Broadcom executives at MWC confirmed nowadays that the chipmaker is “beyond the sampling phase and even in a preproduction phase,” according to Michael Hurlston, the company’s senior vice president for wireless LAN, for its two-stream and three-stream 11ac chips. 11ac like 11n uses multiple data streams paired with multiple sending and receiving antennas to accomplish lofty data throughput.

Hurlston said he expects all-embracing OEM products, nearly absolutely access points, routers and the like, to be on sale from Broadcom’s customers by mid-2012. Although the chipmaker hasn’t announced method wins, Hurlston pointed out that the 11ac roadmap announced last month at CES was publicly endorsed by 14 equipment vendors and network providers.

In the booth, Broadcom was running one-, two- and three-stream 11ac radios. The single-stream radio, the type that would be integrated into a smartphone, was delivering usable throughput ranging between 300Mbps and 370Mbps (compared to the underlying PHY rate of 450Mbps), orders of magnitude greater than the 30Mbps-50Mbps, or slightly more, that single-stream 11n can deliver for phones today.

There is a widespread expectation that the additional premium that equipment makers and ultimately end users will have to pay for this improvement is comparatively low. Hurlston estimated that the premium for its 11ac products will be stray from 1.2 to 1.5 times initially. “We exceeded our expectations for that [i.e., for keeping it low],” he said. If the takeup is as fast as many expect, that will rapidly decline.

The three-stream products from Broadcom and rivals like Qualcomm and Atheros will hold throughput of just above 1 gigabit initially.

Qualcomm, with the Wi-Fi expertise and technology from its Atheros acquisition, confirmed it will kick off sampling its 11ac product family sometime in 2012 Q2, according to David Favreau, vice president of product management.

A lot of Qualcomm’s development effort has also involved creating integrated communications processors, marrying Wi-Fi with Bluetooth and other radios, and then tying the effect closely to its Snapdragon applications processor, which powers a wide stray of smartphones today.

Qualcomm’s booth here showed its single-stream 11ac radio, mounted in smartphone prototypes, running in the 220Mbps range, peaking at one point to 247Mbps, in a surrounding Wi-Fi environment, interior MWC’s cavernous Hall 8, that Favreau described as “challenging.”

Cons
USB support is limited only to storage devices. Lacks robust NAS capabilities.

Bottom Line
Netgear’s N750 is a throughput thoroughbred in the 5 GHz band. Performance at the 2.4 GHz band is slightly above average with other top 2.4 GHz routers on the market. Advanced features and easy setup makes the N750 a router to easily recommend, despite anemic NAS capabilities.

I want to state outright: I have never seen faster throughput at the 5GHz band than with Netgear’s N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (WNDR4000) ($130, street). The vendor claims the router can do 450Mbps at the 5GHz band. In the lab, due to high performance throughput testing and real-world RF interference, if the product tests out at even half the vendor’s touted rates, I consider that very good throughput. The N750 exceeded my expectations, getting a maximum throughput of 286Mbps at 5GHz. That’s an unprecedented number, and only Netgear’s N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (WNDR3700) and the Cisco Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Wireless-N Router come close to that kind of performance. While it didn’t have the same comparable killer performance at 2.4Ghz, it was within striking distance of the top performers. Add dead-simple set up to sizzling speeds, and we’ve got a new Editors’ Choice wireless router.

Like the N600(WNDR3700), Netgear’s N750 router is perfect for more advanced users and those who like to tweak their Wi-Fi networks. However, Netgear’s new Genie wizard allows for a setup process that won’t bewilder networking novices—although if you have true router-phobia, look to Cisco/Linksys’ E-series, which practically sets itself up. Because the N750 is available at retailers online from $130 to $150, the N750 is cheaper than the Cisco/Linksys E4200, which is its closest competition on the market. The N750 also has a wider feature set, and although Cisco will be offering virtual USB via a firmware update this summer, the N750 has NAS USB capabilities (although no printer sharing).

