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In this video, we bring you a whirlwind tour of the Monster Cable booth at the 2008 CES event. We are accompanied by Seth Combs and DJ Irie.

Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee made a slew of announcements at his 2008 CES press conference. Some of the new products on the way include five different speed-rated HDMI cables, also Outlets to Go 3, a power strip that includes a USB port for recharging electronics. iSoniTalk is an adapter for the iPhone that allows any headphone to be used with the ever-popular iPhone, while the iCarPlay Wireless 250 is billed as the “World’s Most Advanced iPod FM Transmitter”.

The big announcement was made in person by renowned rap and music producer Dr. Dre and music impresario Jimmy Iovine, CEO of Interscope Records. Together they introduced “Beats by Dr. Dre”, headphones designed for the iPod generation—and to specifically replace the earbuds that come with the iPod. Dre said he has been asked to put his name on many headphones in the past. But he endorses “Beats” because they have the newest technology, for a listening experience this is low-bass friendly with high-quality clarity. Because as Dre put it, “...music should be heard the way it’s intended”. When asked what he liked most about the headphones, Dre simply replied, “the sound.” ‘Nuff said! Look for the state-of-the-art headphones in June, for $400 USD.

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Etymotic is out with some new earphones this time around at .  Developed specifically for gamers, the EDGE (an acronym for Enhanced Definition Gaming Earphones) Acoustics line of earphones has been created to give gamers an edge (har har) by using spatial cues to make them more aware of what’s going on around them within a game.  The earphones have a microphone and send switch, so they eliminate the need for separate microphones on the desk and are also compatible with most standard VOIP hardware.

’s HF2 earphones are based on their ER4 model, but feature a microphone with a mic and a send switch plus a 4 barrel plug making it fully compatible with the iPhone.  Retailing at $179, these earphones look to be a great value and will be available soon.

Last on the list from Etymotic is a headset with a detachable boom.  Because the boom extends almost all the way to the wearer’s mouth, it broadcasts 28 to 30 decibels - still within the safe range of volume but a lot easier to hear for the person on the other end of the line.  The headset will be available soon for an MSRP of $129.

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Everyone loves speakers.  At least that’s what I’m thinking, after taking a look at the market.  Jensen’s newest offerings, the JiSS 550 and JiSS 330, retailing for $129 and $99 respectively.  Both docks include side flow bass ports for crisper sound and remote controls, and both are available now.

Another, newer offering from Jensen is an HD radio enabled iPod speaker.  Along with all of the rest of the cool tricks that HD radio receivers have (FM multicasting, digital sound and station information services, among others), Jensen’s newest HD offering features an tagging function - when you hear a song on the radio that you know you’re going to want to hear again, repeatedly and whenever you want, with the touch of a button you can send the song information to your iPod.  On your next sync, you’ll get a prompt from iTunes reminding you that you wanted to buy the song.

Available in April, MSRP on the HD radio iPod speaker will be coming in at an estimated $179, but rumor has it that if you head over to Target when the speaker is released, you could save yourself enough to buy a couple of albums worth of songs you tagged on the unit.

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Bowers and Wilkins has long been known for their stunning audiophile loudspeaker and home theater equipment so it’s no surprise that their foray into the / speaker dock territory is an impressive one. The new Zeppelin dock features a subwoofer and two midrange/tweeters all in a single compact unit. The odd football shape does indeed bring to mind it’s airship namesake with a look that is sure to draw a second look for passers by. The downside - it’s $600; or $200 more than you spent on the iPhone that goes in it.

In the video we show off the product, and even demonstrate how it handles an iPhone taking a call while in use. Amazingly, there is no GSM interference to be found. Definitely a plus.

