The new Sennheiser PC 350 is a closed type, circumaural PC headset for gamers. It features a superior passive attenuation (up to 32 dB) of ambient noise with its large size and comfortable ear cups designed for long gaming sessions along with a large microphone to cancel out outside noise. The PC 350 is equipped with volume control and microphone mute function. Also for easy transport the headset is collapsible and connects to any sound card. Sennheiser's PC 350 is available for purchase immediately and is priced at £149.99.

Creative Japan announced the Sound Blaster 5.1 VX (SB-5.1-VX), this entry-level sound card offers the 5.1-channel support, Line-In and Mic-In inputs as well as front, rear, center and subwoofer speaker outputs. The 5.1 VX is compatible EAX and CMSS technologies and works with Windows XP and Vista, and this low-profile card connects to your computer via a PCI slot.

The Creative's Sound Blaster 5.1 VX should be available this month for an unknown price.

Tech Digest got its hands on the exclusive 2.1 speakers kit from Logitech which will be normally unveiled in the following days at the CES. The Logitech Z Cinéma contains two bass-reflex satellite speakers (each containing a three-inch laser-tuned driver), a subwoofer (with an eight-inch high-excursion driver) and complete control pod (aka, remote control).

According to Logitech, this 2.1-channel system is perfect for any PC or Mac with at least a six-channel sound card, and contains SRS TruSurround HD, which will give you a surround sound effects with only two satellites. Out at the end of January, the system is priced at £249.99.

Saitek announced its new Cyborg 5.1 headset, a Surround Sound headset designed to enhance the realism of PC games and improve gaming performance.

The Cyborg 5.1 headset has an integrated USB sound card which delivers true 5.1 Surround Sound without the need to install a PC 5.1 card. Six sonic drivers on each side of the headset ensure true channel separation for crisp, directional sound. This precise audio tells the gamer where every shot comes from, giving them a significant performance advantage. Like the rest of the Cyborg range, it features unique styling with satin black finish and "distinctive Cyborg" logo which illuminates when 5.1 sound is selected. The headset comes with detachable noise-cancelling boom microphone which, as well as making the headset ideal for gaming and for VoIP communication.

For $79.95 the Cyborg 5.1 headset also includes a 3.5mm jack for use with MP3/CD/Handheld devices (in stereo).

The Astro A40 audio system combines crystal-clear voice communication with pinpoint-accurate 5.1 Dolby Digital and Dolby Headphone surround.

Sold as a complete kit with the headset and its matching mixer, the $249 package lets you mix 5.1-channel game audio and communications audio independently. The daisy-chainable Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Pro Logic II and Dolby Headphone compatible processor/mixer enables some interesting features, like private communication channels for in-person Xbox 360 teams, and outboard surround processing from a PC. You can also connect your MP3 player through the mixer itself with the included cable.

The headset features a detachable uni-directional noise-canceling adjustable boom mic and removable custom-made faceplates. Each is also available separately: the A40 headset is $199, while the mixer is $129, and it's all available on the 17th.

Axiom Audio is introducing on the market the Audiobyte speaker system that you can connect to your computer to enjoy your favorite tunes or connect the speakers and 55W /channel amplifier to your iPod dock.

These high-end computer speakers come with a stand-alone amp and two satellite speakers cranking 55 watts each. These satellites load a 1" titanium dome tweeter and an 3" aluminum cone type woofer. And if you really want to cheese-off your co-workers, you can go for the optional subwoofer ($179) which hides inside a 6.5" woofer and a passive radiator.

Other features of the system are a frequency response range of 100Hz - 20kHz, an impedance of 8 ohms and an USB plug to power and play almost all iPods.

The Audiobyte stereo system is available in eight flavors via the Axiom's website:
- Standard Charcoal: $349.00
- Standard Black: $349.00
- Standard White: $349.00
- Standard Silver: $349.00
- Synthetic High Gloss Cherry: $399.00
- Synthetic High Gloss Burled Walnut: $399.00
- Real Wood Burled Walnut Brown: $559.00
- Real Wood Burled Walnut Cherry: $559.00

"We are excited to introduce the first PCI Express Sound Blaster for the desktop PC, continuing our legacy as the de facto audio standard for PC digital entertainment", said Steve Erickson, Vice President of Audio for Creative.

According to the company the PCI Express version of the Sound Blaster Xtreme Audio still offers the same features as the PCI model such as the X-Fi Crystalizer, the X-Fi CMSS-3D function, the headphone surround effects and all the game audio libraries (EAX ADVANCED HD).

The Creative PCIe Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio will be available in end November in Singapore at a suggested retail price of $69.99.

Creative a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products, today announced the GigaWorks HD50, a new 2.0 stereo speaker system.

Amazingly compact, this stylish speakers pack incredible power and performance from the all-new Creative High Definition Drivers (CHDD). The HD50 features titanium super tweeters with ultra high-frequency capability for smooth and soothing playback while Creative high-definition drivers of a mere two-inch diameter encompass high-excursion capability to deliver outstanding bass in a small footprint. Also an highly efficient and powerful Class-D amplifiers that are separately dedicated and matched to the tweeters and drivers also give improved headroom and loudness.

Creative's GigaWorks HD50 speaker system will be available worldwide this December for about $149.90.

Scythe, the well known brand from the computer world for its cooling solutions and accessories has announced the SDA-1000, a stereo digital amplifier for computer use for about $60.

The SDA-1000 can be installed in any of the 5.25 inch bay of your computer case and connected to the internal power supply. It can be also powered directly from the AC line via the include AC adapter as a stand alone amplifier. The amplifier gets a chip from Yamaha which delivers a maximum output of 2x10W and a SNR of 103 dB. The rear connections get the minimum with only an analog stereo input and of course the speakers output.

Besides power and mute switch, the aluminium front panel has an headphone output and it comes in 2 colors, silver and black.

Panasonic announced today a limited edition of their RP-SPF01 active speakers kits.

This special edition, limited to 100 units features a black finish and a strong brushed aluminium enclosure of 6mm thickness.
A built-in stereo amplifier supplies the 2 speakers up to 5W each and the RP-SPF01 also uses a couple of 30mm full-range titanium drivers for a pure sound quality.

The compact cabinet will fit perfectly on a desk with only 62(W)x160(H)x96 mm(D) for approximately 0.7Kg and the speakers cord length is quite enough with 1.5m.

Panasonic RP-SPF01 will be ready to ship in Japan on November 12th for about $250.