Kalakshar US

When a company enters a new product category, it might as well swing for the fences. That’s exactly what Marshall is doing with its first soundbar. The Heston 120 is a $1,000 Dolby Atmos and DTS-X living room speaker, equipped with 11 drivers to power that spatial audio. Like the company’s headphones and speakers, there’s plenty of the iconic guitar amplifier aesthetic to go around. 

Inside, two subwoofers, two mid-range units, two tweeters and five full-range drivers produce the Heston 120’s sound. There are also 11 Class D amplifiers (two 50W and nine 30W) inside and the soundbar has a total power output of 150 watts. Bluetooth (5.3) and Wi-Fi are also onboard, which means AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are all available. For wired connectivity, there are two HDMI 2.1 ports (1 eARC) for your TV and other home theater gear, plus an RCA input allows you to hook up a turntable or other audio devices. 

The Heston 120 takes design cues from Marshall’s line of guitar amps. This has been the case for the company’s headphones, earbuds and speakers, and it will continue with soundbars. To that end, there’s a mix of leather and metal, complete with the trademark gold script logo. There are also tactile controls you typically don’t see on a soundbar, like the gold knobs and preset buttons akin to those that adorn an amplifier. 

This soundbar doesn’t come with a subwoofer, but Marshall says a standalone option is on the way. What’s more, that Heston Sub 200 and a smaller Heston 60 are both due to arrive “at a later date.” Lots of companies are bundling at least a sub with their high-end soundbars, so it’s disappointing that Marshall didn’t do the same. I look forward to getting a review unit to see if the company’s promise of “bass rumbling from below like never before” from the soundbar itself hold true. 

The Heston 120 will be available for purchase from Marshall’s website on June 3.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/the-first-marshall-soundbar-is-the-1000-heston-120-with-dolby-atmos-140041873.html?src=rss 

Amazon is updating Amazon Music with a a new “AI-powered search experience” that should make it easier to discover music based on the albums and artists you’re already looking for. The company says the new beta feature “includes results for many of your favorite artists today,” which is to say, not everyone, but it’ll continue to expand to include more over time.

A traditional search uses a search term — an artist’s name, a song or an album title — and tries to pull up results that are as close to whatever you entered as possible. You’ll still be able to make those kinds of searches in Amazon Music, but now under a new “Explore” tab in the iOS Amazon Music app, you’ll also be able to see new AI-powered recommendations. These include “curated music collections,” an easy jumping-off-point for creating an AI-generated playlists and more. 

Amazon suggests these results will vary depending on what you search you do. Looking up Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” will show the album, but also “influential artists who influenced his sound” and other musicians he’s collaborated with, the company says. A search for BLACKPINK, meanwhile, would highlight the K-pop group’s early hits before surfacing solo work from members like Lisa or Jennie. It all sounds like a more flexible and expansive version of the X-Ray feature Amazon includes in Prime Video, which provides things like actors’ names, trivia and related movies and TV shows with a button press.

This new search experience was built using Amazon Bedrock, Amazon’s cloud service for hosting AI models. It’s one of several ways the company is trying to incorporate more AI features into its products. Earlier this year, Amazon started rolling out Alexa+, a version of the popular voice assistant rebuilt around generative AI, to select Echo devices.

AI search in Amazon Music is available today on iOS for a select number of Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the US. If you’re not included in this beta, you could be included in future tests.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/amazon-music-gets-ai-powered-search-results-in-new-beta-140055428.html?src=rss 

The iconic instrument and amp maker Fender is diving deep into the digital domain. The company just announced Fender Studio, an all-in-one music-creation software platform. It’s basically a digital audio workstation (DAW) but one that’s intended for newbies. Think GarageBand and not Pro Tools. Just like GarageBand, Fender Studio is free.

The software looks perfect for going straight into an audio interface without any complications. Players can select from a wide variety of digital amp recreations. These include some real icons, like the ’65 Twin Reverb guitar amp, the Rumble 800 bass amp, the ’59 Bassman, the Super-Sonic, the SWR Redhead and several more. More amp models are likely on the way.

