Creative Technology today proudly announces the release of the Sound Blaster G8, the latest external gaming DAC designed for those seeking a superior listening experience beyond standard audio. Building on the Sound Blaster legacy, the Sound Blaster G8 brings something new to the table as the first external gaming DAC to feature dual USB-C inputs with mixing capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity for users. Coupled with ultra high-resolution 32-bit/384 kHz playback and a proprietary Xamp discrete headphone bi-amplifier, the Sound Blaster G8 sets to deliver outstanding audio clarity and precision, making it a must-have for gamers, audio enthusiasts, and content creators.

A New Standard in Audio Performance
The Sound Blaster G8 breaks new ground as the first external gaming DAC to offer dual USB-C inputs with mixing, allowing users to connect two devices—such as a PC and console - at the same time without sacrificing audio quality. This handy feature eliminates the need for additional mixing devices, while keeping the desktop space clutter-free. Unlike most amplifiers on the market, Creative's proprietary Xamp discrete headphone bi-amplifier drives the left and right headphone channels individually, resulting in a smoother, more detailed audio experience. Boasting a dynamic range of 130 dB, the Sound Blaster G8 brings music, movies, and games to life, letting every subtle sound and explosive moment be heard with remarkable clarity. Additionally, with the ability to support headphones with an impedance range from 16Ω to 600Ω, the Sound Blaster G8 offers exceptional sound quality and connectivity across any setup, whether for everyday listening or with high-end gear.

Edifier International, the award-winning audio electronics designer, announces the NeoDots True Wireless earbuds featuring a hybrid driver unit combined with a digital signal processor for the optimum in sound quality.

The combination of dynamic drivers and balanced armature drivers in audio equipment allows a broad frequency response, where dynamic drivers effectively manage low frequencies, delivering deep and rich bass, whilst the balanced armature drivers handle mid and high frequencies ensuring clear and detailed treble. This synergy results in a well-rounded sound profile that enhances the listening experience across different music genres and audio content.

As a global leader in the consumer electronics industry, Baseus has always been passionate about creating minimalist products that are easy to use and prioritize the user's needs. To add to this extensive and innovative range of products, Baseus is excited to unveil the latest Bowie 30 Max Noise Cancelling Headphones. These incredible head-tracking spatial audio headphones provide excellent sound quality and immersive noise canceling - making them the ideal companion when traveling, exercising, or doing outdoor activities.

The Baseus Bowie 30 Max Noise Cancelling Headphones also come highly recommended by GRAMMY and EMMY award winners to ensure a level of sound engineering worthy of those accolades. Let's explore some of the key features of these pioneering headphones:

ESS Technology, Inc., the industry leader in audio semiconductor devices, today announces two 8-channel DACs with integrated line drivers with exceptional performance. The incorporated ESS patented Hyperstream IV architecture provides the listener with the legendary SABRE sound quality with improved audio performance and a refined and enjoyable listening experience.

The ES9082 SMART DAC and ES9081 DAC are ESS' next generation devices that deliver a True DNR of +120dB and -108dB THD+N with 2VRMS line driver for each of the 8 channels allowing for an amazing audio experience while reducing the Bill-Of-Material (BOM). Channels can be summed to improve performance in an application requiring fewer channels. A 2-channel differential configuration can achieve up to +127dB DNR with a 4VRMS output. ESS' True DNR performance does not rely on Dynamic Range Enhancement (DRE) technology that shows higher DNR but is known to cause pop noise in some applications.

JBL, a trailblazer in audio technology, has announced the new JBL Tour PRO 3, the most advanced True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds yet. With the introduction of dual drivers, JBL Spatial 360 with Head Tracking, True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0, and a Smart Charging Case packing truly unique features, JBL Tour PRO 3 redefines the TWS listening and user experience.

Seamless Convenience with 'Everywhere Entertainment'
At the forefront of the JBL Tour PRO 3's innovations is the second-generation Smart Charging Case. The case not only provides full control of the earbud features, but also acts as a wireless audio transmitter, enabling 'Everywhere Entertainment' from any USB or analog source such as an inflight entertainment system. Simply plug in the charging case for an instant and automatic connection to your earbuds.

