The same, fluid 2.1 setup we've remember from the original Creature speakers are recaptured in the $130 Creature IIIs, though the latest edition features a more compact subwoofer than Creatures of yore. Does the design hold up all these years later? You tell us. [BW via CrunchGear]

On the turboprop plane down to Kite Boarding camp in North Carolina the hot blue and green $70 On Ear headphones blocked out a good deal of the background noise, including Blam's snoring in the seat in front of mine. They aren't advertised as noise canceling, but the smaller than average ear cups fit securely around my ears and were super comfortable (you can adjust them "DJ style" to fit behind your head). Besides being able to sleep comfortably with them on, music sounded crisp when awake. However, they didn't make surf song classics like "Wipe Out" sound any more tolerable.

I also took along a pair of the bright pink and orange $40 In Earphones which have a mic for making calls. The sound quality wasn't anything to write home about and is on par with Apple's standard earbuds. The mic didn't pick up much background noise, even while sitting outside near the water.

The Roxy headphones didn't make me a better surfer or kite boarder, though neither did the $50 Roxy board shorts I bought. But at least with the help of JBL they offer good sound and should get a chiseled surfer dude, like Laird Hamilton to at least look my way. [Roxy]

Summermodo is a chance for Giz to get outside and test our gear where it belongs.

One trend that seems to be taking place in the land of iPod docks is that companies seem less concerned with the high end, hi-fi iPod docks. Instead, they're gravitating towards smaller, lighter docks that sound nice, but are intended more for casual listening. Both Logitech and Klipsch are putting most of their weight behind these smaller docks. In our testing, we checked out:

• Altec Lansing InMotion Max

• Bose SoundDock II

• iHome iP71

• iLuv i398

• JBL OnStage 400p

• Klipsch iGroove SXT (NOTE: Updated product specs for refreshed iGroove SXT not on Klipsch site yet)

• Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2

• Sony SRSGUI0iP

That said, we still went looking for the iPod dock that sounded really good while sticking as close to the $200 mark. Some were much cheaper, or much more expensive, but most of them all had something interesting to offer. Ultimately, overall audio quality had the most weight in helping to pick our winner, but price, design, and the usefulness of smaller features were also taken into consideration:

The Winner:

JBL On Stage 400p: At $250, the On Stage 400p is a bit more expensive than some of the other docks, but it sounds so nice, it was impossible to give top honors to anyone else. It uses a 30w sub to push out the low end, while delivering another 30w of power to the tweeters for the highs and mids. And though it might not wow anyone with its design, it's nice enough that you don't have to hide it in your living room. Just might want to wait till it goes on sale later on.

The Runners Up:

Bose SoundDock II: It's no huge surprise why the SoundDock II out performs the rest of the field: at $300 , Bose's accessory is outfitted with better hardware. But is the sound quality worth $100 than the rest of the docks? And what's the chance you'll ever find it on sale?

Altec Lansing InMotion Max: What the InMotion Max lacks in booming low end, it makes up for in precision audio tuning and a light, slim design. Two 2-inch drivers are bolstered by two, 2-inch passive radiators which sit directly above. The result are nice mids and highs that offer much better sound than the 14w power rating would suggest. Other nice little touches include song info that appears in the backlit display, capacitive touch buttons (which include <</>> controls), battery power that lasts 3.5 hours, and a spring loaded ipod dock connector that slides out. Well done.

Honorable Mentions:

Klipsch iGroove SXT: The new, revamped iGroove SXT (hitting stores this july) packs a lot of punch into a compact bundle. Enhanced acoustics and a dedicated amplifier for each driver give the SXT a nice, deep sound, but sometimes the high-end clarity suffers. Still it's hard not to like this one, and Klipsch is phasing out its bigger iGroove, so this is it if you love Klipsch.

Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2: Coming in at a lower price point and smaller size than most the other docks here, it's hard to compare it sonically because most the other docks are bigger and more expensive . But the Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 does manage to improve over the original Pure-Fi Anywhere in the sound department and does what few other docks can do: Travel around easily with a 10 hour battery life. Besides, the larger Pure-Fi Dream system may sound better, but its clock-radio interface leaves too much to be desired.

