Everyone perceives sound differently. Your ear is not like a measuring microphone. Because of this, it's important to understand how sound is perceived and what factors influence that perception. In creating the OAE1 signature with Axel Grell, we studied how sound is perceived. This premise drove the unique geometry and driver placement for the OAE1 Signature headphones. Since our ears, with all their unique characteristics, act as a natural equalizer to all that we hear, it makes sense that headphones should do more to use the structure of the pinna to guide soundwaves into the ear canal.

To achieve this effect, the transducers are placed much further forward and angled back towards the ear. By positioning the transducer further out and away it enables the soundwaves to fully encompass the pinna (the external part of the ear), allowing for an increase in spectral information and a more natural sound field for the listener. By contrast, the majority of headphones on the market are much closer to the ear and positioned perpendicular to the opening of the canal which bypasses much of the pinna's structure (and therefore the natural sound-shaping function of the ear itself).

Drop, the leading community-driven mechanical keyboard brand, today launches the CSTM65 keyboard - a 65% mechanical keyboard that provides a compact canvas for personalization. On the heels of launching the CSTM80, the CSTM65 is the newest addition to Drop's CSTM line of highly customizable keyboards that offer a superior typing and customization experience.

Building upon the success of the CSTM80, the CSTM65 presents a compact 65% layout that caters to users seeking a more streamlined and portable typing experience while offering the same level of customization as its predecessor. A signature of the CSTM line, the CSTM65 features an interchangeable, magnetic case - available in polycarbonate or aluminium - that envelops nearly the entire keyboard, which not only encourages users to configure the keyboard to their liking with ease, but also provides designers with a broader canvas, fostering the creation of more imaginative designs. Designed to be easily removed and replaced, users can select from a wide range of colorful and decorative cases with stunning artwork to further personalize their keyboard. Combined with various keycap options, switches, custom weight options, switch plates, and cables, users can effortlessly mix and match designs to create a keyboard that reflects their personal style.

We always had more Middle-earth keyboards in us. We just had to get back on the horse. For our latest release, we mean that in more ways (and more boards) than one. Meet the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Rohan Keyboard: a heroic typing staple sent from our stables in two styles, each inspired by the kingdom of horsemasters. Choose from the brown Edoras or the green Aldburg, named after the Riddermark's two biggest cities—and adorned with pad-printed artwork from OSHETART depicting a Rohan-inspired seal your entire desk can rally around.

MUSTER THE ROHIRRIM—IN 2 COLORWAYS
And like the great gathering of the Rohirrim before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields—these keyboards are sporting something of an army themselves. That army comes in the form of a newly created DCD-profile keycap set (in matching green or brown) featuring a host of Rohan-inspired novelties designed by OSHETART—including galloping horses, a cavalry helmet, the beacons of Minas Tirith, and iconography from Anglo Saxon culture: an inspiration for Rohan. Throw in tactile Holy Panda X Switches paired with our nearly silent Phantom Stabilizers, and you're ready to type—type now, for ruin, and the world's ending.

Drop, the leading community-driven e-commerce brand, today unveiled the CSTM80, its inaugural keyboard in its CSTM series of highly customizable mechanical keyboards. On the heels of launching its Battlestations shopping experience earlier this year, Drop continues to push the boundaries of personal expression for its enthusiast community with design-forward innovations.

The CSTM80 is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard featuring a magnetic top case that users can switch out and pair with a matching cable and keycaps to reflect their personal style and preferences. At launch, users can choose from several different color cases, as well as two designed cases, to match their preferred aesthetic. Unlike other "customizable" keyboards on the market that only allow the top cover to be swapped out, the magnetic case on the CSTM80 encapsulates nearly the entire keyboard, allowing for greater customization among users and expanding the canvas for designers to craft more intricate designs.

The headlining feature of the upcoming CSTM80 keyboard is the magnetically attached (and easily swapped) top case, allowing you to easily customize the aesthetics of your board on a whim. That said, there is a lot going on under the hood of CSTM80 to create a full-featured board out of the box, and we'll focus on those features in this story.

