Don’t bank on Sony’s latest desktop stereo system coming to the US anytime soon, but here’s hoping.  The CMT-CX5 can be wall mounted or placed on a desktop.  Anything wall mountable is a plus in our book, especially since it reminds us of Bang and Olufsen’s uber expensive, and overpriced systems.  There speakers can be separated from the body if necessary, though don’t get your hopes because we seriously doubt they’re wireless.  There is the quintessential iPod dock, 40 watts of power, CD player and ports for other media sources, includes a USB port and 3.5mm audio input jack.  Sony says this audio player promises big sound, large in part to something called the Dynamic Sound Generator.

According to Pocket-lint you can expect it to ship this August in your choice of black or white.

Update: Checkout our Razer Ferox review.

When Razer released the Mako speakers nearly two years ago, most were skeptical about the gaming peripheral maker’s entry into high quality audio. I got the chance to review it way back when, and they are still the best 2.1 speaker system I’ve ever tested…for under $400. I still use them today for all my musical and gaming needs.

This morning, the company announced the Ferox, which was absent at CES. This is a portable 2.0 stereo speaker set offering the same omni-directional audio as the Makos, but in a much smaller size. As you can see in the image above, the speaker itself is on the top, while the bottom helps generate true bass and is intended to keep sound flowing fluidly. Razer has yet to give dimensions for size, instead only saying they’ll last 12 hours of continuous use. Depending on their size, they may be well worth lugging along. The last few months I’ve been carrying a mouse, headphones and keyboard on trips (thanks to a half-decent laptop), so if the size is right, I could see myself bringing a decent set of speakers.

Razer plans to release the Ferox this month, so anytime this week or early next week.

The price is $499.99 – $100 instant off + free ship = $399.99!

OnLive, the cloud-based streaming game service, is now set to be built right into TVs. Actually, it’s not just TVs, but Vizio’s expected tablet, phone, Blu-ray players and everything in their new Via product line. That means your gaming can follow you everywhere, from your TV to your pocket, in real time and through the same set of devices. Sweet.

That’s especially intriguing because the technology behind OnLive already allows for PCs, the microconsole and iOS devices to work together in perfect harmony. It makes sense that the next step is integrating the microconsole directly into TVs, cutting out the extra hardware and cable requirement. That means anyone buying a Vizio with OnLive functionality, which requires very little from Vizio in terms of additional hardware, can start playing graphically intensive games within minutes of the TV’s installation. And it’ll work in 1080p, 3D, and 5.1 surround.

Surround is also new, though the service has supposedly offered it since launching back in June. All games available through OnLive only supported stereo gaming, and now the company has announced a partnership with SRS Labs to get surround sound, and high quality audio for non-surround devices, for the service. It may not sound like much at first, but for anyone who’s upgraded from stereo to surround knows, the difference is huge…as long as the media you view actually works in 5.1 (or higher). In OnLive’s case, now it does.

I’ll be checking out both the Vizio selection of TVs and devices with integrated OnLive, as well as how SRS’ 5.1 audio works with the service on Thursday. Stay tuned for first impressions then.

4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Light and comfortable for hours
• Excellent for travel

Cons:

• Doesn’t cancel outside noise
• No included travel bag

Headphones and game consoles aren’t especially compatible. The method used by Logitech with their F540 was ingenious and worked great as a stereo headset, but most of today’s headsets rely on long cables, specialized connectors, and a lot of twiddling things around to make them work. It doesn’t matter what console you’re on, this is an ongoing concern. SteelSeries, a PC-gaming peripheral maker, has dropped into the console field to simplify the headset market. Can they break into the market?

What SteelSeries is doing with the Spectrum 5XB is its first big step into the world of console gaming. Bear in mind, while many PC-gamers are considered “hardcore”, the console game environment is much more laid back, and many players are more interested in having a good time than winning. So for SteelSeries, this is a big step.

The 5XB connects in two ways, via two 3.5mm audio jacks for stereo sound and a microphone, and RCA and a USB cable to the Xbox (or PC) for audio and power, respectively. For anyone who plays on both the PC and 360, the 5XB can go from featherweight to welterweight almost instantly. This instant class-changer works easily enough: for the PC or music, use the 3.5mm jacks. For the Xbox 360, plug those jacks into the included Xbox controller adapter, which then leads to a USB cable and two RCA female to male connectors. That way, the USB powers the headset and the RCA cables transfer stereo sound to the 5XB, without “stealing” it from another audio source.

The Spectrum 5XB does this without ruining your current audio setup (thus the female to male connectors), and installation is very simple. If you already use the RCA audio cables – or even if you don’t – they’ll output to the included adapter, and thus the headset. Switching between your current speakers and the 5XB is easy. To use the headset, plug the Xbox controller adapter in and keep the speakers off. For speakers, just unplug the Xbox adapter, and voila.

That Xbox controller adapter is pretty powerful for such a junky looking piece of plastic. It controls volume for both the game and voice controls (audio from the console and coming through the microphone) through two separate dials. There’s a mute switch on the front, and a light which turns on when you’re muted.

