Audio Technica’s ATHDSR7BT wireless overear headphones achieve impressive clarity underscored by powerful bass thanks to Pure Digital Drive.

The DSR7BT supports High-Resolution Audio when the Bluetooth wireless audio signal is transmitted to the headphones at 24bit/48Hz from a music player enabled for Qualcomm’s aptX HD codec.

I had no player with that codec to test the headphones, but I heard good-quality sound and high clarity in the devices I used. The headphones also support aptX, AAC and SBC codecs.

Audio Technica’s Pure Digital Drive system gets the credit, along with reengineered 45mm True Motion Drivers.

Pure Digital Drive allows the headphones to operate without the sound-degrading D/A converter found in conventional wireless headphones. Instead you have Trigence Semiconductor’s Dnote chipset, allowing for Bluetooth wireless transmission, processing the digital audio signal and transferring it to the drivers, where the digital pulses of the chipset move the voice coil and diaphragm forward and backward to create the sound waves.

True Motion Drivers feature specially designed diaphragms and lightweight bobbin-wound voice coils to deliver impressively nuanced, high-resolution sound. A pair of acoustic resistors controls the airflow in front of and behind the diaphragm to ensure a natural, balanced sound.

The entire driver assembly is housed within a layered aluminium structure that minimises unwanted resonance and isolates the electric circuitry from the housing’s acoustic space, resulting in optimal phase and transient response.

Pure Digital Drive means the headphones can use that aptX HD codec, achieving about five times as much detail in the music than a standard audio CD.

The headphones have a frequency response of five to 40,000Hz, sensitivity of 100dB and 35 ohms of impedance.

Long battery life is essential for Bluetooth headphones and the DSR7BT has approximately 15 hours of continuous use, or about 1,000 hours of standby. The battery takes about four hours to fully recharge.

The headphones are also comfortable to wear for hours, since the headband and earpads are soft and the headband is adjustable for a comfortable fit. They weigh only about 300 grams.

The DSR7BT is well designed in terms of ease of use, and the builtin microphone will double as a wireless headset for your smartphone.

The power switch is on the right side and volume controller on the left, alongside indicator lamps showing operating status and battery level.

The tap controller on the left allows you to play or pause music and videos and to handle phone calls.

A micro USB port is also on the left for recharging the battery and connecting to a computer, by which the headphones become a high-quality USB DAC sound system.

I connected to my notebook computer’s USB port and I used a foobar 2000 application to play FLAC 24bit/192kHz Hi-Res Audio files. The tunes sounded great, with loads of detail and a heavy bass.

I hooked them up to a Sony NWA25 Walkman player and HTC U11 smartphone. The Bluetooth connection was easily set using NFC technology. I simply tapped the “N” mark on the left side of the headband to the back of the Walkman and U11 and the connection was automatical.

Although neither of these other devices support an aptX HD codec, the music quality was superb, with clear separation audible among the individual instruments. The DSR7BT seems particularly well suited to rock and voice audiophile music.

The volume controls are also used to change tracks. Slide to “plus” and hold for about two seconds to play the next track, reverse that to play the previous track.

The tap controller has multiple uses too. When a call comes in to your connected phone, tap this once to answer or give it a “long tap” (about two seconds) to reject the call. Once done talking, doubletap to end the call. The same controller will adjust call volume.

While playing music, tap to pause or resume, doubletap to see the battery level, and tap and hold for about four seconds to activate a connected phone’s speech-recognition feature, such as Siri.

Audio Technica’s ATHDSR7BT has a suggested retail price of Bt11,900.

KEY SPECS

– Driver diameter: 45mm

– Frequency response: 5 to 40,000Hz

– Sensitivity: 100dB/mW

– Impedance: 35 ohms

– Battery: 3.7V rechargeable lithium polymer

– Battery life: 15 hours continuous use, 1,000 hours standby

– Charging time: 4 hours for full charge

– Weight: 300 grams without cable

– Accessories included: 2m USB charging cable, carrying pouch

– Microphone type: Condenser

– Polar pattern (microphone): omnidirectional

– Input jack: Micro USB Type B

– Communication system: Bluetooth Version 4.2

– Output: Bluetooth Specification Power Class 2

– Maximum communication range: Line of sight approximately 10m

– Compatible Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP

– Support codec: aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC

Suthikiat Kittipatrakul, managing director of Sure Life Telecom, the importer and distributor in Asia of Gold Elite Paris, said the company is thrilled to launch the Gold Elite Samsung Galaxy S8+ Ultimatum under the concept of “glamorousness and refined technology as one”.

