Welcome to the audio side of our Pocket-lint perfect Christmas gift guide installments. If there is a music geek in the family or a loved one itching to be just that, then you're in the right place.

You've already done the shopping for the Apple fanboy/girl in your life, the photographer, laptop addicts, the console gamer, PC gamer and the AV lover as well. Now is the turn of the avid listener. Enjoy.

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Etymotics Custom Hf/Sony MDR-XB700

Good headphones are a must; beyond a must, they're integral to the music geek experience. You can get a decent set for under ?50 but for between ?10-40 more you can really get something special. A good on-ear solution are the Sony XB700 on-ear closed cup headphones. They don't give a particularly balanced sound - the XB stands for extra bass - but they're a high quality build and are really good noise cancellers. They're also rather swish. You can pick them up for a very reasonable ?70.

For the in-ear solution though, it has to be the Etymotics Custom Hf2. Now, the trouble is that the headphones themselves cost around ?90 and the custom made ear molds cost about the same again. So, either you need to be happy to fork out ?180 or your giftee needs to understand that they have to supply the extra cash. This may seem like a faff but these headphones, or more to the point, the tailor made molds are absolutely amazing.

The Hf2 is the one to go for if your loved one uses an iPhone otherwise it's the hf5. The other option is to find out what headphones yougiftee already uses and then contact ACS , who make the molds, to see if they can do a pair to fit those instead. It'll take some investigating but it's well worth the trouble.

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Creative Gigaworks T3 PC speakers

Described by Creative as a "high-end 2.1 speaker system" the T3's are an excellent desktop solution. The sub will need to sit under the table, most likely, but the pair of satellite speakers and a twisting volume knob will be at arms reach while you pump the tunes. All the cables you need are in the box and they're a great way of playing music from your computer without having to put it through an amp or send it round to other rooms in the house or however else your loved one might have their system set up.

The Creative Gigaworks T3 PC speakers are a smidge over our notional budget at ?134 but, no doubt about it, these things are worth the extra money. Make someone's day.

iTunes/Amazon gift card

Record tokens are 80s but the music credit system for today is the iTunes gift card. You can go to just about any music download provider you prefer to get these kinds of things but Apple has a good selection and your giftee can always just take the music to their own media player after they've bought what they wanted.

You might find that Amazon gives a better tunes per pound ratio but it's not worth sweating over. Just avoid Apple if your loved one happens to have it in for all things Jobs.

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Spotify/Last.fm premium subscriptions

If you want to be a little smarter and more 2009 about these things then the gift of a premium subscription is definitely the way to go. The Spotify premium costs ?9.99 per month but means the end of the irritating adverts, a few exclusive downloads, offline playlists, higher quality sound and, best of all, the use of Spotify apps on your mobile phone.

For Last.fm, it's much cheaper at just ?3/month and you get uninterrupted radio listening, ad-free browsing and streaming, recent visitors to your profile and prestigious black icon. All very nice.

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A to Z CD dividers/MP3 labelling software

Your music geek will of course have bookcases full of CDs somewhere about their living space. Although they might have been organised enough to have alphabetised or categorised it, chances are that they won't have gone to the lengths of getting a set of dividers for the purpose. Take them that extra distances with a pack of A to Z CD dividers lovingly scuzzed up to look like record shop authentics. They're made from black polypropylene, printed on both sides and come in packs of 30 for just ?14.95.

While you're at it, you may as well throw in some digital music organising software too. You can bet there'll be a mess of a catalogue of MP3 files stored away on some hard drive somewhere with labels awry. Both MP3 Tag and Music Brainz Picard are both excellent bits of free software that'll sort out the mess for you to make sure the entire collection looks the same and sits on order on your media player.

