Filed under: Home Entertainment

About this time last year, Yamaha treated us to its CD-S2000 SACD player and A-S2000 amplifier, both of which sported that timeless look that was just too dazzling to hide away in some AV cabinet. This year, the outfit is keeping with the trend by introducing the equally stunning (and even more silver) A-S700 amplifier and CD-S700 CD player (pictured after the break). The former features 90-watts x 2 of RMS power and gold-plated RCA inputs, while the latter includes a Burr Brown 192kHz/24bit DAC and a USB port for playing back MP3 / WMA files. Both units are destined to hit Japanese audio shops next month for ¥73,500 ($730) and ¥60,900 ($605), respectively.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Continue reading Yamaha brings the style with A-S700 / CD-S700 audio components

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

We sure hope you’re an iPod owner if you’re looking seriously at any one of Yamaha’s latest mini audio systems, ’cause every last one of them packs an inbuilt dock front and center. Kicking things off is the MCS-1330, which features 60-watts of amplification, an integrated CD player, two speakers and a few other inputs for non-Appleites. The MCR-330 and MCR-230 only seem to differ in connection type, with both units packing 40 total watts of power and a USB socket. The CRX-430 finishes things off with 50-watts of RMS juice and a built-in CD player. The whole lot should ship by early December and will range in price from around $300 (CRX-430) to $1,233 (MCS-1330).

[Via TechDigest]

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Wearables

We’ve stated it before, but this time you really have ran out of excuses to run. Thanks to Yamaha’s BODiBEAT, you can expect your tunes to automatically sync with your steps, giving you new reason to get out of the house and get to steppin’. Granted, the $299.99 price tag is pretty steep for just 512MB of space and 12-hours of battery life (marathon, what?), but we’re sure there are a few of you out there willing to pay the premium to keep your head nodding perfectly in line with your pace. Oh, and if you completely skipped over the headline, it’s shipping now. Right now.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Continue reading KDDI’s au design project creates cellphones that double as instruments

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Filed under: Transportation

Look, we’ll be the first to hand over an adequate amount of kudos each time artificial intelligence is improved, but we won’t lie — we’re kind of scared about giving our vehicles too many smarts. Yamaha Motors has just unveiled a comparatively affordable electric bike which looks to continuously monitor your driving behavior and react accordingly. The PAS Brace features the highly touted S.P.E.C.8 mechanism, which keeps a close eye on your speed, acceleration and gear position in order to conserve battery life when possible and provide just the right amount of oomph to get you over that one… last… hill. This one is set to land in Japan on the same day the Olympics begin for ¥125,800 ($1,171), and if you’re not feelin’ the black, red and white flavors will be available for your pedaling pleasure.

[Via CrunchGear]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Portable Audio

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Yamaha_Tenori_on_everything_you_wanted_to_know_with_video’; From the mind that brought you ElectroPlankton comes the Tenori-on (finally!): an 8 x 8-inch magnesium square brimming with 256 tiny, pressable, blinking LEDs and even gestural controls that make it easy to sequence electronic music on the fly. It’s a spectacular tool for creating loops and making those sitting next to you on the train jealous. But will it keep serious musicians busy long enough to make it worth the $1200 Yamaha wants for it? Read on for a full report of our week-long visit with the little alien box.

Continue reading Yamaha Tenori-on: everything you wanted to know (with video)

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Thanks for keeping your promise, Yamaha. The almost unicorn-like Tenori-on music maker has at long last gone on sale here in America, offering USers willing to part with $1,200 the chance to get lost inside a cacophonic wilderness. Good luck finding one in stock.

[Via CNET]

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Filed under: Transportation, Wearables

It’s not often that you see devices huddled under the transportation and wearables categories, but you can certainly consider the above pictured contraption a proud member of each. Created by transportation design student Jake Loniak, the Yamaha Deus Ex Machina is an “electric, single passenger, vertically parking, wearable motorcycle, and the bike would theoretically be controlled via 36 pneumatic muscles and 2 linear actuators. We’re also told that it would be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 3 seconds, though the top speed would be capped at 75 miles-per-hour. Ah well, at least we know the wearable airbag is actually coming, right?