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

His barn/garage, filled with vintage sports cars like a 1969 Camaro and modern Aston Martin, is also home to over 6,000W of sound. You see, Whitworth likes to listen to his music for hours on end at volumes of 120dB, or louder than a "loud" rock concert, about 5dB away from pain and right in the range of hearing loss. I said, right in the range of hearing loss!!

So his barn is filled with six JBL Pro concert models (not consumer grade stuff, which would just break on him), two 18-inch subs and two more "half-fridge-size" Velodyne Digital Drive 1812 Signature Edition subwoofers, which each contain hardware for both upper and lower bass response. Of course, there's 6400W of amplification to support all that speaker power, but even still, this rig is technically only a stereo. There's no surround sound processing. [Electronic House via CrunchGear]

The original 1968 design is mostly unchanged, its fiberglass shell and nylon/wool interior retaining their timelessly different style. The only difference seems to be the updated JBL speakers, coyly hidden beneath the padding, emitting music that promises to be unobtrusive to those not sitting.

The Ovalia runs $7700 and will only be sold to 900 lucky people. But if that price still seems expensive, keep in mind that the chair can be hung from the ceiling. The ceiling! [Panik Design via unpluggd]

Each speaker by itself can fit perfectly into a corner (wall-to-wall or wall-to-ceiling) for an easy mounting. And two could make for a pretty interesting impromptu sound bar. Since each unit packs a tweeter and two woofers, the possible mixtures of stereo channel output offer some deal of flexibility beyond that whole "they stick together!" form factor. Look for the Control Now this month for $249 a pop. An outdoor version will be available for $30 more.

INTRODUCING JBL CONTROL NOW™ LOUDSPEAKERS:
UNIQUE INSTALLATION OPTIONS FOR MULTIPLE HOME APPLICATIONS

— 90 Degrees of Pure Ingenuity —

WOODBURY, NY — JBL, Inc., today announced the introduction of its JBL Control NOW™ indoor and JBL Control NOW AW outdoor high-performance loudspeakers. Both models feature a unique quarter-round shape that provides an unprecedented variety of installation possibilities, and incorporate innovative driver technologies to deliver clear, powerful and evenly distributed sound in any listening environment.

The all-new, uniquely versatile design of the JBL Control NOW loudspeakers enables them to be placed virtually anywhere — including areas where other speakers cannot be installed. The drivers are mounted behind a curved quarter-round front section, and the rear of the enclosure has three angled sections that enable the speakers to be corner-mounted between a ceiling and wall or between two walls. They can also be placed either horizontally or vertically on a shelf. The JBL Control NOW has a black finish, and the JBL Control NOW AW is available in a white finish.

Multiple JBL Control NOW speakers can be joined to create half-round, three-quarter-round, or fully round configurations, and they can be hung from a ceiling using an optional pole-mount bracket and standard ceiling-fan hardware. In addition, the speakers can be mounted with third-party stands, using included adapters.

When used in two-, three- or four-speaker arrays, the JBL Control NOW and JBL Control NOW AW can be configured for either single-channel or single-point stereo use, for maximum flexibility in a wide variety of home, multiroom, architectural and background-music applications, including in media rooms, kitchens, decks or patios — or wherever natural, accurate sound with a wide coverage area is desired.

Exclusive JBL® Technologies for Exceptional Sound, Anywhere

JBL Control NOW and JBL Control NOW AW loudspeakers are designed from the ground up to deliver outstanding sound quality in the most challenging installation applications.

Corner-mounting, and some multiunit speaker configurations, can have an adverse effect on frequency response across the listening area. To ensure accurate audio performance even in less-than-optimal acoustic situations, the loudspeakers feature a tweeter mounted in a patented JBL Bi-Radial® horn, and have a newly developed profile that has been optimized to minimize diffraction effects from room surfaces to deliver exceptionally smooth, wide frequency response. The speakers have constant-directivity dispersion when wall-mounted, and omnidirectional characteristics when corner-mounted or grouped in a four-speaker circular array.

The tweeter incorporates a 3/4-inch titanium-laminate diaphragm and a ferrofluid-cooled voice coil that is driven by a high-Gauss neodymium-boron-iron magnet, for high-power-handling capability, and outstanding resolution and transient response.