Recycled Vinyl

We could have written a 10 perfect recycled vinyl list all of its own but go to Etsy "record" and you'll find an Aladdin's Cave of gift ideas for the music music geek in your life. Some of the favourites in these massive lists include - coloured cuffs ($6), LP rings ($5), record cufflinks ($12), vinyl clutch hangbag ($20), Kenny Rogers Just Dropped In record bag ($45), dripping vinyl wall decal ($35) and Santana GrooveBowl ($25). For something really special and quite hard to get hold of, then the recycled cassete tape neck tie for $120 will require some nifty international shipping.

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Musical Ruler

Yes, you read right. The Musical Ruler. Naturally, there's a certain amount of novelty factor to this one but at ?6.95 it would make an excellent stocking filler. The idea is that you put this 30cm device flat down over the edge of a table and ping the overhanging end to make a note. The ruler has markings on it for the eight whole tones in a complete octave meaning that you can basically play any tune.

It comes with a step by step guide from ruler playing master Dan Wieden and includes tips on solos, Rock 'n Roll, Folk, Jazz and special effects. Possibly the silliest present you'll see all year but, when you grow tired of the fun, it'll still work as a gadget for measuring short distances and making pens and pencils run straight.

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Stylophone Beatbox

Following the relaunch of the retro Stylophone, the Beatbox edition produces several different percussion sounds, from bass drum all the way to hi-hat. With different sound "palettes" - percussion, actual beatboxing (provided by beatbox champion MC Zani) and bass tones - this gadget lets you create a percussion loop, which means you can form a beat over which to improvise with other voices.

There's also the option to connect up your MP3 player to the Beatbox via the headphone socket and tap along with your own records. IWOOT is offering the musical gadget now for ?19.99. Silly but fun and probably quite addictive.

Lecci Mini Mixer

Wannabe DJs take note - there's a nifty little gadget which could make it easier to play off a couple of iPods. The Lecci Mini Mixer is basically a two-channel mixer that allows you to crossfade between a couple of audio sources. Those sources could be iPods, CD players, laptops - anything that outputs to a 3.5mm jack.

There's gain controls on both, a great big crossfader, and cue buttons so that you can check what a track sounds like before switching to it. Output is to either an audio-out jack or there's an internal speaker if you're DJing to a very tiny party. The Lecci Mini Mixer is available now from the Gadget Shop and costs ?20.

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Rock Band/Guitar Hero/DJ Hero

This isn't going to work if they don't own a games console but if your music geeks doesn't already have one of these titles, then buy one for them - particularly if they have no actual music playing skills of their own.

These games are easy enough that you don't need any real talent to be able to play them but hard enough to feel like you do. What they offer most of all is the chance to rock out to whatever it is that you love. You actually get the chance to be Brian May/Jimi Hendrix/Ry Cooder if only in your front room. Find the version to suit your giftee best from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero 3, 4 or 5, Band Hero, DJ Hero and all the band specific ones - The Beatles, Metallica, etc. Hours of fun.

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And finally...

You can of course buy your loved one a MP3-player/PMP as well. So, to choose the best when for your budget and your giftee's needs, then head over to our Top Products area where'll we'll help you find the one that fits. Good luck.

Related links:

• Feature - 101 life-saving Christmas shopping websites

Tags: Audio Features Christmas Sony Etymotic hf2 Custom fit Headphones Earphones Lecci Mini Mixer Stylophone Rock Band 2 Guitar Hero Spotify Lastfm

10 perfect Christmas presents for...music geeks originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:46:01 +0000

Scosche, an iPod accessories company, has launched a pair of headphones that it's calling its "flagship model". The IDR650m is aimed at audio enthusiasts and provides noise isolation and an inline mic.

That noise isolation comes courtesy of a pair of silicone earbud tips that should sit comfortably in your ear. They come in single and dual flanged variants, as well as in small, medium or large sizes. Scosche promises that the headphones "accurately reproduce brilliant highs, silky smooth mids and powerful bass".

The cord is 52-inches long and on it there's an inline microphone for use as a hands-free kit. That mic also has controls on it that allow you to play, pause, change volume and skip tracks without taking your phone or MP3 player out of your pocket.