The Galaxy S8+ is embellished with pure 24-karat gold and designed to look bolder with the highest cutting-edge technology of fine jewellery as well as superior craftmanship in every point such as the turn on/off button and volume controller.

The Gold Elite Samsung Galaxy S8+ Ultimatum Gold comes in a gold box with a 14-month warranty for the smartphone and the 24K gold.

It is available this month for Bt149,000.

Suthikiat said the phone is a new phenomenon to the luxury lifestyle society as it represents the highest success of life while the phone itself represents elegance.

Gold Elite Paris has received great feedback from Thai celebrities such as Aum-Pachrapa Chaichua, Sririta Jensen, Woonsen-Virithipa Pakdeeprasong, Korn Narongdej, Piyarat Kaljareuk, Amorn Meemano and odd-Ptiti BhiromBhakdi.

Located in the luxury Puente Romano Beach Resort and Spa, Maguire will help participants practise ways to take care of their psychological well-being and bolster their minds against external circumstances.

Neglecting physical health can bring about lethargy, physical pain or emotional instability – all of which have a negative effect on psychological health.

“When we stop and observe our mind, we can begin to understand it, notice negative thought patterns and change them. We realise that most of our thoughts are not even real and that the majority of our worries actually never happen,” says Maguire, who has been practising eastern healing arts for almost two decades including massage, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, meditation, hypnotherapy, acupuncture and nutrition.

Find out more by emailing enquiries-spa@sixsenses.com.

Everyone’s welcome to participate regardless of experience level.

The Spartan Sprint is “short” in the sense that it covers a “mere” five kilometres. It’s not easy, though. In that distance you encounter more than 20 obstacles.

Hardly your everyday running race, the Spartan event involves running, climbing, pushing and pulling, and crawling through walls, over hills, around trees and across mud and barbed wire.

It’s challenging but “fun”, the organisers swear.

They refuse to give details on the actual challenges (“What fun would that be?”), but mutter something that sounds like “occasionally Hell on Earth”. The idea is to yank people out of their comfort zone.

Adventure racer Joe DeSena founded Spartan in the mountains of Vermont as “a sport, community, philosophy, training and nutrition programme and frame of mind”.

It has its own media channels including a podcast and books and sells its own workout gear.

To register, go to http://www.SpartanRace.co.th/en/race/detail/1136/overview.

Located on the fourth floor of the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Dubai, the spa boasts a design inspired by the balancing of all the senses.

Swathed in sandy tones and light naturals, the contemporary decor is enhanced by floor-to-ceiling windows that provide glorious skyline vistas.

Customers can lie back in a So-Sound Legato Healing Lounger and let the healing vibrations ease away stress. Rather than just hearing with the ears, they can listen with the whole body. Muscles will let go of any tension, circulation will improve and brainwaves and blood pressure will rebalance.

It’s like lying in your very own Tibetan chiming bowl.

There’s also a hanging chime, a steam shower and a sauna with an interactive touch panel that lets you choose the music for relaxing or re-energising.

A Sight Suite heightens the visual senses using techniques such as chromotherapy in the steam room, digital images projected overhead in the sauna, and a relaxation area with “Good Night” LED lighting originally developed for astronauts on the International Space Station.

Lamps assist the body in the production of melatonin – a natural hormone that helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm by eliminating disruptive blue-sky light waves.

The room is complemented by Awake & Alert – a luminaire to enhance natural alertness, energy and focus, while multiple colour and spectrum settings with on-board sensors will monitor air quality to assist with improved breathing, allergy relief and mood.

A flotation pod is the place to be when in the Touch Suite. The buoyancy created within the pod by the dense Epsom-salt solution effectively removes the effects of gravity on the body, and brings you closer to an experience of total weightlessness.