The tweeter is complemented by two 4-inch woofers that incorporate dual neodymium-boron-iron magnets, which completely surround the voice coil. The design of the woofer's motor structure and suspension was optimized using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a computer-analysis technique that is used to model complex systems such as loudspeaker drivers by breaking their intricate multipart elements down into smaller pieces, predicting the behavior of these elements, and then combining the behavior of all the elements to arrive at an accurate analysis of the entire system. The use of FEA enabled JBL engineers to design a unique woofer that delivers increased output capability with minimal distortion, even at high volume levels, and provides additional sonic benefits.

To further refine their performance, the JBL Control NOW and JBL Control NOW AW feature enclosures and baffles made from a thermoplastic-composite material that contains both glass and mineral fill, which provides high rigidity and damping. The enclosure's mechanical design utilizes thick walls, cast-aluminum internal bracing and other refinements to minimize internal resonances and acoustical loss.

The JBL Control NOW loudspeakers are currently available at a suggested retail price of $249 each. The Control NOW AW will be available in late June 2008 at a suggested retail price of $279 each.

JBL's offering, the Cinema Sound CSS10W, has a 10" driver and will kick out 300watts. Infinity's slightly beefier, PS212W, houses a 12" driver that will boom out with 400watts. They will be priced at $559 and $679, respectively. The devices are for those who just cannot deal with all that wired nonsense that spews out from your speakers, making your sweet setup look like a three-year-olds art project, but given the likely compromise in sound quality, we aren't so sure it's worth it. [Technabob]

Polk will release the i-Sonic ES2 iPod dock first which will feature the Tag button, followed by the JBl iHD this holiday season. There are plans for Tag buttons to be placed in cars and more iPod docks in 2008.

Apple, Polk Audio and iBiquity Digital announced today that consumers who hear a song on an HD Radio station and want to preview, buy and download it will soon be able to do that with just the touch of a button (see press release below).

The new 'iTunes Tagging' feature will allow consumers to not only download songs they have known for years, but also sample and download new songs from new artists. It is the perfect link with the broad reach of radio, which continues to be the place where most consumers are introduced to new music and new artists.

Here's how it works: iTunes Tagging enables consumers using HD Radio receivers that have been equipped with a special 'Tag' button, to tag songs that they hear on the FM dial. Information about these tagged songs is then stored by the receiver and transferred to the individual's iPod. When the iPod is connected to a computer, the new iTunes software automatically presents the songs in a Tagged playlist so that the consumer can preview, buy and download them.

The announcement was made earlier today at the CEDIA Expo in Denver in conjunction with Polk Audio's launch of the first iTunes tagging-enabled HD Radio receiver, the I-Sonic™ Entertainment System 2. The JBL iHD will also include the Tag button. Both products will go on sale during the holiday shopping season, and it is anticipated that several additional products that include the Tag button for both the home and the car will follow in early 2008.

There are more than 1,400 AM and FM stations broadcasting with HD Radio technology across the country, with more upgrading to digital every day. For more information, please visit www.hdradio.com.

* * * * *

iTunes Tagging for HD Radio Broadcasting Announced

New, free HD Radio™ application enhances consumer music discovery and broadens local radio broadcaster ability to capitalize on digital commerce space

Columbia, Maryland, September 6, 2007 - Responding to the desire of millions of people who discover music via their favorite local radio broadcasts, Apple, iBiquity Digital, and major radio broadcasting groups unveiled today the result of an industry-wide initiative to create a new, free service called "iTunes Tagging."

iTunes Tagging is designed to make music discovery, purchase and listening even more fun and simple for all. iTunes Tagging enables consumers using HD Radio receivers that have been equipped with a special Tag button, to "tag" songs that they hear on the FM dial for subsequent purchase via iTunes.

"iTunes tagging takes music discovery on the radio to the next level," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPod Product Marketing. "When a song plays on your HD Radio that you like, a simple push of a button will tag it and later give you the chance to preview, purchase, and enjoy it with iTunes and your iPod."

ob Struble, CEO of iBiquity Digital, the developer of HD Radio technology, said, "Research consistently shows that radio is the predominant source of music discovery. Now, with iTunes Tagging, HD Radio technology provides a cool new way to capture the songs listeners discover, buy them on iTunes and then enjoy them. We are especially pleased that so many broadcasters came together so quickly for the initial launch." Several major broadcasters will implement iTunes Tagging, initially across hundreds of stations. Additional stations and broadcast groups are expected to join soon, with a formal announcement of participating groups planned for later this year at the NAB Radio convention, September 26 - 28.

