Life is all about connection: connection to others, to oneself, and to the larger world. The same holds true for home audio. The more ways you can connect to one’s music the better. The Cambridge Audio Minx Air 200 offers big, awesome audio and more ways to get to your music than pretty much any other audio system.
Okay, I’ve had it! We have too many remotes! Apple TV, Direct TV, TV, DVD, Roku, a Vizio sound bar, and I may even be forgetting one! Has anyone tried one of those smart remotes with a screen? I’m considering a Logitech Harmony remote, but I’m wondering if there is something even better out there?
If you want to record better audio with your iOS device, or have better-sounding videos shot with an iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to check out the new Zoom iQ5. Designed specifically for iOS devices with a Lightning connector, it adds a great-quality microphone to your mobile device for under $100. Check out both our video demos of the iQ5.
The rumble of the train as it rolls down the track or the roar of the plane’s engine is enough to give anyone a headache. The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 QuietPoint Active Noise-cancelling Headphones are designed to give you an island of quiet no matter where you are. Read on to see if they should they be your new traveling partner.
Outdoor Technology sells products for people who like to enjoy being in the great outdoors. I had a chance to review the Turtle Shell 2.0, a totally rugged Bluetooth speaker and was very impressed. This water-resistant, dust-proof speaker is a great way to bring your tunes along wherever you go; it retails for $129.95.
Feeling a little blue? Or red? Or pink? Or orange? The JBL Pulse has you covered! (Or is that colored?) The sub-$200 Bluetooth speaker is ready to put on a light show as you enjoy great JBL sound. You can even download additional light themes.
Shopping for Valentine’s Day is tough, especially when you aren’t sure that your Valentine will still be your Valentine on the 15th! The OrigAudio Rock-It in Pink is a gift that shows you are considerate without breaking the bank. To get yours, you’ll just pay a little bit of shipping. Supplies are limited, so hurry up and order!
The JBL Synchros S400BT Bluetooth wireless headphones are the latest addition to the Synchros lineup. Packed with Bluetooth, touch controls and JBL’s sound expertise the headphones are an impressive new offering. They are available for pre-order for $299.95 and ship next month. We have a pair in hand. Here’s a first video look.
Dan likes to tease me that when we’re together working, he never sees me wearing headphones; he says he just doesn’t see me as the type person to wear them. Well Dan, I may use them differently than you do, but I most definitely do wear headphones. These days the Harman Kardon Soho headphones are my favorites; here’s why …
I was an immediate fan of the Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker and said so. I was impressed by the Jabra Solemate mini I reviewed last month, and I said so. And I am also a fan of the big brother of the aforementioned speakers. The Jabra Solemate Max is big … and impressive. Here’s our look at this larger Bluetooth speaker.
Apple announced its earnings yesterday, which featured loads of record-setting device sales numbers and revenue and profit figures so high they are hard to fathom. Even Mac sales saw a significant boost while the rest of the PC industry marked another double-digit declines. The one area not even mentioned? iPod sales, which continue their decline in a no-update year.
When was the last time you called a company and could barely understand the person on the other end. There’s a good chance the person was sitting in a crowded room with other people who were also speaking, and their headset was junk. The Jabra BIZ 2300 can fix that … and it won’t cost an arm or an ear.
If you were to ask my younger son about his most elusive piece of affordable technology, it would be the M-Audio Trigger Finger from 2005. The popular controller was used by all of his favorite music producers but was discontinued. Now it is back and better than ever with the M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014! Here is what M-Audio is saying: Trigger Finger Pro is a fully encompassed performance instrument and software control station in the form of a portable, 16-pad (4×4 configured) instrument with onboard sequencing. Nearly a decade ago, M-Audio revolutionized the industry by introducing…
The V-Moda Crossfade M-100s stand out as one of the best pair of headphone I had the opportunity to review last year. I absolutely love the way they look, feel and, most importantly, sound. For those who prefer on-ear headphones, I recommend checking out their smaller siblings — the V-Moda M-80 on-ear headphones; they are bound to impress.
If you are looking for a speaker that offers big, bold, impressive sound… Stop reading and move to the next article here on Gear Diary. If, however, you want something simple, inexpensive and easy to use, the Nude Audio Move S Wired portable wired speaker may be the perfect speaker or speakers for you.
I visited the Cambridge Audio suite during CES 2014. I put on headphones. I listened. The sound stinked. I put a Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS USB DAC / Headphone Amp between the headphones and laptop. The sound was amazing — you might even say magical! The recording was fine. It was the laptop amp and the DacMagic that made all the difference. It turns out the audio amp on a laptop is an amazingly cheap component of most computers. It is fine for notifications and the like, but when it comes to listening to music the amps fall short. They…
Sometimes, no matter how resolute I am in my intentions or intent I am in my resolutions, I just can’t drag my butt out of the house to exercise on a cold morning. I may have found the answer to this dilemma with the XSPIN from Pafers.com and their apps Cycle Rush and Cycle on Earth.
At CES, Sharp unveiled their Universal Player, the first ever WiSA-Compliant universal player. The Sharp Universal Player is the first component to push uncompressed sound at 24-bit/96kHz and video at 1080p, all wirelessly. Sharp’s Universal Player can wirelessly transmit sound to up to 8 wireless speakers. The $4,000 component ships Spring, 2014; you can read more here.
Thursday night, Judie and I had the chance to listen to Linkin Park through a specially installed JBL sound system at the Hard Rock’s The Joint. The concert was a celebration of the relaunch of Infinity by Harman and a celebration of a partnership between Linkin Park and Harman International. Read on to learn more and see Judie’s amazing pictures.
Car audio has come a long way since the days of my cassette tape portable CD player converter. Touch screens and phone interface are almost standard. Pioneer unveiled their NEX, (Networked Entertainment eXperience) which will combine on-board features with connected services from your devices. Four navigation and one audio receiver is in the lineup. Read the release after the break. PIONEER SHOWCASES NEXT GENERATION OF NETWORK CONNECTED RECEIVERS – ENHANCING EMBEDDED FEATURES WITH CLOUD-BASED CONTENT Networked Entertainment eXperience (NEX) Interface Implemented in Five Pioneer Receivers LAS VEGAS – CES BOOTH #1201 (January 6, 2014) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today unveiled…
The other day the local youth bureau called asking if my kids could help an older person set up a universal remote for multiple devices – and they declined because I was the only one in our house who knew our system! This is true for millions, making it great news as Blumoo Home Audio Remote Debuts at CES 2014!