The peacefulness of the pod allows your mind to drift into a deep state of relaxation and your body’s balance is reset and strengthened, enabling your brain to slow down and enter a dream-like state.

The Taste Suite offers a variety of traditional hammam therapies and alchemy bar using a buffet of tastes and ingredients to both sample and create your customised treatment products. In the Smell Suite, customers will be delighted with a workshop to blend your own bespoke products including hair masks, body scrubs and wraps.

The Beyond Suite is a perfect place to enjoy a simple yoga class, stretching and breathing techniques, singing bowl therapy and chakra balancing sessions.

Find more at enquiries-spa@sixsenses.com or http://www.SixSenses.com.

Available from October 18 to 22 and priced at 806 Euros (Bt31,600) for a three-night stay in the I Love Amsterdam Suite, the package includes VIP passes to Amsterdam Dance Music Festival for two, daily breakfast with champagne in bed for two, a bottle of Champagne upon arrival, two Vitamin Drip therapies, private airport round trip, Recovery treatment in Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre for two and late checkout at 4pm.

Make a reservation by calling (+31 20) 5700 000 @conservatoriumhotel.com or visit http://www.Conservatoriumhotel.com for further details.

Australia in the spring

Western Australia’s Como the Treasury hotel sets out to attract guests with the Wildflower Experience package for any stay between September 1 and November 30.

Starting at A$1,950 (Bt51,100), the package covers two nights in a Heritage Room, a Cape Arid welcome gift, a picnic lunch hamper, a five-course tasting menu paired with wines at Wildflower and an indigenous heritage tour of King Park.

Book a room at http://www.ComoHotels.com/thetreasury or email thetreasury@comohotels.com.

Wedded bliss

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel draws inspiration from nature for its Garden Romance wedding fair that will take place on August 26 and 27.

From cake decoration to beautifully adorned garden displays, each stall provides advice and details to enhance your event while talented chefs prepare special treats for a wedding feast. Newlyweds can also enjoy the lavish luxury suites for their first night together.

Couples booking a package on the day will receive a two-night stay at the beachside Anantara Mui Ne Resort in Vietnam and the top spender will also get a chance to win a two-night honeymoon at Anantara Resort in Maldives.

Find out more at (02) 126 8866 or email catering.asia@anantara.com.

A feast of lobster

Pracharat Rak Samakki Phuket is delighting local gastronomes and tourists with the Phuket Lobster Festival. Running until the end of the month, the event has more than 200 restaurants on the island offering fresh grilled lobster, sushi lobster and lobster noodle.

Find out more at calling (076) 211 036 or check out http://www.TatNews.org.

Holidays in the sun

Jetstar gears up for the high season in the tropics with the introduction of four flights a week from Singapore to Hat Yai from November 3.

Passengers can enjoy promotional fares starting at Bt899 and the 180-seat A320 flights are available on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The airline operates more than 50 direct services from Australia, Vietnam and Singapore to Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai.

Online booking can be made at Jetstar.com.

“Soul Writing is an approach to writing from the intuition,” says Sarah Walton, who is co-facilitating the “Let Your Soul Speak with Soul Writing & Meditation Retreat” at Museflower Retreat & Spa from October 11 to 16.

“Soul Writers learn to access the imagination using meditation techniques that allow the writer to enter into the stillness required for story to flow,” she adds.

Walton holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Hull in the UK, where she taught creative writing to undergraduates. She developed an approach to writing that combines meditation and free-writing techniques that help you access intuition, and teaches this course that works for beginners as well as writers experiencing “writers’ block”.

“The state of the brain in meditation is very close to the state when a writer is “in flow.” From that still place it is easier to access the intuition and the imagination, both of which we require to write,” she explains.

This technique of using meditation and creative writing accessing the inner intuition allows Soul Writers to learn to tune into their five senses – sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste – as well as the sixth sense of the intuition to write an engaging and compelling story that taps into the imagination and comes from the inner voice.

Walton will also be facilitating two Soul Writing workshops during the Third Annual Museflower Life Festival Weekend Retreat from October 6 to 9.

