thе-gо.

The MDR-V6 wаѕ іntrоduсеd in 1985 and became popular with sound еngіnееrѕ аnd disc jосkеуѕ (DJѕ). Thе hеаdрhоnеѕ wеrе lіѕtеd аѕ having a vеrу wіdе frеquеnсу response аnd wеrе соnvеnіеnt fоr travel as they соuld be fоldеd and саrrіеd іn an included leatherette bag. In 1987, audio іnduѕtrу jоurnаlіѕt Dаnіеl Kumin wrоtе, “Thrоw аwау уоur lоudѕреаkеrѕ. Thеrе іѕ nоw what mау be the most реrfесt transducer уеt mаdе bу mаn. Consumer Rероrtѕ wrоtе іn 1989 thаt “thеrе ѕееmѕ little rеаѕоn tо lооk bеуоnd the сhесk-rаtеd Sоnу MDR-V6. Thаt mоdеl соmbіnеѕ thе hіghеѕt ассurасу wе’vе measured in headphones, соmfоrtаblе dеѕіgn, mоdеrаtе wеіght, аnd enviable bass reproduction.

Sony MDR-V6 іѕ a lаrgе diaphragm fоldіng раіr of hеаdрhоnеѕ, the іnіtіаl еntrу іn Sоnу’ѕ Studіо Mоnіtоr hеаdрhоnеѕ, one of thе mоѕt рорulаr mоdеl lines аmоng professional аudіо еngіnееrѕ. Thе рrоduсt line was augmented bу thе MDR-V600, the MDR-7506 and then thе MDR-7509 and MDR-7509HD mоdеlѕ, whісh соntіnuе to be popular for audio editing, live sound and brоаdсаѕt аррlісаtіоnѕ. The fоur models use a сlоѕеd, сіrсumаurаl ѕеаlеd-еаr dеѕіgn wіth a coiled оxуgеn-frее copper cord, tipped wіth a соmbіnаtіоn ¼″ (6.35 mm) аnd ⅛″ mini (3.5 mm) TRS phone соnnесtоr. Aѕ a product lіnе, the MDR-ѕеrіеѕ Studio Mоnіtоr fоldіng hеаdрhоnеѕ hаvе been noted аѕ a “favorite оf ѕоund рrоfеѕѕіоnаlѕ bесаuѕе thеу’rе reasonably flat ѕоundіng, іnеxреnѕіvе, compact, аnd thеу саn tаkе a lоt of рunіѕhmеnt. Thе MDR prefix is an іnіtіаlіѕm оf thе Mісrо Dуnаmіс Receiver trademark.

1991

Sony MDR-7506

In 1991, Sоnу introduced the MDR-7506 headphones, which wеrе marketed to audio рrоfеѕѕіоnаlѕ.

The MDR-7506 аnd the MDR-V6 ѕhаrе thе same part numbеr fоr thеіr driver, but the magnet thеrеіn is knоwn tо vаrу. The MDR-7506 wаѕ іntrоduсеd with a ѕаmаrіum–соbаlt magnet, аѕ was оrіgіnаllу uѕеd іn the MDR-V6. However, аt ѕоmе роіnt, thе MDR-7506 ѕwіtсhеd to thе ѕlіghtlу mоrе роwеrful neodymium mаgnеt. These changes were made wіthоut сhаngіng thе drіvеr раrt number. In аddіtіоn, Sоnу’ѕ own ѕtоrе wеbѕіtе ѕресіfісаtіоnѕ fоr thе MDR-V6 аlѕо lіѕt a nеоdуmіum magnet, further calling into question whether the MDR-V6 аnd MDR-7506 actually use different magnet tуреѕ іn thеіr drіvеrѕ.

In 1993, the headphones wеrе described аѕ “almost-industry-standard” fоr thе monitoring оf lосаtіоn ѕоund recording fоr fіlm and television. Nеwеr dеѕіgnѕ were іntrоduсеd bу Sоnу, mоѕt nоtаblу, thе Sony MDR-7506 and MDR-V600, уеt thе MDR-V6 соntіnuеd to bе рrоduсеd. Bу 2003, thе hеаdрhоnеѕ wеrе so well knоwn thаt Elесtrоnіс Muѕісіаn mаgаzіnе, rесоmmеndіng hеаdрhоnеѕ wіth a “fold-up dеѕіgn”, саllеd thе MDR-V6 “venerable”. In a соmраrіѕоn оf many headphones mоdеlѕ, Dаvе Rаt introduced thеm аѕ “one оf thе mоѕt рорulаr lіvе sound headphones”, and tеѕtеd thеm to be “а little lоw оn thе tор еnd, a lіttlе lоw оn thе bottom; definitely сlоѕе” to neutrally flat.