Struble continued, "We are delighted that JBL and Polk will have the first available products that enable iTunes Tagging. The new Polk I-Sonic® Entertainment System 2 and the JBL iHD will both include the Tag button. These products will go on sale during the holiday shopping season and we anticipate several additional products that include the Tag button for both the home and the car to follow in early 2008."

Peter Ferrara, CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance, the coalition of radio broadcasters formed to promote HD Radio technology commented on the broadcasters' promotional plan for iTunes Tagging, saying, "The HD Digital Radio Alliance is tremendously excited about this great new HD Radio feature and will broadly promote iTunes Tagging. We plan a multi-million dollar advertising campaign focusing on the JBL and Polk products, as well as participating retailers."

Mark Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Communications, Inc. commented, "Clear Channel Radio remains committed to being the leader in HD Digital Radio content on both primary and multicast channels, and our embrace of iTunes Tagging is just the latest step in that leadership. We believe that HD Digital Radio innovations such as this will continue to open up additional and new services for consumers and revenue opportunities for broadcasters."

As a bit of appetite-whetting, we were first ushered into a separate room, where we heard the $120,000 sound system - that's a pair of Everests, a $20,460 amp and a $19,096 CD player. Jesus got it right, describing the sound as "crispy and fulfilling." But maybe that was the bratwurst he ate just before that. Weighing 360 pounds apiece, the speakers —not the bratwurst—are selling out as fast as the company can knock 'em out.

Then it was into the cinema. Nice leather seats and enough space for our legs (hurrah!) but no drink holder, which I thought was rather remiss of them. The screen (sound transparent, high-end French) was flanked by another pair of DD66000 speakers, with a third one behind it for good measure.

I noticed more speakers behind us and there were some more on the sides. Total effect, as the headline says: 9.6 surround sound. Add to that a high-end video projector and then the totally crazy six terabytes of DVD storage, you've got your $300,000. We enjoyed our fifteen-minute orgasmatron of Sound and Vision, and then left, with this little pearl of gossip from the Harman International rep.

So, you're a very rich Middle Eastern Sheikh and you want to throw a party on your yacht. A couple of movies, followed by some music and nibbles, maybe dancing. You get on the phone to your people and instruct them to fit out the boat to the best AV gear they can get their mitts on. Boat docks at a port in Europe, then gets itself a brand new sound system. All hidden from view behind panels and the like.

Sheikh turns up, can't see the system, is apoplectic. Where is my $4.092 million system, he wonders. System turned on, screen appears, crispy music plays. Sheikh applauds, hands over cheque. Fin.

PRESENTING THE FINEST LOUDSPEAKER EVER CREATED BY JBL : THE EXTRAORDINARY JBL PROJECT EVEREST DD66000

- Ultimate-Performance JBL Flagship Incorporates the Company's Most Advanced Engineering, Technologies and Materials to Redefine the State-of-the-Art in Loudspeaker Design -

Berlin, 30 August 2007. In a move that reaffirms the company's position as the foremost manufacturer of consumer and professional loudspeakers, JBL today announced that it is launching its Project Everest DD66000 loudspeaker. The Project Everest DD66000 - designed and manufactured entirely without compromise to set a new standard in audio reproduction - is the finest loudspeaker ever created by JBL.

Winner of the Best of Innovations 2007 award in the High-Performance Audio category, the DD66000, designed to celebrate JBL's 60th anniversary, combines the heritage of six decades of loudspeaker design expertise with today's most advanced materials, components and technologies, and exceptional engineering talent. It delivers remarkable sonic accuracy and musical realism.