Museflower Retreat & Spa Chiang Rai is located at 159/1 Moo 1, Ban Samanmit, Donsila Sub-District, Wiang Chai District,

Find out more by calling (093) 137 0414 or visit http://MuseFloweRetreat.com.

The fourth season of “A Taste of Hong Kong”, which premieres today, features Thai celeb Napian “Na” Permsombat – a new face on the international movie scene – as a guest on “City Escapes”, an episode that is hosted by singer-actress Josie Howho. Also starring is Indonesian travel writer Marishka, a free spirit with a deep respect for nature.

“This was my first trip to Hong Kong so I was really thrilled to discover it like a local. I never imagined that Hong Kong had all these pristine spots just an hour’s drive from the city,” said Napian, who had the chance to experience a mix of adventure and discovery in the great outdoors.

“Nothing can beat having insider secrets on Hong Kong’s outdoors. It was an unforgettable and surprising experience for me, and Hong Kong has many hidden places worth discovering.”

Josie took her two friends on a morning trail in Victoria Peak where they ventured along jungle trails to find the most picturesque spots. The majestic view of Hong Kong was a sight to behold. They continued on to Sai Kung, where they met Kevin, a geologist who accompanied them on a cruise of the stunning coastline on a junk boat. They reached the islands, with a preserved natural ecosystem, that make up the Hong Kong Unesco Global Geopark.

Another highlight for Napian was the chance to show off his wakeboard skills with Josie in Sai Kung. He surprised his host by performing like a pro in the water. Next was a gorging adventure with an outdoor guru who showed them the really wild side of Hong Kong.

“Truly, it was way beyond my expectations,” added Na. “I can’t wait to go back to Hong Kong to discover more.”

Catch the season premiere of “A Taste of Hong Kong Season 4” at 8.55pm. “City Escapes” airs on August 21, also at 8.55pm and “After Dark” on August 28.

Find out more about outdoor activities in Hong Kong at http://www.DiscoverhHongKong.com.

Constantly battling tired eyes? Deploy “Puffy Eye Attack” (Bt150), super-hydrating under eye- brightening hydrogel patches that soothe, refresh and de-puff. The patches work while you rest and contain a tetrapeptide to help reduce the appearance of dark circles and under-eye puffiness, liquorice root extract for skin brightening, and Cucumber Fruit Juice extract for an instant moisture infusion.

“What A Peeling” (Bt190) works as a purifying de-clog mask. Liquid gel transforms into a lift-off paper strip to smooth, purify and remove all gunk and junk in one go. The mask is power-packed with 10 ingredients including fine-clay kaolin and bentonite to help absorb excess oil, white willow bark known for its benefits for oily skin and vitamin C for tired complexions. It’s scented with exotic tropical fruit.

Shine-free skin always a chore? Then check out “The Fab Pore” (Bt150).  A quick and easy facial for instant pore-fection, this refreshing skin-smoothing face mask is packed with pore-refining and problem-solving ingredients for a fresh and healthy-looking complexion.

“Bright and Beautiful” (Bt150) is a party recovery radiance-boosting mask.  Packed with a cocktail of skin-boosting ingredients, this multi-tasking miracle worker is a speedy solution for dull, tired and stressed-looking complexions with vitamin C and white flowers (tiger lily, lotus, cherry blossom, chamomile, and cape jasmine), perfect for dull, lack-lustre skin “Speed Plump” (Bt150) is a treat for dry and dehydrated skin. With a delicate sweet orange peel scent, this turbo boost hydrogel mask is an instant hydration sensation. The two-piece mask contains super-nourishing moisturizers that will quench dry skin.

The Soap and Glory “Mask Force 5” collection is available exclusively at Boots from this month onwards.

While the super-fight between the undefeated boxer and the two-weight UFC champion will be beamed to television screens, watching it with friends and fellow sports lovers can only add to the pleasure and so the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel is turning its R Bar into a ringside arena on August 27 from 8am onwards.

With the live-streaming right in front of the large 150″ screen, the venue will also provide a special breakfast package with free-flow house pours and beers promising undefeated moments like no others in the heart of Bangkok.

Round up your friends and get the best seat in-house for just Bt1,100-net all in.

Book your place at (02) 125 5000.