The N750 is an easy Editors’ Choice pick because of its advanced features, easy setup, and breathtaking performance in the 5GHz band. The N750′s 2.4GHz-band performance is well above average and it’s more than adequate for connecting wireless devices for web surfing, email, and other light bandwidth tasks. If you plan to do a lot of large file transfers or media streaming, the N750 may be the best router on the market for those jobs. My one criticism is that the USB drive support can be flaky. I still have yet to see a device that can handle being a router and a NAS and perform both functions excellently. The N750 is decent at handling lighter file-sharing and streaming tasks, but if you want a true NAS, buy a NAS.

Specs and Design
The N750 ships with a stand so you can position it horizontally or vertically. It has a USB 2.0 port, four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, and a WAN port. There’s also a button to power the router off. You’d be surprised how many routers do not have a power button. If you want to do a hard reset, you have to fiddle with wires or go into the router’s management interface—and either is a hassle.

The design does not differ much from Netgear’s N600 (WNDR3700). The front LEDs include one that indicates the status of a connected UBS device and when the device is safe to remove. There’s also a WLAN on and off switch, which powers up the wireless radios, and a WPS button to automatically connect WPS-supported wireless clients. Although Netgear doesn’t typically disclose hardware specs, I can confirm that the router uses Broadcom chipset. The 5GHz radio is equipped with three stream antennas, and the 2.4GHz radio uses 2×2 antennas. This accounts for the unbelievable performance at the 5GHz band and the better than average performance at 2.4GHz —which is fine. You want the 5GHz band to scream when handling intense bandwidth tasks. The problem is you need to have wireless clients that also support the three stream technology to take advantage of that speed. The laptop I use for testing, HP’s Elitebook 8440w, does have a compatible Intel Centrino-based wireless adapter.

The N750 also has 16MB flash memory and 64MB RAM—the same memory specs as the N600 (WNDR3700).

Setup
The router ships with a Resource CD that contains the setup files and a well-detailed user manual PDF. The manual indicates that the router can be setup using the Smart Wizard on the CD or manually—an option for advanced and Linux users. This router is compatible with PCs, Macs, and Linux machines.

You can only use the Smart Wizard setup for Macs and PCs, and that’s the option I chose. Clicking Setup launches the Netgear Genie app. Setting up the N750 is not wireless setup, as it is with the Cisco/Linksys E-series routers. You have to have a physical Ethernet cable. I had the router connected to my broadband via the router’s WAN port, and I had my laptop with the setup software installed on it connected to the router with an Ethernet cable to one of the router’s LAN ports.

Setup is relatively simple: name your SSIDs for both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, setup security (which defaults to WPA2). Enter a passphrase, and you’re done. While I’ve previously criticized Netgear for absurdly detailed, almost condescending setup instructions like “take the adapter labeled from the box and plug it in,” that’s not the case here. In fact, the instructions don’t emphasize strongly enough that users have to connect it via an Ethernet cable to their computer as part of the set up their system. But that’s one minor complaint in an otherwise excellent setup system.

Features
Typical home users will probably just be happy with the Genie setup process and leave the router as is. For them, Netgear offers a Live Parental Control Service through OpenDNS. It’s an easy way to keep the kiddes from viewing anything that could scar them from life on the Internet–I detailed how efficiently it works in my review of the N600 (WNDR3700).

The level of control the N750′s features offer will delight advanced users. The entrée to those features is the management interface, which will look familiar to anyone who has managed a Netgear router in the past, but since the release of the N600 (WNDR3700), Netgear has padded features even more. Advanced features include guest networking, content filtering, the ability to set router up in Bridge or Repeater mode, as well as extensive USB functions. For example, you can set up an approved list of USB devices to connect to the router.

I connected a 75GB Cirago USB drive to the router. The drive was correctly identified as a Cirago device within Netgear’s interface, and the free and used storage was reported correctly, as well. The router also can act as a media server. I connected a USB drive stored with several videos and was easily able to stream to wireless devices on my network. You can access an attached USB drive through Windows Explorer via a UNC path to a shared folder on the USB device. Users can also create sub-folders from within the router interface and edit permissions. Managing a USB device’s folders and files through the router takes a little know-how of folder and file management. Again, for more robust but easier file sharing and streaming, a NAS like Iomega’s Home Media Network Hard Drive, Cloud Edition, LG’s Super Multi N2A2 NAS or QNAP TS-212 TurboNAS are better options.