What SteelSeries is excited about is their LiveMix technology. A switch on the back of this adapter turns LiveMix on, which then discriminates between sound from the console and from your friends online, and lowers the volume of the game when your teammates talk, so that the game’s audio doesn’t drown out the important message you may get from a teammate. The technology works well, but I’m not too happy with it.

It’s too similar to how my car changes the volume of the radio when I speed up or slow down. It does this because the car gets louder and quieter at different speeds, and I can’t stand it. It’s too much to deal with changing volumes, especially when anyone can just tune out the ambient sound and focus on their music. After all, the most complex audio system in the world is in our heads.

With LiveMix, I have the same problem. I don’t want the volume automatically adjusted. It’s more distracting than not hearing what someone said. I don’t want a situation where suddenly I can’t hear where gunfire is coming from because the one idiot on our team is singing Lady Gaga. It ruins the realism of the whole experience – that’s not how combat really work. No, I’d rather rely on my own hearing and focus, and choose what’s more important to listen to.

And SteelSeries has smartly acknowledged that there are people like me playing, so LiveMix is a switch, not a requirement. It works great, and won’t ever raise the volume one way. For more “pro” gamers who actually do communicate, LiveMix is a huge benefit because frankly, it’s just hard to make out what people say on Xbox Live. At the same time, it can easily be ruined by just one person.

Stereo sound quality is crisp and clear, and users I played with said my voice came in clear as well. Sound good, but not great, which is expected from $85 headphones. They’re certainly good enough for music and gaming. Sound isn’t too sharp, and I’ve certainly never needed to throw the headset off my ears because LiveMix made something too loud.

As for the hardware itself, the 5XB is very light, which in the hand feels flimsy but on the head for hours is great. Most headsets become uncomfortable because they’re just too heavy. The 5XB doesn’t get uncomfortable easily. The cushions are soft and sit over the ear, but they don’t act as a good sound barrier against outside noise. The Spectrum 5XB is not great to use loud environments because of this. The adjustable microphone is retractable, which is great for travel.

What’s even better for travel is a nice surprise: the 5XB can break into three parts for easy storage, as pictured above. This feature is easy to miss; onlookers won’t notice it. I didn’t notice until I started playing around with it for photographing. It’s an excellent feature, one that could be fully realized with a proper travel bag included with the headset.

For a gaming headset, SteelSeries has done a pretty good job with the Spectrum 5XB. For just $90, players get something that’s easy to store, works for the 360 and PC, is easy to set up for home use or away without constantly shifting cables, and even includes some interesting tech for better communication. While I, as a lone-wolf gamer may not appreciate it, the LiveMix system works well and serious teams can benefit greatly from it. It looks like the PC-peripheral maker is now a bona fide console manufacturer.

In front of our media centers, the hardest thing to get around is keeping the sound down. Why bother buying a great surround sound system if you can’t use it? Then again, other people in the house have this nasty habit of sleeping, especially when a good movie is on or a heavy gaming session is underway.

What do you do? Turn down the sound to inaudible levels, or get a headset with wires spreading across your living room, adding yet another gizmo to clutter your media center. It seems like a lose-lose. What to do.

That’s why Logitech’s F540 is an ingenious – and frankly very late – concept. Not only are the F540’s built for use with your TV, they also work with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Better yet, it can connect to all three simultaneously, without the need to switch cables.

In the past, all headsets were required to plug into a single audio source, like the Xbox 360, for instance. If you want to switch to an alternate console, or TV, you had to unplug the headset from the Xbox 360, plug back the speaker cables, unplug the same speaker cables for your TV or other console, and plug in your headset. Besides having way too much room for error, undergoing the entire process just doesn’t seem worth it. And having tested many wired headsets, I can safely say that it’s no fun, and even having the clutter of multiple headsets is more convenient than constantly switching all those cables.

The F540 does away with that in one artistic motion, thanks to a set-top box that connects to three separate devices simultaneously. On the back, Logitech labels all inputs, which shows what console each belongs to, so there’s no room for error. That set-top box has two sets of standard RCA inputs, and the Playstation 3 section includes a USB input for voice chat. An auxiliary input sits at the far end for use with a TV or any other device, like a Wii, media player, etc. One final USB port sits at the front of the box, for charging the wireless headset.

That’s right; the F540 is completely and entirely wireless. The sound streams from your console of choice, or TV, and sends the signal from the set-top box to the headset anywhere up to 30 feet (in testing, it went farther, like the G930s). And it works great, offering not only wireless sound coming in, but also communication going out.

Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have restrictions when it comes to hardware, and Logitech has found a simple, non-intrusive way to ensure their headset works on both consoles, simultaneously, as well as any other device. The included instructions break down exactly how users can set their consoles to work perfectly without unhooking them from your current speaker system, which is just phenomenal. All the necessary wires and cables are included, so anyone who owns both an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 will suddenly have the easiest solution to gaming with a headset.

