Monster Community - Latest Articles

Beats By Dre Headphones Exposed, Features Unleashed

Peter Redmer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:29:51 GMT

If you even consider yourself a novice audioholic, you've surely heard of the new Beats headphones by Dr. Dre. These enticing skullcaps promise to reveal and highlight the rich, deep bass and clear highs presented by your favorite tracks. Even demanding hard rock, hip-hop, and R&B are reproduced in startling detail. In addition, the Beats by Dre feature noise-cancellation technology - ensuring that all you'll hear is pure audio bliss. These fantastic headphones were designed by Monster Cable in close collaboration with Grammy-award winning artist Dr. Dre and renowned industrial designer Robert Brunner... and it shows. Their futuristic yet classic design shows style and sophistication, and being made of the finest cabling and proprietary speaker drivers, they'll endure the test of time. Features of the Beats by Dre Spaciously designed earcups, which provide extra room for a higher level of comfort and listening Beatheable cushions, which reduce the sweat factor: stay cool while the music's hot Specially integrated mute button, which allows you to listen to the outside world without removing your Beats Monster iSoniTalk cable with built-in answer button and microphone for iPhone, BlackBerry, or other music enabled phone - make it easy to switch from music to your...

Beats By Dre: Tech Specs for the Audiophiles

Peter Redmer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:29:44 GMT

No doubt you've been reading up on the new Beats by Dre headphones from Monster Cable. These shiny new objects of audioholic affection come with an impressive array of features, and a beautiful exterior to match. Thanks to the careful design of Monster Cable, who collaborated with the master Dr. Dre himself along with renowned designer Richard Brenner, these headphones are packed with style as well as technical goodness. Feast your eyes on the technical specifications for the Beats headphones here at Monster Community, and don't forget to tell us your thoughts on Beats in our forums. Beats By Dre: Technical Specifications Speaker: 40mm Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz Sensitivity: 110dB (+/- 2dB) Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): Less than or equal to 0.8% at 1Hz out 1mW Maximum Output: 115 dB Active Noise Reduction: -16dB +/- 2.0 dB at max Operation Voltage: 2.0 to 3.2V DC Rated Wattage: 0.15W (1 kHz @ 1mW) Weight: 260 grams Cable Length: 1.3 meters Connector: 1/8 inch (3.5mm) gold plated Type: Over Ear Beats By Dre Features See All Content for Beats by Dre Talk About Beats by Dre On Our Forums

Just Bought a New HDTV? Read this!

Ron Repking — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:00:08 GMT

My father purchased two new TVs for his own use as Christmas presents for himself and my mom. Great new HDTVs that replace some old analog sets. This was a big step for my dad as he hates to replace something that isn't broken, but not the first time he has done this as he did at one point replace (albeit reluctantly) his black-and-white TV with a color model. So, for my dad and anyone else out there that just purchased a new HDTV, here are some suggestions on things that you can do to get the most out of your new set: Get a digital receiver Your new HDTV won't be able to perform to its fullest potential and display its most beautiful picture unless you have a receiver that can receive high definition video. If you have cable or satellite, make sure that you have a digital receiver! Adjust your picture controls More often than not, the picture of your new TV will be set to the factory defaults which is not optimal for normal viewing. Go into your video menu on your TV set and adjust the picture that best suits your tastes. If your not sure...

How to Watch HDTV on a PC

Nash Trout — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:25:02 GMT

There are lots of ways nowadays to watch regular TV programs on a PC, but what provides High Definition TV? First off, you will need a flat screen monitor on your PC that has HDTV-quality resolution. Most of the PC manufacturers offer a discount on bundled packages when you buy a new PC model with dual-core processors and with HDTV-ready flat screen monitor. You can be better off taking advantage of these package deals. Otherwise, if using your not-so-old PC, just buy a reasonably sized flat screen with HDTV-quality resolution. You will connect the PC's output to your HDTV-ready PC monitor. There are two interfaces available that you can choose from: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable and DVI (Digital Visual Interface) cable. Be sure to choose the right cable when connecting to your flat screen. The most common on PC gear is the DVI interface. Finally, you will need a source for HDTV programs . There are two ways to get digital-quality TV sources: Using an HDTV Tuner Card Most tuner cards are designed to receive local HDTV broadcasts, but it may be possible to find something that will work with HDTV cable and satellite services. Tuner cards are available...

