IOGEAR has done something truly amazing today by offering surround sound to stereo headphones through a small audio adapter. A lot of people spend hundreds of dollars to achieve surround sound; some of them taking it to the extreme by running cables every which-a-way to simulate that theater quality. When it comes to surround sound headphones people often spend over hundreds of dollars. IOGEAR has taken all that into consideration and is now offering a cheap affordable solution. IOGEAR‘s ‘USB Theater Sound Xperience’ comes with a high quality pair of headphones that feature the latest technologies such as Voice Clarification, Soundstage Expansion, and the highly sought after Bass Enhancement Technology. And it comes with a pair of 3.5mm jacks for stereo microphone in and stereo headphone out connection.
In my opinion this is an amazing offer, you’re getting Theater Quaility sound from a pair of headphones for literally a fourth of the price. They even come with mode specific options, so if you’re watching a movie you simply highlight the movie settings on the headphones or, if its music or web related contents you can simply put the headphones on the corresponding mode. Something I really like is a quote from senior marketing manager Bill Nguyen at IOGEAR is;
“Consumers who depend on their computers for watching DVDs and listening to music can provide a significant boost to audio performance with the IOGEAR USB Theater Sound Xperience, sometimes having five speakers or $500 headphones are simply not practical, so we created a surround sound alternative.”
I love to see that individuals at a company can relate to the consumer when it comes down to affordability and practicality, which is all the more reason these headphones have such incredible value. The ability to turn any old headphone into a surround sound master piece is invaluable!
Below is the full press release From IOGEAR.
Foothill Ranch, Calif. – July 11, 2011 – IOGEAR, a leader in convergence through connectivity products, announces the USB Theater Sound Xperience (GUADT51), the first USB audio adapter with DTS® Surround Sensation | Headphone™ technology. Connecting directly to a computer’s USB 2.0 port, the IOGEAR USB Theater Sound Xperience simulates a surround sound experience on stereo headphones or speakers.
Utilizing a transparent vacuum tube-style design — a classic look for audio enthusiasts — the USB Theater Sound Xperience takes two-channel (stereo) audio and processes it with DTS Surround Sensation | Headphone technology to give the effect of sounds occurring outside the boundaries of two channels. Audio cues such as special frequencies, volume intensity and time delay help create the USB Theater Sound Xperience.
Audio that is already encoded in 5.1-channels gains more life with the LFE (low frequency effect) mixing, which enables low frequencies to be mixed with front channels for superior performance. The result is a three-dimensional wall of DTS virtual surround sound that exceeds the limitations of just two channels.
Three proprietary DTS Surround Sensation technologies are present in the IOGEAR USB Theater Sound Xperience:
- · Voice Clarification Technology: Enhances the signal clarity to improve the audio quality of dialog derived from Blu-ray Disc™ or standard DVD
- · Bass Enhancement Technology: Restores the perception of fundamental low-frequency tones by dynamically augmenting harmonics, yielding improved bass performance without the additional hardware costs of adding a subwoofer
- · Soundstage Expansion Technology: Broadens the soundstage and creates a phantom center channel for improved clarity and audio crispness
The USB Theater Sound Xperience offers music and movie modes that optimize the listening experience for music or dialogue and sound effects driven content. Two 3.5mm jacks are provided for stereo microphone-in and stereo headphone-out connection.
“Consumers who use their computers for watching DVDs and listening to music can provide a significant boost to audio performance with the IOGEAR USB Theater Sound Xperience,” said Bill Nguyen, senior marketing manager for IOGEAR. “Sometimes having five speakers or $500 headphones is not practical, so we created a surround sound alternative.”
Brian Towne, executive vice president and chief operating officer, DTS, Inc., added, “Simply put, sound matters to consumers who are enjoying content across many devices, especially their computers. With the recent availability of IOGEAR’s USB audio adapter, consumers will finally experience the immersive and spacious sound that they’ve always wanted from their PC devices.”
The USB Theater Sound Xperience retails for $39.95 US MSRP and is available fromShop.IOGEAR.com, Amazon.com and other online retailers now.
For more information on IOGEAR and its connectivity solutions, please visit:www.iogear.com. Follow IOGEAR on Twitter, the company blog, and become a fan onFacebook for additional industry, company and product details.