Typing Feel and Sound
CSTM80 features a peg-type gasket-mounted plate design, shipping with a polycarbonate plate by default for both the fully-built and barebones versions. The PC plate offers a satisfying typing sound and allows for a good amount of flex to take advantage of the gasket-mounting construction. The stock sound with the included linear switches (Gateron Yellow KS3) has a subtle marbly-ness while not sounding overly muted or deadened, and the included tactile switches (Gateron Browns) sound surprisingly similar while maintaining a strong tactility. We'll let the (soon-to-come) typing tests show the sound better than our descriptions, though—stay tuned for those.

Take a look—or a listen—at the last ten years here at Drop, and you'll notice no shortage of award-winning amplifiers. Despite this decade-long discography, there's one type of amp we haven't touched. Now, it's finally coming down the tube. That's right: our first all-tube OTL amplifier is here—complete with a rock-solid DAC stage to complete any signal chain. Meet the Drop + xDuoo TA-84 OTL Tube Amp/DAC. Designed to deliver signature tube "warmth" without excess noise, this compact desktop powerhouse utilizes Output Transformerless (OTL) topology to manage signal without a transformer, greatly reducing distortion.

For the preamp phase, it features dual ECC-82 tubes; and for the power amp phase, it runs dual EL-84 pentodes—both popular options in the audiophile amplifier space. To hit that sweet spot with any set of headphones (or powered speakers), the TA-84 is also equipped with an ultra-precise stepped potentiometer for volume control, plus a gain switch to further control the output level. On Drop, and on your desk—it's tube time. Finally.

Corsair Gaming, Inc. ("Corsair" or the "Company"), a leading global provider and innovator of high-performance gear for gamers, streamers, content-creators, and gaming PC builders, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, and reiterated its financial outlook for the full year 2023.

Second Quarter 2023 Select Financial Metrics

• Net revenue was $325.4 million compared to $283.9 million in the second quarter of 2022, an increase of 14.6%. Gaming components and systems segment net revenue was $246.7 million compared to $194.9 million in the second quarter of 2022, while Gamer and creator peripherals segment net revenue was $78.8 million compared to $89.0 million in the second quarter of 2022.
• Net income attributable to common shareholders was $1.1 million, or net income of $0.01 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $59.4 million, or a net loss of $0.62 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2022.
• Adjusted net income was $9.8 million, or net income of $0.09 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net loss of $19.0 million, or a net loss of $0.20 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2022.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $17.8 million, compared to a loss of $11.0 million in the second quarter of 2022.
• Cash and cash equivalents were $184.0 million as of June 30, 2023.

You may have noticed CORSAIR's press release yesterday concerning its acquisition of Drop, a popular enthusiast peripherals website that made its name for running group buys before focusing on keyboards. DIY keyboard components, and audio products. The press release was careful in talking primarily about the keyboard side of things and we noticed an omission of anything non-keyboard related, thus necessitating a follow-up from CORSAIR on behalf of audiophiles who are fans of highly popular Drop products such as the Drop x Sennheiser HD 6XX, its gaming headsets with EPOS, multiple other headphone collaborations with manufacturers including Dan Clark Audio, HIFIMAN, Focal, as well as various amplifiers/DACs/streamers. There was speculation about whether CORSAIR had only purchased the keyboard assets and that the audio aspects might not continue, but CORSAIR was quick to confirm otherwise.

In a quote provided to TechPowerUp, CORSAIR mentioned the following:

I can confirm that CORSAIR has acquired the Drop.com website, brand, business, community, and all its staff. Drop.com will continue to operate via its own website. While we expect to explore wider opportunities for selling Drop products via the Corsair global sales channel, the drop.com website will remain distinct from Corsair, in a similar fashion to SCUF, Elgato and Origin PC. We'll be evaluating the non-keyboard aspects of the business as time goes on but will be making no changes immediately.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers and content creators, today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire certain assets from Drop, a leading privately held peripheral developer best known for its customizable mechanical keyboards and switches, and its millions-member strong enthusiast community. Financial terms of the non-material, all-cash transactions were not disclosed.