[Via Be Sportier]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Yamaha’s got a thing for making dreams into reality, and we must say, we’re crossing our fingers and hoping to all that’s good and merciful in this world that the above pictured device goes commercial. Little is actually known about the keyboard / notepad hybrid aside from the fact that it was showcased at the Milano Salone trade fair in Italy, and for what it’s worth, Yamaha christened the device “key for journey.” Look, there are even slots in the leather-bound lid so the keys have room to breathe when it’s all closed up. Ah well, a boy can dream, can’t he?

[Via kanYe West Blog]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

If you have a hankering for making pretty pretty pictures with your music, Yamaha’s finally going to fill that urge with a US launch of its Tenori-on music maker. The handheld device is sort of a Lite Brite for music, with 256 push-button LEDs for sequencing music and adjusting tones. The concept was first unveiled way back in 2005, but we’re glad to see it come full circle and land in America. Yamaha will be hosting launch events in New York and San Francisco on April 16th and 18th, respectively.

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Filed under: HDTV

You wouldn’t think it, but Yamaha’s YSP-series of sound bars throw a decent faux surround sound in space-challenged apartments and flats. Now they’ve returned with a new YSP-3000 model featuring 2x HDMI inputs, optional iPod compatibility, XM Neural Surround, and 3rd Generation IntelliBeam with optimizer mic. Inside this 31.5 x 6 x 4.5-inch block you’ll find a pair of 3 15/16-inch woofers and 21, 1 5/8-inch beam drivers pushing 82W of total power. Sure, it doesn’t pack the 120W thump, HDMI upscaling and analog upconverting, or the component inputs of its bigger YSP-4000 bro. Then again, it doesn’t cost $1,800 either. Available now for $1,200.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

On one hand, the designs of Yamaha’s latest devices could have easily been ripped straight from last century, but in another sense, there’s a certain level of attractiveness that comes with brushed aluminum AV components sporting retro-inspired buttons / knobs. Nevertheless, the CD-S2000 SACD / CD player (which arrives in silver or black motifs) plays nice with MP3 / WMA files and sports analog, optical / coaxial digital and XLR audio outputs. As for the A-S2000, it’s available in the same two hues and can crank out up to 190-watts x 2 at 4-ohms or 120-watts x 2 at 8-ohms. Apparently marketed towards the high-end crowd, neither of these December-bound units come cheap, as the CD-S2000 will demand ¥208,950 ($1,824) while the A-S2000 rings up at an equally staggering ¥176,400 ($1,540).

[Via AudioJunkies]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Certainly not the first of its kind, Yahama’s PJP-25UR is arriving a little late to the VoIP speakerphone party. Nevertheless, this sleek (comparatively speaking, of course) looking alternative is sure to have top-level managers smiling, as it provides a pair of swing-out microphones to compliment the main mic in the middle, stereo speakers, an audio in / out jack and the ability to get all the juice it needs from a powered USB port (or optional AC adapter). The 1.25-pound unit is slated to ship out in December and put a ¥63,000 ($547) dent in the corporate budget, but that’s a small price to pay for all the surefire productivity that comes from yet another mundane meeting, right?

[Via Digital-Lifestyles]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

It’s been over two years since we first heard of the Tenori-On instrument, and it’s just now hitting boutique audio shops and a particular reviewer’s hands. For those who have been hyping themselves up over this thing, we don’t exactly have oodles of good news to share, and while the negatives did seem to outweigh the positives, here’s the gist of it. On the bright side, the music maker is unique, cute and quite intuitive. It also got brownie points for boasting internal speakers and for being able to run on batteries. Unfortunately, it rings up at £599 (around $1,200), and it simply “feels too cheap” to cost so much; additionally, it lacks touch sensitivity and a hardware volume control. Granted, the hardcore fans may still find the issues acceptable, so do yourself a favor and hit the pros and cons list in the read link below before jumping to conclusions.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

As much as audiophiles may hate all-in-one “sound projection” boxes that simulate multiple speakers, as long as consumers have limited space in their apartments — or remain unwilling to chuck cables all over the place — there will be a market for such devices. The Yamaha YSP-500 has dimensions of 610 x 120 x 220mm, and pumps out a rather dismal 62W over sixteen (!) 28mm, and two 8mm loudspeakers. It supports a variety of different surround sound formats, but if you really care about them you probably shouldn’t be looking at this set, which is launching late this month in Japan. No word yet on pricing, or a US launch.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!