Edifier International, the award-winning audio electronics designer, announces the STAX SPIRIT S5 Wireless Planar magnetic headphones. In the 2012, Edifier acquired STAX Ltd., a company with over 80 years history, and a specialist in electrostatic headphones. The brand name "STAX" is almost considered the benchmark of electrostatic headphones. Inspired by STAX's pursuance of high-fidelity music and craftsmanship in the field, the STAX SPIRIT brand was created as a high-end sub brand for Edifier headphone products with the aim of developing more high-quality products for audiophile users.

The STAX SPIRIT S5 are Planar magnetic headphones. Planar magnetic drivers are commonly found in Hi-fi headphones and other high-end audio equipment. With their unique way of operation, planar magnetic drivers can represent a superior audio experience with rich details and impressive transient response. With solid innovation and advanced features, the STAX SPIRIT S5 packs upgraded planar magnetic drivers and the latest Bluetooth V5.4 technology into a compact and portable form-factor. The 2μm thin film and 2nd gen EqualMass wiring technology generate a performance comparable to legendary electrostatic headphones.

Edifier International, the award-winning audio electronics designer, reveal the QR65 Desktop Active Monitor speakers - a new all-in-one unit that combines the brand's renowned acoustic technology with immersive Lumia light effects and TurboGaN fast-charging capabilities.

One of 4 Edifier products to win a prestigious Visual Grand Prix 2024 award and also highly recommended with a much sought after VGP 2024 Gold Medal Award, the QR65 is remarkably versatile, placing an emphasis on both compatibility and multi-use functionality. As the brand name develops, audio quality remains paramount with the QR65 featuring an advanced Acoustic Architecture. Equipped with 2.75" mid-low drivers, an aluminium alloy diaphragm and a long-throw design, the QR65 can produce consistently punchy bass frequencies whilst bolstering rich and full-bodied mids. Thanks to 1.25" silk diaphragm dome tweeters, finely tuned by Edifier's world-leading audio engineers, the speakers boast precision-tooled high frequency reproduction, creating crisp and bright trebles that stand out above even the most bass-laden of mixes.

Noble Audio today launched the FoKus Triumph TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds, showcasing the company's renowned sound quality in a TWS package. FoKus Triumph is driven by a custom 6.5 mm dynamic driver coupled with Cowell, an all-silicon MEMS-based speaker from xMEMS Labs, pioneers in "Solid-State Fidelity."
FoKus Triumph is Noble's third product, following the Falcon Max and XM1, to benefit from a strategic partnership with xMEMS. Leveraging xMEMS Cowell to deliver exceptional sound quality, phase coherence, and treble extension, FoKus Triumph is the latest evidence of Noble Audio's status as a pioneer in premium portable audio.

Noble Audio's latest fully wireless earbuds incorporate a custom dynamic driver for accurate bass and midrange reproduction with xMEMS' Cowell solid state driver serving as a tweeter. Pre-production units with this hybrid design were tested by hundreds of visitors at xMEMS' CES suite in January, and they received high marks for sound quality.

EarFun's development kitchen remains hot. Delivering their first IEM and portable USB-C DAC just this past month, the awarded audio brand will be releasing the next generational leap from their current lineup, the Free Pro 3.

Revolutionizing True Wireless Audio and Noise Cancelation
The new true wireless earbuds are the first pair of earbuds that combine Snapdragon Sound Certification, Hi-Res audio, Qualcomm's QCC3072 SoC, the latest v5.3 Bluetooth certification, Low-Energy Audio protocol, and aptX Adaptive technology. It will also feature EarFun's proprietary QuietSmart 2.0 technology for active noise cancellation up to 43dB, and 6-mic cVc call noise-reduction. It will boast a generous battery life of up to 33 hours, an IPX5 certification, wireless charging, and multipoint connectivity. The Free Pro 3 will make use of EarFun's customizable audio app for total user configuration.

Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic this year, and everything is now an AI processor, from CPUs to GPUs, NPUs, and many others. However, it was only a matter of time before we saw an integration of AI processing elements into the networking chips. Today, Broadcom announced its new Ethernet switching silicon called Trident 5-X12. The Trident 5-X12 delivers 16 Tb/s of bandwidth, double that of the previous Trident generation while adding support for fast 800G ports for connection to Tomahawk 5 spine switch chips. The 5-X12 is software-upgradable and optimized for dense 1RU top-of-rack designs, enabling configurations with up to 48x200G downstream server ports and 8x800G upstream fabric ports. The 800G support is added using 100G-PAM4 SerDes, which enables up to 4 m DAC and linear optics.

However, this is not only a switch chip on its own. Broadcom has added AI processing elements in an inference engine called NetGNT (Networking General-purpose Neural-network Traffic-analyzer). It can detect common traffic patterns and optimize data movement across the chip. Specifically, the company has listed an example of the system doing AI/ML workloads. In that case, NetGNT performs intelligent traffic analysis to avoid network congestion in these workloads. For example, it can detect the so-called "incast" patterns in real-time, where many flows converge simultaneously on the same port. By recognizing the start of incast early, NetGNT can invoke hardware-based congestion control techniques to prevent performance degradation without added latency.

Edifier, the award-winning manufacturer of premium sound systems, bookshelf speakers and personal audio devices, announces its newest audio product, the NeoBuds Pro 2 earbuds. In the new NeoBuds Pro 2, Edifier is introducing its latest patented technology, the Edifier Wide-Band Multi-Channel ANC. This Active Noise Cancellation delivers a wider and deeper noise cancellation to -50dB depth and 5 kHz bandwidth, adding an independent feed-forward channel that applies the noise reduction ability of the Knowles RAN Balanced Armature Driver to Hybrid ANC channels.

The Edifier Wide-Band Multi-Channel ANC can be personalized to suit your needs and the environment, allowing you to be in total control of the background noise you select to hear. Choose high ANC for a busy commute and medium or low ANC for the office; ambient sound to hear traffic noise or wind reduction for a clearer listening experience. Calls are also improved with the 4+4 built-in microphones and with an AI voice pick-up algorithm, environmental and wind noise is filtered out - thus enhancing the overall sound clarity.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced Swift Pro PG248QP, featuring an innovative FHD (1920 x 1080) 540 Hz (OC) Esports-TN (E-TN) panel for the smoothest and clearest visuals ever. It's the fastest gaming monitor available today and is up to 50% more responsive than traditional TN panels. The PG248QP boasts numerous features that will appeal to esports gamers, including NVIDIA G-SYNC Ultra Low Motion Blur 2 (ULMB 2) technology for supersmooth visuals, the NVIDIA Reflex Analyzer for measuring system latency, and a unique base with retractable claws to free up more desktop space for a keyboard and mouse.

Made for esports pros
This groundbreaking ROG Swift Pro esports gaming monitor series pushes the boundaries of speed and responsiveness to provide pro gamers and enthusiasts with unparalleled gaming experiences. The PG248QP uses a 24.1-inch E-TN panel to deliver stunning visuals at a buttery-smooth 540 Hz (OC), making it the fastest gaming monitor available. Its features include an adjustable base with retractable claws that ensure a smaller desktop footprint, leaving more space for a keyboard and mouse. The PG248QP meets the requirements of DisplayHDR 400 certification to immerse gamers in incredibly lifelike gaming worlds bursting with color.

soundcore, Anker Innovations' premium audio brand, today unveiled the Motion 300 and Motion 100, a pair of portable Bluetooth speakers engineered to deliver an incredibly detailed and immersive stereo sound experience in a small and compact form factor. Featuring wireless Hi-Res audio certification, support for LDAC, SmartTune EQ (Motion 300 only) and 12+ hours of battery life, this pair of speakers were designed to be the best sounding speakers for on-the-go and outdoor enthusiasts.

Immersive Music Experience
The soundcore Motion 300 offers users high quality sound equipped with two, 15-Watt full-range drivers, delivering 30-Watts of immersive stereo audio output, while the smaller Motion 100 offers two, 10-Watt full-range drivers. Additionally, both speakers offer users premium sound with wireless Hi-Res certification and LDAC codec support.