Founded in 2011, Drop (formerly known as Massdrop) develops and sells a portfolio of peripherals and enthusiast products, with the majority of its business coming from customized "DIY" keyboards, aftermarket designer keycaps, and desktop accessories. Drop leveraged the insights of its members to develop its current collection of over 120 colorful, classic, and iconic sets offering an incredible degree of personalization to mechanical keyboard users from all walks of life. It recently expanded its portfolio to include a range of so-called Battlestation products to offer an even wider assortment of designer products for the desk and workspace.

MORE COLORS, MORE COMPATIBILITY, MORE KEYSTERINE—With a see-through aesthetic that's equal parts mouthwash and millennium-era electronics, our MiTo-designed Keysterine Keycap Set launched with a shock and a splash. Now, it's back in a second generation that's showing off an expanded Base Kit in a host of new colors.

Take your fingertips to new transparent horizons with the refreshing Peppermint and the electric Cyberjam colorways, alongside all of the original color options from the first run. (You'll also find that the original Arctic colorway is now available in a second Frost option, which features white legends for a more minimalist look.) No matter which colorway you choose, you'll be treated to a refined Base Kit, which now covers a wider range of 40% boards, as well as common Planck and Preonic configurations, per community input. Let's be transparent: you've found your next keycap set.

CAPS—& CATS—FOR CAUSES - Having raised tens of thousands of dollars in our previous Treecaps, Streamcaps, and Ukrainecaps runs, we're excited to launch the fourth installment in Caps for Causes: MT3 NoveltyCats. This time, we want to honor June's "Adopt a Shelter Cat Month" with a donation to the ASPCA on behalf of our Mech Keys community.

For these feline-focused novelties, we used the original MT3 Susuwatari First-Edition Cat Keycap mold to craft some absolutely adorable caps in Black-on-White, Dasher, Fairlane, and Dusk colorways. (If you're a Studio Ghibli fan, you may recognize the talkative inspiration for this particular cinematic cat.) With just 550 packs made—in brand-new colorways, no less—we're not expecting the NoveltyCats to last long. Get yours now, before the cat's out of the bag for good.

HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND - Some people are afraid of the dark. Here on Drop, more than a few are friends with it. If you lean away from the light in your own personal aesthetic, you've come to the right keycap set. Meet MT3 Darkness: a truly shadow-infused typing statement, with an ultra-satisfying profile you won't find anywhere else. A study of the dark in all its shapes, shades, and forms, this set features charcoal, almost-black keycaps with slightly lighter, dark-gray legends.

It's a look that gives depth to Darkness - supported by a profile that gives it height, too. That's thanks to our tall, vintage-inspired MT3 profile, which features scooped keycap tops and a sculpted shape between rows to create a retro typing feel with a modern flourish. This exclusive feel is actualized with durable, doubleshot ABS construction for exceptional texture and legends that last. This is Darkness that doesn't quit.

LASER IN ON THESE NOVELTIES - With an entrancing aesthetic that blends elements of vaporwave, cyberpunk, and outrun, GMK Laser is one our bestselling keycap sets of all time. It's easy to see why—and it's hard to get enough. Whether you have the set or not, you may find yourself wanting a little more Laser for your setup. Enter the Drop + MiTo GMK Laser Novelty Keycap Set.

Originally an available add-on kit for its namesake set, this Laser-focused collection of keycaps is now debuting in a standalone run to satisfy Laser fans new and old. Quickly scan the legends, and you'll find no shortage of thematic novelties, such as the iconic outrun sun, a sports car, a bowl of ramen, several different hazard signs, and much more. You'll also see arrow keys and a WASD cluster, both in alternate colorways from the GMK Laser's original Base Kit. If you're in search of the complete Laser look, this is the set to set your sights on.

