Audio/MP3

RockMe. has got to the be the only five-day music festival where you won't pay for tickets. It is social-networking site Me.dium's attempt to rock your world, and the only thing you need to get in is your Web browser. (Of course, you still have to bring your own drinks.)

RockMe., which runs from September 18 through September 22, 2007, will feature bands, music video competitions, and the world's safest mosh pit--it's virtual. More important to Me.dium, the RockMe. festival will provide plenty of opportunities for band members and music lovers to swap fond memories of choice lyrics and drum solos using Me.dium's service.… Read more

Yesterday I spent a lot of time raving about the SVS 20-39 PC Plus subwoofer, today we'll look at the company's satellites.

Like the subs, the SVS SBS-01 and SCS-01 speakers are generously proportioned; both use a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and 5.25-inch polypropylene woofer (the first speaker has one, the "center channel" speaker has two woofers). The SBS-01 is 12 by 7 by 9.5 inches (hwd) and the SCS-01 is 7 by 20 by 8.5 inches (hwd), so they're both big enough to make a fair about of bass on their … Read more

If I had a dollar for every time I answered the question--"I'm looking for a great speaker system, but I don't have a lot of money, what should I get?"--I'd have enough loot to buy SVSound's awesome SBS-01 satellite/subwoofer speaker package.

SVS sells directly over the Internet so the prices are affordable, and the systems come with a 45-day, full-refund return policy. So what's the catch? SVS' speakers and subs, especially the subs, are big muthas.

Take the 20-39 PC Plus subwoofer: it features a custom-built 12-inch woofer and a … Read more

Today's Apple event in San Francisco offered plenty of iPod news to be excited about. In only the first few minutes, Steve Jobs announced that the whole iPod lineup--from the shuffle to the iPod--would get an upgrade. There had already been a ton of speculation about what Jobs would announce today, but as is usually the case, an Apple event almost always means a surprise.

First on the list of new hardware, the iPod Shuffle. Not much in the way of changes here, but the clip-on design comes in several new colors. It has 1GB of storage space and retails for $79.

There was a lot of speculation around the Mac rumor sites before this event about the new iPod Nano, with alleged leaked photos and feature lists. The real version is a bit different, having a 320?240 screen (204 ppi) and supports the same resolution as iPod videos. Coverflow is now offered for paging through your music and is controlled using the touch wheel on the bottom. A new graphical navigation system splits the screen down the middle with the familiar list navigation on the left side and a snippet of video, a picture, or song name and album art on the right side. It comes in both 4GB and 8GB models like the previous Nanos and sells for $149 and $199, respectively.… Read more

At a special event in San Francisco today, Apple's Steve Jobs announced that a new version of iTunes (download for Windows or Mac; CNET review) will allow users to create their own ringtones from more than 500,000 songs in the iTunes store. The ringtones will cost 99 cents, in addition to the price of the songs themselves. The custom ringtones can last up to 30 seconds and can be created from any section of a song.

The new version of iTunes, expected later tonight, will eventually add a bell icon next to songs in the iTunes store that … Read more

OK, the tour promoters aren't really calling the band the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but it's as close as you're ever going to get to hearing the JHE live.

Experience alumni Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Billy Cox (bass), will be on hand for selected tour dates as will Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon from Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughan's band). Eric Gales, the Memphis guitarist who played on the "Power of Soul" Jimi Hendrix tribute album will also part of the Experience Hendrix Tour. Various combinations of these artists will perform such Hendrix signature songs … Read more

You might love your iPod or other portable music player, but can it play OGG and FLAC files? How about a game of Pong? Tom Merritt shows you how to install Rockbox, an open-source operating system for digital music players.

Pretty much everything about Usher Audio's BE-10 screams "audiophile speaker." It's big, it's beautiful, and it sounds so good you don't even have to be an audiophile to appreciate it. Maybe the "audiophile" tag sounds a tad elitist, but anyone who occasionally gives their undivided attention to the sound of music--meaning they don't read, talk, or otherwise multitask as they listen--could be considered an audiophile. In any case, the BE-10 sounds too good to be ignored, and if that makes it an audiophile speaker, so be it.

Audiophiles with a hankering … Read more

Perusing the August 26th Sunday New York Times Style Magazine, ogling the latest in women's fashion, my mind wanders. Apparently there's an insatiable market for luxury apparel; the 316 page issue is jam-packed with goodies like a $3,495 Chanel Jersey Handbag and a freaky looking $5,390 Louis Vuitton Feather Necklace. Then again, if you really want to make that special someone really happy, go for the $26,500 Hermes Sable-and-Crocodile Kelly Muff or perhaps something more practical like the $23,155 Yves Saint Laurent sweater embroidered by Lesage. I'm sure it's all splendid couture, … Read more