Bill Henderson - The Gadgeteer

Master & Dynamic create a soundtrack for the iconic Leica Brand

Headphone maker Master & Dynamic is becoming as well known for their collaborations as their wonderful headphones. Their latest partnering is with the iconic Leica camera—paying homage to the Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. aspherical camera lens. M&D has merged the fine art of precision engineering, sophisticated design and valuable materials into what they […]

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Introducing the new Dyson Cyclone V10 – no cord needed, or wanted anymore.

I’ve owned a big Dyson for a few years and my wife and I like its power and usability. However, it is a big machine with a cord that never seems to be long enough. This has always made me wonder whether I should switch to the smaller battery powered Dyson cord-free stick vacuum cleaners.

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The Audioengine A5+ speakers are now A5++ with added wireless

By Bill Henderson / March 4, 2018 / News / Speakers / Leave a Comment

Audioengine has a history of making affordable speakers that happen to sound like they cost much more. Their A5+ speakers look good and are solidly crafted. However, up until now, the A5+ speakers lacked any wireless capabilities. Not any more. The new A5+ Wireless speakers are bookshelf speakers that can be placed anywhere in a

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Sōlis SO-3000, SO-6000 and SO-7000 Chromecast and Bluetooth speaker review

By Bill Henderson / March 3, 2018 / Reviews / Bluetooth speaker / Leave a Comment

When a company comes out with three Bluetooth speakers all at once, my interest gets piqued. Sōlis is an audio company that makes vacuum-tubed Bluetooth audio systems and has now branched out into the home wireless speaker market. Sōlis has three smart speakers that utilize Google Chromecast, WiFi wireless as well as Bluetooth: the SO-3000,

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JBL Boombox portable Bluetooth speaker review

By Bill Henderson / February 19, 2018 / Reviews / Bluetooth speaker / 1 Comment

Within the last couple of years, I’ve gotten to review some big (in size and sound) Bluetooth speakers. These massive new generation boomboxes have replaced the old cassette and CD driven monsters from the 80s with better sound and much better ease of use. Factor in weather resistance and you’ve got yourself a winning package.

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Anker Zolo Liberty totally wireless earphone review

By Bill Henderson / February 7, 2018 / Reviews / Bluetooth earbuds / 1 Comment

I’ve reviewed three pairs of what is called “totally wireless earbuds,” so I’m now fairly comfortable with them and know what to expect for the money. The affordable E’NOD Mini Ring buds are okay, but not great—lacking in bass and lackluster call quality. The much more expensive Nuheara iQbuds also do much more. They have

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Master & Dynamic has tattoo-inspired headphones designed by Scott Campbell

By Bill Henderson / February 1, 2018 / News / Headphones / Leave a Comment

Master & Dynamic’s gorgeous line of headphones continue to be reworked by famed designers—this time by bicoastal tattoo artist, Scott Campbell. Campbell has woven his fascination with snakes into the design of M&D’s MW60 Wireless and MH40 headphones—each adorned with hand-painted art by Campbell. The black on white or white on black reptilian motif gives

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Are you Ready for Braven’s new speakers?

By Bill Henderson / January 22, 2018 / News / Bluetooth speaker / 2 Comments

Braven just refuses to rest. They are constantly updating their speaker lineup and have entered 2018 with their Ready Series of Bluetooth speakers. If you into music and like being outdoors, Braven has what you want. There are four Ready speakers—all ready (get it?) to add a soundtrack to your outdoor adventures. The personal Ready

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RHA Dacamp L1 headphone amplifier and CL1 Ceramic in-ear headphone review

By Bill Henderson / January 14, 2018 / Reviews / DAC, Headphones / Leave a Comment

Few audio companies have risen as far and as fast as the Scottish Reid Heath Audio (RHA). There’s a good reason for this: RHA makes some extremely well made and great sounding earphones and (now) a headphone amp. And their quality has not been dependent on the cost—RHA’s lowest priced earphones feel as well made

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JBL’s Boombox is waterproof, has 24-hour playtime and is l-o-u-d.

