Polk’s new Performance Line-Up, which appears in retail stores this fall, includes sports headphones and active noise cancelation (ANC) headphones designed for serious athletes engaged in exercise and fitness as well as suited for players and business professionals who travel frequently and often listen to music in noisy environments.

“We are about to change the sonic landscape for an entire generation of athletes and ardent headphone users,” said Jim Minarik, chief executive officer of DEI Holdings, Inc., Polk Audio’s parent company. “Our engineers have used the same standards and breakthrough technology we apply to speaker design to create a series of headphones that are comfortable, rugged in durability, aggressively muscular in style and all with Polk’s world-class commitment to superior sound quality.”

Polk Audio’s Performance Line-Up will feature four UltraFitâ„¢ sports headphones in a variety of colors that include in-ear, on-ear and in-ear canal models. The headphones stand apart from other brands by Polk Audio’s acclaimed audio quality and unique attention to detail, including: water resistant designs, contrast-colored cables for instant left/right recognition, iPhone®/iPod® controls, Kevlar-reinforced hinge points to eliminate the number one product-failure in many headphones, plugs conformed to fit through the opening of all iPhone/iPod/iPad covers, and comfortable, non-slip materials where the headphone engages the ear.

Polk Audio’s engineers and designers also reinvented the active noise cancelation headphone to produce two UltraFocusâ„¢ models that address the needs of travelers and others who find themselves in noisy locations, whether it’s in the locker room, on a plane or in the office. In addition to active noise cancelation, the Polk in-ear canal and over-the-ear versions offer the highest quality sound; ultra-flexible, tangle-free planar audio cables; contrast-color cable for instant left/right identification; on-ear Apple® control for iPhone®/iPad®; push-to-hear technology; superior durability; a more comfortable fit; and styling that is distinct from other headphones on the market.

“U.S. retail sales for active noise cancelation headphones have doubled in the last three years, but audio performance has always been compromised in the pursuit of ANC technology,” said Minarik. “With nearly 40 years of acoustic research and engineering expertise, Polk is uniquely positioned to bring these new ANC headphones to market with an absolute commitment to high-end audio. We are excited bring both these high performance and differentiated series of headphones to our dealers and consumers this fall.”

The New Diablo® III Mouse and Headset Feature “Demon Red” Illuminated Designs and Technology Specifically Tailored for this Mouse-Intensive, Dark Fantasy Game

LOS ANGELES – E3 – JUNE 6, 2011 – As the game industry waits for E3 to kick off this week, SteelSeries, a leading manufacturer of professional gaming peripherals today announced a co-branding partnership with Blizzard Entertainment on the SteelSeries Diablo® III family of products. The Diablo III Mouse, Diablo III Headset, and two Diablo III QcK mousepads – Witch Doctor and Barbarian Editions, were co-designed with technology, hardware, and illumination features that support the look and feel of the third installment of Blizzard Entertainment’s highly anticipated, mouse-intensive Diablo series.

“The level of excitement for the Diablo III release is massive. When the opportunity was presented to partner up with Blizzard for a new family of co-branded peripherals, we knew that they had to be engineered for this particular type of gameplay by being both durable and able to bring out the Diablo III theme onto a player’s desktop,” said Kim Rom, SteelSeries CMO. “The mouse offers both simplicity for new players and unprecedented durability that will support the series’ distinctive mouse-driven gameplay, while the headset optimizes the high, spine-chilling snarls of otherworldly creatures and the booming lows of a barbarian battle cry. Together, the headset and mouse will help immerse players into the game through their extended comfort, compelling designs and high performance.”

SteelSeries Diablo III Mouse
The fast-paced, dark fantasy world of Diablo III features high-velocity gameplay that benefits from quick response times and a weapon that will withstand the punishment of rapid clicks. The SteelSeries Diablo III Mouse features a laser sensor with up to 5,000 CPI, 7 ergonomically positioned buttons that can survive relentless punishment with a guaranteed lifespan of 10 million clicks – more than 3x the click lifespan of an average mouse. The mouse’s ambidextrous shape and comfortable matte grip coating makes it a versatile option for all gaming grip styles.

In true Diablo III style, the SteelSeries mouse is enhanced with “demon red” illumination in 3 areas on the mouse – the scroll wheel, CPI Indicator, and Diablo III logo. You can also customize the logo with ON/OFF illumination and 3 levels of pulsation. While the mouse hardware was built for battle, including the double-braided nylon cord and gold-plated USB connection, the software and setting capabilities are easy to navigate through preloaded, SteelSeries Engine software. Compatible with both Mac® and PC, the software offers players a drag & drop Diablo III-themed interface with pre-defined skills and game commands. All 7 mouse buttons can also be quickly remapped for a personalized set-up. The SteelSeries Diablo® III Mouse’s MSRP will be $69.99 / €69.99.