Today, Shure introduced its highly anticipated AONIC 50 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Gen 2. Drawing on decades of stage and studio expertise, the AONIC 50 Gen 2 Headphones break new ground with a revolutionary spatialized audio experience, designed to captivate music enthusiasts and discerning audiophiles alike. Building on the success of the AONIC 50 Headphones, this second generation sets a new standard for premium, high-fidelity audio, enhanced active noise cancellation, and more than double the battery life of the first generation, with up to 45 hours of runtime.

Meticulously crafted with premium materials and studio-quality sound through custom-engineered 50 mm dynamic drivers, AONIC 50 Gen 2 Headphones are an embodiment of comfort and style that take listening to the next level. They have been designed by leveraging Shure's experience designing headphones for studio professionals with long hours in mind. With customizable EQ features and new hybrid active noise cancellation technology, users can tailor their unique preferences using the free ShurePlus Play App for a personalized audio experience.

soundcore, the premium audio brand of Anker Innovations', today launched the Space One over-ear headphones, the next generation of headphones under the Space moniker. With an upgraded noise cancelling system, Space One offers users an improved experience for listening to music or talking on the phone, by targeting frequencies that help to reduce external voices. Combined with long playtime, impressive audio performance with LDAC decoding and a comfortable floating design, Space One equals an over-the-ear pair of headphones that is perfect for all day usage.

soundcore's Best Ever Noise Cancellation:
Leveraging the Space One's improved noise cancelling structure helps to block out mid and high frequencies where the human voice typically resides (1). Once identified, the Space One headphones can help to reduce many sounds including, people talking, babies crying or co-workers on the phone in the next cubicle.

Today, Technics announced the launch of its new compact and lightweight earbuds, the EAH-AZ40M2. Joining the recently released EAH-AZ80 and EAH-AZ60M2, the EAH-AZ40M2 complete the brand's True Wireless portfolio, offering superb sound quality with the addition of Active Noise Cancelling Technology and unparalleled comfort for home, work and travel.

Technics tapped into its deep expertise as the legendary audio brand known for making pure sound quality to deliver its next generation of earbuds. Its engineers focused on every aspect of sound - drivers, acoustics, mechanical structure, and digital signal processing - to ensure you can hear every song or phone call with the clearest clarity. Offering the ability to shift from music to active noise-cancelling without interruption, seamless switching between up to three devices with industry-first Bluetooth Multipoint Connection, and a variety of customization settings, these new earbuds seamlessly integrate into any on-the-go lifestyle.

Sony Electronics Inc. today announced the WF-1000XM5 earbuds - the latest truly wireless model of the award-winning 1000X series. This new model offers the Best Noise Canceling by reducing external noise over a wide bandwidth, from low to high frequencies so you can focus on your music. Following its predecessor, the WF-1000XM4, the WF-1000XM5 raises industry standards with astonishing sound and Sony's best ever call quality, despite a smaller and lighter design.

The WF-1000XM5 earbuds deliver cutting-edge technology and premium sound quality with the best noise-canceling performance. Real-time audio processors and high-performance mics power the specially designed driver unit, Dynamic Driver X, for wide frequency reproduction, deep bass, and more detailed vocals.

Audeze, the leading premium headphone manufacturer, today announced the release of a limited edition gaming headset developed in partnership with Microsoft, for their Designed for Xbox Summer product collection. This stylish, limited edition "Ultraviolet" version of their highly lauded Maxwell gaming headset features a new finish that adds a head-turning and unique look to one of the best gaming headsets on the market. The Ultraviolet edition of the Maxwell headphone is available on the Audeze website for pre-order in limited quantities.

The partnership between Audeze and Microsoft which began in 2021 with the Microsoft certification of Audeze's Penrose gaming headset, and continued recently with Microsoft's certification of our new Maxwell gaming headset. This partnership has expanded access to Audeze's industry-leading planar magnetic headsets to Microsoft's vast audience of console users. Epic life-like audio quality as delivered by Audeze's legendary planar magnetic drivers are a powerful tool for gamers, and now with the Ultraviolet limited edition of Maxwell, they can use their sonic advantage in style.