By Bill Henderson / December 23, 2017 / News / Bluetooth speaker / 1 Comment

With Braven and Monster fighting it out over who’s boombox is the baddest, JBL just had to enter the ring and did in a big way. Presenting the JBL Boombox—what else are ya gonna call it? Even though the JBL Boombox weighs less than the other two mentioned blasters (11.5 lbs), it still packs a

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Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds review

By Bill Henderson / December 18, 2017 / Reviews / Bluetooth earbuds / 2 Comments

For the past couple of years, a few Gadgeteer reviewers have been on a search for truly wireless earbuds that are worth the hype. Up until now, many of these buds have had to make serious compromises for one reason or another. Now we have the Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds. The name may

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Waterfield Air Porter carry-on bag review

By Bill Henderson / December 16, 2017 / Reviews / Bags / 1 Comment

Earlier this year, I reviewed the Waterfield Maverick Laptop Messenger Bag and loved it for its leather which gets better looking as it’s used and abused. Waterfield’s new Air Porter carry-on bag serves a different function and wasn’t made to compete with the Maverick—but it sorta can. The Air Porter may be made to be

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New audio with timeless design now available from SŌLIS

By Bill Henderson / December 15, 2017 / News / Speaker / Leave a Comment

SŌLIS is not a name you hear every day in the audio world. But they plan on changing that with a new line of speakers that are stylish, wireless and incorporate much of today’s latest tech. SŌLIS has built the latest wireless streaming—Bluetooth and Google Chromecast—into each high-resolution speaker. SŌLIS Combines simple forms, sleek lines

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RHA T20i in-ear headphone review

By Bill Henderson / December 14, 2017 / Reviews / Headphones / 1 Comment

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the RHA (Reid Heath Audio) T10i earphones. I liked them for their sound quality, but mostly I like them because I could swap filters to make the earphones sound more bright, bassy or neutral, depending on what I was listening to or even my mood. It was like

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A Brutalist approach to speakers

By Bill Henderson / December 13, 2017 / News / Speakers / Leave a Comment

When you ask someone what speakers are made of, most younger people would say plastic or metal (portable Bluetooth speakers) while older people might say wood (think your father’s stereo system). I can guarantee you that no one would say concrete. That kind of thinking might change if Brutalist-Lab has anything to do with it.

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Dodocool DA106 Hi-Fi Music Player review

By Bill Henderson / December 10, 2017 / Reviews / Media player, Music / 23 Comments

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This quote from Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities pretty much sums up my thoughts on the Dodocool DA106 digital audio player (DAP). Please bear with me as I explain my happiness—and sadness—over this player. What is it? Let’s begin with what exactly

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V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones review

By Bill Henderson / November 27, 2017 / Reviews / Bluetooth headphones / Leave a Comment

I generally put headphones I review into three categories: Too bassy, too accurate or a balance between the two extremes. Headphones that are too bassy make music sound muffled and oppressive. Overly accurate headphones will accentuate everything that is good in music if the music you are listening to is taken from high-resolution files. But

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Braven takes it all in Stryde for the holidays

By Bill Henderson / November 19, 2017 / News / Bluetooth speaker / 1 Comment

During the holidays, portable Bluetooth speakers are almost the perfect gift for your favorite audio gadget geek and Braven has come out with two new Stryde models for 2017: the Braven Stryde and Stryde XL. These two Stryde speakers compliment the Stryde 360—made for outdoor use and an active lifestyle.

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Premier headphones now come from Detroit thanks to Shinola

By Bill Henderson / November 18, 2017 / News / Headphones / 1 Comment

Detroit has been experiencing a resurgence of late and it’s companies like Shinola that are leading the way. Shinola makes everything from watches, bags and backpacks, bicycles and many of life’s accessories including audio gear. Now, Shinola has ventured into the personal audio market with the Canfield Headphone Collection. Shinola has spent two years engineering

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The Master & Dynamic Greene Street Collection takes on the concrete jungle

By Bill Henderson / November 14, 2017 / News / Headphones / Leave a Comment

Master & Dynamic is a respected maker of many premium headphones, earphones and one concrete Bluetooth speaker. For the 2017 holiday season, they’ve released new colorways for their headphones dubbed The Greene Street Collection. This collection pays homage to streetwear culture inside the concrete jungle. Released on November 8th—in time for holiday gift giving—the collection

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