The N750 also supports IPv6—something you want to find in any future networking device purchases. It’s easy to enable IPv6 with just a click.

Performance
I want to highlight how great the performance of the N750 is at the 5GHz. Performance was very good at 2GHz, of course, but what really impressed me was the consistency of 5GHz throughput, which didn’t vary much when I was 5 feet or 30 feet from the router. I test using Ixia’s IxChariot Throughput and High Performance Throughput scripts. They are bidirectional tests, simulating upload and download traffic, with one endpoint wired to the router and another wirelessly connected. Here are the results:

Comparison at 2.4GHz to throughput of single-band 2.4GHz routers:

Comparison at 5GHz to throughput of dual-band routers:

You can see that throughput is on par with the top routers at the 2.4GHz band, although Cisco’s 1550 and E1200 routers have the edge. At the 5GHz band, it’s clear to see the N750 is tops, with only Cisco’s E4200 and the N600 (WNDR3700) achieving throughput in the triple-digits.

When I switched to a High Throughput testing script, I get even better results. I don’t normally report the results of high throughput testing I do on dual-band routers because I find very negligible difference from the “regular” throughput script results–no more than 5 Mbps more or less than with using the regular script. The High Throughput script simulates intense, rigorous traffic like VoIP or high-def video. The N750 is the first router that gave significantly different results using the High Throughput versus the regular throughput test (at which the N750 also did well). The N750 delivered a shocking 286 Mbps using the High Performance script at a distance of five feet. The router clocked 279 Mbps at 15 feet and 250Mbps at 30 feet on the same test. These results show that the N750 is built to handle high-throughput network traffic.

USB performance was less speedy. The performance is actually contingent on the performance of the USB device you attach to the router. Uploading a 1.5GB file to my Cirago device via the router took a bloated 4MBps. You get far better write speeds with dedicated NAS devices. However I still was able to stream a video without much latency.

Netgear and Cisco seem to be neck-in-neck with producing some of the top-performing wireless routers on the market for home consumers. But Netgear’s N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router has stupendous performance and a great set of features, making it the best router we’ve seen yet. If you are in the market for a router and need the capabilities of the 5GHz bandwidth, the N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router is your clear first choice, and our new Editors’ Choice wireless router.

In addition, TB is also announcing the $30 XL1 as a replacement for your Xbox’s standard headset — you can view its full-on stereo glory alongside the XP500 in our gallery below. We’ll hopefully grab some ears-on time with all of the new gear while we’re here at E3.

E3 2011: Turtle Beach Debuts A New Generation of XBOX 360 Gaming Headsets at E3 2011

Turtle Beach continues the tradition of award winning XBOX 360 headsets by introducing the super-premium XP500 and economical XL1 models

Elmsford, N.Y., June 7, 2011 – Turtle Beach, the leader in premium gaming headsets announces two exciting additions to their XBOX 360 line up of gaming headsets. The story begins with the top of the line Ear Force XP500 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset with Dolby7.1 Surround Sound and Bluetooth Chat; the long-awaited XBOX 360 focused companion to the acclaimed PX5 introduced earlier this year. At the other end is the economical and performance-packed Ear Force XL1 Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset. These headsets join the recently announced PX3 and Z6A models, all making their debuts at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, from June 7-9, 2011 at the Turtle Beach booth #435 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Turtle Beach Ear Force XP500 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset with Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound and Wireless XBOX 360 Chat

Like the revolutionary Ear Force PX5, the new Ear Force XP500 delivers all of the PX5′s impressive features, along with wireless XBOX 360 chat via Bluetooth. Like the PX5, the XP500 incorporates programmable custom presets that allow independent customization of the chat, game and microphone signals. These custom presets are stored in the headset and can be selected on the fly during specific parts of the game to emphasize sounds like enemy footsteps or ammo reloads that might otherwise be difficult to hear.