NZXT, a leading provider of PC gaming hardware and accessories, today announces the Relay Audio Ecosystem, a collection of high-quality audio products for PC gamers that seamlessly provides gamers full control over their audio output and enhances their gaming experience with exceptional sound quality and comfort. The Relay Audio Ecosystem consists of four high-quality audio components, each meticulously crafted to enhance PC gaming immersion. The lineup includes the versatile SwitchMix, the high-fidelity Relay Headset, the powerful Relay Speakers, and the deep-toned Relay Subwoofer. With the SwitchMix, gamers can effortlessly alternate between any 3.5 mm headset and connected speaker audio source simply by placing or removing their headset on the included stand.

The Relay Headset, certified by the Japanese Audio Society for Hi-Res Audio, provides users with a realistic and natural-sounding audio experience that provides a clean audio signal with low distortion. It comes with audio-enhancing features such as DTS Headphone:X with genre-inspired presets,10-band EQ for customizing a user's sound experience, low-distortion 40 mm drivers to reduce ear fatigue, and a comfortable design. Rounding out the ecosystem, the Relay Speakers and Subwoofer boast 80 W stereo sound and a 140 W subwoofer, ensuring gamers are fully immersed in their virtual worlds.

At the 2023 Computex, HyperX unveiled the latest addition to the iconic Cloud line of gaming headsets that practically set the brand up as a leading gaming headset manufacturer. The new HyperX Cloud III is a successor to 2015s Cloud II, and comes with several design and feature improvements. The headset builds on the characteristic that made the original HyperX Cloud popular—comfort during lengthy gaming sessions. The company is using an upgraded earcup design, a newer generation of memory foam, and a premium leatherette. It uses 53 mm neodymium drivers, and an upgraded mic, including an all new mic stock design. The headset supports three wired interfaces, including 4-pole 3.5 mm analog, USB type-A, and USB type-C. When used in USB mode, you get additional LED effects, and can take advantage of certain DAC-level DSPs, such as DTS Headphone X. The headphones provide 10 Hz to 21 kHz frequency response, with <2% THD. The mic uses an elecrtet condenser element, is uni-directional, and has a -42 dBV sensitivity. HyperX is pricing the wired HyperX Cloud III at USD $99.99.

With more countries creating initiatives to develop homegrown processors capable of powering powerful supercomputing facilities, India has just presented its development milestone with Aum HPC. Thanks to information from the report by The Next Platform, we learn that India has developed a processor for powering its exascale high-performance computing (HPC) system. Called Aum HPC, the CPU was developed by the National Supercomputing Mission of the Indian government, which funded the Indian Institute of Science, the Department of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and C-DAC to design and manufacture the Aum HPC processors and create strong, strong technology independence.

The Aum HPC is based on Armv8.4 CPU ISA and represents a chiplet processor. Each compute chiplet features 48 Arm Zeus Cores based on Neoverse V1 IP, so with two chiplets, the processor has 96 cores in total. Each core gets 1 MB of level two cache and 1 MB of system cache, for 96 MB L2 cache and 96 MB system cache in total. For memory, the processor uses 16-channel 32-bit DDR5-5200 with a bandwidth of 332.8 GB/s. To expand on that, HBM memory is present, and there is 64 GB of HBM3 with four controllers capable of achieving a bandwidth of 2.87 TB/s. As far as connectivity, the Aum HPC processor has 64 PCIe Gen 5 Lanes with CXL enabled. It is manufactured on a 5 nm node from TSMC. With a 3.0 GHz typical and 3.5+ GHz turbo frequency, the Aum HPC processor is rated for a TDP of 300 Watts. It is capable of producing 4.6+ TeraFLOPS per socket. Below are illustrations and tables comparing Aum HPC to Fujitsy A64FX, another Arm HPC-focused design.