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eJamming.com was at Showstoppers during 2008 and saw fit to show off their new, cool offering. eJamming is an online live jam session tool, comprised of software that allows geographically disparate artists to get together, play together and record together live on the net. The software accounts for latency by forcing a small delay back through each of the players monitors of between 10-30 milliseconds, which they say takes a musician about 30 minutes to get used to. (And is similarly experienced in some live systems.) By matching the latency based on distance and adjusting for it appropriately, the musicians can play together and record together fully in synch. What’s more, they’re moving towards a model that will allow them to sell access to guest users, to hear the live music.

It’s an interesting concept, though I think they may run into some attach rate trouble with regards to getting fans to pay to listen to the live performances, no matter the price. Still, the service definitely has its merits with regards to musicians being able to get together with no geographical barriers.

Check the video to see us chat with co-founder Alan Jay Glueckman about his service.

Speaking of price, the software is free with a subscription fee of $10 a month.

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Last February we told you about iHearSafe Headphones, which protects the hearing of children (or, really, anyone) by limiting audio decibels to 80 or below, regardless of how high the volume is cranked on the device. The headphones are available for $20 USD. By chance we literally ran into iHearSafe inventor and mom, Christine Ingemi, at this year’s , getting the word out about her earbuds. Check the video for the full scoop.

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At Pepcom’s Digital Experience, we had a chance to interview and get an up close and personal look at all the new peripherals they introduced at this year. Take a look at the video to see their 4-way, USB- and audio-enabled KVM switch, available this summer for $169. Additionally, they demoed an intelligent surge protector with six individually controlled outlets and two always-on outlets. Add to this a wireless on/off switch to activate or kill the six outlets and you have a nifty device to help kill the phantom power drain that’s so prevalent in today’s chargers and adapters when they’re not in use.

We also check out a few cool and peripherals and the Rockstar--a five way minijack (headphone) splitter, available for $39.95 this summer.

And finally, we take a quick look at the N52te gamer “WASD replacement” pad. With a bunch of programmable macro options, an integrated scroll wheel and just enough buttons to get things done in TF2, it’s going on sale this month for $69.99 with a first look in the video.

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With music phones on the rise has smartly continued development of their wireless headphone line. Their 2nd generation headphones feature longer battery life, better sound, and handsfree headset capabilities letting you stop the rock to talk at the mere press of a button. Available now to go with the A2DP cellphone of your choice.

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The Gear Live crew got the only private listening session of the newly-announced Beats by Dr. Dre headphones during , and our thoughts are in this episode. Be sure to check out our other Beats by Dr. Dre video, and our Beats by Dr. Dre photo gallery.

I’m what you would refer to as a cost-sensitive buyer. I’m obsessive about value propositions with my purchases. And I would buy the $400 Beats by Dr. Dre headphones by Dre & .

We got a private demo with Monster and had the opportunity to listen to what’s amounted to more than two years of obsessive research and attention to detail. All the materials, the drivers, the amplifier and more are clearly thought out and it shows. The response from these is absolutely incredible. Their intent was to allow you to listen to the music as the producer intended and dare I say it’s as faithful reproduction as you’ll find on a $400 set of headphones. It’s enough that I would buy these before buying the nearest-priced Logitech system for my computer. The bass response was impressive to the Nth—low bass held its tonal quality through a great deal of dynamic range, something not usually seen. The midrange was rich and warm and perfectly presented and the high ends came out just as well.

I’m sad because I really want these. I mean, I was upset that I had to go home tomorrow to my sound system, and that it’s nothing close to how these performed. They were comfortable, sexy, and sounded absolutely incredible.

Try these when they come out in June. But only if you’re prepared to buy them.

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never fails to impress with their MP3 players. At they were showing off the Sansa View and the Clip. These new players show up Apple’s current lineup not only in features, but as well as in price. The view’s new hotness: available in capacities up to 32GB (flash based, not hard drive). The clip trounces the iPod shuffle by offering not only 4GB for the price of 1, but also throwing in a screen, FM tuner/recorder, voice recorder, and an equalizer. Both players are available now for half the price (and twice the features) that their Apple made counterparts command - perfect for the thrifty music lover in your life. 

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