The IDR650m earphones cost ?60 and are available now from Apple stores and online.

Read

Tags: Audio Headphones iPhone accessories Scosche Scosche IDR650m

Scosche unveils IDR650m earphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:17:20 +0000

A Swiss company called Phonak has dropped us word of a pair of earphones that it's just launched. They're called the PFEs, which stands for "perfect fit earphones" and to that end, they come with a set of foam tips that mould to the shape of your ear.

The company is engaging in a little bit of scaremongering about hearing loss in the UK population - claiming that 1 in 7 suffer from some sort of hearing loss, but that this is expected to increase due to people listening to their MP3 players far too loudly. Phonak reckons that its headphones will save your hearing because they reduce external noise by upto 23 decibels.

Whether you believe that or not is up to you, but one nifty feature of the earphones is that they include specially designed filters that increase or decrease the treble and bass to your taste. The headphones also come in a version that includes a hands-free kit that'll work with most smartphones.

The Aud?o Perfect Fit Earphones come in black and white and will cost ?120 for the normal version or ?130 for the version with the hands-free kit. They should work on anything that has a 3.5mm stereo jack output.

Read

Tags: Audio Headphones Earphones Phonak Audeo

Phonak launches Audeo PFE earphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:19 +0000

There are plenty of headphones available, some good, some bad. But when was the last time you saw a pair aimed at younger children? That's the plan with the Griffin MyPhones, a set of headphones that are aimed at the little angels in your life. But do they work? We plugged in our 3 year-old daughter to find out.

The MyPhones main claim is that they feature an always-on volume limiter so your child can't turn the volume up too loud and blow their ear-drums out. Set to a maximum 85dB all the time, they can still get loud, but not loud enough to do any damage.

To put 85dB into context, you and I talk normally at around 60dB while an MP3 player such as the iPod (without the volume limiter turned on) is around 120dB - the same, indecently, as an ambulance screaming past you in the street.

In practice and the headphones look like your average grown-up headphones. They have big comfortable cans on either side and an adjustable head strap to fit different sized heads, but things are kept small for children.?The cans are well padded and replicate what you would expect on an adult "professional" model, leather or faux leather we can't determine, but either way they are good enough to block any noise (not that it gets that loud anyway).

There is a long cable (127cm) with a 3.5mm jack so the MP3 player can be tucked neatly away in a back pack (kids pockets are usually full of stones or tissues), which is an unexpected but pleasant surprise and should see you right on planes and in the back of the car.

Where the Griffin MyPhones headphones aim to appeal to children is with the interchangeable cover inserts. You get two designs in the box - blue or pink - and before you start to think this is just another marketing idea to sell you more, you also get a further two sets of blank templates so you can colour in your own. The templates are easy enough to copy (it's just a circle after all) and that means your kids can colour their hearts out and put their own stamp on them.

So what about performance? After asking the 3-year-old and getting nowhere without a "they sound great daddy", we tested them out (in the interest of reviewing you understand). The sound isn't anything spectacular, however it's not awful either. There is a good balance of treble and bass with the bass, as you would expect, on the light side. Noise cancellation was good and although we weren't able to test them on an aeroplane they did manage to isolate the noise of our washing machine when standing next to it.?

I listened to everything from The Beatles to Berlioz and would be happy enough with the performance to know that my daughter and son won't be complaining any time soon.

Everything is kept in a large strong plastic carry case, and the marketing bumpf can be removed and the accompanying "These myPhones belong to..." panel inserted instead.

Grumbles? There aren't any.

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Verdict:

As a parent you always want to protect your children, but not go over the top and wrap them in cotton wool. Although some MP3 players (iPod included) do offer a volume limiting system, it's sometimes hard to find the setting and fiddly fingers will always turn it off.?

The volume limiting here is done via the hardware and is always on - there is no off switch – so all you have to worry about is plugging them in. Couple that with the ability to customise, and our 3-year-old was excited about not only colouring them in but then wearing them afterwards.