Project Everest DD66000: Attaining Remarkable New Heights in Loudspeaker Performance

IMPROVING ON PERFECTION: THE JBL ON STAGE * 3 PORTABLE DOCKING STATION FOR iPOD

Berlin, 30 August 2007. Place your iPod in the JBL On Stage 3 portable docking station, sit back, relax and listen - that's all it takes to enjoy the music you've downloaded to your iPod.
With the JBL On Stage II system, JBL set the standard for portable iPod docking stations. Now, the company is proud to introduce the JBL On Stage 3 portable. JBL On Stage 3 portable is compatible, using the supplied universal dock adaptors with all iPod models. The JBL On Stage 3 can be hooked up to other devices, such as digital-music and CD players, games consoles, notebooks and desktop PCs via the supplied 3.5mm mini-jack cable. The JBL On Stage 3 can also be powered by six AA batteries, enabling the compact, lightweight systems to provide crisp, powerful sound wherever you are - at home, in the office or while travelling.

The docking station features four integrated Odyssey loudspeakers providing 6-watt-per-channel for clear, flawless sound and deep bass. It has a remote control with cutting-edge IR technology for full system control (including iPod menu navigation), from a distance of up to 10 metres. And interchangeable trim rings are available for colour customisation of your JBL On Stage 3 to match your iPod nano.

Shortly after its launch, the first version of JBL On Stage was honoured with one of only five coveted "Best of Show" awards at the Macworld Expo in Boston. The new JBL On Stage 3 docking station seems destined for the same kind of success, by offering superior acoustic performance, battery or mains operation, full navigation remote control and customisation options. The system will be available in black or white; and will be available in October 2007. The recommended retail price is 179,00.

sounded like a standard pair of wired speakers, which is a good thing considering most wireless cans sound weak/distorted. The downside is that—you guessed it—they require cabling. In a nutshell, you have to plug the left speaker into an AC outlet and then connect the right speaker to the left speaker in order to power the right speaker. So in the long run, you end up with a pretty noticeable amount of wiring. Otherwise non-audiophiles looking for a decent pair of compact speakers can't go wrong with this $349 set. – Louis Ramirez

JBL On Air Control 2.4G [CNET via CrunchGear]

The company will also roll out a couple of formidable subwoofers in the lineup as well, and we'll be seeing (and hopefully hearing) all of these in late spring, priced from $349-$1098 a pair. Recording engineers have been using JBLs in their mixing rooms for years, and there's good reason for that. Might as well listen to the music on the speakers on which it was mixed. – Charlie White

JBL Debuts ES Series Speakers [CrunchGear]

JBL Controls Airwaves with Wireless Speakers [Electronic House]

Product Page [Office Depot]
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Got a good deal? Send it to travis [at] gizmodo [dot] com and he will love you long time.

They did have a new, awesome-looking set of speakers that can be seen after the jump.

Bono is crying himself to sleep right now.



Couldn't even get a real PSP? People are practically giving those away.



These just look cool.

The boombox has the Harman Kardon nameplate upfront, and the iPod docks up top along with the wireless remote that stows away in the back and S-Video output, too. That should be selling for 349 (around $448). Then JBL brings its first family of headphones to market, offered in a family of four variations. The JBL Reference 220 is in in-ear model, and the Reference 420 will be 150 (around $192) and has a volume control and leather earpads. The 500 series is designed for noise cancellation, and the reference 620 has an iPod dock connector Bluetooth module for rockin' around the house wirelessly. Release date for these sexy products wasn't announced. – Charlie White

Neue Boombox, Speakers, Kopfh rer - JBL legt vor (German), Lots of photos here [iPodfun.de]

JBL Radial speaker system debuts [Playlist]

With more music phones hitting shelves every day, it's now time to concentrate on the important stuff: Accessories. So, to try and make a dent in this not so sexy category, JBL is partnering up with Motorola to market all kinds of headphones (think Bluetooth), speaker systems and other goodies to accompany the Motorola stable of upcoming MP3 cellphones. Not a bad idea, as JBL is actually a division of my fave high-end audio company, Harmon Kardon.

JBL takes its audio standings a step further with this crazy-looking On Time iPod Alarm Clock. Not anyone's standard clock, the On Time includes something called halo acoustics that is supposed to give you 360 degrees of sound, as well as a large, backlit LCD, an iPod Universal Dock, an alarm clock, AM/FM radio and a line-in for other audio products.

JBL On Time iPod Alarm Clock [Uncrate]