As music storage becomes more computer-based, listening to music – whether it’s from a desktop or laptop model – requires compromises. One of those tradeoffs is sound quality. It’s a badly kept secret that computer sound cards are not that good. Heck, some of them are just awful. It doesn’t matter how much money you spent on those headphones or speakers if your Mac or PS sound card is garbage. But, let’s assume you’re on a budget (who isn’t?) and have a decent pair of headphones or earphones to go with that expensive laptop. Do you like what you hear? If the answer is no, you might want to look at the HiFiMAN Express HM-101 Portable USB Soundcard from HiFiMAN.

External digital audio convertors are becoming more popular as people discover the audio improvement DACs provide. However, DACs can be a bit large, and expensive. Granted, these DACs sound great (and I will be reviewing two new ones soon), but the cost can be hard to justify – until you hear one. If you think you know your music, a DAC can help you discover what you’ve been missing and didn’t know it.

HiFiMAN Express HM-101 Portable USB Soundcard is a mouthful, but the HM-101 is basically a USB/Mini USB digital audio convertor (DAC) combined with a headphone amp. It doesn’t need batteries or an AC outlet because USB supplies all the power. It’s tiny, weighs practically nothing and makes headphones and earphones sound better than just plugging them directly into the headphone jack.

The HM-101 manages to improve audio in many ways. For starters, you get more volume using the HM-101. Everything can be louder. You also get more detail in your music. Cymbals have more shimmer, the strumming and picking of guitar strings has more detail, and vocals can sound more intimate due to less background noise.

The HM-101 uses a chip manufactured by Burr-Brown, one of the most respected DAC chip makers in the audio world. They supply chips to many audio manufacturers in many price ranges.

The HM-101 can output a song at compact disc resolution, which is 16bit-44Khz. If you have higher resolution audiophile music files, they will be downsampled, so if your collection contains many of those files, then you should look for a better DAC. If your music collection consists of iTunes files and CD rips, however, then the HM-101 can be useful to have around.

I have listened to my music for hours using the HM-101 and if I could sum it up with one word, it would be “easy”

Easy, because you just plug in and forget it. There are no setting, no volume knobs, nothing but a USB input and 2 choices for output: speaker or headphone. Everything else is handled by your computer. Like I said: easy.

Without getting too technical, different DACs can play files at different resolutions. If a song has a lower resolution, then a DAC can unsample to compensate. This just means that the resolution of the song file is doubled or tripled to allow more musical information to be heard. The higher the number, the better the audio; in theory, anyway. It’s actually more complicated than that and doesn’t always work as advertised. Also generally, the higher resolution the DAC can output, the higher the cost.

While the HM-101 is definitely an improvement over plugging into the standard headphone jack on your PC/Mac, it can’t compete with better DACs. But that’s not the point. If you’ve never heard a DAC (or didn’t know they even existed), and you can’t or won’t justify the cost of untried technology, then consider this: The HM-101 DAC is $39. You read that right. This is a bargain for something that can make listening to music fun again. Then, when you’ve used the HM-101 for a while, you can always upgrade to a higher resolution DAC and go through your musical rediscovery process over again.

Beware, though. This is how one becomes an audiophile. And that can become quite expensive.

Update: Steve Guttenberg from CNET has named the Hifiman Express HM-101 one of his Top 10 audio bargains.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, DAC, sound booster

HiFiMAN Express HM-101 Portable USB Soundcard Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 24, 2012 at 11:00 am.

I have looked for a solution for a long time to connect my laptops to my various TVs.  I have avoided buying converter boxes because I simply didn’t want the hassle of buying yet another device to go in my entertainment center and then have to fish the cables out when I wanted to move it to another TV.  I just wasn’t interested, and the prices were always a little too high.  So the Hammerhead VGA to HDMI converter from Sewell intrigued me.  Could big things possibly come in small packages?  Let’s find out.

Let’s talk first about the specs of this little powerhouse.  It comes in the box with a VGA cable, a 5 ft 3.5mm audio cable, a 2.5 ft mini USB cable (used for power from the PC), and a user’s manual.  When I say ‘user’s manual’ I use that term loosely because the user’s manual is pretty much a joke.  It not only didn’t help me figure out how to connect the device, I could barely read the text inside it because the text was so small.  User’s manuals are not universally included anymore, but if you are going to include one you need to actually make sure it is useful.

On the Hammerhead, you will find a mini USB connection on the side (used to draw power from the PC), a VGA input on one end, and the HDMI output and stereo audio input on the other end.  I should mention that Sewell says that the power connection via USB may be required if the VGA port on the computer can’t push the video and/or audio signals strong enough. The only way you will know if the USB connection is required is if you try to use the Hammerhead and the audio or video signal won’t work.  I did not need the USB connection in my testing. There is an indicator light on the Hammerhead that shows you when the Hammerhead is functioning, and the Hammerhead can support computer monitors up to a 1920 x 1200 resolution @60Hz.

I also wanted to post here the list of the computer monitor resolutions that the Hammerhead supports.  This list is directly from Sewell’s website:

640*480@60Hz, 640*480@72Hz, 640*480@75Hz, 640*480@85Hz
720*400@70Hz
800*600@60Hz, 800*600@72Hz, 800*600@75Hz, 800*600@85Hz
1024*768@60Hz, 1024*768@70Hz, 1024*768@75Hz, 1024*768@85Hz
1152*864@75Hz
1280*720@60Hz
1280*768@60Hz, 1280*768@75Hz, 1280*768@85Hz
1280*800@60Hz, 1280*800@75Hz, 1280*800@85Hz
1280*900@60Hz
1280*1024@60Hz, 1280*1024@75Hz
1360*768@60Hz
1400*1050@60Hz
1440*900@60Hz
1600*1200@60Hz
1680*1050@60Hz
1920*1080@60Hz
1920*1200_RB@60Hz
1920*1200@60Hz

Performance

So how did the Hammerhead perform?  Fantastic. I tried the Hammerhead on 3 of my HD TVs, each a different brand, and it worked superbly on all 3.  The image is just great, and I couldn’t be happier.  The first HDMI cable that I used would not transfer the audio signal – even with the help of the USB power cable, so I swapped the HDMI cable out for another HDMI cable and it worked just fine.  The first cable was a 50 FT cable and it was old.  I am not sure if the length or the age of the cable caused the audio signal problem, but the second 6 ft. cable worked just fine without the need to use the USB power cable.

The only other problem I had was that the gold screw posts on the side of the Hammerhead that you use to secure the Hammerhead to the VGA cable are not easy to use at all.  My fingers couldn’t twist the posts to actually get them to connect to the VGA cable because they are awkwardly positioned. Or perhaps my fingers are just too fat. I eventually gave up. But that was not a deal breaker for me.

Bottom line

The Hammerhead is an excellent device that delivers an excellent video signal. Its construction is solid, and the small size makes it perfectly portable and easy to store.  You’ll need more space to store the HDMI cable than the Hammerhead.  And the list price of $65.95 is just right for my budget. I believe you can even find it for less than that online.  I highly recommend this product.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, HDMI, TV

Sewell Hammerhead VGA to HDMI Converter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 23, 2012 at 11:00 am.

Let’s be real here, OK? iTunes has never been a great program where sound quality is concerned. Steve Jobs famously said that music was in Apple’s DNA.  That may be, but I wouldn’t call Apple an audiophile company. Despite that, I use iTunes every day mainly because it’s just so darned easy, plus it does sound good enough.

And there lies the problem. We learn to settle for inferior audio either because we don’t know better or it’s too complicated to deal with. But what about the rest of you? It’s not lost on me that each link in the audio chain can be – and often is – not cheap. Sometimes it can be outrageously expensive. Everyone just knows that good audio costs. That’s a given. Or is it?

As it turns out, there is a way to improve audio quality a bit without breaking the bank, or even denting it. If you listen to music on a Mac (sorry, no Windows yet), and use iTunes, there is an app/plugin that can increase the resolution – and quality – of your music. It’s called BitPerfect and it costs a whopping $5 in the Mac App store.

Before I go further, let me state that The Gadgeteer is not an audiophile site, and I am not going to get into charts or esoteric terms to show off. There are other very good audiophile sites where you can get as much info as you could ever want. I’m just trying to provide a little educational nudge towards improving audio.

One of the fun ways to improve your audio is to increase the bitrate of your music (called upsampling) or just start with higher resolution (high res) files. When I say high res, I am not talking about 128k MP3 files ripped from CDs, bought from iTunes or “ahem,” acquired online. I mean files that are at the very least, 256k AAC from iTunes on up to really high res 96khz/24 bit files.

If you’re eyes are beginning to glaze over right about now, what this simply means is that the higher the number, the more music you can hear with less distortion. Everything just sounds better.

Tim Murison has singlehandedly done what Apple has so far refused to do: make iTunes sound better. Tim wasn’t satisfied with what he heard, so he developed BitPerfect. He wasn’t the first. There are other programs that improve the audio quality of iTunes, but they completely take over the player and are prohibitively expensive. BitPerfect works within iTunes. It’s invisible. Once you install it, you can forget that it’s there.

BitPerfect performs a lot of complicated maneuvers behind the scenes to improve the sound right out of the box. However, if you are curious and adventurous, the app allows almost infinite variations. The point though, is that you don’t have to do anything once installed.

Tim has also written an extremely helpful manual that explains in detail what I am purposefully glossing over. I highly recommend reading it before buying.

This is not a review of BitPerfect. I bought it late last year and have used is almost every day when listening to iTunes. I can say that BitPerfect will make your music sound better. How much better depends on your source material.

Note: I also use an external digital audio convertor (DAC) all the time as a headphone amp. A DAC is a very good sound card that bypasses the one in your computer. While a DAC can dramatically improve audio quality, they can also be expensive. However, whether you decide to use a DAC or not, BitPerfect still makes music sound better.

For $5, you can’t go wrong.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Audio, iTunes, MP3

BitPerfect High-quality Audio Player for OSX originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

As headphones become more popular as an audio accessory and fashion statement, some companies have been able to adapt to this evolving market better than others. Some lean more towards the design while others cater to the audiophile crowd. V-Moda has tried to have it both ways. With the over-ear (circumaural) Crossfade LP, they succeeded in pleasing both groups. However, many people prefer a smaller, on-ear (supra-aural) headphone design. V-Moda could have just made smaller Crossfades – and the Crossfade M-80s do look like that – but V-Moda went farther. Here’s a spoiler for you: The new – and smaller – M-80 headphones are better in almost every way.

