The trend of prominently displaying your home stereo system has faded into the realm of tackiness. Whether it’s the wall-mounted squares of the classic Bose surround sound system (were we supposed to believe those speakers were unobtrusive, floating up there in the corner?) or, god forbid, the old component towers, these systems have antiquated connectivity and are very aesthetically unpleasing. Amina Technologies has a very modern solution.

The company’s iQ series works like modern electronic instruments – electrical engineering is crossed with acoustic sound manipulation. Best of all,  the AIW5X Dual-Channel speaker is flat, can be built into walls and in a world first, can be covered with up to 2mm of plaster. They quite literally become invisible. Amina’s website claims they offer more creative freedom by “allowing designers and builders a very high quality wall or ceiling finish ready to accept a decoration of choice (paint, paper, etc).” Are they expensive? Of course. But the sound quality and uses for the AIW5X are enough to no doubt attract a myriad of sound enthusiasts.

The post Plastered: New Invisible Speaker Can Be Built Into Walls first appeared on Gajitz.

There probably isn’t a single adult out there who hasn’t – at least once or twice – wished that real-life sound effects existed for everything they do. How awesome would it be for a “studio audience” to laugh at every one of your lame jokes? Technical grown-up Kenneth Guglielmino decided to create a wearable sound effects machine that could follow him everywhere.

The sound-making suit jacket contains an Arduino, an Adafruit Wave Shield, and a little speaker. A small control panel lets him activate sounds and switch between sound banks. Everything is kept within the jacket’s inner pockets so that no one knows exactly where the canned laughter, booing or air horn sounds are coming from.

The post A Round of Applause to Go: Wearable Sound Effects Jacket first appeared on Gajitz.

Diners and restaurant critics seem to agree that the noise level in a restaurant can make or break the dining experience. But it’s a fine balance – too much noise and customers feel crowded and overwhelmed; too little and they feel like their conversations can be overheard by absolutely everyone in the place. A restaurant in Berkeley, California has come up with a high-tech solution to the noise conundrum.

Comal, a Mexican restaurant owned by ex-Phish manager John Paluska, is using a combination of microphones, speakers, a digital processor, and absorption materials to create a totally unique noise control system. The first step in transforming the space into a sound-friendly one was to install plenty of sound-dampening material: wood fiber acoustic panels, fiberglass duct liner and even some recycled denim jeans.

A network of 123 speakers and microphones are distributed all throughout the dining room, hidden by art and other design elements. The microphones pick up the sound from the restaurant and feed it through a digital processor. Then it’s spit back out into the dining room based on commands from an iPad. A restaurant manager walking around the dining room can decide what level of sound is appropriate and even designate different levels for different areas. So far, it’s kept Comal – the first restaurant to use this technology – at a calm and conversational volume.

The post Restaurant Quiets the Crowds With High-Tech Sound System first appeared on Gajitz.

DJ street battles are about to get a whole lot more awesome. Nik Nowak created this incredible mobile sound system that looks and drives like a tank but contains all of the equipment a DJ needs to engage in epic spin wars.

The Panzer Soundtank is packed full of speakers and a ton of sound equipment that will let you take a party on the go. Based on its size, it looks like it’ll leave a few bleeding eardrums and grouchy old men in its wake.

When it moves it becomes obvious that the tank is a lot lighter than it looks in the photos. It may not be able to crush parked cars, but it will absolutely crush the competition in a DJ battle.

The post Crushing Sounds: Massive Mobile Tank Sound System first appeared on Gajitz.