Skip to main content

Monster Ships Wireless iSoniCast for iPod

Monster Ships Wireless iSoniCast for iPod

Famously high-end cable-maker Monster has announced that it is shipping its iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge for iPod, enabling users to push music from their iPod to their home stereo without connecting cables or (notably) batteries. The iSoniCast uses the iPod itself to control music playback.

“The Monster iSoniCast isn’t just the easiest wireless iPod-to-stereo link to hookup and use,” said “Head Monster” Noel Lee in a statement, “it’s the ultimate solution for wireless iPod playback on a home audio system.”

The iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge is a two piece system: a base station that connects to a home stereo system using RCA cables, and a separate wireless module that connect to an iPod’s dock connector and uses a proprietary 2.4 GHz radio technology to beam music back to the base station. Monster says the system’s intelligent frequency hopping means it can sustain 4 Gbps streaming without interfering with other 2.4 GHz technologies like some cordless phones and Wi-Fi solutions. The transmitter powers off the iPod’s internal battery when in use—Monster says it supports “extended listening.”

The iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge is available now at a suggested retail price of $99.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Miss the iPod? Astell and Kern has the cure — for a price
Astell & Kern Kann Max portable digital audio player.

In a move that has been anticipated for years, Apple finally -- if somewhat awkwardly -- confirmed that it will no longer make the iPod Touch, the last remaining iPod version. The reasons, according to Apple are clear: Given our ability to access music through all of our other digital devices (phones, laptops, tablets, and smart speakers), we've all moved beyond needing a dedicated device for listening to music on-the-go, especially one that can't connect to streaming services like Apple Music through mobile data.

That may be true, but Apple's devices have in any case never fully satisfied audiophiles -- a group of music lovers who expect convenience to go hand-in-hand with quality, not one at the expense of the other. Astell&Kern's (A&K) lineup of hi-res digital audio players has been filling that quality gap for a while now, and its newest products push portable listening to new heights -- both in terms of performance and price. Here's what the Korean audio brand is set to debut this month at High End Munich, a show that caters to the most discerning listeners on the planet:
A&K Kann Max, $1,299, available in June 2022

Read more
Sony delivers the $100 WF-C500, its most affordable set of true wireless earbuds
Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds and case sitting on a table..

Sony, a company that has historically made very capable but very expensive true wireless earbuds, is now heading into more affordable territory with the $100 WF-C500, a set of earbuds that compete with Jabra's $80 Elite 3. Sony's previous lowest-priced earbuds were the $130 WF-XB700. It also announced its latest full-size noise-canceling wireless headphones, the $250 WH-XB910N. Both models are available for pre-order today at Sony.com, Amazon, and Best Buy.

Compared to Sony's other true wireless offerings like the WF-1000XM3, WF-1000XM4, and WF-SP800N, all of which possess advanced features like active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, in-ear detection, built-in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and in the case of the XM4, wireless charging, the C500 are relatively bare-bones. They're still compatible with Sony's Headphones app, and they benefit from Sony's Digitial Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), which helps to restore lost high-frequencies in compressed digital music. But otherwise, there are few bells or whistles.

Read more
Sony true wireless earbuds deal slashes the price in half today
sony wf xb700 wireless headphones deal best buy february 2021 earbuds

Whether you’re taking advantage of the nice weather to exercise outdoors, creating a work cocoon in your air-conditioned home office, or just shutting out the world to enjoy your home theater, the path to privacy lies in these headphone deals and Sony headphones deals. Right now, at Best Buy, you can score $65 off the Sony WF-XB700 true wireless earbuds, which are down to only $65. That’s half off their regular price of $130. That’s a steal!

If you’re someone who wants fun, easy-to-use, dependable earbuds, the Sony WF-XB700 could be for you. Our reviewers were taken with how long the battery was able to last and the overall quality of the sound -- two features that can make or break a pair of true wireless earbuds.

Read more