The whole package feels well made. According to V-Moda, much of the headphone is made to military specs with kevlar wrapped one-button (universal) or 3-button (Apple only) cables and a reinforced steel headband wrapped in microfiber faux-suede. The M-80s can be bent and twisted severely with no lasting effects. They are made to take a lot of punishment.

The original Crossfade LPs are more comfortable than these newer Crossfade M-80s over extended periods, which I think is more the result of the over-ear design as opposed to on-ear. The M-80′s pads are made of memory foam which are good at forming to the shape of your ears. However, on my head, they begin to feel tight after about 3 hours. I know many people don’t wear headphones for that long in one sitting, but I do, so if there are any comfort issues, I feel them. That’s not to say that the M-80s are uncomfortable. As long as the listening times are kept below a few hours, they feel just fine. I also had to extend the earpieces as far as I could to get a proper fit. This has been an issue for me with other brands, as well. If my head size was any larger, then the M-80s wouldn’t fit.

The exoskeleton case is looks practically indestructible, and it is tough. Short of stomping on it, this case will protect the M-80s from just about any mishap. It comes with a carabiner, so you can easily hook it up to a backpack without it taking up interior space.

While there are similarities between the Crossfade LPs and the M-80s, that similarity ends once you hear them. The thing that separates the two more than anything is plain ole’ bass. The Crossfade LPs have more of it. They aren’t bass monsters (pun intended) like the Beats headphones, but bass is more prominent then with the M-80s. In some instances – like Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll” – the highs become overpowered by the bass on the LPs. There’s a better balance among the frequencies with the M-80s. I also noticed that the volume needed to be turned up a bit on the M-80s to equal the loudness of the LPs.

The high definition version of Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s classic “The Girl From Ipanema” has a fantastic soundstage which the M-80s exploit. It’s easy to imagine the placement of each instrument as you listen to the swish of the drum brushes complimented by Getz’s smokey saxophone. The nightclub feel of the song is palpable. Part of the reason for this is what V-Moda calls Bliss Noise Isolation. It uses ports and sound channeling to give a more open soundstage similar to what open-back headphones give but still allowing the almost total isolation of a closed-back headphone design. While I prefer the wide soundstage of genuine open-backed headphones, the M-80s come quite close.

The excessively bright vocals on John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” border on harsh with the M-80s. That can be an issue with some older recordings as they generally are recorded with lighter bass than a modern mix would be. That’s not always the case though because the song, “Operator,” from Manhattan Transfer’s 1975 debut album, has a perfect balance of Alan Paul’s slightly reverbed lead vocals over backup harmonies from the other three members. This kind of song allows the M-80s to shine. All of the audio detail in this song is extracted for maximum effect.

The Crossfade M-80 headphones are an evolution of the Crossfade LPs. If you have the LPs and are happy with them, then save your money. However, I would recommend the M-80s over the LPs if you own neither. The M-80s superior accuracy is hard to ignore. If you are still trying to decide between cheaper headphones or spending a little more, here’s a clue: When you listen to good headphones, you don’t have that desire to turn them up in order to get as much out of them as possible. Good headphones are able to bring out all that aural goodness without resorting to harmful volume. That’s the tragedy of cheap headphones and earphones; that inherent need to use volume to mask deficiencies. Over time, it can cause real damage to hearing. It’s something to consider.

The Crossfade M-80s are not cheap, but given how good they sound and how tough they are made, they look like a bargain.

V-Moda sells the True Blood V-80 headphones which are themed after the HBO vampire show, “True Blood.” With the exception of a different color scheme and a blood-vial styled zipper pull, the V-80 and M-80 headphones are identical.

V-Moda also offers customized headphone shields – those metal plates covering the headphone ear-cup. For a little more money, you can pick a different headphone shield color or upload your own design for a customized look.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Crossfades, Headphones, iPhone, iPod, Kevlar, M-80, MP3, V-Moda

V-Moda Crossfade M-80 Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 7, 2012 at 11:00 am.

If your computer’s sound card leaves a lot to be desired, you can bypass it with the Audioengine D2 Premium 24-bit Wireless DAC.  Connect the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to your computer, and you’ll be able to wirelessly stream HD audio to any system.  It’s a high-quality USB wireless computer DAC, a wireless USB-to-SPDIF converter, and a wireless optical PCM-to-stereo link in one device.  The D2 includes USB and optical inputs and a high-performance DAC, and it operates independently of your home’s WiFi network.  No software is required for setup, and it can playback any files that your computer can play.  The D2 “processes digital audio at any bit depth up to 24 bits and sample rates to 192KHz, then sends your music over-the-air at 24/96. It accepts USB or PCM-stereo optical and will automatically configure to match either of these inputs.”  The Audioengine D2 Premium 24-bit Wireless DAC is $599.00 a set, and you can audition it in your home for 30 days.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News

Tagged: Audio, Digital-to-analog converter, Wireless

Audioengine D2 Premium 24-Bit Wireless Digital-to-Analog Converter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2011 at 12:03 pm.

The one thing I really missed from the Audyssey South of Market speaker dock I recently reviewed was Apple’s AirPlay technology (plus no headphone port, but I digress). I was so sure that the next version of that speaker would have it. I was wrong – sort of. Audyssey has released an AirPlay speaker. It’s just not the one I was expecting. The new speaker is the Audio Dock Air and it’s from their Lower East Side collection with its arty, minimalist looks.

AirPlay technology just blows the doors off Bluetooth. It can stream CD quality sound using no compression, and you can really hear the difference. Plus, the audio streaming range is much broader than Bluetooth’s.

Audyssey incorporated the same Smart Speaker technology from their wonderful South of Market speaker dock into the Audio Dock Air, but with a different speaker setup. Instead of 4” woofers, the Audio Dock Air has smaller midrange woofers coupled with bass radiators. How the sound differs from the South of Market dock is anyone’s guess at this point. A full review will be necessary to determine that. What’s also different is that the Audio Dock Air has no built-in charging dock, but it does come with an AUX port for wired connectivity for non-Apple devices without AirPlay.

Audyssey has thrown down the gauntlet to Bowers & Wilkins and their fantastically good (and expensive) Zeppelin Air speaker dock. Audyssey hopes to steer some customers in their direction and with the new Lower East Side Audio Dock Air being $200 cheaper then the Zeppelin, they just might do that. Now, if only they could add AirPlay to the South of Market dock…

The Lower East Side Audio Dock Air will retail for the same price as the South of Market dock – $399 US – and will be available in November in time for holiday shopping.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Airplay, Audio, Speaker

Audyssey Lower East Side Audio Dock Air Announced originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 21, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Whenever I am reviewing headsets, I am always looking for thought in the design as well as function and comfort. PureGear’s PureBeats certainly has a fresh look.  But do they deliver quality sound or are they just another cheap in-ear headset that is over priced?

What is most notable is the cable. You won’t find yourself untangling these for half an hour like a lot of headsets. So even if you have to shove them into a small pocket for half a day, they unravel quite easily so that you can get to listening to your Beats.

PureBeats also includes an inline mic for hands-free calls also a button that acts as a send and end key as well as a play and pause button when listening to music. I was able to be heard clearly and the caller on the other end was able to hear me clearly as well, even though I could not hear myself, so it at first seems like the mic doesn’t work. But it does the job nicely.

With a name like PureBeats you have to expect great Bass. And I am happy to say they deliver. The Bass is ever present yet not over powering so as to drown the highs. I enjoyed listening to bass-heavy tracks while testing this headset for the past week. Though I wish the headset was a little louder. I found myself pressing the volume button constantly on my player only to realize it is already at its highest setting.

All in all, I enjoyed them. I think the 49.99 price point fits. I would recommend them for someone who doesn’t want to spend $100 or more on a in-ear headset. Or if you don’t want to spend a lot of time untangling or worrying about a shortage in one of the ears, you may want to check our PureGear PureBeats.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Headphones and earbuds, Headset

PureGear PureBeats Premium In-Ear Headset Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 7, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

If you are like most people in today’s economy, you are always looking for ways to save a little (or a lot) of money. The same holds true in the audio world. It doesn’t matter whether you are happy with the earbuds that came with your iPod/iPhone or have invested in better quality headphones or earphones. If there is a way to improve your listening enjoyment without breaking the bank, you might want to check it out. SRS Labs has come up with a product that may provide a stepping stone to better sound until you can afford those to-die-for headphones or amp or whatever you lust for in the audio world. SRS is a company that sells the iWow iTunes plugin which lets you tweak the audio in ways the iTunes equalizer simply cannot. Some people love what the iWow does and some find this kind of manipulation distracting. It’s a personal preference. Now, SRS has taken this technology and put it into an iPod/iPhone device that allows you to take that iWow sound with you for your car, home speakers and portable headphones.

The iWow 3D Audio Enhancement Adaptor is relatively small attachment that connects to the Apple 30-pin port on an iPhone or iPod which – SRS claims – will dramatically improve the quality of your music. By connecting through this port, the audio signal remains a digital signal as it enters the iWow unit allowing SRS to do its thing before converting the signal to analog (what you hear). There is a free app available from Apple iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch only) which allows further tweaking if you wish. The iWow will ask you if you want to download the app when you first plug it in, otherwise, it’s easy to find in iTunes. The iWow 3D is also available in a deluxe version which includes a pair of earphones and four differently colored faceplates.

I’m testing the iWow 3D with an iPod Classic, iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 with headphones and earphones. I did not test it on an iPod Touch or iPad (I don’t own either). The iWow will connect to any Apple product with a 30-pin connector.

Let’s first talk about the iWow 3D and the iPod Classic. Since the SRS app doesn’t work with a straight iPod, the iWow is just plug-and-play. I noticed immediately that there was a marked difference in audio quality when switching the iWow on and off. But that’s not a true test because the iWow turned off is not the same thing as plugging earphones directly into the headphone port at the top of the iPod. Frankly, when I compared the iWow to the iPod using this method, I preferred the iPod alone. I have always liked the audio quality of the iPod classic (although not as much as the previous iPod model, but that’s another story). The iWow just didn’t do it for me with this set up. The volume level was noticeably compromised using the iWow 3D. Things were just louder and more involving with the iPod only. So, if you have an iPod Classic, I would advise against the iWow.