1993

MDR-V600

First rеvіеwеd in 1993, thе MDR-V600 wаѕ dеѕіgnеd tо ѕаtіѕfу DJѕ whо wаntеd a grеаtеr emphasis оn bаѕѕ. Tо help DJѕ in сuіng ѕоngѕ wіth оnе ear, thе MDR-V600’s еаrсuрѕ can bе ѕwіvеlеd around bасkwаrdѕ. In a tеѕt оf vіrtuаl ѕurrоund оn a роrtаblе DVD player, uѕіng thе movie Hоuѕе оf Flуіng Dаggеrѕ, thе MDR-V600 wаѕ praised: “thе іmаgіng, separation, аnd сlаrіtу оf ѕоund wаѕ impressive”.

1995 — Fіrѕt Nоіѕе Canceling Hеаdрhоnеѕ

MDR-NC10: designed with trаvеl in mind

Aѕ Sоnу’ѕ fіrѕt noise canceling headphones, the MDR-NC10 rеduсеd оutѕіdе noise bу 70 percent. The noise саnсеlіng circuit sensed оutѕіdе ѕоund wіth thе buіlt-іn microphone аnd ѕеnt аn еquаl but opposite canceling signal tо thе headphones. And іf you nееdеd tо hеаr outside sound temporarily, you could рrеѕѕ thе Hot Line Swіtсh to admit оutѕіdе ѕоund. Not only dіd thеѕе noise саnсеlіng hеаdрhоnеѕ blосk unwаntеd ѕоund, but thеу also fit соmfоrtаblу іn thе uѕеr’ѕ еаr with Fоntоріа® dеѕіgn, whісh mаdе them grеаt fоr trаvеl, wоrk еnvіrоnmеntѕ, and outdoor uѕе.

2011 — Fіrѕt 3D Surround Headphones

MDR-DS7500: brought the theater tо lіѕtеnеrѕ

Dеѕіgnеd to gіvе іndіvіduаlіzеd, rich, full sound tо gо аlоng wіth уоur fаvоrіtе 3D movies, the MDR-DS7500 was thе іnduѕtrу’ѕ first* dіgіtаl surround hеаdрhоnе ѕуѕtеm thаt rерrоduсеd a 3D sound field with a newly аddеd height dіrесtіоn. The hеаdрhоnеѕ featured twо additional mоdеѕ in addition tо Thеаtеr mоdе: Voice mode аnd Gаmе mоdе, which were аvаіlаblе for optimized vосаl and gаmіng reproduction. And thе 18 hours of соntіnuоuѕ рlауbасk tіmе mаdе it one оf the mоѕt advanced wіrеlеѕѕ hеаdрhоnеѕ on the market.

The history of Sony headphones has shown that Sоnу continues tо trail blаzе into the newest audio technology. Tо thіѕ dау, Sony іѕ rеvоlutіоnіzіng sound with High-Resolution Audio products like іtѕ MDR-Z7 headphones thаt rерrоduсе hіgh frequency sounds uр tо 100 kHz, a fіrѕt for headphone technology.

The post The History Of Sony Headphones appeared first on Chef Audio.

Positives of using a computer monitor:

• It free’s up the television in the house
• Allows you to connect to any compatible desktop monitor.
• Connect to any audio speaker that has an aux port
• Gives you the option to use any pair of headphones

If your monitor has no audio speakers

What you need:

• Computer Monitor With HDMI or DVI Port * – See on Amazon
• HDMI (Male) to HDMI (Male) ** – See on Amazon
• Optical Audio Cable – See on Amazon
• Digital to Analog Audio Converter – See on Amazon
• 3.5mm Audio Cable (White/Red) – See on Amazon
• Aux Cable (Male to Male) – See on Amazon
• Listening device (Headphones or Speakers) with Aux input.

*If your computer monitor does not have an HDMI port but has a DVI-D port, than instead of the HDMI to HDMI cable, you will need the ** HDMI (Male) to DVI-D (Male) Cable – See on Amazon.

Setting up Your Monitor

1. Plug the Optical Audio Cable into your game console and into the Audio Converter.
2. Plug the Audio Cable into the Audio Converter
3. For Speakers – Plug the Aux Cable (Male) into the Audio Cable Port (Female)
4. For Headphones – Plug the headphones aux cord into the Audio Cable Port (Female)
5. Turn on your game console
6. Depending on the monitor, on the screen, a message will flash asking for you to adjust your refresh-rate or screen resolution. Apply the new setting.

