In the past several weeks, I have been reviewing speakers and headphones, but I am back doing some earphones. I had forgotten – for a short while – how important a good seal is. Unless you have a near-perfect fit, you can kiss any bass goodbye. Such is the case with the Jays a-JAYS Four […]
Jays a-JAYS Four earphones review Read More
There are two approaches to reviewing earphones or headphones and which direction I take is determined mostly by price. Earphones that sell for less than $100 are judged on a different level than those costing double or triple. The market for the under $100 earphones is huge and only getting bigger, plus the sound quality
RHA MA350 Noise Isolating Earphones Review Read More
Bowers and Wilkins just keep the hits coming. You might think this British audio powerhouse would take a break, but they obviously have no intention of doing that. Apple has just changed their 30-pin dock, making every single dock speaker obsolete without a $30 adapter. One of the reasons Apple did this is to urge
Bowers & Wilkins are on the Air Read More
Being surprised while reviewing audio gear can be both wonderful and not so great. The fun is in the discovery of a gem. Even though I am familiar with the Turbine and Turbine Copper earphones (and like them a lot) from Monster, I have been (much) less than thrilled from what I have heard in
Monster Diesel Vektr Headphones Review Read More
Ever since Logitech acquired custom earphone maker Ultimate Ears, they have expanded the lineup to include many popular models of custom and universal-fit earphones, becoming one of the largest makers of earphones in the world. The expansion continues with their first headphones under the combined Logitech UE label, as well as a new universal-fit multi-armature earphone.
Ultimate Audio From Ultimate Ears Read More
I am quickly becoming a fan of portable audio speakers and docks. They are convenient and sometimes sound way better than their size would indicate. Last year, I reviewed the wonderful Soundmatters FoxL speaker which impressed everyone who heard it with its jaw-dropping sound. Later Jawbone released the Jambox, which is basically a reworked FoxL
Braven 600 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review Read More
Audyssey has taken their expertise in sound tweaking and released some interesting speaker products: a cool AirPlay dock, a killer Bluetooth dock and a pair of small, but powerful media speakers. Now, they’ve taken those media speakers and created a wireless, Bluetooth version, the Audyssey Wireless Speakers.
Audyssey Has Done It Again With Bluetooth Speakers Read More
Harman Kardon has made some of the most visually compelling speakers anywhere. I have owned three SoundSticks speakers through the years and loved them. Nothing looks like them. Now Harman Kardon have entered our personal space with a line of headphones and earphones. The BT wireless over-ear headphones are Bluetooth-equipped with a built-in microphone and
Harman Kardon Have Invaded Our Personal Space Read More
You have to hand it to Bowers & Wilkins. This British audio company makes some of the best sounding speakers anywhere and they charge handsomely for the privilege. But for some reason, when it comes to personal audio like headphones and earphones, they have become somewhat affordable. They don’t charge anywhere near the stratospheric prices
Bowers & Wilkins P3 Headphones Review Read More
2012 has been an interesting year for headphones, but things just got a whole lot more interesting with the release of the Parrot Zik headphones designed by French product designer Philippe Stark. No other headphones look like them and no other headphone has as much techie goodness crammed into them.
Parrot Zik Headphones are Loaded with Tech Read More
After using the Grace Digital Mondo Wi-Fi Music Player and Internet Radio for a few months, I have come to one conclusion: Anyone looking for a portable radio today and does not choose an internet radio is wasting money. There, that’s the review. I’m done.
Grace Digital Mondo Wi-Fi Music Player and Internet Radio Review Read More
It’s hard not to notice that small-but-large-sounding wireless speakers are becoming popular with the mobile crowd. These Bluetooth audio wonders sound amazing, especially when you see how small they really are. This is a growing market and prices are now becoming more reasonable as competition increases. Scosche has introduced the boomSTREAM–Bluetooth wireless Media Speaker for
Scosche Releases the boomSTREAM Bluetooth Wireless Media Speaker Read More
A while back, I reviewed the Audyssey South of Market speaker/dock, which Audyssey has recently renamed the Audyssey Audio Dock. I felt – and still feel – that the addition of Apple’s AirPlay wireless streaming technology would have made that Audio Dock practically perfect. It has only Bluetooth for wireless, and I’m just not a
Audyssey Audio Dock Air Speaker Review Read More
So far, all the headphones I have reviewed have been based on a single speaker technology. While the sound signature from all of them has ranged from bass heavy to bright sounding, the tech is basically similar. It’s tweaking and build quality that determines how cheap – or expensive – they are. That’s not the
HiFiMAN HE-400 Headphones Review Read More
Of all the speakers I have heard based on Apple’s Airplay technology, the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air sounds the best. It has a presence and detail unmatched in other speakers. That said, it costs a whopping $600, making it unrealistic for the vast majority of people who want to experience the convenience of using
Gear4 AirZone Series 1 AirPlay Speaker / Dock Review Read More
Up until now, the word “Cosmonaut” has always been the proper term for a Russian astronaut, conjuring up black-and-white cold war images from the 50s and 60s. From here on though, this word may take on a completely new meaning: A big, fat, round iPad stylus. Yeah, I don’t get it either, but Cosmonaut is
Studio Neat Cosmonaut Stylus Review Read More
V-MODA, maker of the Crossfade M-80 and Crossfade LP headphones, have introduced the VAMP, a headphone amplifier with a dedicated 150mW x 2 amplifier, DAC (Digital-to-Analog convertor), optical audio output and a 2200mAh battery – all integrated into a metal case for the iPhone 4/4S. It’s based on the GO-DAP 4.0 by VentureCraft, but tweaked
V-MODA introduces VAMP, an Audio Multitasker for the iPhone 4/4S Read More
The new Deep Bass Active Control Headphone Amplifier from Draco has me a bit confused. Draco likes to hype the strong, deep bass of this amp and yet, I am happy that they failed to do so. Sort of. See what I mean by confused? If you’re a bass head and you bought this amp
Draco Deep Bass Active Control Headphone Amplifier Review Read More
NuForce has added a cute and affordable speaker to the ever expanding portable audio market. Unlike the rectangular shaped Jambox or Soundmatters FoxL, the NuForce Cube is exactly that, a cube-shaped speaker small enough to carry with you. (Click to enlarge the photos.) NuForce has added even more to this little wonder that makes it
This Cube Is Hip To Be Square Read More
If you love music and are less than satisfied with the quality of what you’re hearing, you might consider adding a digital audio converter (DAC) to your system or computer. DACs are slowly becoming popular among serious music listeners with many companies are now making them for every budget. Let’s look at a new entry
Audioengine D1 Premium 24-Bit DAC/Headphone Amp Review Read More