If you are looking for great sounding equipment a good place to turn to are recording studios since their everyday activities depends on high fidelity sound gear. Usually, studio monitors can cost an arm and a leg compared to most MP3 player docks or the cheap studio monitors don't have a big sound advantage. But there is a little gem made by KRK that does fall into great sound quality at a reachable price.

The KRK RP5 was routinely popping up as a best buy studio monitor for under $300 so I wanted to see how these would translate into a consumer environment. This review is not geared towards music producers but towards the average MP3 player owners looking for a future proof way to “dock” their player to speakers. Additionally, it is geared towards computer user that has a little bit of extra desk real estate for great sounding speakers.

Ah, teamwork. Against all odds and despite widely held beliefs, all the king's horses and all the king's men managed to put Humpty back together again after all.

All that reconstruction really did a number on his identity, though. Now going by the name Hipper 50, he's become a portable 2-watt DAP speaker and 10-LED mood light that changes colors in time to music or nothing at all. Even though he sports USB, line-out, headphone, and power ports on the back and what looks like player controls on the front, he can also behave himself and keep a constant white glow for solemn Easter dinners.

Standing 7" high, the Hipper 50 is available from various UK retailers for between $70 and $90.

[via Gadget Candy]

It wasn't that long ago when wooden blocks were just toys that kids used to, you know, build stuff to get their creative juices flowing. Now they're choking hazards that kids of all ages plug stuff into to get their music fix.

This is the 1.18" x 1.02" x 0.75" I.dear speaker (1.5W) that connects to a computer via USB or a CD player or DAP through a standard headphone jack. Its non-removable lithium polymer battery lasts for up to 5 hours on a single charge, which is actually not too shabby for a $25 speaker that (according to the product page) can double as a cell-phone charm.

[Product Page (Korean) via Coolest Gadgets]

When a former BMW designer founds an audio-system company, you can be sure that its products won't appear in an aisle at Wal-Mart. Available exclusively at Hammacher Schlemmer, these 200-watt isobaric O'hEocha Audiophile's Speakers are handcrafted of aluminum and PVC/steel composite and stand 41.75-inches tall. The speakers' 1-inch tweeter, two 6.5-inch midrange units, and two 11-inch subwoofers work together to produce the "clearest three-dimensional soundstage performance."

Complementing the 55-pound speakers' alien-like look is a price tag that is equally out of this world: $8,999.95! But don't take that hammer to your piggy bank just yet. Incredibly, the speakers are "unexpectedly sold out." No word on when they'll be in stock again, so you might as well use the money to, you know, pay for college, put a down payment on a car, or save for your future.

[Product Page via Crave]

All of you Sansa fans are in for more accessories, this time from a third party, Altec Lansing. At this time we don’t have any of the specs or retail pricing, but we do know that it will be compatible with the e200 and c200 series MP3 players. Additionally there will be an optional subwoofer that will plug into the back and give you a little more movin’ and shakin’.

From personal experience, Altec Lansing makes a decent set of speakers. I have a few of their under $50 2.1 setups. While their gear may not be audiophile quality they are very impressive for an inexpensive speaker. Now both the SanDisk Sansa e200 and Altec Lansing speakers have been paired up to give you the ultimate bang-for-the-buck factor.

[Altec Lansing - Made for Sansa]

Several weeks ago, we reported on the fleeting appearance of a mysterious Samsung DAP on the company's German site. Today we have confirmation not only that the YP-K5 player is most certainly real, but that it's going to hit stores on September 15.

Our pals at Gizmodo recently got their hands on the device, and they have tons of pics and even a short video (!) to prove it. Other than the addition of an FM tuner, customizable alarm clock, and JPG support, there's no real surprise in the specs department. As we suspected, the 1.7-inch OLED sits beside a touch-command controller that seems to be pretty responsive.

All we really wanted to know more about were those built-in speakers shown in the earlier leaked photos. It turns out that they're mounted on sliding rails behind the player and produce impressive sound at decent volumes. Battery life in speaker mode is an acceptable 6 hours; plug in some earbuds to increase that to a whopping 30 hours.

The YP-K5 will be available in black and pink (yes, you read that correctly) for $210 (2GB) and $260 (4GB). No word on pricing for the 1GB model, but $180 max wouldn't be a bad guess.

[Gizmodo]

New goodies from Creative just seem to be streaming out of Singapore these days. The latest is the answer to many Creative Zen fans' wishes, prayers, and dreams: the TravelDock Z500. The speaker system features docking capabilities, a remote control, and interchangeable seat clips for use with the 30GB and newly confirmed 60GB Zen Vision:M, as well as the Zen V and upcoming Zen V Plus flash players.

This first photo of the TravelDock was splashed between the pages of a brochure snagged from the COMEX consumer technology convention, which is going on now through Sunday at the Singapore Expo. Additional information does not accompany the ad, but we suspect that it won't be long before full specs are released. Stay tuned.

[epiZENter]

Who says water and your favorite digital audio player can't be friends? With Brookstone's waterproof speaker housing, you'll never have to swim or take a shower alone again. Powered by a 9-volt battery, the hard-shell case features a rubber gasket seal that allows your player to float unharmed while connected to a built-in speaker via the headphone jack.

If you're in need of a diving buddy, however, you'd better look elsewhere. The iFloat can withstand just about any weather condition, but it isn't designed for extended aquatic use and it can't be submerged (hence its name).

The iFloat Waterproof MP3 Sound Case is available now for $35.

[Brookstone via Qj.net]