However, this simplicity comes at a price. The F540s is only a stereo headset, meaning it does not support surround sound gaming. This is a hardware issue, one that Logitech could not get around without making the wiring more complicated. Still, it’s a shame that a headset that, for all intents and purposes, is identical to the lauded G930s, but lacks surround sound, one of the G930s best qualities.

Yet as the most convenient sound system I’ve ever seen, the F540s are certainly here to stay. Ten hour battery life has proven excellent. They are comfortable to wear for hours at a time. For Xbox 360 gamers, one wire is required, from the controller to the headset, and it’s small and possibly easy to lose. Since most peripherals today do not use 2.5mm audio cables, Logitech would have benefitted from imbedding the cable into the headset, though on the other hand, doing so could make audio quality suffer.

The headset itself is nearly identical to the G930. Instead of programmable buttons and one volume scroll wheel, a second scroll wheel has been added to adjust microphone volume. Both wheels are very insensitive, and it takes a lot of scrolling to make a significant change to the volume. The charging port sits next to the Xbox 360 microphone port on the left can, and an input button, which changes the device currently sending a signal to the F540s, sits below the power button.

As an over-the-ear headset, the F540s are by design noise cancelling. Turning the volume high on the headset, however, adds a lot of static, so it’s recommended for users to change the volume on their connected media centers/TVs first, and only then adjusting the headset volume. The adjustable microphone boom is also very convenient, automatically muting when pushed up.

That input button is surprisingly helpful, especially if you’re using the picture-in-picture setting on your TV. Switching between multiple devices is as simple as pushing the button. The set-top box automatically reads which devices are sending a signal, and switches between them instantly.

For simplicity and convenience, the F540 is the best media center solution available. Long battery life, great comfort and solid sound quality are almost secondary, yet Logitech has it all. All, except for surround sound, which may ultimately keep some gamers from buying it. That and the price point, at $150, just $10 shy of the G930s, which is surround. Still, there’s no better way to keep your media center clean, clear, and easy to use.

Logitech has it for $149.99

Still searching for that premium iPod speaker dock experience?  Well, perhaps with Philips’ Fidelio DS9000 you won’t have to look any further.  This diminutive system boasts 100 watts of power and a two-way acoustic system with one midrange driver and one tweeter per channel.  And for greater opulence, aside from the wood and metal finish, the Fidelio DS9000 includes a remote and a backlit control panel that lights up using a proximity sensor.  For added functionally Philips has built an iPhone app, though that might deter those with an iPod from investing, unless of course it’s an iPod Touch.

There’s no word on a price or street date at this time.

[via TFTS]

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Early last year iHome launched the iP1, a stylish high end iPhone/iPod docking system that boasted their patented Bongiovi Acoustic Digital Power Station technology.  One problem, though: it cost $300.  So iHome went back to the drawing board and came up with the iP2.  Though it lacks the same luster as the iP1 it should rock out with the same fervor as its predecessor and at a price tag of $100 less – $199 to be exact.  You can expect the iP2 on sale this Summer.

iHOME DEBUTS NEW MODELS FROM ITS STUDIO SERIES AT CES 2010
DPS Technology Integrated Into New Docking Solutions

RAHWAY, N.J., January 5, 2010 – One year after introducing the world to the first home audio system to incorporate Digital Power Station (DPS) technology, iHome today announced new products for its highly acclaimed Studio Series line.  Premiering at CES 2010, the new iP2 Home Audio System for iPhone/iPod and the iP49 Portable Rechargeable Audio System with Alarm Clock & FM Radio for iPhone/iPod are the next wave of innovative products to incorporate DPS technology, giving users new hardware options while maintaining the same high standard of audio quality set by the original Studio Series offering, the award-winning iP1.

“The Studio Series is our premium line for those iPhone and iPod owners who demand a higher level of audio fidelity from their speakers,” said Evan Stein, vice president of Marketing, iHome.  “Thanks to Bongiovi Acoustics’ DPS technology, the sound quality is virtually unrivalled and we are excited to broaden our offerings with the iP2 and iP49.”

The iP2 and iP49 are equipped with the patented Bongiovi Acoustics DPS technology which was developed by a team of audio engineers with years of experience in the music, television and motion picture recording industry.  It is a complex, chip-based algorithm, custom-tuned to each and every product to maximize performance and provide studio quality sound, the way the artist intended it to be heard.  The processor involved is active, meaning it constantly scans the program material in real time and effectively improves transients and harmonics that results in amazing highs, lows and clarity across all frequencies and volume levels. .

The Studio Series product line as well as iHome’s entire 2010 line-up will be on display during CES 2010 at iHome’s booth, located in the North Hall, MTG Room N245.

Features:

• 50 watts per channel
• Speaker A/B, 6 audio inputs, iPod compatible

You gotta think that these iPod compatible sounds systems are cash cows.  Why?  Because everybody and their mother has built one.  Today, Onkyo announced the CBX-Z20 AERO.  It features an iPod dock, CD, AM/FM radio and remote.  Expect about 5 watts of power per speaker.

The Onkyo CBX-Z20 AERO will be out later this year for about $500.

[Crunchgear]