In a city named after night, the pursuit of one thing is shared by criminals, corporations, and citizens alike. It's apogee—the best, the greatest—and it's caused many to alter themselves with next-gen tech, building on their bodies and becoming borgs. The story's the same on the new Drop Paragon Series Cyboard: the latest installment in the highest tier of our Icon Collection.

Outfitted with the finest enthusiast components, including hand-lubricated Holy Panda X Clear Switches and Phantom Stabilizers, it delivers an unrivaled tactile typing experience. It also features hand-placed dampening material between the case and the PCBA to take that experience further with ultra-satisfying texture and acoustics. On the aesthetic side, apogee is all but attained via the Drop + MiTo DCX Cyber Keycap Set, elevated by an exclusive Cyber Yellow CTRL High-Profile aluminium case. It's a look straight out of 2077—hand-assembled in the USA for exceptional performance, and shipped with a soft carry case for secure, streamlined carry.

The first-ever custom set for our first-ever custom profile, MT3 /dev/tty is a collection of keycaps that invoke old-school computing and retro typing. Now, this trailblazing throwback set is returning for a third round—with a few updates worth mentioning. Those include expansions to the Base Kit, Triumph Kit, and Lost and Found Kit, as well as several small legend refinements across the set. As always, you'll find a satisfying spread of beige-grays with occasional splash of color, depending on which kit you choose.

On every kit, your fingertips will be treated to our exclusive MT3 profile, which features scooped keycap tops and a sculpted shape between rows to create a vintage typing feel with a modern flourish. (After all, "tty" stands for "teletype" or "teletypewriter"—and the entire name is a subtle nod to a certain file type for Linux users.) There's never been a better time to type /dev/tty.

TrendForce forecasts a global downturn in AR and VR device shipments for 2023, predicting a shipment total of roughly 7.45 million units—an 18.2% YoY decrease. VR devices are expected to shoulder the majority of this decline, with projected shipments hovering around 6.67 million units. This dip is primarily attributed to weaker-than-expected sales of newly released high-end devices. Consequently, manufacturers are likely to pivot their sales strategies, shifting their focus to more cost-effective offerings. Conversely, shipments of AR devices are expected to remain stable, with projected shipments exceeding 780,000 units. While Apple's latest offerings could stimulate some demand, the high price tags attached to these units continue to pose a significant barrier to broader market growth.

Two key factors emerge when examining the impending decline in shipments in the VR sector. Firstly, brands may have been overly optimistic regarding the sales of their top-tier products. Despite these premium devices offering enhanced features courtesy of advanced hardware and software, consumers are showing reluctance to shoulder the associated higher costs. Instead, they seem to be gravitating towards more budget-friendly models this year. Secondly, the shortage of appealing, new, cost-effective models in the market is exacerbating the downturn. Meta Quest 2 continues to maintain its status as this year's market-leading VR product as the release of Meta Quest 3 has been pushed back to 2024.

An evolution of the original Holy Panda, our Holy Panda X is a fully engineered mechanical switch with unrivaled consistency and authentic-yet-refined tactile feel. Now, we're making it available in hand-lubed packs for peerless performance right out of the box. Meticulously applying Krytox GPL105 on the springs and sides of each housing and stem, we've lent a hand in making the Holy Panda X even holier.

This is just the final step in a long journey, one that started when we departed from the original Holy Panda production process (disassembling two switches and combining their parts), working closely with Gateron and a few familiar faces to recreate the Holy Panda experience through a fully engineered product. With carefully selected components, the Holy Panda X feels incredibly similar to its predecessor, but with greatly reduced stem wobble and improved consistency across the board. Among tactile offerings, it's nothing short of a treasure—and you can only find it here, now hand-lubed for the first time.