The iPhone, however, was a different story. Before I talk about the audio improvements, let’s go over some practicalities in the real world. If you use most cases with your iPhone, it will need to be removed before connecting the iWow. This may be a problem if you don’t like removing the case. It would not fit my iPhone 4 and Speck case but I also have an iPhone 3G with a much thinner case, and the iWow fit that perfectly. Also, the iWow protrudes from the iPhone, so using it while on the go could be a hassle, depending on your use. It’s less of an issue just sitting on your desk or in your car. The battery life on the iPhone can also take a hit using the iWow, so you will may need to recharge a little more often.

Having said all that, the iWow 3D really shines on the iPhone. This is what this product was made for. As I did on the iPod Classic, I tested the iWow against an iPhone alone rather than just switching the iWow on and off. While there was still less volume overall as with the iPod Classic, it was very slight and not a problem. A word of warning here: I suggest you connect the iWow before inserting earphones. I got several loud surprises when I inserted earphones first.

The music comes alive on the iPhone with the iWow. Even without using the free app, the difference was dramatic. The sound just opens up with added clarity. It’s like putting on a pair of glasses. Everything is just sharper. That’s about the best way to describe it. But wait, there’s more!

Using the app lets you fine tune your preferences. While the SRS app lacks any full blown equalizer, it does keep things simple. Along with an on/off (enabled) button, there are three settings: Headphones, Speakers and Car. There’s also an Advanced button which is an equalizer of sorts. Here are three buttons also: Wide Surround, Deep Bass and High Treble. Wide Surround expands the soundstage making you feel more in the middle of the music, rather than on the sidelines. The effect is more subtle than dramatic. I prefer that. It’s so easy to over-process audio and SRS wisely avoids this. The same is true of the Bass and Treble buttons. They are slight variations. Although you could just press all three choices and then forget it, I actually like the Wide Surround and Bass without the Treble. To me, the Treble choice exaggerates any sibilance (that hissing “S” sound in vocals) a song may already have. So I chose to leave that button off.

Also included in the app are a Music Trivia game that tests how much – or little – you know. Strangely, if you are playing your music and then press the Trivia button, it plays its own soundtrack on top of your music. But, if you press the SRS Labs site button, you hear that same music, but your music will then fade out. Why the Trivia Game doesn’t do this and another button does is a mystery to me.

If you own an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and want to upgrade the audio without spending wads of cash, the iWow 3D is a good choice with minimal setup. Even though its not insanely cheap, it is still way less expensive than an external DAC/Amp, premium headphones or massive automobile amps. The iWow will allow you to give your audio a kick-in-the-pants and – if you wish – also buy you some time while you save up for those major sound improvements later. Then again, you just might decide that the iWow 3D is plenty improvement enough.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, iPhone, iPod

SRS Labs iWOW 3D Audio Enhancement Adaptor Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 30, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

What keeps you entertained when you hit the gym?  I’m sure most of your answers would be a mp3 player or flirting with that gorgeous guy/girl next to you.  But let’s stick with audio for this review.  Wearing headphones when working out is very common these days.  But the main problem is that most headphones aren’t sweatproof or waterproof.  I’v had many headphones ruined because of heavy sweat that gets into the headphones causing a short.  That’s where H2O Audio Surge Waterproof/Sweatproof Sport Headphones come in.

The H2O Audio Surge Headphones were designed by athletes for athletes.  It solves the problem of having to replace sweat ruined headphones.  It’s designed to be 100% waterproof/sweatproof and submersible down to 12 feet underwater.  The cable length is a comfortable 3.9 feet.

These headphones comes with 5 different sized ear plugs to ensure a perfect fitting for any type of ears.

The audio jack is totally waterproof also.  I did find the jack a bit long and stiff but I think they designed it that way so that it will have less problems with bending and breaking from overuse.

My pool has already been winterized and closed for the season so I’ll be using a glass of H2O for the water test.  I submerged the Surge headphones for 30 minutes while playing music through it.  I could hear the music resonating through the glass jar.  After 30 minutes, the Surge headphones still work as advertised.

The Surge headphones were pretty comfortable to wear for an extended amount of time.

8mm dynamic drivers with a max power of 5mW drives the Surge headphones.  Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have enough bass to provide great sounding audio.  It’s probably caused by the fact that the audio drivers are sealed to be waterproof and sweatproof.

The H2O Audio Surge Waterproof/Sweatproof Sport Headphones cost $49.99 direct.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Headphones, sweatproof, Waterproof

H2O Audio Surge Waterproof Sport Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 1, 2011 at 12:30 pm.

How do you judge a pair of headphones in this pristine, digital age when you’re listening to a new track from Jónsi and Alex that has analog noise added for effect? I have no idea, but boy, does it sound ethereal and haunting. The track is “Daníell In The Sea”, which may not be your your preferred style of music or even what you might call a “song”. But I like it and on the Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, I like it even more. That added analog dirt sounds like a badly scratched vinyl record, but the mystery and the ambience come through like a fog rolling in off the coast. Murky and beautiful (the music, not the headphones).

For those of you who may not be aware, Bowers & Wilkins make some of the most audaciously designed speakers available and they are priced accordingly. They have now applied that expertise to the iPod/iPhone market with the incredible Zeppelin speaker and the newer MM1 computer speakers (to be reviewed soon – stay tuned).

They have also entered the personal audio market with the P5 headphones. Unlike headphones such as the Grado 325i for instance, the B&W P5s take a completely different approach to personal listening. It’s important to understand this difference as you consider shelling out big bucks on headphones. The Grados (and some other brands) are what is known as open-backed. And the P5s are closed. This simply means that someone sitting next to you can hear what you are listening to with the Grados and not so with the P5s. And truthfully, neither approach is better. Each one has its pros and cons. It comes down to preferences. So rather than compare the different approaches, I am going to concentrate on the closed design P5s.

Right away, you’ll notice that you can’t get past that packaging before you unearth the headphones. And unboxing the P5s clues you in on what lies ahead: Pure quality all the way. A thick, foam-lined, beautifully printed cardboard box opens up to the headphones packed in a form-fitting carrier. Underneath this carrier is a gorgeous manual/history booklet of B&W, as well as a quilted, suede-lined carrying bag. Also included is a 1/4” jack adapter and a mic-enabled cable. With this mic-cable, you can listen to your iPhone and then accept a call without removing the headphones, then resume your music when the call is ended. Two cables are included – one with a mic and one without.

As with any headphone, comfort ranks almost as importantly as sound quality. When you wear the P5s, you’ll notice that they hug your head without squeezing your temples or pressing down on the ears themselves. And because the pads are leather, they can breathe, which helps reduce sweating, which can be a real problem in more humid climates. Incidentally, that leather is sheep’s leather… from New Zealand. Neat. The well-padded headband is also covered in soft sheep’s leather. There is little to no downward pressure to the top of your head.

The construction is solid and well thought out. Even though the P5s are expensive, brushed metal and chrome accents – along with all that leather – make them look like they cost even more than they actually do. The ear pads are held in place magnetically and separate from the housing with little difficulty, which is clever because it allows for complete cable removable and replacement should something bad happen. So, if your dog chews through the cable, no problem.

Of course, it all comes down to the sound. Do the P5s sound as good as they look and feel? Let’s find out.

Some companies really stress the bass in their products. In most cases, this over-emphasis on bass masks all sorts of shortcomings in speaker quality. What may sound impressive on first listen will give you a headache after 20 minutes. Not fun. Don’t be fooled by heavy bass.

The B&W P5s sport plenty of bass, but are tuned to a more neutral setting. What that means is you can comfortably wear them for hours with no ill effects or ear fatigue. A good example of this is the Annie Lennox song, “Why”, on her “Diva” album. It’s a song that has a perfect balance of bass and midrange synths which contrast beautifully with her vocals. The P5s accentuate all the right stuff with little coloring of the music.

The P5s lean to the warm side, meaning that they are not too bright sounding. Sometimes, that can make the headphones a little less “accurate” sounding. But sometimes, accuracy at the expense of comfort is not a good thing.

A high resolution version of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” from his album, “So” proves the warmth over accuracy point. This song has some brass sounds that on lesser headphones have sounded downright harsh and unpleasant. Here, the sound is just… smooth. Gabriel’s vocal histrionics come off as good-natured fun rather than grating.

Another good test of sound quality on the P5s is Brian Eno’s “Under” from “Another Day on Earth”. There is a lot happening in this song, from complicated percussion to random sounds haphazardly thrown in for effect. But the way the fast percussion seems to go completely against the slower rhythm of the music shows how quickly the P5s react to all the sonic barrage. It has become one of my favorite headphone songs.

The “Ninth Symphony, Fourth Movement, Abridged” on the Clockwork Orange soundtrack is completely artificial – all analog synthesizer – as could only happen in the 70s. With the P5s, Wendy Carlos’ score comes through with a menacing beauty  absent from earlier listenings. The synthetic chorus at the end will give you shivers. Play this one loud.

Vocals on the P5s can be intimate bordering on the uncomfortable. I don’t mean aurally, but emotionally. Some of the reason for this is again, the closed design as opposed to the open-back design. Jennifer Warnes version of Leonard Cohen’s “Joan of Arc” from her excellent “Famous Blue Raincoat” album puts her right in your space (or face). Close your eyes and she is singing just to you. Its realism to the max. Add in the snap of the static pounding drum in the background while she croons la da da, and you are there.

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones handle anything I’ve been able to throw at them.

You can not only use the P5s for personal listening where isolation is imperative, but they are also something you can just listen to for extended periods of time, if for no other reason – because you can.

For those close to an Apple retail store, you can actually audition the P5s before you decide if they are right for you.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Headphones, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portable

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm.

While some earphones/headphones available for the iPhone/iPod/iPad are great, most fall into the pretty good category.  But all of them are light years better than the earbuds that come standard with your device. The difference is that noticeable. This is not a review for you who are still using earbuds, unless you KNOW how awful they are. This review is for you who already have a decent pair of earphones and want to move on to a higher level. And one way to do that is to go custom, like the Tunz Duo in-ear monitors from Starkey Labs.

If you are unaware of what exactly custom means in earphones, think about the last time you saw a performer live or on TV. Today, the majority of musicians have what looks like bad hearing aids in both ears. Those aren’t hearing aids and they are most definitely not bad. They are earphones that are custom molded to their ears.

See, ears are like fingerprints. No two are alike. The advantages to acquiring custom earphones are obvious: They will fit you, and no one else… perfectly. The not-so-obvious advantages are increased noise isolation and better bass response. And your friends can’t borrow them (they won’t fit)!