The XP500 sets itself apart from the PX5 with its ability to function with the XBOX 360 completely wirelessly right out of the box. The included XBOX 360 Bluetooth Chat Adapter (XBA) lets players eliminate the chat wire connecting their headset and controller, making it the first XBOX 360 headset with wireless chat. The XP500′s dual-paring Bluetooth functionality also enables the headset to answer mobile phone calls and stream music from Bluetooth enabled digital audio players while enjoying the freedom of wireless chat. The XBA adapter will also be available for purchase on the Turtle Beach website for PX5 owners looking to upgrade to full wireless XBOX LIVE chat.

“The PX5 pioneered a new generation of headsets that recalibrated people’s expectations of what a gaming headset can be.” Said Carmine Bonanno, President and CEO of Turtle Beach. “With the release of the XP500, XBOX 360 owners can enjoy the super-premium gaming experience they have been waiting for, complete with wireless chat.”

Key features and user benefits of the Turtle Beach Ear Force XP500 include:

· Customizable Presets: Configure up to 18 personalized presets to optimize game, chat, and microphone audio for different gaming situations. Download the Advanced Sound Editor software and make your own presets, or simply upload any of the numerous custom files posted on the Turtle Beach website.

· Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound: Immersive 360 degree audio lets you hear the direction of every sound as if you were playing with speakers all around you

· Digital RF Wireless Game Sound: Uncompressed wireless digital audio signal delivers CD-quality game sound that rivals professional grade wired headphones

· Xbox Chat Adapter (XBA): For the first time, play XBOX 360 games untethered and chat without any wires using Bluetooth technology!

· Dynamic Chat Boost: Chat level increases automatically as the game volume gets louder, so you can always hear the voices of other players

· Microphone Monitoring: Lets you hear your voice in the headset, so you won’t need to shout to hear yourself

· Sonic Silencers: Enjoy total silence by eliminating ambient noise pickup on your mic and cutting background noise from PSN or XBOX LIVE chat sound

· Sonic Lens™ with Sound Field Expander: Widen or narrow the sound field to focus on difficult to hear audio cues like footsteps sneaking up on you or the clicks of someone reloading in the distance

· Intuitive Voice Prompts: A real voice announces critical headset status conditions, such a low battery, preset numbers and more

· Ear Guard with Blast Limiter: Limit the intensity of deafening games sounds such as explosions and gunfire to reduce ear fatigue during long gaming sessions

· PS3 and XBOX 360 Compatible: Delivers the ultimate gaming experience with PS3 and XBOX 360 consoles

MSRP: $269.95

Availability: Fall 2011

URL: www.turtlebeach.com/XP500

Ear Force XL1 Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset

The Ear Force XL1 Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset for the XBOX 360 is an affordably-priced headset for the casual gamer who wants to improve their gaming experience without breaking the bank. The in-line amplifier features a built-in bass boost and independent controls for the game and chat volume. With 50 millimeter speakers, comfortable fabric mesh ear cushions and lightweight design, gamers will enjoy amazing audio fidelity and extreme comfort during long gaming sessions.

“Turtle Beach has always been obsessed with providing value and performance in the same package and the new Ear Force XL1 is no exception.” stated Carmine Bonanno, President and CEO of Turtle Beach. “This new entry level headset offers XBOX 360 owners all the features they need to enjoy a more immersive gaming experience, at a price that rivals the cost of a mono communicator headset.

MSRP: $39.95

Availability: Fall 2011

URL: www.turtlebeach.com/XL1

So what is AES? It’s a unique pre-programmed 128-bit encryption key which is designed to help prevent your keystrokes, which are transmitted over-the-air, from being intercepted and deciphered. So you can type away in confidence. Not only does the Wireless Desktop 2000 use advanced security technology, but it includes some pretty cool features for performance and comfort as well. The keyboard is paired with the Wireless Mouse 2000 sporting BlueTrack Technology for smooth tracking on virtually any surface1, Windows 7 Taskbar Favorites for easy toggling between applications and a pillow-textured palm rest for added comfort.