SteelSeries Diablo III Headset
Whether it’s the faint clinks of loot dropping or the booming bass of demon spawn meeting their end, Diablo III is a game that must be heard. The SteelSeries Diablo III Headset has a lightweight, over-the-head suspension design that provides players with closed-type, leather earcups keeping the outside world out and the game sound in. Its earcups comfortably surround the ear and reproduce an optimized soundscape through 50mm driver units that are meant to immerse a player even further into the Burning Hells.

Its matte-black finish replicates the SteelSeries Diablo III Mouse theme by featuring a unique, knot-work design on the headband, together with “demon red” illumination. The first illuminated headset designed by SteelSeries, it will offer players ON/OFF illumination and 3 levels of pulsation options. Coming from a total of 18 LED lights throughout the headset, the red glow is seen in two places each on the right and left side – surrounding the edge of each ear cup, and the three Diablo slashes.

The headset will also include SteelSeries’ signature, uni-directional retractable microphone-system for clear voice communication through Battle.net®. Its in-line volume and mute controls are found on a durable, double-braided nylon cord with a USB connector. For players looking for more control over their sound settings, the headset is also powered through SteelSeries Engine software, where they will find microphone volume and equalizer settings via an easy-to-navigate Diablo III interface. The Headset MSRP will be $119.99 / €119.99.

SteelSeries Diablo III Mousepads
To accompany the SteelSeries Diablo III Mouse, players can choose between two high-quality, cloth mousepad designs. The SteelSeries award-winning QcK mousepads have a non-slip rubber base to keep the mousepad from moving and an optimized texture surface featuring Diablo III artwork. The SteelSeries Diablo III QcK Barbarian Edition includes official character artwork of the barbarian class along with the deep reds and earthy tones associated with this brutal fighter. The SteelSeries Diablo III QcK Witch Doctor Edition summons the cooler, green and purple tones that are linked to this new and powerful summoning character. Each will have a $14.99 / €14.99 MSRP.

Available at game launch, the SteelSeries Diablo III family of products will be available online and in select retail locations. To catch hands-on previews of the new products, and news about all things SteelSeries and Diablo III check out http://steelseries.com/diablo3. Be sure to follow SteelSeries to stay up to date throughout E3 at http://steelseries.com as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Microsoft has teamed up with Tritton to produce a series of cobranded headsets, which will offer unparalleled integration with the Xbox 360, including on-screen battery status and 100-percent wire-free functionality with both game audio and chat.

Devastator with Base Station

The range is broken down into two premium wireless headsets, the Warhead 7.1 and Devastator, and an entry-level wired solution, the Detonator.

All three headsets utilize stereo 50mm drivers, though only the Warhead 7.1 supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and Dolby Headphone decoding for simulated surround sound. The Devastator and Detonator only produce stereo audio.

Both the Warhead 7.1 and Devastator utilize 5.8GHz wireless technology, for stronger, clearer connectivity, and come with a specialized wireless base station that uses only two cables connected to the Xbox 360 — USB for power and optical digital or stereo RCA for audio. Additionally, the base stations accept auxiliary input from iPods or smartphones.

Watch our Tritton Headset Preview

For those who want to share the experience, the base stations bundled with the Warhead 7.1 and Devastator can feed audio to four headsets simultaneously. Both also support three different listening modes for either gaming, movies, or music.

All three headsets feature active voice monitoring, so you’ll never find yourself shouting unnecessarily, as well as removable boom microphones with easy-to-reach mute buttons, and an LED lights located at the end to indicate when the microphone is active.

Detonator, Devastator, Warhead 7.1

For power, the Detonator is powered by wired USB, while the Devastator uses AA battery, and the Warhead 7.1 uses a specialized rechargeable battery pack system. The wireless transmitter base station features an integrated battery charger, allowing users to seamlessly swap between two included battery packs for uninterrupted gameplay. Since the base station is powered by the Xbox 360, if you power down the console before the battery is fully recharged, it will continue charging through standby power until complete.

In terms of design, all three headsets feature earcups that turn inward for easy shoulder resting, as well as streamlined headband padding, and isolating around the ear padding. The Devastator and Warhead 7.1 sport easily accessible volume, preset, power, voice monitoring, and syncing controls built into the headsets themselves, while the Detonator has an inline cable controller.

Warhad 7.1 Headband

Though official pricing and release information has yet to be revealed, Tritton assures us that all three models will be available before Holiday 2011 and none of the headsets will exceed $300.