First lets deal with the fit.  With customs, as you insert the earphones, they will literally “snap” into place. It can feel really weird at first. But they will stay in place. No more adjusting or fiddling to get a good seal. And know this, no seal means no bass. Then, there is the almost total isolation from your surroundings. Technically, it’s about 24-26 dB of isolation – which is a LOT. You can be riding the noisiest subway and still be lost in your own world. The fit is that good.

The main disadvantage of custom earphones is the price. They are not for the faint of heart. Custom in-ear monitors can go well over $1000. Most fall into the $500-$1000 range. But there is good news for those who are interested in going custom, but will not (or cannot) spend close to that amount, no matter how good they sound.

Starkey Labs in Minnesota have released a brand of in-ear monitors called Tunz. I am concentrating on the consumer dual armature model, called the Tunz Duo In-Ear monitor. At $250 (not including the ear impression cost), the Duos are one of the least expensive dual armature custom monitors on the market.

You begin by getting an open mouth impression (or mold) made of your inner ear by an audiologist (appx. $40-75). It’s a process that takes about 15 minutes. Once the impressions are made, they are then mailed to Starkey Labs for construction. In about 2 weeks, your custom earphones arrive (you won’t find these earphones in a store).

Inside the box are your earphones, a shirt clip, cleaning tool, and a hard case with the customers name engraved on it.

It may take some practice to insert the earphones, but they will literally snap into place if done correctly. Once in, they stay in.

Interestingly, these customs cost about the same as most good quality universal-sized duos. So you have the added benefit of a custom fit for the same price (minus the impressions cost). Not a bad deal.

So how does the sound compare with other duo or triple armature earphones? I’m happy to say, pretty well, thank you. The Duos are equipped with one bass and one treble armature. I’ll admit that they are not quite as accurate as some triple armature (bass, treble, midrange) earphones I own, but the Duos tackled much of what I threw at them with a surprising warmth. Many armature-based earphones can be overly bright. These aren’t.

I wanted to see how the Duos handled bass, since this is where most dual (and more) armature customs really shine. I began with the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album, “Raising Sand.” For an album of well-recorded Americana music, this really kicks bass. I’m sure the producer, T-Bone Burnett had a lot to do with this.

I can’t listen to “Raising Sand”  in my car, because the speakers just can’t handle that  much bass. But hearing these wonderful songs through the Tunz Duos is ear-opening. Believe it or not, this rediscovered bottom end brings out the highs in strange ways. The jangly guitars and Krauss’ high whine in “Polly Come Home” gets hung out to dry on lesser speakers. But with the Duos, the highs suddenly have balance with the bass and static drum pounding. Finally, the song sounds complete.

Speaking of Robert Plant, his song “Big Log” from “Nine Lives” features a mid-range percussive repeat that counters nicely with the string arrangements. However the Duos do bring out a certain sibilant quality to Plant’s vocals. This song is proof that with the Duos, you are much better off with higher resolution files, which is usually necessary with better earphones.

If you want a kick to the teeth, crank up “Thunderstruck” from AC-DC. Chris Slade’s bass drum attack vibrates the brain… in a good way. This song must be played loud to  be fully appreciated. But like before, have a high resolution version available.

Moving in a totally different direction, but still following the bass route, is Paul Simon’s “Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes” from “Graceland”. The backing vocals of the South African group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, provide a gutteral low undercurrent that accentuates Simon’s vocal woo-hoo-ing throughout the song. And when the bass drum kick comes in at the beginning of “Boy In the Bubble”, you jump in surprise even though you fully expect it.

“Long Haired Lady” from Paul McCartney’s “Ram” isn’t what you could call an audiophile recording but Paul’s multi-instrumental talents are in full bloom here. The intimacy is immediate with no drag in the vocals. The crescendo ending is a fun, delightful mess coming from a wall-of-sound approach.

Another example of how unforgiving the Duos can be is The Byrds, “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” from their Greatest Hits album. The highs in this great song will absolutely set your teeth on edge. Talk about something in need of remastering. It’s just awful.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s version of Claude Debussy’s “Claire de lune” from the “Ocean’s Eleven” soundtrack is a beautiful wash of melancholic strings which the Duos allow to breath. The spaciousness of the piece is immediately apparent and that’s not easy with earphones. Open-backed headphones can provide a better soundstage, but then they’re not exactly portable, are they?

If you are still listening to those supplied (free) earbuds and think you are happy with the sound, please, oh please do yourself a favor and invest (at minimum) $60 and upgrade to earphones. A whole new world will open up to you. But be warned: Once you get a taste of that aural sweetness, you’re going to want more and better audio sugar… much like the Tunz Duos.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Earphones, in-ear monitors, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portable audio

Starkey Labs Tunz Duo In-Ear Monitor Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm.

The iP49 Portable Rechargeable Audio System for iPhone/iPod is iHome’s first portable alarm clock radio with a rechargeable battery that lets users enjoy hours of music anywhere, any time.  It delivers 20 watts of power and has a compact folding design. Docking station allows owners to charge their iPhone/iPod, listen to music, and wake to either a custom playlist, FM radio or buzzer, all with 7-5-2 (weekly, daily, weekend) alarm settings.  Includes a remote.  Now available on iHomeaudio.com for $159.99 and at major retail outlets nationwide.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Audio, iPhone/iPod speaker

iHome iP49 portable iPhone/iPod speaker dock originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 3, 2010 at 1:39 pm.

It seems that if you have a bluetooth headset hanging out your ear you risk be labeled a “blue-tool”, but if you have your headphones on, that’s OK. If you worry about such things, I recently received a solution in the Sony Ericsson MW600 Hi-Fi Wireless Headset. While designed to work with Sony Ericsson phones, the headset will work with most mobile phones with Bluetooth. I was able to successfully use it with an HTC G1 and Samsung Devour.

I received a pre-release version of the set, so I did not get it in the packaging, but it included:

• Bluetooth receiver with 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Headphones
• Small, Medium and Large ear buds
• Micro-USB charging cable

I really like the component design of the set. The bluetooth receiver has the mic for talking, a micro-USB port for charging and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones. You can use the included headphones, or use your own.

I do not have a phone that plays FM radio (since my toddler finally retired my old Sony Ericsson W810i) so I was unable to test the radio features.

Thanks to MRz’s comment, I tracked down the full manual (as a pre-production unit it did not come with the manual) and I discovered the issue wasn’t the phone features, but my ignorance. When I tried to use the FM feature, it would not start so I assumed that it used the phone’s FM tuner (my old W810i had FM) but that is not the case. Once I performed a reset on the headset, and tried the FM feature again it worked great.

You use the FF and RW buttons to move up by .05 increments. A long press will cause the tuner to scan to the next station. It is not the easiest way to move though a lot of stations, but it works. There is no way to save stations.

The receiver has a power switch on one end, and a phone button on the face to pick up and hang up calls. The player controls are located on one side of the receiver:

These include controls to play/pause, go to the next and previous track. They are small, but I found them very easy to find without looking. On the other side is the volume control:

It took me a little time to get used to this touch-strip control. You use it by sliding your finger towards the - to lower the volume, and towards the + to increase. You can hold your finger at one of the extremes to adjust the volume further, but you have to slide to the + or the -, you can’t just press them. Once I understood how this worked, I had no issues.

You can pair the headset with up to three devices. You can change which device you are connected to by holding down the Phone button for 5 seconds. When you do this, the OLED screen displays an icon for each of the devices:

In this case, you see a computer symbol (for my MacBook Pro), and two phone icons. You use the volume touch-strip to select the desired device.

The headset supports a number of Bluetooth profiles:

• Handsfree profile Version: 1.5 Role: Handsfree
• Advanced Audio Distribution Profile Version: 1.0 Role: Sink
• Audio Video Remote Control Profile Version: 1.4 Role: Controller
• Headset profileAudio Video Remote Control Profile Version: 1.4 Role: Target
• Headset profile Version: 1.1 Role: Headset

Once connected to my G1, it performed as expected. If I was listening to music and received, or made a call, it seamlessly switched over to function as a headset. The sound is very clear, and the inclusion of different sized ear buds should help you find the right pick.

Now obviously, not everyone likes in-ear buds, but you have three different sizes to choose from. In addition I found that the included headphones were a little thin on the bass. The nice thing about this setup, though, is that you can plug in your favorite headphones.

Filed in categories: Bluetooth Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Bluetooth Gear, headphone

Sony Ericsson MW600 Hi-Fi Wireless Headset Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 7, 2010 at 1:37 pm.

Have an iPhone or iPod touch?  Want to become a DJ?  If so then Touch DJ is the app for you!  This app is the first and only DJ app for the iPhone and iPod touch.  Now you can DJ anywhere with real time independent manipulation of 2 MP3/M4A files.  It also supports the common DJ functions of scratching, looping, positioning, EQ, effects and pitching.  At $19.99 from the itunes app store, it’s pretty cheap compared to a full fledged DJ equipment.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Audio

Touch DJ for the iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 1, 2009 at 5:15 pm.

Vestalife recently revealed three new models of their line of insect-inspired iPod and iPhone-compatible speaker docks.  The Ladybug II ($100) is larger than the previous Ladybug model, and claims enhanced sound over its predecessor, while the Firefly (pictured) promises a wider soundstage and features a very appealing organic design for $130.  The top end is rounded out with the Mantis ($180), which is also the most powerful of the three, and includes a down-firing subwoofer.   All three are certified “Made for iPod” and “Works with iPhone”, run off of four AA batteries or an included AC adapter, and are available in soft-touch finishes in metallic red, metallic silver, or metallic black, each with black chrome accents.  I’m really digging the design on these things… if they sound as good as they look, they might make a great holiday gift for those hard-to-shop-for iPhone owners out there.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: Audio, iPhone accessory

Vestalife unveils three new iPod speaker docks originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 27, 2009 at 9:00 pm.

Let me start by saying that these Diamond Mini-Rockers are probably the best sounding small speakers I’ve ever heard. I kept asking people to listen to them, to see if I was imagining it, but everyone who listened to these speakers was impressed. The Mini-Rockers are rated at 4 watts, they’re only 4×2 inches, the built in battery provides 6 hours of play time, and they’re perfect to travel with. They’re great little speakers to enjoy a movie or play some video games between a couple people.

The first really nice feature I noticed was the well thought out retractable cable system connecting everything. This makes setting up or packing up and moving a 10 second experience. They’re battery powered, or USB powered so you can save the battery. They use a MiniUSB cable with a double connector on one end so you can listen to the speakers while they are charging using a USB port. The charging is controlled by plugging the included cable into a USB port and plugging the right speaker into the MiniUSB connector. There’s a switch on the side the turns the speakers on and off, with the ‘on’ state is indicated with a big bright blue LED so you can’t miss it and forget to turn off the speakers before putting them in the included carrying bag. While charging, the LED glows red and turns to blue once the Mini-Rockers are completely charged. And the left speaker then has a 3.5mm Headphone jack that plugs into your audio source.