If you're a parent and need a set of headphones for your little one, these are the ones to get.

Related links:

• Learn more - MyPhonesKids.com

Tags: Audio Headphones Griffin Dad Griffin MyPhones

Griffin MyPhones headphones for children originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

High-end Hi-Fi manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins has announced its first ever pair of headphones. The snappily-named P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphone (singular) offers metal and New Zealand sheep-leather earpads, noise isolation and a microphone for iPhone compatibility.

Bowers & Wilkins reckons that the sound produced by these headphones is "unfatiguing", thanks to ultra-linear neodymium magnets and a highly optimised mylar diaphragm. There's no electronic noise-cancellation, but a closed-back design means that there's a good deal of noise isolation on this device, so you should be able to enjoy your music in relative quiet.

They're Made For iPod licensed, and come with both a regular audio cable and a microphone-equipped iPod-controlling version. Both have gold-plated plugs, and can be swapped over by popping off the magnetically-attached ear pads.

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 will be available from January, no word on how much they'll cost.

Tags: Audio Headphones Bowers and Wilkins Bowers and Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphone

Bowers and Wilkins announce P5 headphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:53:42 +0000

After a mixed start at CES 2009, it's been an excellent year for music gadgets. Slowly the world is getting over its lust for hording mp3 downloads in favour of streaming and digital music, possibly a sign that it's maturing. Sound quality has become important once more rather than just access to one's collection on the move, and the natural pace of technology has meant better bit rates to back it up. At the same time, the high end audio has become more affordable under the pressure of a world recession, while the cheap tat at the other end that doesn't deliver is gradually disappearing. So, in light of such promise, just how were we taken from A to B and who best reflected the consumer's desire in audio gadget function and form?

Dock/Radios

It's hard to believe that the dock/radio market has expanded after what already seemed like saturated times in 2008. The usual suspects like Gear4, Altec Lansing, Pure, Roberts and Logitech are still churning them out both large and small at a steady rate but what we've seen is an increasing move of the high end brands in their embrace of the mp3 and that now ubiquitous 30-pin dock connector. Naturally, the audiophile-friendly manufacturers have admitted defeat in their own way and it's generally been a huge boost to the sector in both design and sound engineering.

Arcam's second foray into the field with the irDock cleans up RF interference, Yamaha has joined the fray with the company's first iPod products, even LEGO got involved as part of the range of 2009 tech products. On the design side, Bowers and Wilkens helped up the ante and many have followed producing almost a new branch of the market into style-led devices many of which have a distinctly 70s, 80s, futurist or retro feel. Revo, YBA and Grove Neo are all good examples, not forgetting an appearance from Phillippe Starck and some completely out the box styles from Bang & Olufsen that we probably should have all expected.

While style and audio quality marched on, so has the technology being driven by the theme of connectivity which has been the strongest throughout all gadgets this year. The dock/radio masters have been the ones pushing boundaries of functionality furthest with touchscreen interfaces and some even with their own app stores, widgets and native support for both Twitter and Facebook. Internet radio has been the add-on for most and with over a third of the world listening to it, it's small wonder. Between that, DAB, SD card slots, mp3 support and USB drives, this sector is fast catching up with the mini-systems and separates above them.

Mini-Systems & Hi-Fi

These gadgets have remained very much the preserve of the serious music fan and probably more so with the lower end of the market doing well in 2009. At the same time, the acceptance of the dock has meant most now have attachments, as well as USB ports and support for digital music as well. The likes of Marantz and Denon are still offering up the goods with perhaps more focus on aesthetics than ever before, but none typifies more the situation than the rare appearance of the NaimUniti system - the very first from this high end manufacturer in the new era.