Conclusion

Now you know how to play your game consoles on any computer monitor with sound. For a soundless monitor to have sound you need to acquire an audio converter and a optical audio cable. Optical audio cables are used for surround sound and home theater stereo systems.

The post How To Play Video Game Consoles (PS4, Xbox One, NSW) With Sound On A Computer Monitor appeared first on Chef Audio.

On a flight home from Zurich in 1978, Dr. Amar Bose tried an early set of electronic headphones that were newly onboard for passenger entertainment; “try” because he could barely hear anything with the overwhelming cabin noise. This experience sent Bose on a path that would redefine audio performance and comfort over the next few decades. He returned to Boston and set up a research program at Bose Corporation, which he founded years earlier in 1964, to investigate how ambient noise could be reduced with active noise cancellation. The Noise Reduction Technology Group (NRTG) grew out of that program, and in 1989, Bose introduced the first noise-reduction headset, which was appropriately designed for the aviation industry.

History and Development

Since 1964, the company has led tech innovation in all things audio, including televisions, theater systems, speakers and of course, headphones. Though the first set of Bose noise-cancelling headphones — put to market in 1989 — were too big for consumer application, they were widely used in the aviation industry. But decades of innovation have yielded headphones with improved design and performance, which have found a comfortable home in the consumer market.

Sapiejewski joined Bose two months after Dr. Bose’s fateful flight in 1978, and has worked on noise reduction since then. “What was exciting about working in counteractive noise technology was the fact that nobody had a product on the market like it, so we had to come up with all the necessary components and figure out the most effective way to produce the noise cancellation”.

Then the company leveraged its research in military and commercial headphone noise reduction to develop its proprietary technology. In 1995, it released the Acoustic Noise Cancelling headset Series II, which the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association named “Product of the Year.” In 1998, the Bose Aviation Headset X was

introduced, offering better audio performance with Bose’s “TriPort” headphone structure. In 2000, Bose introduced the Quiet Comfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones, the first in the consumer

Quiet Comfort series that’s on shelves today. An improved version was released in 2002, the Bose Quiet Comfort 2, and in 2006, Bose released the Quiet Comfort 3, with new features that suppress the pressure some consumers report feeling while wearing the headphones.

The newest jewel in the Bose crown is the Quiet Comfort 25, which was introduced in 2009 and offers improved attenuation, thanks to microphones both inside and outside of the earcup. This system has a keener sense of the sound in louder environments and is able to more effectively measure and react to ambient noise. Because noise reduction can vary from person to person depending on factors such head shape and even one’s haircut, the exterior microphone helps to nullify the differences in cancellation from user to user — and a more consistent product is obviously a better one. The proprietary ear cushion offers noise attenuation for higher frequencies (which, as discussed above, are harder to cancel), and the materials used were chosen for their ability to block unwanted noise.

The State of the Market and What’s Next

Headphone manufacturer Bose has announced its first-ever set of fully wireless earbuds, the SoundSport Free. Designed to compete with products like Apple’s AirPods, Bose is hoping they will find a place among the best fully wireless headphones on the market.

The post The History of Bose Headphones appeared first on Chef Audio.

Over time, the range that Bluetooth can connect between multiple devices had increased. There are a plenty number of devices which utilize this amazing feature called Bluetooth such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, headphones etc. we can say that the technology of Bluetooth has made its way in the market.  Now everyone demands a device, which can transmit data to another device cordlessly over a short range.

The history of Bluetooth starts from all the way back to 14th century when the IT technology was on the way to its emergence. The Bluetooth technology came into existence in 1994 when a few scientists working in Ericsson Company came up with a concept of connecting communication devices with each other to share data at faster speeds.

With time, the idea got more acknowledgement and several improvements were brought in this technology. The scientists started thinking about establishing the connection between different peripherals such as the keyboard, printer, mouse, headphones, etc. The possibility of fast connection to share data between devices became possible which was completely ruled out before the invention of Bluetooth technology.

In 1998, the five major IT companies formed SIG so that the Bluetooth technology can be introduced as an industry standard. The main objective behind forming the SIG was to work collectively for the development of the Bluetooth technology. In 2000, the first device with Bluetooth was introduced in the market which was The Ericsson T36.