And the speakers look great too. The Mini-Rockers come in Metallic Red, Black, and White. I had the Metallic Red version which were a really nice deep red with a metallic sheen, with a nice soft-touch finish that made them feel quite expensive. I took these speakers with me on a mini-vacation, and used them to listen to music and watch 2 whole movies one night on my MacBook. The MiniRockers were perfect, with deep enough sound and a much wider sonic response to the internal MacBook speakers. They’re not perfect… Close, but the size factor simply limits the power these can put out. Sure, they sound a little tinny, but I’d say they’re about 4x more powerful than my MacBook’s speakers in terms of bass and ‘bite’.

Then Diamond’s really neat ‘expansion’ feature comes in play; You twist the top of the MiniRockers a bit and the top ‘pop’ up. This gives the speaker a bit more volume, and although they’re still a little tinny, it does improve the sound a bit. And I found that I forgot all about the MiniRocker’s size or features when listening to a movie; I just enjoyed the experience. They’re basically almost desktop speaker quality sound that you can use anywhere with anything that has a standard headphone jack. And the battery does last; while listening to music and then watching a movie at about 2/3 volume, I saw 4 hours of use and there was still enough of a charge left to do a 30 minutes skype call. I plugged the MiniRockers in at that point, but they were still going.

Overall, I find these speakers are exactly what I’ve been searching for – compact, portable, decent sounding speakers that last for a couple hours ( about 6 hours according to Diamond and I confirmed at least 4.5 hours ). The only two issues I have with the MiniRockers are that the cross speakers cable length could be longer and I have to put in the fact the speakers are a little tinny. I honestly do not think they could do anything about that; There’s simply not enough mass to overcome the problem. But that’s the catch; I think these are perfect because I’m willing to sacrifice that extra mass for extra portability.

The Diamond MiniRockers are just that; Mini and they sure do rock. I’ve had so many different speakers that I’m sure I’ve forgotten more pairs I’ve had then I can remember. But these are the most impressive small speakers I’ve heard in a long time, and I highly recommend them especially for the $49.99 price.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Travel Gear

Tagged: Audio, Speakers, Travel gear

Diamond Mini-Rockers Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 1, 2009 at 8:30 am.

Though announced and shown to the public back in April, Jabra‘s HALO headphones finally began making their way to stores on Monday.  These low-profile, foldable headphones support the A2DP Bluetooth profile so that they can be used as wireless stereo headphones, and they also utilize Jabra’s Noise Blackout™ technology to minimize background noise when you use them to take a call.  What really stands out about these headphones, though, is that they are capable of pairing with two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, automatically fading out whatever you’re listening to when they detect an incoming call.  The package also includes a cable, allowing you to use them as wired headphones if desired.

The HALO wireless headset is priced at $130, and is already available at Best Buy.  It should be showing up at other retailers as well very soon.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Wireless

Tagged: Audio, Bluetooth Gear, Headphones, Spotlight Gadgets

Jabra Halo stereo Bluetooth headset now available originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 25, 2009 at 11:43 am.

Have you ever really listened to your favorite music?  Most of you either answered yes or know where I’m going and are rolling your eyes.  To those of you in the latter group, I know you’ve been here before so I’ll make my intro nice and short.   If you do not have a good set of headphones or speakers, a good audio source AND an amplifier, you’ve never truly heard your music the way it was intended. I know this sounds pretentious, but I’m a believer.  Will I find audio bliss in the HeadRoom Total BitHead?

Most of us do not have large component systems for listening to music at home, but those that do will often tell you that a solid amplifier is as vital to a good listening experience as an engine is to a car.   You can lose fidelity, drive and quite a few audiophile specific adjectives by using poor equipment.

Well that’s all well and good with a big home system but what about when we’re on the road? When your main (or only) audio source is a portable media player such as an iPod or media phone, you’re almost certainly going to use a set of headphones or earbuds to listen as opposed to speakers.   This is where the HeadRoom Total BitHead comes in.

Package Contents

• Total BitHead
• 6″ stereo cable
• 6″ mini USB cable
• Mounting dots (both Velcro and rubber)

The Total BitHead is a portable headphone amplifier with a secret weapon.   It will make your headphones perform at their best, and let me tell you that their best might be quite a bit better than you’ve ever heard them.   By taking a signal from your media player and boosting, smoothing, caressing and otherwise buttering it up, it allows up to two people to simultaneously listen at the higher volumes and better quality than may have ever heard from your existing gear.

Small electronics like the iPod  have to make pretty serious trade offs in order to do their voodoo.   We could have an iPod that played essentially forever if it only played very low bitrate music at line levels and didn’t have a screen.  By the time that we add high quality music into the picture alone with wifi, full color screens, video and 3d gaming, there are many demands for precious battery power.  One of the fastest ways to conserve battery power is to cut down on audio amplification from the device.  This saves battery power at the cost of volume and clarity.

Of course it’s not all about raw power.   While I’m not fully convinced about some of the audiophile voodoo out there, I can certainly speak to component quality as a serious driver of sound quality.   The Total BitHead used to be the more advanced (read expensive) of the BitHead line, the other just being called the BitHead which was of the same design but used admittedly lower quality components in it’s construction.   Thankfully, we don’t have to choose between the two and the price of the Total has come down below the price of the original BitHead.

Specifications

• Frequency Response: 20–20k, ±1
• THD at 1V output: <.01
• Input Impedance at 1kHz (ohms): 18k

The Secret Weapon

The Total BitHead in OS X

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Musical Gear

Tagged: Amplifier, Audio, Headphones

HeadRoom Total BitHead Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 22, 2009 at 11:07 am.

Sennheiser, maker of high-end consumer and professional audio gear, announced yesterday the addition of two Bluetooth headsets to their lineup, the PXC 310 BT and PX 210 BT.  Both models have onboard media controls, a folding design for travel, rechargeable lithium polymer batteries, and include an adapter and cable for listening to devices that do not have built-in Bluetooth or in situations (such as on an airplane) where the use of wireless devices is inadvisable.  Both models support the apt-X codec, which is advertised as providing better sound quality, but are capable of falling back to standard A2DP if apt-X is not available.  The PXC 3310 BT also features Sennheiser’s NoiseGuard 2.0 active noise cancelling technology.  No price has been provided, but they should start showing up in stores this month.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Wireless

Tagged: Audio, Bluetooth Gear, Headphones, Spotlight Gadgets

Sennheiser announces apt-X Bluetooth headphones originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 12, 2009 at 9:11 pm.

The Cirago CMC1000 Multimedia Center is an enigma. I’ve never heard of the company, or the product. Google found a few online sites that carry it, so I can tell you the 500GB model I am reviewing sells for under $190 online, and its 1TB version goes for about $60 more. It sure seems like a product that someone might like, I’m just not sure who that person is.

The little box arrived for review, and I spent a good few minutes examining the package before I even opened it up. What was this beast? Was it a media player? A PVR? A NAS? Checking the specs and the marketing-blurbs on the box didn’t help much.

Top of the fold (as it were) the first feature is Record Video or Timeshift Live TV. That means there is a tuner or three in this box, right? Well, not exactly – look on the back, and (again, right there on top, first thing you see) there is a section for Digital Video Recorder. Records Live TV it says, very confidently. But how? Down at the bottom of the feature list we see Video Input: AV. OK, you now have my undivided attention! Looking at the back of the unit as pictured on the box, I see – no, it can’t be – a composite video connector + L/R RCA audio jacks over a label saying AV Input! Is this 2009? Well at least I can set aside all worries about HD video recording, clear QAM tuner issues, or Cable Cards! The rest of the specs and connectors seem somewhat plausible, except for one last detail. The networking spec says 10/100 wired Ethernet, and they helpfully include an 802.11b/g USB dongle for wireless support. Yikes. Let’s hope we don’t need to move big files onto this thing over a network!

With serious misgivings, I opened the box.

Sure seems like a lot of stuff in there! A rare but refeshing difference from many products is the inclusion of all the cables you’d need to hook this beast up to your home theater with the exception of a coax or optical digital audio cable. You’re given one self-assembly job – attaching the feet to the box. If you’re going wireless, you’ll need to insert the WiFi usb dongle into the side USB slot – you can do that at any time, even with the unit on.

Setup

I used the analog composite + L/R audio jacks to connect to an ancient Tube TV, and sure enough the unit was able to provide a readable menu. For the purpose of all the review shots I hooked it up to a 37″ 720P LCD using the HDMI connection.

That gives a very clean and simple hookup – the left (bottom) plug is the power connection, the right (top) is the HDMI. With that, you’re good to go with any digital TV made in the last few years. The back of the unit (shown rotated above so you can read the labels) has the Big Red Switch for power, two banks of analog outputs (composit and component), the composite + L/R analog AV Inputs, the Coax and Optical digital audio outputs, a single HDMI port, USB port, and 10/100 Ethernet port.

Turning it and the TV on, the system comes up in a conservative 4:3/480i video mode and I am greeted with a fairly simple but not too hard to figure out menu. Using the remote to navigate is straightforward for any child and many adults, as it looks much like a DVD or PVR remote.

To get the best experience you configure the video and audio to match how you’ve connected the device to your home theater, and its capabilites, via the setup menu. If for some reason the device ended up in a mode that doesn’t display on your TV, there is a “TV SYSTEM” button on the remote that, when pressed, cycles through the various video output modes. You can keep pressing that until something shows up on screen, although I admit the unit I reviewed never had a problem detecting how it was connected.

You begin with the main menu – navigate over to Setup to get started:

I apologize for the moire (squiggly lines) and slight fisheye effect on these screenshots – taking digital photos of an LCD isn’t the easiest thing in the world! On an actual LCD the menus were very clean and pleasing. Setup lets you configure Video, Audio, Recording default quality, Network connection, and some low-level system stuff like disk formatting.

Video supports 4:3 and 16:9 aspects, 480i (standard TVs) and 480p/720p/1080i (digital via HDMI or Component) output. I was pleased with the quality of the image across all modes- within the limits of the various systems, the image was clean and sharp with reasonable color and free of ghosting or other obvious artifacts.