Along with the amp models, the software comes with a bunch of effects inspired by iconic Fender pedals. There’s a vintage tremolo, a stereo tape delay, a small hall reverb, a triangle flanger, a compressor and, of course, overdrive and distortion. There’s an integrated tuner and plenty of effects presets for those who don’t want to fiddle with virtual knobs.

The software includes several dedicated effects for vocalists. There’s a de-tuner, a vocal transformer and a vocoder, in addition to standard stuff like compression, EQ, reverb and delay.

There’s also a cool feature for those who just want to practice. Fender Studio offers “remixable jam tracks” that lets folks play along with songs in a wide variety of genres. These let players mute or delete an instrument, for playing along. To that end, users can slow everything down or speed things up. Fender promises that new songs will be added to this platform in regular intervals.

As for the nuts and bolts of recording, the arranger can currently handle up to 16 tracks. Despite the track limitation, the software offers some real pro-grade features. There are various ruler formats, a global transpose, input monitoring, looping abilities, time stretching and even a simple pitch-shifting tool. Tracks allow for fades, FX sends and more.

The mobile version of the app includes a pinch-to-zoom feature, which is always handy with recording software. All of those squiggly lines can get tough on the old eyeballs.

Fender Studio is available on just about everything. There’s a version for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Linux. It should even run well on Chromebooks. Again, this software is free, though some features do require signing up for a Fender account.

This is certainly Fender’s biggest push into digital audio, but not its first. The company has long-maintained the Mustang Micro line of personal guitar amplifiers. These plug straight into a guitar or bass and offer models of various amps and effects. The company also released its own audio interface, the budget-friendly Fender Link I/O, and a digital workstation that emulates over 100 amps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/fender-just-launched-its-own-free-daw-software-for-recording-music-130007067.html?src=rss 

The pool of electric vehicles currently available on the North American market keeps getting wider and deeper. But, since the beginning, there’s been something of a hole right in the middle. A big hole, as it turns out. The three-row SUV, one of the most popular segments in American motoring, has been woefully underserved. The only real options come on the high-end, with things like the Rivian R1S or the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Kia added a new and more attainable option last year with the EV9, and now it’s time for the other side of the corporate family to enter the fray with its own option, the Hyundai Ioniq 9. The latest American-made electric SUV from the Korean giant bears sharp styling and impressive performance. After a day piloting one through the countryside around the Savannah, Georgia factory where it’ll be built, it’s hard to argue against its $58,955 starting price.

Economy-Sized

There’s no denying that Hyundai’s new Ioniq is huge. At 199 inches long, it’s three inches bigger than the Hyundai Palisade, the company’s now second-biggest three-row SUV. However, Hyundai’s designers have done a stellar job of giving its new biggest baby a very compelling shape.

Many SUVs with that much space resort to acres of flat sheet metal just to cover the distance between the bumpers, but the Ioniq 9 has a subtle, sophisticated and, equally importantly, aerodynamic shape. I confess I’m not a massive fan of the nose and its bland curves, but I absolutely love the subtle taper at the rear. That not only helps with the coefficient of drag (which measures at 0.269), but also helps make this thing look much smaller than it is.

The Ioniq 9 has a stance more like a Volvo station wagon than a gigantic family hauler, but make no mistake, it’s the latter. That’s immediately evident as soon as you climb into the third row. It’s a bit of a slow process thanks to the power second-row seats, but once your path is clear, access to the rear is easy, and I was shocked to find generous headroom back there. There’s even a tolerable amount of legroom for an adult.

Even better are the 100-watt USB-C outlets that are present even in the way-back. All three rows have access to high power outputs that’ll keep just about anything short of a portable gaming rig juiced on the go. Second-row seating is far more comfortable, especially if you opt for the Ioniq 9 Limited or Calligraphy trims with a six-seat configuration. These give you a set of heated and ventilated captain’s chairs. (A seven-seat, bench configuration is also available.)

The seats up front are quite similar, also heated and ventilated, with the driver’s seat adding massage. Extending leg rests also make the Ioniq 9 an ideal space for a nap during a charging stop. It’ll need to be a quick one, though.

