Bill Henderson - The Gadgeteer

Scosche Releases the boomSTREAM Bluetooth Wireless Media Speaker

By Bill Henderson / August 10, 2012 / News / Android, Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth speaker, iOS / Leave a Comment

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 […]

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Audyssey Audio Dock Air Speaker Review

By Bill Henderson / July 28, 2012 / Reviews / Airplay, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, Speakers / 2 Comments

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

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HiFiMAN HE-400 Headphones Review

By Bill Henderson / July 20, 2012 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones / 10 Comments

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

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Gear4 AirZone Series 1 AirPlay Speaker / Dock Review

By Bill Henderson / June 27, 2012 / Reviews / Airplay, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, iPad, iPhone / 8 Comments

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

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Studio Neat Cosmonaut Stylus Review

By Bill Henderson / June 25, 2012 / Reviews / Gear, iOS, Styluses / 14 Comments

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

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V-MODA introduces VAMP, an Audio Multitasker for the iPhone 4/4S

By Bill Henderson / June 16, 2012 / News / Amplifier, Audio, Video, TV, Batteries and Chargers, DAC, Earphones, Gear, iOS, iPhone / 2 Comments

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

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Draco Deep Bass Active Control Headphone Amplifier Review

By Bill Henderson / June 5, 2012 / Reviews / Amplifier, Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, iOS / 2 Comments

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

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This Cube Is Hip To Be Square

By Bill Henderson / May 31, 2012 / News / Audio, Video, TV, DAC, iOS, Speaker / Leave a Comment

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

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Audioengine D1 Premium 24-Bit DAC/Headphone Amp Review

By Bill Henderson / May 13, 2012 / Reviews / Amplifier, Audio, TV, Video / 81 Comments

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

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B&W P3 Headphones Are Built for Commuting

By Bill Henderson / May 5, 2012 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, iOS / Leave a Comment

Bowers and Wilkins are known for their very good – and very expensive – audio speakers. In recent years,they have aggressively ventured into the world of iDevices with the Zeppelin Air, P5 headphones and C5 earphones (see related links for our reviews). However, most people will never pay $300 for the P5 headphones, no matter

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Jawbone’s BIG JAMBOX is Well, Bigger

By Bill Henderson / May 3, 2012 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Speaker / Leave a Comment

Jawbone’s Bluetooth Jambox Smartspeaker is a miracle. Hearing this tiny speaker (and also Soundmatter’s FoxL – on which the Jambox is based) for the first time will quite literally make your jaw drop. So will the price: $200. That’s a lot for a portable speaker of any size, much less one that is only six

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Atomic Floyd SuperDarts +Remote Earphones Review

By Bill Henderson / April 12, 2012 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Earphones / 7 Comments

At first glance, the new Atomic Floyd SuperDarts +Remote earphones look like a souped-up version of the bullet-designed Koss KEB40 or Ortofon e-Q5 earphones. The cord comes straight out the opposite end of the earphone instead of the side of the main shell. It’s obvious Atomic Floyd wants to make a statement with the SuperDarts.

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PureSound Technologies ClarityOne Earphones Review

By Bill Henderson / April 4, 2012 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Earphones / 8 Comments

All the earphones I have reviewed fall into two design philosophies: dynamic speaker (looks very much like a tiny speaker) and armature (the same technology used in professional hearing aids). There are advantages and disadvantages to both but the word “unique” seldom comes to mind with either type. I had been reading about the ClarityOne

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Spark Aluminum In-ear Headphones Review

By Bill Henderson / March 26, 2012 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Earphones / Leave a Comment

I have been testing id America’s Spark Aluminum In-ear Headphones for a few weeks, and I have to say that this is the first time I have reviewed a product that’s the opposite of its name. When you hear “spark”, you might think of sharp, aggressive, electrical excitement. However, the Spark earphones are anything but that.

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HiFiMAN Express HM-101 Portable USB Soundcard Review

By Bill Henderson / March 24, 2012 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, DAC / 5 Comments

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

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There’s Music in the Air

By Bill Henderson / March 23, 2012 / News / Airplay, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, Speaker / Leave a Comment

When I reviewed the South of Market Audio Dock from Audyssey, I was blown over by the sound, the bass, the size, the… well, just about everything. Everything, except the Bluetooth wireless. As I have said before, I am not a fan of Bluetooth. Maybe the new Bluetooth 4.0 will change my mind, but for

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Fanny Wang 3000 Series Over Ear Noise Canceling Headphones Review

By Bill Henderson / March 11, 2012 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Headphones / 3 Comments

A year ago, I reviewed some headphones from a new company – Fanny Wang. They weren’t established yet but managed to get attention with their striking design. Their original On Ear (1000 Series) was similar enough to the Monster Beats to spark a lawsuit. Nobody (except the lawyers) won that suit, and Fanny Wang continues

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BitPerfect High-quality Audio Player for OSX

By Bill Henderson / March 7, 2012 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, MP3, Music / 5 Comments

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

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iHome iP4 Portable FM Stereo Boombox Review

By Bill Henderson / March 2, 2012 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, iOS, iPhone, Speaker / 2 Comments

Does anyone remember the Apple Newton? It was arguably the first handheld mobile device and it was way ahead of its time. However, it had so many issues, it ultimately failed in the marketplace. Well, I remember the Newton. I owned four of them and I loved them all. Now, if you are wondering what

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Powis iCase iPad Case Review

By Bill Henderson / February 26, 2012 / Reviews / iOS, iPad 2 case and stand / 9 Comments

I’m always impressed with companies that are flexible in a changing environment. A company who can adapt to this evolving landscape is a healthier company. Powis makes bookbinding and collating equipment for the corporate market. As things have been moving into the digital realm, Powis has smartly taken some of that book binding knowledge and

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