The 'Bassics' of Bass Management

Matt Whitlock — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:30:54 GMT

Long ago, when audio systems consisted of 2 speakers, bass management was nothing a home user needed to be concerned about. The 2 speakers in the system were usually large tower or bookshelf sized speakers, and capable of producing bass frequencies on their own. With the widespread adoption of digital surround sound, combined with tiny speakers and powered subwoofers, properly configuring bass management is imperative for getting the most from your audio experience. What is Bass Management? Since many of today's speakers are no bigger than a coffee mug, they are often incapable of reproducing low frequency sounds. That, or there is a different speaker more suited to better produce bass effects than another. Bass management is a process in the receiver that redirects bass frequencies from speakers that can't handle it to another speaker that can. Audio engineers have no idea what your system consists of. Some people still use two large front channel speakers, others have two large fronts and small surrounds, and many use five small speakers and a subwoofer. Either way, an audio engineer mixes sound assuming that all speakers are capable of producing bass effects. This means that without bass management, all of your speakers...

Understanding Amplifier and Receiver Power Specifications

Matt Whitlock — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:21:02 GMT

It's no secret that it takes a lot of knowledge to truly understand the world of home audio, which is littered with confusing numbers and terms. Wattage, current, distortion, frequencies, and impedance are just a few of the specifications anyone looking for an amplifier of home theater receiver is going to come across. With the thousands of choices in each category, it takes a little bit of background to use these specifications to make a great choice. In steps the watt... Evaluating and stating the wattage of an amplifier has become the single most important number to the amplifier shopper. Unfortunately, wattage is a highly misunderstood specification, which dupes people into buying products with a level of performance much lower than what is anticipated. 100 watts seems to be the magic number for most, thinking that as long as you have 100 of them, and no less, they'll be fine. However, even the passenger side mirror on your car states that things aren't always as they appear. To be fair, wattage is an important number that can give a clear understanding of an amplifiers performance. A Watt, named after the British scientist James Watt, is a unit of power. And...

How To Use Your Television's Video Controls

Matt Whitlock — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:11:32 GMT

Understanding the video controls This article explains the operation of the video controls on your TV and will help both novices and experts achieve a better television picture. Many people try to adjust the controls without a good understanding of what they actually do, but knowing how they work can make it significantly easier to fine tune your television image to your liking. This article will focus on the five basic controls you'll find on every TV. It will also discuss color temperature, which is a control not found on every TV, but one which can also impact your picture. There are five basic picture controls on every color TV. Many people are familiar with them but these could be new to you. Some TVs have even more advanced controls but in most cases, it is not essential to adjust these for a good image. The basic controls are: Contrast (picture) Brightness (black level) Sharpness (detail) Color (saturation) Tint (hue) Many television hold separate video settings for each input, since people tend to view different sources in different conditions. This way, you can make your adjustments in the conditions that you watch a particular source. For example, if you view...

How To Calibrate Your Surround Sytem Using an SPL Meter

Matt Whitlock — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:03:40 GMT

In movie theaters and professional studios, audio systems are calibrated using sophisticated measuring equipment to make sure the sound is being replicated in a precise manner. One of the calibrations they do involves balancing the volume output of every channel in the system. Today's home theater receivers give you one of the tools necessary to do the same for your home theater system. What you need: A home theater receiver with a pink noise (or test tone) generator. An SPL (sound pressure level) meter. Why is SPL calibration important? Recorded sound material is mixed to certain standards. During the mastering process, a Sound Engineer adjusts the sound level of every sound that goes into the recording. When played back on a home audio system, the sound pressure levels of those same sounds will vary from how they were heard by the Sound Engineer due to many factors. For example: A Sound Engineer may sit at a distance of 5 feet from each speaker during recording. The studio audio system is setup to make sure that the volume level of each channel is the same for every speaker at the position of the Sound Engineer. In your living room, you may...