The device also followed by many other devices with peripheral devices as well. The wave of Bluetooth technology penetrated into all types of gadgets such as wrist watches, sun classes by 2006. Implantation of Bluetooth chip in every modern device became a trend and everyone was in severe need to have the Bluetooth on his or her hand-held devices. In 2012, SIG became too much successful when it got the 24,000th member in it Bluetooth family.

At the end of 2014, SIG became too strong and it made its way in the world of wireless technology. It has been predicted that by 2050, there will be more than 50 billion devices using wireless technologies. The newer devices which are expected to have wireless technology are toothbrush, tennis rackets etc.

The rise of portable technology to this date has shown the need and the continual advancement of Bluetooth wireless technology. Devices such as over ear headphones, mobile tablet devices, hand-held remote controls, and wire-free computer accessories shows us why Bluetooth is so important. Though Bluetooth is known for it’s short distant communications, as years continue to go by, it may become a long distant technology as well.

The Bluetooth smart system has also been introduced which is intended to work with such an efficiency that will not consume a lot of battery. Although many devices with different other types of wireless technologies have been introduced in the market, Bluetooth is still very popular in the mobile market because of its highly desirable feature of consuming low power.

The post The Invention of Bluetooth Wireless Technology appeared first on Chef Audio.

The Phazon Wireless Earbuds are earphones that will not fall out no matter the activity you are doing. Whether you like to rock climb, box, jump rope, go swimming, or have a casual phone coversation while walking, these earbuds will not budge. What makes these earphones even better is that they are small and wireless. Listening to music with little to no interuption because of slippage or fiddling with cords is now a thing of the past.

Features

The Phazon Wireless Earbuds comes in an amazing 5 colors to choose from such as Crimson Red, Lush Green, Perse Purple, Graphite Dark Grey, and Ashen Light Grey. The device is set to use Bluetooth 4.1 technology and is optimized for low battery usage. You can play music for up-to 6 hours of continuous play. In 20 minutes you can have a 80% charged battery. Have a smart phone or watch? Phazon is compatible with the latest mobile technology.

Even for such a small sized device, sound quality isn’t much of a problem. It’s said to use a dynamic driver which provides all around excellent sound quality. Phazon boasts that it has the best bass sound quality on the wireless earbuds market. The earbuds fit comfortably in anyone’s ears because of the combined special form factor with a simple twist motion. The twist motion will allow the earbud to lock itself into place.

You can help make this product a reality by clicking here to visit their on-going campaign that will change the ear-phone market for good.

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The founders wanted to bring a new kind of headphones on the market that would make consumers have the same musical experience as the artists and producers do while in professional recording studios.

The company has become so wildly successful that their products have quickly become an integral part of pop culture today. This point is further buttressed by the fact that many renowned athletes and celebrities have been spotted publicly sporting Beats headphones.

Celebrities Who Wear Headphones From Beats Electronics

Iconic figures such as LeBron James, Serena Williams and soccer star Neymar Jr. have been known to use Beats headphones both in training and on game days. This has further added to the appeal of the headphones to the mob of teeming music and sports fans.

Over the years, the company has released quite a number of products that were designed in collaboration with top celebrities such as Justin Bieber, LeBron James and Lady Gaga, to name a few. Superstar DJ, David Guetta even had special headphones designed ​​specifically for DJs known by the names Beats Mixr and Beats Mixr Neo.

Beats also works with other manufacturers. Leading laptop maker HP integrated Beats Audio speakers in its HP Envy line of laptops. Smartphone manufacturer HTC did the same with the Beats Audio software. Also, there have been collaborations with auto makers Chrysler and Dodge.

From the year 2008, Beats by Dr. Dre products were manufactured in collaboration with Monster Cable Products Company. But in January 2012, the two companies announced that they would no longer work together.

Until 2012, Beats Electronics was mostly owned by the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC, but over the years, they sold their stake in the company back to the Beats Electronics.

Within only six years of its existence, the company became responsible for a market share of about 59% of the headphones market, well ahead of companies like Sennheiser, Sony, Philips etc. In 2012 alone, it accounted for an estimated 40% of sales of headphones in the United States, a market valued at more than $ 1 billion. This feat is even more impressive when you consider the fact that some of the Beats headphones have prices reaching as high as $ 300. This is in the same market where traditional brands offer reasonable headphone options costing around US $ 30.

Although many will argue that the Beats headphones are not necessarily the best range of headphones products on the market. In fact, the technical quality of the Beats products is highly debatable. There are other brands with much lower costs offer a considerably higher sound quality, which makes the runaway success of this brand even more impressive. In practice, things like design and concept have cemented these products’ place among the best.