Edifier, the forward-thinking audio-technology brand, have announced the release of the QD35 - a tabletop, Bluetooth speaker expertly designed combining high spec audio features with 'Lumia Art' effects for the best acoustic/visual effect. The term Lumia was coined by a twentieth-century artist, Thomas Wilfred, when artists began to promote colors and light together in their works as a form of art that uses light. 'Lumia Art' was originally associated with music then latterly paintings. The QD35 is a perfect example of how Edifier have created an aesthetically pleasing speaker incorporating a brilliant, kaleidoscopic display of colored lights. Various preset light effects are available but users can also customize their own light effects using the Edifier Connect app.

The QD35 is an all-in-one music system. It is certified to both "Hi-Res Audio" and "Hi-Res Audio Wireless" standards. The USB-A port and the AUX jack on the rear panel support high-resolution audio signals. With the enhancement of LDAC technology, users can also stream high-quality music with a 96 kHz sampling rate to this speaker via Bluetooth.

Creative Technology launched Sound Blaster X5, its latest USB DAC and amplifier sound card that ticks all the boxes on a discerning audiophile's gear wish list. Decked with class-leading components, breakthrough audio technologies, a comprehensive connectivity profile and sporting a premium look and feel in a sleek build, the X5 simply pulls out all the stops as a compelling audio solution like no other.

Sound Blaster X5 personifies the best of Creative's audio engineering and design expertise, equipped with audiophile-grade components to achieve exceptional audio quality. It is the first Sound Blaster to feature a dual-DAC design - 2 Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs deliver high-resolution lossless playback in 32-bit / 384 kHz over PCM with ultra-high dynamic range of up to 130 dB SNR. These DACs can also decode audio formats in DoP128 and DSD256 for high-fidelity audio streaming. Audio distortion is practically non-existent with an oversampled multi-bit modulator for an incredibly low Total Harmonic Distortion rating of 0.00018%.

An entirely new TWS earbud flagship that combines an industry-first LE Audio technology, the latest Qualcomm chip, Bluetooth 5.3, and low-latency aptX certification in an all-new elegant metallic texture body. Award-winning wireless audio company EarFun will launch their upcoming TWS earbud flagship, the Air Pro 3, making it the world's first ANC wireless earbuds to debut highly-efficient LE-Audio Bluetooth architecture. The Air Pro 3's combination of features, design, and specs puts premium audio and the latest advances in Bluetooth technology into the hands of everyday people who want to focus on their work and elevate their daily soundtrack.

Incredible Sound, Quietly
Adopting next-generation Bluetooth technology, the Air Pro 3 features LE Audio with the new audio codec LC3. This delivers an impressively-low power consumption, but with a significant improvement in sound quality over the common SBC codec during low-battery states. In fact, the bass response becomes guttural, powerful. The sound overall is simply superior. Paired with the QuietSmart 2.0 Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation system, the Air Pro 3 silences the outside world up to 43dB. In addition, the sound of wind shear is subdued with an Anti-Wind Noise algorithm that works every millisecond.

It may be small, but it's fast! The new ROG Swift Pro PG248QP is a 24.1-inch planar gaming monitor with a measly Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, but an at an incredible 540 Hz refresh rate, making it the world's fastest E-Sports display. This display is so quick, and ASUS set up a 144 Hz display next to it for comparison, and one could tell the difference. The monitor also features NVIDIA G-SYNC, and NVIDIA Reflex Analyzer, along with a USB 3.2 hub, so you can plug your Reflex-compatible gaming mouse to the monitor, and the monitor itself to an upstream USB 3.2 source, besides the DisplayPort connection. Another interesting aspect about this monitor is that ASUS has integrated a high-end USB audio DAC sourced from ESS, so you can plug your analog headset to the display and get audio quality on par with a high-end onboard audio solution, or even a mid-range discrete sound card.

Elsewhere across the ASUS ROG booth, we caught the ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQDM-OLED, the company's fastest gaming monitors to use an OLED panel. This 27-inch monitor offers WQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution, with 0.03 ms response time, and 240 Hz refresh rate, besides 1,000 nits peak brightness, and 99% DCI-P3 coverage. The panel features an anti-glare micro-coating. OLED displays tend to produce more heat than backlit LCD displays, and so this monitor packs a series of thermal innovations to prolong the lifespan of the OLED panel. It supports AMD FreeSync Premium,