Headphones

Quality has been the theme oozing from the headphones market in 2009. It all started rather frighteningly at CES with it seeming like we'd have to rob a bank in order to satisfy our aural delights. Denon and Sennheiser both came out with classy on-ear phones at around the ?1000 mark but with Sony's launch of the XB, we knew that on-ear style was making a comeback and that we could afford it as well. Sennheiser followed suit, as did many others in the field, but soon we were to find out where the real trend lay - the in-ear design.

Noise cancelling and isolating has been the story for headhones in 2009. Both technologies have, of course, been around for many years now but never before have we seen them come in such a large price range. Sony and Denon were the first to bring noise-cancelling to the small form, while many such as Logitech, with their purchase of Ultimate Ears, Klipsch and Shure chose to find ways to isolate the interference from the outside world. Etymotics went one stage further by offering custom ear-moulds with their range, including the service from ACS. And finally, Radiopaq took the altogether different approach of both specially tuning headphones for digital music and even creating an adaptor to do the same almost at source.

MP3 players/PMPs

One of the most exciting areas of gadgetry in 2009 has been PMPs. With the addition of HD screens, the support of all sorts of video codecs and the commonplace occurrence of touch technology, it's been one of the main focuses of convergence throughout the industry.

It was another mixed start in the field at CES with the Android-sporting GiiNii Movit proving one of the highlights of the show and yet it's failed to appear on our shelves. Sansa came up with a new approach with SlotRadio, which was later improved, and Samsung surprised us all with the challenger to the iPod touch in the shape of the P3. Since then, we've seen an entire new range from the Korean giant in Beat, and Sony has been working hard with the X, B and W series showing off both functionality and innovation of lifestyle design.

Philips, Creative and iRiver have all put in the time and just about everyone has made sure that they include Wi-Fi, DivX support and as much streaming capability as they can muster. Whether your PMP is big or small, just about all of them can play video now and even some can record it as we saw in the refresh of the iPod range with the 5th generation nano and notably not in the iPod touch, which now suffers even stronger competition from the Zune HD amongst others. Last, littlest but certainly not least, do spare a thought for the 3rd generation, lozenge of an iPod shuffle which thankfully has its own voice to help shout about it too.

Fortunately, all the PMPs have more memory stacked in them than ever before else they'd not be much use for storing video and the larger screen devices such as the Archos 5 are now almost indistinguishable from actual computers. Doubtless a flurry of internet tablets in the coming 12 months will permanently blur the divide. As for the likes of INQ's upcoming Spotify phone and the increase in the mobility service, we can save that confusion for next year's awards.

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our ears have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Music Gadget 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 announced
• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale

Tags: Audio Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards MP3 players PMPs Headphones iPod docks Radios

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - music gadgets originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:38:56 +0000

Headfunk has launched another set of its earbuds, this time customized for the?SNO!zone indoor ski slope in Milton Keynes, Castleford and Glasgow. They're basically a set of the company's "Badass Buds" but in blue and white.

They have silicon eartips that enhance the noise isolation and try to make sure that it's just you in there with your music - not the lady yapping on the phone next to you, too. Headfunk reckons it also helps with the fit - meaning that they shouldn't fall out during "active use".

?They have 8mm neodymium microdrivers that are apparently extra-sensitive, though the exact specs of that sensitivity aren't disclosed. There's an inline volume control, though, and 80cm of rubber cabling, complete with an extra 1m extension cable.

They're available now and cost ?50.

Tags: Audio Headphones Headfunk Headfunk Snozone

Headfunk launches SNO!zone earbuds originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:16:53 +0100

It's easy to think of on-ear phones when choosing a computer headset, but the Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME solution proves that in-ear isn't only for your MP3 player. The first major advantage is that the canal-tight buds make for an excellent noise isolation, which not all headphones can produce. Closed cup headsets are usually pretty good at this but even they don't always provide that complete seal between you and the outside world.

For people with their games consoles and PCs tucked in away in a quiet corner of the house, that might not be a problem but. if you have to share the room with other people - perhaps watching TV or using the phone or just clanking about in the kitchen - then the PC 300s are something seriously worth considering.