Power and Charging

The Ioniq 9 is built on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, which also underpins the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, among others. That includes an 800-volt architecture and a maximum charging speed of 350 kW. Find a charger with enough juice and it’ll go from 10 to 80 percent in 24 minutes.

Yes, it has a Tesla-style NACS plug, which means you can use Superchargers without an adapter. Still, sadly, Tesla’s current suite of chargers isn’t fast enough to support that charging rate. That means you’ll have to use a CCS adapter, which is included.

All those electrons get shoved into a 110.3-kWh battery pack, with roughly 104 kWh usable. Maximum range depends on which trim you choose, from 335 miles for a base, rear-drive model, dropping to 311 miles for a top-shelf Performance model with dual-motor AWD. Naturally, that upgrade gets you more power, either 303 or 422 horsepower, depending on which dual-motor variant you choose. Still, even the single motor has 215 hp.

I sadly was not able to sample the single-motor flavor, but the Performance Calligraphy Design I drove was plenty snappy. Even in Eco, the most relaxed of the available on-road drive modes, the Ioniq 9 had plenty of response to make impromptu passes or simply to satisfy my occasional need for G-forces. There’s also a selection of off-road drive modes for various types of terrain, but that’s clearly not a focus for this machine. While it’ll do just fine on unpaved surfaces and some light off-roading, given the sheer dimensions of this thing, I wouldn’t point it down any particularly tricky trails.

Behind the Wheel

Much of my time spent driving the Ioniq 9 I was sitting in traffic, cruising on metropolitan streets or casually motoring between rest stops over broken rural roads. I’d say that’s close to the average duty cycle for a vehicle like this, and the Ioniq 9 was a treat over most of it.

At slower speeds, the suspension proved a bit rough, possibly due to the 21-inch wheels on the Calligraphy trim. But, over 30 mph or so, everything smoothed out nicely. This three-row SUV is calm and quiet at speed, helped by sound-isolating laminated glass in the first and second rows, plus active sound canceling akin to your headphones, but on a significantly larger scale.

The only place where you hear any road noise is back in the third row. There’s noticeably more wind noise and a bit more whine from the rear motor, too, but I’d gladly take that over the drone of an average SUV’s exhaust out the back.

Behind those rear seats, there’s 21.9 cubic feet of cargo space, or a whopping 86.9 if you fold both rows down. Yes, there is a frunk, but it’s tiny and it’s fully occupied by the charging cable, CCS adapter and flat tire kit.

All the Tech

Those 100-watt USB-C ports are definitely the tech highlight on the inside of the machine. Still, you’ll also find Hyundai’s standard infotainment experience here, including both wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. They’re experienced through a pair of 12.3-inch displays joined at the bezel to form one display, sweeping from behind the wheel out to the middle of the dashboard. On the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, this looks impressive. On the Ioniq 9, it honestly looks a bit Lilliputian given the giant scale of everything else here.

The Ioniq 9 features some lovely styling touches, subtle RGB LED mood lighting and generally nice-feeling surfaces — so long as your fingers don’t wander too far down. Harsh plastics covering the lower portions of the interior feel less than premium for a machine that otherwise looks this posh.

But it at least carries a fair price. You can get in an Ioniq 9 for as little as $58,955, if you don’t mind the single-motor version. You can also subtract the $7,500 federal incentive for as long as that lasts. There are six trims to choose from, with the top-shelf Performance Calligraphy Design AWD model you see pictured here costing $79,540 after a $1,600 destination charge.

Yes, that’s a lot, entering into Rivian R1S territory. But, where the Rivian is quicker and certainly more capable off-road, the Ioniq 9 is roomier, more practical and honestly more comfortable for the daily grind.

You can also save a few thousand by going with a Kia EV9, but I feel like the extra presence and features of the Hyundai will woo many. Either way, you’re getting a winner, which is yet more proof that our current slate of EV options is the best yet, and only getting better.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/hyundais-ioniq-9-is-a-big-electric-suv-with-big-style-130050754.html?src=rss