Audio out includes analog L/R, or Digital via the HDMI, Coax, or Optical outputs. There is a Night Mode (clipping some of the dynamic range) for those with little kids and thin walls.

All in all, the output connection options are very good. The box is not able to output 1080p, but that is not likely to be an issue given the limitations of its media playback abilities. More on that in a moment. I’ll skip the tedious but typical setup of WiFi and note that you must enter your WEP or WPA key in hex – a somewhat annoying throwback to a bygone era for most home-networking appliances. On the plus side the device linked up just fine to my home WiFi. I also plugged in the wired Ethernet, which pulled an IP address from my home DHCP server just fine. Both network methods work without much fuss.

Let’s finish the tour of the box and then get on to the business of using it!

The bottom front and right side have the rest of the interesting bits of the unit. The front has 7 buttons that replicate some of the functions of the remote, along with a green power LED and a red record LED. On the right are another USB port (occupied by the supplied WiFi dongle with its own blue LED) and below that an SD slot. You’re on your own if you have mini/microSD cards or CF cards, although I can report that all my various adapters worked just fine.

One last odd thing – the box has no fan, it should have been quiet as a mouse. For some reason the review unit’s hard drive created some kind of vibration that was transmitted to every kind of surface I tried. The resulting hum was at least as loud as a cooling fan and was present whenever the unit was on.

What Is It, Really?

So, what is this thing? It’s sort of a frankenstine monster – a mishmash of functions in a small attractive box. In the end it sort of does most things kinda well, and others not so well, which I found frustrating. I found myself rooting for it to succeed whenever I tried to use it, only to find myself disappointed many of the times. Let’s start with something simple

It’s a USB Disk Drive

Connect a USB cable between the CMC1000 and your PC/Mac/Linux box and like magic, it’s a USB 2.0 disk. It performed admirably as such, giving decent read/write speeds of close to 17MB/second. There is only one small issue. As shipped the drive is completely formatted as a Fat32 disk. In that mode the unit can use the whole disk to record (more on recording in a bit) and you can copy as much as you want to it, but no single file can be larger then 4GB. If you want or need to copy larger files, you will need to reformat the drive (via that System option in Settings) to split it between Fat32 and NTFS partitions. The unit can read NTFS but cannot write it, so that portion of the disk won’t be available for recording. You can see how this is going to go by now, can’t you?

So one thing you can do is copy a bunch of media onto the internal drive – haul the thing and its brick to your PC, mount it as a disk, load it with goodies, and then bring it back to the home theater. Not the best use model, but it could work. Let’s assume you do that, and now its back over by the TV…

It’s a Multimedia Center

Time to play some media! Go to Browse Media (see the first screenshot above) and hit the OK button and you see this:

Yes, it is a simple file browser. Across the top of the menu you can filter by media type (All, Music, Photo, Movies) and on the left you select where to look (USB, Card slot, HDD – internal disk, LAN, or a playlist you’ve created before.)

If you copied stuff onto it, you’ll find it under HDD. You’ll want to do that if the media you are trying to play is to demanding to play over 802.11g WiFi, or if you can’t get a good signal to the box. With a decent signal and not very demanding content I used the LAN. The first time you connect to a device on your LAN you are prompted for a User Name/Password (if needed) and you can save that information in a “Shortcut” which you can use from then on to bypass the login. This works reasonably well.

Audio

Below is an example of playing an MP3:

You get some useful information as it plays, and not much else. It works as expected, and plays MP3, WMA, AAC, and OGG audio formats. It won’t play any DRM’d files, and can’t see shared iTunes libraries. It plays files.

Video

Let’s play a video!  Prepare yourself for some disappointment here. Video playback requires a discussion of codecs which is beyond the scope of this review. Suffice it to say that for an appliance (like this CMC1000) you’ll be able to play media it can play, and you won’t be able to play whatever it can’t. So, what can it play? It did pretty good with mpeg-ish stuff (mpg1 and mpg2 video, transport streams captured off cable, even ripped DVDs if they were copied onto the device) and it did ok with divx (some content downloaded off the Internet.) It failed at h.264 mpg4.

The browsing experience over the LAN is also a little problematic, since it wants to give you a preview for each video. Pause too long on a file name and it runs off and checks the LAN speed:

Then it gives you one of two results. The happy result is a preview of the video playing, along with media info:

The sad result is an error message (slightly misleading, if you ask me) if it cannot play that type of video:

I didn’t bother taking a photo of the video playback, as it was actually quite good (or rather, its as good as the source material) and the photos I attempted looked atrocious! If it can play your video file, it plays it quite well.

This then is the first major shortfall of this device. It failed to play quicktime/mpeg4, and other variants of h.264 videos. That’s the format used by a lot of HD video on the web, and many digital video records like my own Aiptek Action HD. In other words, I can’t view any of the hundreds of hours of video I’ve shot with the CMC1000. Not good.

There is some kind of streaming software provided on the CD – you can run this on a Windows PC on your LAN, point it at your h.264 videos, and then use the LAN view on the CMC1000 to stream them (converting on the fly to mpeg on the Windows machine) to the box. I assume it works, but frankly its not a solution to the problem.

Photo

Photo browsing from a LAN or internal store works much as video/audio. One typical use might be to view your freshly shot photos (or videos – if only it supported my video format) simply by connecting up the card from your camera.

Yes, it works. First, you get your card out, and then you plug it in. Hmmm… my Nikon D70 uses those large CF cards, guess I need to use my USB adapter. Uh, wait:

Minor annoyance – yank WiFi out, plug in card and…

Yay! The CMC1000 will happily play a slideshow of all images in a folder for you, with pleasing transition effects.

Its a VCR

I’ve finally figured out the recording model of the CMC1000. Plain and simple, it’s a VCR without the tapes. You can create schedules to record whatever is coming in via that AV composite connection at a given date and time, in whatever quality you desire. Selecting a higher quality uses more disk (the highest seems to be about 1MB/sec mpg2)

To test the function, I dug out my old DV camcorder, hooked up the analog output, and recorded a few clips. As advertised, when you select AV In from the main menu you see (side-boxed in 16:9 mode) whatever is going into that input. It’s playing/buffering, so you can Pause (up to 30 minutes or so) and then play/ff the signal. You can also simply hit the Record button to start recording (in a file with the current date/time stamp) whatever is going in.

This is a frame capture from the source (16:9, squeezed to 4:3, resized to 16:9 – isn’t analog FUN?) from the recording I made in the highest quality:

The files it produces are standard mpeg2 videos – you can copy them off and play them on a PC, burn them to a DVD, whatever. Is that a PVR? Well, not in the Tivo sense, no. It’s a video recorder plain and simple. Perhaps what’s worse is its an SD-video recorder, on a “HD” Multimedia box.

It’s a handy storage thingie

If you can plug it into the CMC1000, you can copy stuff onto or off of whatever you plugged in. For example let me grab those videos I recorded and dump them onto an SD card. Insert Card:

Use  Copy Files on the main menu to select source and destination:

And without much fuss it copies the stuff over. You could use it to quickly dump your photos from your digital camera without needing to boot a PC, for example.

I was also able to copy media off the LAN onto the HDD, and vice-versa, but the painfully slow speed of WiFi (or even 100mbit wired) makes this a poor choice. Trust me, you are better off using a USB drive, or carring this thing to whichever PC you want and plugging it in directly, unless you have hours to kill while your media trickles over the slow network links.

Its NOT a NAS

The CMC1000 lacks the ability to share its hard drive on the network. Yes, you read that correctly. It seems an obvious function of a network device with a disk drive, and yet it’s not supported. The device firmware can be updated, perhaps that will come in a future release.

Does It Blend?

The Cirago Multimedia Center is in the end the sum of the compromises needed to get all the various functionalities it offers into a small, cheap box. If it does what you need, it could be a great way to get a toe into the digital media age. I can’t help seeing all the flaws, but maybe my expectations are just too high.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: A/V, Audio, HDMI, Video

Cirago Multimedia Center Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 12, 2009 at 9:36 am.

Three products you might need for your second (or with a bit of a squeeze first) generation iPod Touch from XGear: the Mirage Touch mirrored screen protector, Nitrous Oxide case, and the Spring Base speaker. Let’s start with the ones I didn’t like so we can end with a big happy finish.

First off, the one I completely didn’t enjoy: the Mirage Touch mirrored screen protector.

This is one of those terrifying to apply sticky screen protectors that serve no purpose at all on a capacitive touch screen – the screen is glass, it’s not going to get scratched! OK, so the cool idea here is, let’s make it reflective! Yay, your iPod Touch is a mirror.

The price you pay is that you can no longer see your bright, beautiful screen – instead you see a dim, muddy image dead on, and mostly you see whatever is opposite from your iPod Touch. Not too exciting.

I left it on mine for about 3 minutes and then carefully peeled it off. Good news, it comes off. Bad news, you’ll add a few white hairs as you gently (but very firmly) peel it off. Before removing, I verified that I still lack the skills to apply one of these things without getting several bubbles under it. I guess if you like screen protectors you’d like the coolness factor of the mirrored effect, but I sure didn’t like it.

Price: $14.99

Pros: You can blind your friends by reflecting the sun into their eyes? You can fend off zombies with your pulse rifle while hiding behind a tree, using the iPod Touch to see around the tree? If you carry your iPod Touch in your pocket along with a hammer and razorwire, the screen will be protected?

Cons: You can’t see the screen anymore.

Next up: the Nitrous Oxide case.

This is your standard slide-in case. Designed for the second generation iPod Touch, with a bit of wiggling the first generation touch gets in there as well.

Once inside, your iPod Touch is well protected on all sides except the one that matters – for the screen you apply one of those dreaded screen protectors. The one included in this bundle is a clear version of the type I described above. I didn’t apply it to mine, but on the plus side the protector is perfectly clear and looks like it would not degrade the visual clarity of the screen. The case works well – no amount of shaking dislodged the device from the case, and all buttons and the screen were accessible.

It’s light and smooth so it doesn’t add much weight or bulk, and your Touch still slides in and out of a pocket with ease.

Price:$39.99

Pros: Looks nice – light, likely to survive more punishment then you or your iPod Touch can. All buttons accessible, screen fairly easy to use even to edges.  Smooth but easy to grip. Includes a much easier to see through clear screen protector.

Cons: Somewhat expensive for what it does, generic leather cases run for half this or less. No belt clip (for us really REALLY geeky types who use utility belts)

Finally, my favorite of the bunch, the Spring Base speaker.

