ASUS HP-100U Dolby Headphone Set EAX DirectSound Support, Hi-Fi Amplifier, Advanced Array Microphone

Last week we let you in on the announcement that ASUS had just added a
touchscreen interface to its AiGuru standalone Skype phone the SV1 and
renamed it the SV1T. This week, we bring you the other half of the ASUS
announcement, the introduction of a new Dolby headphone and microphone
set, the HP-100U.
The new ASUS HP-100U Dolby headphone set is being touted as the chicest
and most complete headphone set for compelling Dolby audio on PCs and
Macs. Now if that isn t setting yourself up on a pedestal. Before I dive
into the details, were you as confused by the word chicest as I was?
Just thought I d check. The HP-100U is comprised of a lab-tuned pair of
headphones, a Xonar U1 external audio device and a high quality array
microphone.
The Xonar U1 external audio device is basically an external sound card
that uses integrated Dolby technologies and support for DirectSound, EAX
2.0 and Open AL acceleration to provide the audio support for your PC or
Mac. Think of it as the middleman for your sound encoding. This can come
in particularly handy if you happen to be using a Mac where
compatibility issues can often leave you on the wanting end of the Dobly
experience. It s also equipped with a Hi-Fi headphone amplifier that s
meant to improve sound clarity when driving headphones.
The headphones are no slouches, either. They have leatherette (fake
leather for you less-cultured folks) ear cups and an elastic headband
that will have those with larger-than-normal craniums breathing a sigh
of relief. They also have 40-mm speakers, 125 to 20,000 Hz frequency
range, and offer less than 5% distortion at 1000Hz. The set also comes
with an advanced array microphone with 15dB noise canceling.
The HP-100U is open for pre-sale in Europe for EUR64.70 (about $95) and
is available in four colors, black, silver, white and red. No word yet
on when it will be available in the rest of the world. For more info and
the complete specification you can head on over to www.asus.com.