First up, Cardas Audio, a US premium cable manufacturer, is bringing a new addition to its earphone range, the A8 Ear Speakers, to the UK. They sport custom 10.85mm ultra linear dual magnet drivers and claim to deliver an “extremely neutral presentation with brilliant highs, strong mid-range and deep bass.”
The casing is made from billet brass while the cable is said to be lightweight and tangle-free. The cable also features a unique design in which conductors wrap are wrapped around the core to protect it from damage.
The A8 ear speakers come supplied with a standard 3.5mm analogue cable or there's an optional balanced cable for connecting to compatible digital music players. The Cardas Audio A8 ear speakers are available now for £279, optional cables are available for £49.
MORE: Best in-ear headphones 2015
Sennheiser HD800S
Sennheiser also has a new pair of headphones up for grabs. The HD800S are an evolution of the HD800 and claim to have improved sound quality over their predecessor thanks to patented “absorber technology”, as found in the company’s Award-winning IE800 in-ear headphones.
The HD800S 'phones come in a new matte black finish and are supplied with a symmetrical XLR4 cable for connecting to balanced outputs.
The Sennheiser HD800S headphones will be available from mid-December; pricing has yet to be announced.
MORE: Sennheiser HD800 review
MORE: Best over-ear headphones 2015
4K Ultra HD specs to be made official at CES 2016
The UHD Alliance will formally announce the official specification for 4K Ultra HD content, displays and distribution at CES 2016. Along with the new spec, the Alliance will also unveil a new consumer logo to help the public easily identify products that meet the standards.
Many of the specs have already been revealed, but some areas, such as maximum and minimum brightness levels for HDR sets haven't been covered. LCD and OLED display manufacturers disagree over the necessary requiremements, with the TV technologies delivering different degrees of brightness and darkness.
Source: HD Guru
MORE: CES 2016: what to expect
Sky TV on Xbox One
'TV from Sky', Sky’s TV streaming service, is now available as an app on the Xbox One. Subscribers to Sky Go Extra or Sky Multiscreen will now be able to watch live and on demand content through the console. Sky is offering a two-month free trial to Sky Go Extra upon first use of the app.
Customers with Movies and Sports subscriptions will be able to watch through the console as well. For more information and to sign up to a free trial of Sky Go Extra, head to Sky's website.
Netflix on Humax boxes
Humax has announced that its Freesat with Freetime set-top boxes will receive a Netflix app via an over-air update soon. The app will be available on the HDR-1000S 500GB, HDR-1010S 1TB, HB-1000S and all three storage sizes of the HDR-1100S.
MORE: Humax HDR-1100S review
London Headroom Show 2016
The London Headroom Show is coming to London on January 29th and 30th. The show gives visitors the chance to listen to the largest range of demonstrable headphones in the UK. The event takes place at Metropolis’ Chiswick studios and will feature headphones from brands including Sennheiser, Astell & Kern, B&W and Audeze.
For more information and for tickets, head to the Headroom website.
MORE: Headroom Show 2015 show report
Spotify playlists on Rdio
If you’re an Rdio user, you’ll be well aware that the streaming service has been bought by Pandora and will be shutting down. Spotify has seen it as an opportunity to gain new subscribers and has introduced a tool that will let you transfer your playlists, follow the same artists and import saved tracks and albums - providing the same songs are available on Spotify.
To transfer your files, head to Spotify's dedicated page.
MORE: Rdio to shut down as Pandora buys "key assests" for $75 million
TVPlayer on Apple TV
TV streaming service TVPlayer is now available on Apple TV, meaning users can now access 85 UK TV channel through a single app. A paid version of the streaming service; TVPlayer Plus, is also available and adds premium channels such as Discovery, Eurosport 1 and the Sony Movie Channel, for £4.99 per month.
Lewis Arthur, operations director of TVPlayer, said: “TVPlayer is all about convenience: being able to watch the TV channels you love whenever you want, at home or on the go. We see the new Apple TV as a great new way for viewers to watch all of our channels. For iPhone and iPad users, TVPlayer’s free app is also available for viewing out of home.”
MORE: TVPlayer unveils 16 new channels for Freeview viewers
Teufel Bamster XS
Teufel has introduced the Bamster XS (seriously) portable Bluetooth speaker. The company claims it's small enough to fit into a jeans pocket, has a battery life of 14 hours and has two 3-watt speakers. The speaker also has a hands-free call functin, plus a 3.5mm auxiliary input for non-Bluetooth devices. The Bamster XS is available now for £60.
See all our Teufel news and reviews