As with headphones of all levels, they do the job, so it's really a case of measuring up just how well they do it compared to the money you're asked to spend. If you look hard, you can find them at around the ?60-?70 mark and the short answer is that they are indeed well worth the outlay.

They're made of a standard, light-weight, black cable material of 1m in length running from the green and purple colour coded 3.5mm plugs at one end through a volume control, then a microphone and finally to the ear buds set at different lengths with the shorter going to your left ear and the longer heading round the back of your neck and into you right. And, at 7g of weight, there are simply no comfort issues at all.

If that's not long enough for you, the PC 300s come with a 2m extension lead which should span the distance between most console and sofa setups. The build is light but strong, the volume control is smooth and easy to use and the choice of three sets of simple, rubber, black ear sleeves will fit any lug holes they meet. The buds themselves are a sturdy, good looking and not too heavy or cold mix of black plastic and metal with a well-chosen protective gauze over the drivers.

One of the best parts of the design, though, is the unassuming looking professional standard microphone that hangs comfortably away from your face. It has a frequency response of 18-15,000Hz which in real terms means that it effortlessly picks up the full details of whatever instructions you maybe muttering to your Call of Duty teammates and just how you feel about their style of play.

The audio coming in the other direction is no disappointment either. The noise isolation means you get don't get any distortion of the sound from over-amplification and the sound scape is very complete. Although a balance, it doesn't sit right in the middle with all the sections equally represented. It's not supposed to. The majority of gaming noises are at the mid-range and at the bass and, accordingly, it's those that are by far the best represented in the PC 300s. The top end may be a little quiet and without personality but the middle is dead on the money and the bottom end is huge, dramatic, if slightly on the spongy side, but are guaranteed to make you jump out your seat when the in-game action hots up.

You aren't just restricted to computers and consoles either. The phones work perfectly well with an MP3-player by using just the one 3.5mm plug. You'll get better sound quality than a pair that came free with your iPod, but the less interesting top notes mean that a dedicated set of buds of equal value would probably offer a better experience on the move.

To top it all off the Sennheiser PC 300s come with a nifty rubber travel case with a magnetic clasp that you can't help but open and close over and over, so satisfying is the action. Lovely touch, just a shame it's not big enough to comfortably fit the full 3m extension.

Verdict:

They're not the world's cheapest gaming headphones and there's something a little weird about going in-ear at home but the experience is a very, very, good one well worth the ?60-?70 outlay. Lots of positives here with not a bad word to say about them at all.

The PC 300s are perfectly acceptable for just listening to your audio tracks too but, if that's a main point for you, then you'd best buy a pair better suited for pure music audio rather than in-game sound scapes. You'll get more bang for your buck on something specialised for that purpose.

The only real question mark above this in-ear headset is whether or not people really want a wired set of phones for gaming and Skype. Regardless of how many metres long the cables are, you're still tethered to a console or PC and ultimately it just means more tangling and more chance of tripping people up. On the plus side, you'll never have forgotten to charge them or run out of batteries during gameplay. So, if you want to go in-ear and you're happy to deal with the cables, then these Sennheisers are most heartily recommended.

Tags: Audio Headphones Headsets Sennheiser Gaming Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME

Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME headset originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

After the EU's volume limit proposals have been revealed, Logitech has followed Griffin's lead in launching volume-limiting headphones for kids.

The "Loud Enough" noise-isolating earphones come with built-in volume control that reduces the maximum volume of the original source by at least 30% percent compared to standard ear buds.

The new earphones also come with three soft ear-cushions in sizes ranging from extra small to medium and are said to be tough and durable.

Available with matching cases in blueberry, mint or plum, the Logitech Loud Enough earphones are available now for ?29.99.

Tags: Audio Headphones Logitech Dad

Logitech "Loud Enough" earphones launch for kids originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:27:25 +0100