Introducing three new officially licensed keycaps - one does not simply type into Mordor. You need the right artisan keycap to make it happen. Try the new Drop + The Lord of the Rings Mordor Artisan Keycap—featuring three entrancing exclusives inspired by Mordor's most menacing icons. Three for the Elven-kings under the sky, seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone, nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die—and three for Drop, on our dark throne in the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows type.

We speak not of rings, but of keycaps. Forged in secret by the skilled hands at Dwarf Factory, a new line of artisan keycaps has fallen over the free lands of our Mech Keys community. It's the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Mordor Artisan Keycap—featuring three entrancing artisan keycaps inspired by Mordor's most menacing icons. Adorn your keyboard with The Eye of Barad-dûr, Morgul Fellbeast, and Sauron The Dark Lord. Because we could all use a little more Mordor.

HIGH-QUALITY INTEGRATIONS-ONLY HERE - We're proud to be the first to offer the Zoo65 as a prebuilt-in a host of configurations you won't find anywhere else. We've assembled six Zoo65 boards with our own exclusive keycap sets - DCX Jasmine, DCX Dolch and DCX Permafrost - available in either a tactile or linear switch configuration.

A ZOO OF HIGH-QUALITY CONFIGURATIONS—ONLY HERE - Originally sold as a kit, MOMOKA's Zoo65 Keyboard garnered a veritable stampede of fans with its exceptional build quality and attention to detail. Now, here on Drop, we're proud to be the first to offer the Zoo65 as a prebuilt—in a host of configurations you won't find anywhere else. That's right: we've assembled our own zoo of Zoo65 boards for a total of six typing experiences topped off with our own exclusive keycap sets.

Axel Grell was a guest speaker at the New York edition of CanJam 2023, and delivered a talk that expounded on the geometrical design of a headphone in relation to a listener's spatial perception of audio. Attendees of the expo were surprised to find that the ex-Sennheiser engineer had a new gizmo to show off on the show floor. The prototype headphone's origins are clearly linked to his research into the shape and directivity of sound fields, with the result being an unusual front-mounted driver orientation.

The super angled driver design will emphasize soundstage, which is an aspect vaunted by gamers in the search of the ideal headphone for competitive multiplayer sessions. Grell told attendees that the open-back prototype is 'version 1' and that it was constructed via a 3D printing process, he also added that the drivers are made from a biocellulose membrane. The chosen collaboration partner seems to be Drop (formerly Massdrop) and that a launch price of around $300 is being discussed.

According to TrendForce's latest survey of the global foundry market, electronics brands began adjusting their inventories in 2Q22, but foundries were unable to rapidly adapt to this development because they reside in the more upper portion of the supply chain. Moreover, revising procurement quantities of long-term foundry contracts takes time as well. Hence, only some tier-2 and -3 foundries were able to immediately respond to the changes in their clients' demand. Also, among them, 8-inch wafer foundries made a more pronounced reduction in their capacity utilization rates. As for the remaining foundries, the downward corrections that they made to their capacity utilization rates did not become noticeable until 4Q22. Hence, in 4Q22, the quarterly total revenue of the global top 10 foundries registered a QoQ decline for the first time after 13 consecutive quarters of positive growth. The quarterly total revenue of the top 10 foundries came to US$33,530 million, reflecting a drop of 4.7% from 3Q22. Moving into 1Q23, TrendForce projects that the quarterly total revenue of the top 10 will show an even steeper drop on account of seasonality and the uncertain macroeconomic situation.

TrendForce's recent analysis of the foundry market reveals that demand continues to slide for all types of mature and advanced nodes. The major IC design houses have cut wafer input for 1Q23 and will likely scale back further for 2Q23. Currently, foundries are expected to maintain a lower-than-ideal level of capacity utilization rate in the first two quarters of this year. Some nodes could experience a steeper demand drop in 2Q23 as there are still no signs of a significant rebound in wafer orders. Looking ahead to the second half of this year, orders will likely pick up for some components that underwent an inventory correction at an earlier time. However, the state of the global economy will remain the largest variable that affect demand, and the recovery of individual foundries' capacity utilization rates will not occur as quickly as expected. Taking these factors into account, TrendForce currently forecasts that global foundry revenue will drop by around 4% YoY for 2023. The projected decline for 2023 is more severe when compared with the one that was recorded for 2019.

