Able Planet Traveler's Choice NC190 Headphones

Able Planet's Traveler's Choice Headphones are a more portable version of the Extreme Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones, which I reviewed last year. Like the Extreme's, the NC190 Headphones have excellent sound quality for their affordable price tag. Since these are called the Traveler's choice, their big draw is their portability. While the headphones at first seem large, they can be collapsed into a small easy-to-carry headphone like ball.  However, I do have a few gripes with the headphones. While the headphones come in what seems like every color under the sun, I much prefer the design of the Extreme's. Since the design is based entirely on which color you choose, the NC190's could either be a little boring or outrageous depending on which color you choose. As you can see below, I chose to go with the outrageous lime green ones. Another minor gripe was with the ear cushions, as I wish they could be a little softer. Besides these minor complaints, the NC190's are an excellent option for those looking to spend under $100.

Price: $100

Available Now

Pros

• Affordable
• Sound Quality
• Portable

Cons

• Ear Cushions
• Design

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Nikura USA's Unveils New "Swag by Lil Twists" Line

This year's CES was full of celebrity-branded products, but nobody expected an 18-year-old rapper by the name Lil Twist to have his own headphone line. Never heard of him? It's ok, I'm sure you're definitely not the only one. The line, called "Swag by Little Twists", includes both headphones and earbuds. Retail price will be $35 for the earbuds and $100 for the headphones. The company developing Lil Twists' "Swag" line is Nikura, which has been selling electronic accessories since 1984. This new headphone line epitomizes just how far and wide audio companies are now willing to go to slap a celebrity name on their products.

Available: Spring 2013
Price: $35-$100

 

Tim Tebow Signature Soul by Ludacris Headphones

Back in August, the NFL's most famous backup quarterback, Tim Tebow, joined Ludacris' "Soul of Greatness" Ambassador crew. Over the past few months, we've already seen fellow Soul brand ambassadors, Usain Bolt and Cesc Fabregas release their own SL300's, so now, it's Tebow's turn.

Soul says the blue and white color scheme was chosen directly by Tebow, which could be a sign that Tebow is ditching the New York Jets' green and white for a fresh new start. My only question is why Soul wouldn't incorporate anything Tebow-related into the design.

For a full review of the SL300 Headphones, Click Here.

Price: $225
Available Now

Munitio Unveils 2 New Products

Munitio is an audio company that while not many people know about, have been creating great products for a while now. At this year's CES, Munitio has finally made a splash with the announcement of two new products. First up is the SV Mobile Performance Earphones which is a slight design update to its Nines earbud line which I reviewed last year. I like all the design updates, especially the new flat cord.

Munitio SV Earbuds

Price: $130

Available: February

 

While this new update to the earbuds is nice, the announcement I'm extremely excited about is the unveiling of the Pro40's. These new headphones mean that Munitio is finally entering the over-ear market. Evolving into more than just an earbud audio company is a necessary next step for Munitio. Like with all Munitio products, the company has put an emphasis on style, and frankly, I really like the design of the Pro40's. Hopefully, the sound quality and comfort will deliver as well. The Pro40's have just been chosen as the winner of TechRadar's Best Audio Accessory at this year's CES. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 2013 will be a big year for Munitio. As soon as the Pro40's and SV's are released, I'll have a full review so stay tuned!

Munitio Pro40 Headphones
Price: $300
Available: April

 

Beats by Dre Ski Helmet

Just in time for the peak of the winter season, Beats by Dre has teamed up with ski and snowboard helmet manufacturer POC to come up with a helmet that integrates their headphones into the neck roll. Already have a POC helmet? No worries. Just purchase the padded Communication Neckroll separately, which attaches to the helmet using four press studs.

No word on sound quality, but I hope they aren't noise canceling since that could definitely be a safety concern on the slopes.

Receptor BUG Communication
Price: $336
Available: Late January 2013

Communication Neckroll
Price: $183
Available Now

Sol Republic Master Tracks

With the help of it's celebrity endorsements, Sol Republic has grown in popularity to become one of the most popular headphone brands with today's young demographic. Up to this point, they have only been selling two models, the Amps Earbuds and Tracks on-ear's. Sol Republic has announced their very first over-ear headphones, the Master Tracks. The new product features the interchangeable headband and ear-cups that slide on and off, both iconic design features of Sol Republic.

The Master Tracks' headband and ear-cups are more heavily cushioned than the original Tracks. They also feature Sol Republic's proprietary FlexTech design which allows them to be bent, twisted and dropped without any worry of them breaking.  No word yet on sound quality but once they become available, we will have a full review so stay tuned.

Price: $200
Available: Late February

 

Panasonic Bone-Conduction Headphones

Panasonic has created a lot of buzz at this year's CES with their new bone conduction headphones. These headphones sit on your cheekbones and deliver audio straight to your head using vibrations. The purpose of this delivery method is that it allows you to receive ambient sounds, which is important when running or biking in crowded cities. However, these aren't the first headphones to use this type of technology. I'm curious to see how they compare to the original bone-conduction headphones, the AfterShokz. For a full review of the AfterShokz Sport Headphones, Click Here.

Available: Fall 2013
Price: Undisclosed

 

Monster Cable CES 2013

With last year's split between Monster Cable and Beats by Dre, we didn't know what to expect from Monster's first big "solo" news conference. At the press conference, Monster co-founder, Noel Lee, was joined by stars like Tyson Beckford, Shelia E, Nick Cannon, Drew Brees, Xzibit, and Sugar Ray Leonard. While Monster had all the glitz and glam at its press conference, there was no big unveiling, just a number of small updates. Below is a little summary of all the latest products and model's unveiled at today's press conference.

Diesel Vektr Headphones - 3 New Colors:Vanilla, Military Green, Mirror.
Price: $280

Diamond Tears Headphones: Now available in Black

Nick Cannon's N-Credible Headphone Line: New over-ear headphone, the N-Pulse's. The N-Tune and N-Ergy headphones will also now be available in a number of new colors.

 

Inspiration Lite: lighter and thinner than the original Inspiration Headphones.
Price: $230
Available: June

3 New iSport In-Ear Models:
iSport Strive: allow external sound to be heard (minimal isolation) - $70
iSport Intensity: moderate isolation - $100
iSport Victory: noise-cancelling (high isolation) - $170

CES 2013

With CES 2013 upon us, I'll try to keep you posted with all the latest CelebHeadphones news and updates!

Happy CES 2013!

Moshi Audio Burn-In Headphone App

Just like with a nice pair of leather shoes, CelebHeadpones sound better when broken in. Yes, that means that the headphones you got for Christmas are still not at peak performance. Until now, you had to leave your MP3 player on for 20+ straight hours to achieve maximum sound quality. Moshi Audio has come up with a modern solution with its own headphone Burn-In App.

First, your going to need to install the app onto your iOS device. Next, you plug in your headphones and run the app. Leave it on, and let the headphones burn in. The Burn-In Tool app plays a curated list of tones and frequencies which help the headphone diaphragms "relax and reach optimal level of sonic performance."

But the best part about the app is that its Free! So give it a shot, and see for yourself if the app really does improve your CelebHeadphones.

More details Here.