This little ball has an internal battery and charges via a standard mini-USB adapter. If you’re like me, you have several hundred of those cables by now. The ball closes up and its short 3.5mm headphone jack tucks into the bottom, giving you a very portable, light, and by the looks of it somewhat rugged portable speaker you can toss in your bag, pocket, purse, or whatever it is you use when hauling stuff.

Included in the package are a couple of adapters (including a handy 3.5 to 2.5mm adapter for use with cellphones) and yet another mini-USB cable for charging. You plug this thing in, turn it on (there is a three position switch on the side for Off-Low-High) and you’re ready for beautiful monophonic sound. For deep, thumping bass that can only come from a 1″ speaker, you twist the ball open. It springs open nearly an inch, and that deep bass comes right out.

I’m kidding, of course. When closed it sounds a bit better then the built-in speaker, although a lot louder for sure. When open it does gain some noticeable bass, or maybe to be fair it gains a bit of mid-range. Volume is passable – quite good enough for an office or the kitchen. It’s likely not going to cut it in a noisy environment (plane, car, speed boat, etc.) Battery life seems to be quite good. The review unit played for many hours before it needed a charge.

Price: $19.99 in your choice of Black, White, Blue, or Green

Pros: Comes with $20 worth of cables. Rechargeable battery powered. Small. Pretty loud. Awfully Cute. Can be used with many different devices.

Cons: Does not sound nearly as good as the $360 Bose SoundDock.

Parting Shot

I have one minor quibble on all this XGear stuff. Would it hurt to make a manual, or maybe provide some instructions somewhere? There’s not even anything on the web site. Granted you can figure it all out, but especially for the screen protectors a one-page idiot guide never hurts!

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Miscellaneous

Tagged: Audio, iPod

XGear iPod Touch (mostly) Accessories – Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 8, 2009 at 12:02 pm.

I have been using my second generation iPod Shuffle for years now. I primarily use it running and during tasks that would put my Touch in harms way. My Shuffle has truly been a trooper… I have dropped it, washed it, sweat on it, etc. It continues to keep putting along. That said, I tried out the third generation Shuffle for about a week when it first came out. My oh my, did it disappoint me. However, the experience did get me thinking about what was out there that could tempt me away from my trustworthy running companion. My searches led me to the SanDisk Sansa Clip, a small, lightweight mp3 player with a boatload of features, an actual screen and great bang-for-the-buck price point.

The Sansa Clip is relatively small, seems like SanDisk could have packaged it in a quarter the volume.

Package Contents

• Sansa Clip MP3 player
• USB 2.0 Cable
• Earphones
• Quick Start Guide
• Installer CD
• Clip Attachment

Hardware Specifications

For a plastic device, the Clip is well made, a quality device. On the front of the Clip there is the main control wheel, center button, and a small home button. The control wheel looks like it should have scroll functionality (like on the iPod) but clicks in four directions; up for play/pause, down for the menu, and left/right for reverse/forward skip. The center button clicks whatever is selected on the screen. The home button is an excellent feature that allows you to quickly get to the main screen if you are lost in the sub-menus.

The left side of the device has the standard mini-USB port and power/lock control switch. Both of which are great features that SanDisk engineered into the Clip. The non-proprietary input/charging is a definite plus with all the mini-USB cables and chargers I have in my world. The lock function is also nice so that the device is not accidentally tweaked while I am running or working out.

The right side of the device has the volume control and headphone jack.

The only item to mention on the top and bottom of the Clip is the tiny microphone hole on the back-top of the device.

The Clip’s clip is made of plastic and the spring is stiff enough to keep the device attached to your clothes. The clip is the most breakable part of the little mp3 player. Thankfully, the clip is replaceable in the event that happens.

The earbuds SanDisk includes with the Sansa Clip are good enough for exercising and (at least) on par with the standard iPod earbuds.

With its small but effective screen, large capacity, and great overall functionality, it seems like the Clip’s design could easily have been the evolutionary path of Apple’s 3rd generation Shuffle.

I am fairly certain I could not break the Clip by crushing it in my hand (although, I am not sure it would pass Julie’s creak test). The Clip probably could not take as much punishment as the Shuffle but is hardy enough withstand the riggers of most situations. While its not as tough as the 2nd & 3rd generation Shuffles, it more than makes up for this in features and functionality.

Considering its size and relatively low cost, the Sansa Clip is incredibly feature rich. The little screen does not support photo or video files but does provide you a great deal of information and control. The one inch screen is relatively large (considering the size of the device), bright, and very clear.

Along with its screen, the Clip has a built-in FM radio tuner with support for up to 40 preset stations, a built-in mike and voice recorder, ability to make on the go playlist, and an adjustable five-band equalizer.

From the Mac side of the house….

The Sansa Clip is both Mac and Windows compatible. On my Macbook, the device appears as a external hard-drive and allows you to easily drag & drop mp3 files into the Music folder. This makes getting files onto the mp3 player a snap but does not allow you to create playlists to keep the 4gb of music organized. I consulted the internet to see if there were any suggested applications that would enable me to make this happen.

I tried XNJB and iTuneMyWalkman to name a few. Some of these applications got me part of the way to my objective and a few failed completely. I was becoming pretty frustrated with the whole process wishing for the simplicity of iTunes and my Shuffle.

The only thing that saved me was trying to connect the Clip to Windows 7 running in Parallels and use Windows Media Player to manage my music and playlists. This worked relatively seamlessly. The music and playlists synced with the player perfectly.

Running with the Clip….

Now that I had all my running tunes on the Clip, it was time to take it out for a test drive. I prefer running with an extremely lightweight music player, so it is not noticeable and doesn’t bother me during my workout. I ran with a Nano for a while but definitely thought the Shuffle was an improvement in terms of weight and experience. The Clip meets my running preferences as well as any other player I have ever used. Plus, it has the huge benefit of being able to select which song I want to play next (via its screen) and keep music types organized (via playlists). Using the controls while running took a few outings to get used to, but after that they were as easy to use without looking as the Shuffle.

Overall experience….

Other than lack of AAC support, I have nothing but praise for the Sansa Clip. This feature packed, tiny little music player is an incredible bang for the buck. The 4gb version of the Clip can be found for three quarters the cost of the most recent Shuffle. The 8gb version (of the Clip) goes for the same $80 that Apple is charging for its button less, screen less player. If you are looking for a small, inexpensive mp3 player, I highly recommend considering the Sansa Clip.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Audio, DAP, MP3

SanDisk Sansa Clip MP3 Player Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 26, 2009 at 2:30 am.

Over the years, I’ve tried quite a few devices that allow you to watch and listen to your digital media through your television set. Some of these devices have included WiFi, some included hard drives, some required that you stream the content from a computer to the player and some required that you convert the content to a format that the player could handle. For one reason or another, I stopped using all of those devices except for the AppleTV. I really like the AppleTV’s user interface, but have never really liked the fact that I have to convert the files and then ‘send’ them from my desktop computer to the AppleTV in the living room. I’m all about simplicity, and while the AppleTV comes close, it doesn’t quite get there. I think I’ve found a device that does get there tho. It’s the WD TV HD Media Player from Western Digital.

The WD TV doesn’t include YouTube or allow you to rent movies, but it does play the video, audio and image content that you already have, and does so in a really user friendly way.

Hardware Specifications

File Formats Supported:
Music – MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC, FLAC, Dolby Digital, AIF/AIFF, MKA
Playlist – PLS, M3U, WPL
Photo – JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
Video -MPEG1/2/4, WMV9, AVI (MPEG4, Xvid, AVC), H.264, MKV, MOV (MPEG4, H.264)
MPEG2/4, H.264, and WMV9 supports up to 1920x1080p 24fps, 1920x1080i 30fps, 1280x720p 60fps resolution
Subtitle -SRT (UTF-8)
USB 2.0 ports: 2
External Drive Formats Supported: FAT32, NTFS, HFS+ (no journaling)
Video Interface: HDMI, Composite A/V
Physical Dimensions: 1.57 x 3.94 x 4.94 Inches
Weight: 0.67 Pounds

Package Contents

WD TV Player
Remote Control
2 AA Batteries
AC Adapter
Composite A/V cable
Passport USB Drive stand
Instructions
The WD TV unit is small, allowing it to fit into even the most cramped areas of your entertainment center.

It’s made of shiny Black plastic and lacks buttons, dials and switches.

On the Left side, you will find a USB port and a reset switch.

On the back side, you’ll find an AC power connector, another USB port, an HDMI connector, TOSlink Optical audio port, and composite A/V connectors.

A small remote control with real buttons is also included along with the batteries to power it.

The WD TV doesn’t include its own hard drive like some players (AppleTV, MVIX). Instead, it has two USB ports in which you can plug in thumb drives or even WD’s own USB Passport drive.

There’s a little stand included specifically for the Passport drive, so that you can set it next to the player.

I tested the WD TV with my 32GB Kingston flash drive and a WD Passport drive. The cool thing is that you don’t have to specify which USB drive you want to view content from. The software in the WD TV reads both drives and creates one list of all the content.

Setting up the WD TV with your TV is a snap. A composite A/V cable is included in the package, that you can use to connect to your TV. While this works fine, you can get MUCH better video quality by using an HDMI cable (if your TV has that capability). The only bad thing is that you’ll have to go out and buy your own HDMI cable. Tip: Don’t go to Walmart, Target, Best Buy or other local stores to buy an HDMI cable. They will charge you $25-$30 for one, which is robbery when you can buy the same thing from NewEgg for less than $10.

After you connect the WD TV to your television and power it on with the remote, you’ll be presented with a simple user interface. You can scroll up and down to choose the main function (Photos, Video, Music, Settings) and then side to side to pick options for that specific mode.

In Photo mode, you can view images on the attached USB devices by thumbnails or a list of file names.

You can click on an image to see it in full screen. You can also rotate, pan and zoom. You can view the images in slide show mode and even have music playing in the background.

In Music mode, you can easily play your tunes. Even the album art will display on the screen while music is playing. You can choose music based on Artist, Genre and Album.

Photo and music modes are nice additions, but my main use for a device like this is to easily view my video content on my TV. I have to say that I think the WD TV does this easier than any device I’ve tried so far. Save your videos on a USB device, plug it into the WD TV, scroll through the list of files, press play on the remote and away you go. The best part for me is that no time consuming file conversions are needed. This is something I had to do all the time with the AppleTV in order to play video that I’d downloaded from the internets. I much prefer downloading the file, copying it to a USB stick, plugging the stick in the WD TV, sitting down and watching it. Easy!