Beats Audio Company was one of the first companies that to offer different sets of headphones that were focused more on comfort and design.

The Company Beats Electronics Gets Purchased

On the 28th of May, 2014, Apple announced that it has agreed terms to acquire the acclaimed music streaming subscription service Music Beats and Beats Electronics, which produce the popular headphones, earphones, speakers and software Beats Audio. Apple is acquiring the two companies for a total of $ 3 billion, this purchase price is $ 2.6 billion and approximately $ 400 million is to be paid over time.

With the acquisition of the company, the line of Beats products will be on sale in many other countries, through the Apple Online Store, Apple Store retail stores as well as select Apple Authorized Resellers.

Even for a profitable company like Apple, the investment is a huge one and is the largest acquisition ever in the company’s history. Co-founder of Beats, Dr. Dre can boast of being a billionaire and arguably the first member of the hip-hop community to achieve this feat.

Co-founder, Jimmy Iovine has been in the forefront of innovation in the music industry for decades and has been a key partner for Apple and for iTunes for over a decade. He has collaborated with many of the top-selling artists in the history of iTunes Store, thus helping to make it the premier retailer of music in the world.

What Apple intends to do with Beats is uncertain, but the company’s focus appears to be on their music-streaming service rather than its range of headphones and speakers. Their music-streaming service makes them a direct competitor with services like Spotify and Deezer.

It is also a possibility that Beats Audio technology will end up being integrated into Macs and iOS devices just like it was done in HP laptops and HTC smartphones.

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Sennheiser produces a large line of headphones which delve into every aspect of sound delivery possible. Not only do they produce headphones for the average and every day user, this company manufactures professional level sound equipment for use in studios all over the world. With features such as ActiveGard® to protect against extreme peaks in audio, operation at an intuitive level, and rich studio quality sound, Sennheiser professional studio grade headphones are the way to go for any studio. Addition of a Sennheiser studio companion microphone will have any studio superstar worthy and ready for the next upcoming star.

For the home user, Sennheiser has taken your active and busy lifestyle into consideration. Product lines designed specifically for spot use are rain and sweat resistant, sturdy, and offer options available with custom fit and premium level comfort. The natural sound quality these headphones provide are the perfect work out companion regardless of the form of exercise you crave.

Sennheiser’s noise cancelling headsets offer up great sound quality combined with elimination of environmental noise for all of those daily commutes or long trips. After all, you want to listen to music, not the obnoxious passenger sitting three rows ahead of you, right? These headphones make traveling a much more enjoyable experience with wired or wireless options, offering up fabulous sound with ultimate comfort.

With so many of us using our portable devices within our homes and on the move, Sennheiser has made great quality sound available in every design from full-size cir-cum-aural headphones to ultra-lightweight ear-canal phones and many options available with Bluetooth® to ensure you get the best sound quality on all of your devices, wherever you are.

For the home theater enthusiast, no longer will you have to worry about disrupting the neighbors or your family members while you kick back to watch a movie or enjoy the latest game. Sennheiser’s wide range of products offers up a vast array of high quality, high performance headsets to suit your home theater set up enabling you the ability to crank up the volume while leaving other members of your household in blissful silence. Ultra comfort gaming headsets come complete with fabulous quality microphones so you can have your head in the game for hours on end, enjoying the rich sound of your game and the communication between you and your team mates.

Sennheiser has taken everyone’s listening enjoyment into consideration throughout their line including those requiring assisted listening devices such as hearing aids. Their infrared and RF stereo listening systems are sure to deliver the high quality sound anyone requires without the need to raise the volume on your TV or home theater equipment.

Need a high quality headset for VoIP, telephony or multimedia use such as Skype? Sennheiser has this aspect of sound covered as well. Rich sound and voice quality with noise reduction features and high levels of comfort make this brand a great source of equipment for conference calls, podcasts, and have great call quality for both at home use and professional use applications.

Aviation headsets by Sennheiser reduce cockpit noise interference while providing high quality voice communications with ultra-noise cancelling for supreme levels of speech communication. Designed with the aviation field in mind, these headsets provide the comfort and capability to enable crucial communication with great features and high comfort levels for those long flights.

Regardless of what you need from a headset, whether it be business communications, aviation, accessibility to the hearing impaired, or pure enjoyment, Sennheiser seems to have a headset for just about anyone.

The post Overview of Sennheiser Headphones, Products, and Vision appeared first on Chef Audio.