The Wireless Desktop 2000 is a great option for anyone looking for a new keyboard with great security and performance features. So whether you’re looking to upgrade or redecorate, the Wireless Desktop 2000 will help protect your information and keep your desktop looking stylish.

[1] BlueTrack Technology does not work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces.

- Suneel Goud, Senior Product Marketing Manager

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.

The Xbox-friendly, surround sound Z6A, meanwhile, rocks eight amplified speakers (including two subwoofers) and is juiced by a 5.1 channel amp that promises to bathe your head with booming bass. The USB-powered device may leave you tethered to your console, but at least it will house your ears in an oversized mesh cushion, which may make those late-night gaming marathons a little more bearable. The PX3 will retail for about $150, with the Z6A set at around $100, and both headsets will be on display at E3 next week in Los Angeles, so we’ll be sure to give you our feedback once we get our paws on them. For now, you can sate your appetite with the full PR and an image of the Z6A — both of which are waiting for you after the break.

Turtle Beach® Introduces Ear Force® PX3 Programmable Wireless Headset For PS3™ and XBOX® 360

Ear Force PX3 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset Gives Console and PC Gamers the Immersive Experience and Competitive Edge they Need

Elmsford, N.Y., June 1, 2011 – Turtle Beach, the gaming headset category pioneers and market leader, today announced today their latest innovations for 2011; the PX3 Programmable Wireless Stereo Headset and the Z6A Multi-Speaker Surround Sound Headset. Both new headsets will make their debuts at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, from June 7-9, 2011 at the Turtle Beach booth #435 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Turtle Beach Ear Force PX3 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset

Engineered primarily for use with PlayStation 3 – and also compatible with Xbox 360 and PC/Mac gaming – the PX3 is the “kid brother” to the highly acclaimed Ear Force PX5 programmable wireless surround sound headset launched earlier this year. Like the PX5, the PX3 comes preloaded with 18 interchangeable audio presets that allow gamers to select their desired audio experience. Additional stereo audio presets will also be made available for download from the Turtle Beach website for easy installation into the PX3; letting users enjoy a personalized assortment of in-game audio experiences. The PX3 is also Turtle Beach’s first headset to feature a rechargeable battery pack, providing over 10 hours of uninterrupted game play and an auxiliary input so you can listen to your favorite music while gaming. In addition, like the PX5, the PX3 has an impressive set of audio features, including Sonic Lens with Sound Field Expander that widens or narrows the sound field to focus on specific frequencies and Ear Guardâ„¢ with Blast Limiter technology, which limits the intensity of deafening sounds.

MSRP: $149.95
Availability: Summer 2011
URL: www.turtlebeach.com/PX3

Turtle Beach Ear Force Z6A Multi-Speaker Surround Sound Headset

Powered by a 5.1 channel amplifier with bass enhancement, the Ear Force Z6A combines the audio quality and comfort of a professional-grade gaming headset. The Z6A comes complete with eight amplified speakers including dual subwoofers, delivering realistic directional audio for a more immersive audio experience. The speakers are acoustically angled toward the user’s ears, allowing gamers to pinpoint critical sound cues from every direction, such as the sound of approaching footsteps, incoming enemy vehicles, or the click of someone reloading in the distance. With oversized mesh ear cushions and a lightweight design, the Z6A is perfect for long gaming sessions, and with a quick disconnect cable and USB power, it is the ideal solution for LAN tournaments and parties. The Z6A is also features XBOX 360 compatibility with an optional cable kit.

MSRP: $99.95
Availability: Summer 2011
URL: www.turtlebeach.com/Z6A
“We are the category leader because we are the only headset maker solely focused on gamers’ unique audio needs,” said Carmine Bonanno, President and CEO of Turtle Beach. We redefined what a gaming headset could do when we introduced the PX5 earlier this year. One message we have heard from gamers load and clear is that they want to control their gaming experience as much as possible. The PX3 allows us to bring many of the PX5′s amazing innovations to an even broader audience, while the Z6A offers PC gamers a competitive edge with a flexible multi-driver surround sound experience that provides the comfort needed for long gaming sessions.”