Market intelligence firm TrendForce reports that the whole NAND Flash market was severely weakened by plummeting demand in 3Q22. Because shipments of end products including consumer electronics and servers had been below expectations, the overall NAND ASP fell by 18.3% QoQ. Furthermore, the general economic outlook remained pessimistic, so enterprises across many sectors started to scale back their capital expenditure plans and halted the momentum of their procurement activities. Due to this development, the problem of excess inventory eventually spread to NAND Flash suppliers. The pressure on suppliers to make sales was ratcheted up dramatically. According to TrendForce's investigation, NAND Flash bit shipments fell by 6.7% QoQ for 3Q22, and the overall NAND Flash ASP also kept sliding. On account of the unfavorable market situation, the NAND Flash industry recorded a total revenue of around US$13.71 billion for 3Q22. The QoQ revenue decline reached as much as 24.3%.

The ranking of NAND Flash suppliers by revenue saw two notable changes for 3Q22. First, SK Group moved down to third place as it suffered the largest revenue drop among suppliers. Its revenue slipped by 29.8% QoQ to US$2.54 billion mainly due to the significant deterioration of the demand for PCs and smartphones. Its subsidiary Solidigm was also affected by the slowdown in server procurements. Previously, servers had a fairly stable demand situation compared with other kinds of end products. However, server demand eventually buckled in 3Q22 as result of enterprises cutting capital expenditure and undergoing a period of inventory correction. Compared with 2Q22, SK Group (that encompasses SK hynix and Solidigm) posted a drop of 11.1% in bit shipments and an even steeper decline of more than 20% in ASP.

Building upon its popular line of headsets with expert audio brand EPOS, Drop, a frequent collaborator with leading audiophile brands based on community insights, today announced its newest collaboration product, the Drop + EPOS H3X headset. The Drop + EPOS H3X delivers high performance and style with EPOS' signature audiophile quality for next-level gaming at a market-leading price.

Built with similar design principles as the award-winning Drop + EPOS PC38X, the Drop + EPOS H3X provides unrivaled comfort, build quality and sonic performance in its price category. Drop carefully designed the Drop + EPOS H3X with user-driven feedback in mind, fine-tuning the headset's sonic details to match the audio clarity, accuracy, and sound reproduction profiles that the Drop community desire. The Drop + EPOS H3X features well-rounded acoustics and bass for a more neutral sound with increased clarity and balance, as well as an improved frequency response, delivering a similar tonality as Drop's community-favorite PC38X in a closed-back form factor. With its high-quality polycarbonate frame, hinged, memory foam earcups, and matching cable that allows users to know when the cord is plugged in fully, the Drop + EPOS H3X is incredibly user-friendly and offers a more comfortable fit for all-day wear and play.

After years of community listening, development, and testing, mechanical keyboard industry leader Drop announced its take on the popular 75% keyboard layout with the new Drop SENSE75 Keyboard. The Drop SENSE75 is the first Drop keyboard designed in-house to launch since 2020 and is available now for preorder on the Drop website.

Inspired by its community's increased interest in gasket-mounted and 75% layout keyboards, Drop developed the SENSE75, an enthusiast-level 75% mechanical keyboard. Drop is bringing top-end design ethos to the gasket-mount and 75% layout trends with a first-rate product that is an improvement on what is currently available on the market. The SENSE75 keyboard provides users with a symmetrical build, invisible underside RBG LED diffusers for a natural glow, quiet stabilizers for the perfect touch and feel, south-facing switches for maximum compatibility, and reliable hot-swappable sockets for ultimate customization.