Audio gear - The Gadgeteer

Logitech Ultimate Ears Custom In-Ear Reference Monitors

By Ian Lim / June 8, 2012 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Headphones / Leave a Comment

One for Bill to review? Logitech has released the Ultimate Ears Custom In-Ear Reference Monitors designed for professional studio engineers and producers. Each pair is custom tuned to individual needs using your Personal Reference Tuning Box. The earphones include 5 individual armatures with a three-way crossover. They have detachable braid cables that can be removed, and the […]

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Bring a High-Quality Audio Experience to All Your Devices With the SRS iWOW Universal

By Janet Cloninger / May 10, 2012 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV / 2 Comments

If you love everything about your tablet or smartphone or computer except for its wimpy sound, the iWOW Universal from SRS Labs is an inexpensive way to boost your sound quality. Last year, we reviewed the Apple-specific iWOW 3D audio enhancer, and SRS Labs responded to the request for a non-device specific enhancer. The iWOW-U

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Antelope Audio Rubicon Atomic AD/DA Preamp

By Janet Cloninger / April 26, 2012 / News / Amplifier, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV / 2 Comments

I may not know a lot about audio technology, but I know what I like when it comes to audio equipment. And I like the Rubicon Atomic AD/DA Preamp from Antelope Audio. (Click the picture for a better view.) Ignoring all its features for a moment, this has to be the most gorgeous piece of

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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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Sewell Hammerhead VGA to HDMI Converter Review

By Steve Holt / March 23, 2012 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, HDMI, TV / 22 Comments

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

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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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Klinggon Earphone Cable Cord Manager

By Jackie Cheng / February 12, 2012 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Gear / 7 Comments

No matter how great your earphones are, there’s always one flaw that everyone hates – the earphone’s cord. The most annoying part is when the cable flops around or get caught in something while you have the earphones on. Klinggon solves that problem by providing a stable holder to keep the cable from moving around

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V-Moda Crossfade M-80 Headphones Review

By Bill Henderson / January 7, 2012 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, iPhone, iPod, MP3 / 7 Comments

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

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Audioengine D2 Premium 24-Bit Wireless Digital-to-Analog Converter

By Janet Cloninger / December 31, 2011 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV / Leave a Comment

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

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Stoweblank TinyMix Review

By Bill Henderson / November 25, 2011 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV / 5 Comments

I may have one of the more original stocking stuffers for that gadget/audio freak. It’s the Stoweblank TinyMix, a – well, I’m not sure exactly what you call it. It’s not an amp or a sound processor. What it does, is allow you to connect up to four devices to one set of powered speakers.

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Logitech Wireless Headset for iPad Review

By Ken Schoenberg / November 4, 2011 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth, Bluetooth headset, Gaming Gear, iOS, iPad accessory, Wireless / 21 Comments

Logitech is one of the premier manufacturers of technology peripheral devices. They make some of the bestkeyboards, mice and their Harmony line of remote controls is fantastic. One of their newest products is the Logitech Wireless Headset. I’ve spent the last few days using the headset with a variety of devices and it has performed

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Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air Speaker/Dock Review

By Bill Henderson / November 1, 2011 / Reviews / Airplay, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, iPhone / 11 Comments

I’ve read in a few audiophile articles that a good, reasonably priced set of stereo speakers paired with an amplifier will trump the best iPod speaker/dock no matter the cost. While that may be true, when I heard the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air, I began to have some doubts. The British company, Bowers & Wilkins

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Audyssey Lower East Side Audio Dock Air Announced

By Bill Henderson / October 21, 2011 / News / Airplay, Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, Speaker / Leave a Comment

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

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Ion Vertical Turntable

By Janet Cloninger / September 20, 2011 / News / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Record player, turntable / 1 Comment

The Ion Vertical Turntable from Hammacher Schlemmer is for people who still have vinyl records but don’t have a lot of room. Although it can be used on a flat surface, the Ion Vertical Turntable is designed to hang on the wall to save space. A locking mechanism holds your albums firmly in place

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PureGear PureBeats Premium In-Ear Headset Review

By Jeff Hollaway / May 7, 2011 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, Headset / 2 Comments

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?

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SRS Labs iWOW 3D Audio Enhancement Adaptor Review

By Bill Henderson / April 30, 2011 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, iOS, iPhone, iPod / 5 Comments

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

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H2O Audio Surge Waterproof Sport Headphones Review

By Jackie Cheng / January 1, 2011 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, Waterproof / 5 Comments

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

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Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review

By Bill Henderson / September 25, 2010 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Headphones, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portable / 11 Comments

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

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Starkey Labs Tunz Duo In-Ear Monitor Review

By Bill Henderson / September 20, 2010 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Earphones, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod / 10 Comments

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

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Tunebug Vibe Speaker Review

By Jackie Cheng / July 20, 2010 / Reviews / Audio gear, Audio, Video, TV, Speakers / 5 Comments

Ever wish you had great speakers everywhere with you to jam to your tunes on your mp3 player or even pump out better bass from the iPad, but don’t want to carry around a bulky speaker system? Tunebug solves that problem with a device called Vibe. What this small and very portable device does is

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