Video quality using HDMI is great to my eyes. Of course it will really depend on the video itself. If you have low resolution video, it won’t look the best on a large TV.

The WD TV impressed me after I had downloaded an AVI video that wouldn’t play on my MSI Wind and wouldn’t play on my iMac using VLC, without VLC having to reindex it. I thought for sure it wouldn’t play on the WD TV either, but I was wrong. It worked just fine. The only video file that would not play for me was a really old .WMV file that I had created using Movie Maker on a Windows PC. The WD TV comes with some software that you can use to convert files if necessary. I didn’t try it, but I bet it would have fixed that file for me.

One nice feature is that you can resume playing a video if you stop it and want to go start it again later. The player will automatically remember where you left off.

While watching video, you can rewind and fast forward at four speeds (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x). I wish there was a feature to skip ahead so many minutes or to go to the end of a video. Just nit picking here though…

I really like the WD TV HD Media Player from Western Digital. Its small size and ease of use has me sold. It’s definitely going to stay in my entertainment center until something better comes along.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear

Tagged: A/V, Audio, Device, Video

WD TV HD Media Player Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm.

Is there a place in the market for another MP3 player? What if this one doesn’t require a computer in order to copy music, buy music, etc? Sansa is willing to gamble that the answer to both of those questions is yes, with their new slotMusic player. Keep reading to learn more…

The slotMusic player is unique because it has no internal memory of its own. Music is loaded via MicroSD cards that are either bundled with the player for $34.99, or sold separately for $14.99 each.

Package Contents

slotMusic player
Earbuds
1 AAA battery
Instructions

The player is cigarette lighter sized, with a plastic cover and aluminum body.

On the long edge, you find the Play/Pause button (which doubles as a power toggle button when held down for several seconds), flanked by next and previous track buttons. A small status LED is also located on this side of the player.

On the top, you’ll find the volume adjustment buttons and a standard sized stereo earbud jack.

On the opposite side is a spring loaded MicroSD card slot.

The player is powered by a AAA battery. To load it, you just remove the plastic cover.

The whole selling point of the slotMusic player is that a computer is not required in order to transfer music it. Instead, you purchase pre-loaded MicroSD cards with albums like this one – Spirit by Leona Lewis.

When you open the CD sized package, you find liner notes like those that you would find inside the jewel box of a CD. But instead of a CD, the album has been saved onto a 1GB MicroSD card.

Also included is a plastic case and a handy little MicroSD USB reader. With this reader, you can save even more music on to the MicroSD card or copy the music to your computer. Yeah, that’s right, the music on these little cards does not have any DRM restrictions.

The music has been sampled at a decent bit rate and sounds good. As you can see, the tracks include album art. Also included on the card are the liner notes in PDF format.

I was unable to copy files to the card using my Mac as the card shows up as read only. Worked fine on my MSI Wind netbook though…

The player performs the same as other music players out there. The buttons are easy to press and have good tactile feedback. The only “problem” with this player should be obvious – it doesn’t have a display… That may or may not be a concern for some people. The other issue is that there isn’t a way to shuffle the music or find a specific track. For that fact, if you copy more music to the card, you have to use the prev and next tracks to find specific songs.

Besides those issues, probably the biggest deal is the availability and price of slotMusic cards. Right now, there’s only about 30 different albums available from different artists. The selection of albums is all over the place. Jimmy Buffett, Kiss, Weezer, Ne-Yo, Abba, etc. But if the availability doesn’t bother you, the $14.99 price per album probably will. That’s too expensive when you compare the same albums on iTunes and Amazon…

Example #1: Fame by Lady Gaga is pre-order for $14.99 from the Sansa store. But, you can download it right now on iTunes for $7.99 or buy the CD from Amazon.com for the same price of $7.99.

Example #2: Year of the Gentleman by Ne-Yo is $14.99 from the Sansa Store. But, you can download from iTunes for $9.99 or buy the CD from Amazon.com for the same price of $9.99.

The only feature that the Sansa slotMusic player has going for it is that it does not require a computer in order to transfer music. You can just purchase the slotMusic albums on MicroSD cards, pop them into the player and away you go. That would be fine if there were more (a LOT more) albums available for it. As is, this is a novelty player that really doesn’t have a lot going for it other than the $20 price tag. I suppose if you have some MicroSD cards laying around, it might make a nice little workout player though…

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: A/V, Audio, MP3

Sansa slotMusic Player Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 24, 2008 at 8:00 am.

With the massive influx of digital media in the past decade or so, consumers have become aware of the need for some way to use
their media somewhere other than a computer. More specifically, we want to be able to play our music and movies and view our
digital pictures from the comfort of the couch, and with the high definition glory of a 72″ plasma television. Apple, of course,
released the Apple TV. However, other electronics companies have tried to come up with good home media center solutions that
don’t require a full computer running Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate.

Being a pretty hardcore computer geek, I like the idea of a fully outfitted computer in my living room, but desktops use a lot
of electricity, and sometimes you just want something that’s easy to set up and simple to use. The D-Link DSM-330 attempts to fill
this kind of need.

Julie passed on her Unicorn Mvix 760HD
after she upgraded to an Apple TV, and it’s had a happy home in my living room for the past eight months or so. I love my Mvix,
so I knew that any similar product was going to face some serious competition. What I like about the Mvix is that it is extremely
flexible. It’s compatible with a huge range of file formats (even VOB files ripped directly from DVDs), it can hold an IDE hard
drive, and the latest firmware update significantly increased its general stability. So, does the DSM-330 compare?

Sadly, no. There is a lot wrong with this device, and with an MSRP of nearly $400, you’re much better off looking for other
solutions.

The meaning behind “DivX-Connected™”

When D-Link originally released the DSM-330, they also released a new online service that allowed streaming DRM-protected HD
video, complete with menus, in the DivX format. It was a good idea, but it didn’t last long. The service was prohibitively
expensive to keep up and running, and it was shut down only a few years after its inception. This was supposed to be one of the
main drivers behind the DSM-330 – you could upload video and stream HD video directly from the Internet to your television. Once
the service was terminated, the DSM-330′s functionality became a bit more limited.

Aside from the now-defunct Stage6 streaming service, the DSM-330 works with the DivX-Connected server software. This is a
Windows-only application that allows the DSM-330 to connect to your network and stream music, video, and digital pictures. There
are also plugins available that enable you to access video services on the Internet, like Hulu and YouTube.

I was originally pretty jazzed when I found out about the Hulu support, but it turns out that it’s not so great – we’ll get to
that in a minute.

What’s in the box

One bright spot in this product is that the DSM-330 includes a full range of cables, so you don’t need to worry about buying
anything extra to get started.

• DSM-330 device
• Remote control with batteries
• Screw-on wireless antenna
• SCART to Component cable
• HDMI cable
• Composite A/V cable
• Power adapter
• Ethernet cable
• DivX-Connected installation CD
• Product documentation

The tech specs

• Video outputs:
  • HDMI
  • Component
  • SCART
  • S-Video
  • Composite
• Audio outputs:
  • RCA stereo
  • S/PDIF
  • Optical
• Connectivity:
  • 802.11b/g wireless (WPA and WEP)
  • 10/100 fast Ethernet
• Supported video formats:
  • DivX
  • XviD
  • Windows Media 9 Video
• Supported audio formats:
  • MP3
  • WMA
  • M3U, M3U8, and PLS playlists
• Supported image formats:
  • JPEG
  • BMP

It’s worth noting that the DSM-330 is quite limited in its support of various digital media formats. It doesn’t even support AAC
(.m4a files), which is nearly as ubiquitous as MP3, thanks to the popularity of iTunes. Video support is also very limited, with
no compatibility with QuickTime or MPEG-4 formats. Images are limited to JPEG and BMP, so there’s no PNG support. Other file formats
can be enabled through third-party hacks and plugins, but out-of-the-box the player is pretty crippled.

At the very least, the remote control is pretty well laid out and easy to use. The buttons aren’t too stiff or too mushy, and the
DSM-330 seems to have a pretty good field of vision for the remote’s IR transmitter.

Using the device

Initial setup allows you to configure your network settings (enter any WEP or WPA keys for your WiFi network, etc.) and connect to
a DivX-Connected server. The server software requires at least Windows XP. The software is unremarkable but adequate. You can add
directories to the server software for videos, music, and photos. You can also use the server software to add plugins for support
for online streaming services like YouTube.

I’m not all that happy that server software is required to use the device. There’s a USB port on the front, but it’s unsupported
and officially “for service use only”. Even streaming Internet video requires that the DivX-Connected software be up and running.
Without a server to connect to, the DSM-330 won’t even start up past the basic setup screen. This is in stark contrast to the
Mvix 760HD, with its internal hard drive and two USB ports for connecting thumb drives and external hard drives. In my
opinion, if I’m going to have a computer on in order to play media on my television, I might as well have a full-fledged home
theatre PC in my living room.

Once you have your DivX-Connected server up and running and the DSM-330 connected, you can browse through an animated interface
to access your files. The interface is well thought out, but it’s slow and unresponsive. It seemed to hang for me a lot, which
got pretty frustrating. The little animations and effects seem to slow down the interface.

One of the supposed cool features of this device is its extensibility via plugins. I downloaded and installed the Hulu plugin, and
was sorely disappointed. TV shows are limited to 480i only (even though many shows on Hulu are available in 480p), and the player
doesn’t actually stretch the video to the dimensions of the screen, leaving you with a large black frame around the video area.

This brings me to what is probably my biggest complaint about the DSM-330. If you’ve ever hooked up a computer to a CRT television,
you’ll probably notice that the image doesn’t necessarily fully fit the dimensions of the television’s screen. It seems as though
the DSM-330 is designed in this same way. The screen doesn’t fit correctly to my television, so there is a black frame around
anything displayed by the DSM-330. This may not be a problem on LCD or plasma televisions, but I’d say it’s pretty inexcusable on
a device this expensive.

The bottom line

Unfortunately, I can’t really recommend the DSM-330 for anyone. If you want something with minimal setup, you can try the Apple TV,
but overall I’d highly recommend the Mvix 780HD (the replacement for the 760HD) over the D-Link DSM-330 for your media streaming
needs. The DSM-330 is underpowered and too limited for its high price. It can be found online for about $250, but even that seems a
little pricey for something with a slow user interface, complete dependency on a server machine, and very limited file format

support.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: A/V, Audio, Device, Video

D-Link DSM-330 DivX-Connected HD Media Player Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 15, 2008 at 6:30 pm.