Audio & Visual Gear

My Journey to the Dark Side…er, Apple is Complete

A long time ago, in a service provider far, far away, I had joined the ranks of mobile phone users, sporting a Motorola Razr V3m back when it was de rigueur for mobile types. For a time I was content, and as technology evolved I migrated my mobile phones, ever searching for the trifecta of ease of use, reliability and variety of peripherals. Here is a representation of all the major phones I’ve owned and heavily used over the past seven years or so. Certainly a lot less than some Gear Diary members or readers out there, but a variety nonetheless….

News & Features

Phorus and Play-Fi Want to Bring Music to Every Room in Your House

If you read the site, then you know that I love my Sonos audio system; you also know I am an OS X and iOS guy. Still, I’m always on the lookout for the next awesome home audio solution. That’s why I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak with a number of the key players from Phorus a few weeks ago. Phorus, and their signature Play-Fi wireless technology, are poised to challenge your assumptions about home audio on every level. The system is simple to set up, sounds great, offers flexibility with regard to connectivity, is priced to be accessable, can…

Reviews

Monster Inspiration Active Noise-Canceling Headphones Review

What would it take to get you to spend $350 on a set of headphones? I’ve been asking myself that very question over the last two weeks, and I think I may finally have an answer. The question wouldn’t have even come up if I hadn’t been sent Monster’s newest Inspiration headphones, which — as you may have guessed — retail for that exact amount. all photos by Kevin Stanford I approached the package unwrapping with some trepidation … what if I liked them? Granted, these were sent to me as a review sample that I would be allowed to…

Reviews

New Potato TuneLink Home Wireless Streamer Review

Back in the spring of 2011, we reviewed New Potato’s TuneLink Auto Direct Connect Audio Solution for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (Read the review, here.) At the time it was the perfect solution for me since I didn’t have Bluetooth in my car; the TuneLink easily added streaming to it. I’ve since leased a car with all the bells and whistles and, as a result, I don’t need an after-market streaming solution. If you car doesn’t have Bluetooth you should check it out. It is simple to set up, it works great, and I really enjoyed my time using…

Music Diary, News & Features

IK Multimedia Introduces DJ Rig for iPad!

When DJ Rig released back in March, aside from some early bugs that were quickly squashed, my biggest wish was for an iPad version. It was one of those things that was immediately obvious once you touched the software. IK Multimedia agreed and stated they were working on it – but like the rest of their stuff they wanted to get it right and not just ‘upsize’. Well, now DJ Rig for iPad is ready and available! Here is some of the press release highlighting features: Professional DJing for the first time on iPad • Familiar double Deck configuration with…

Reviews

Blue Microphone’s Mikey Digital Review

One of the tables I visited at the Pepcom Holiday Showcase last week belonged to Blue Microphones. We’ve long been fans of their products, and I was impressed with the three that I saw. (We’ll be looking at each over the next few weeks.) The company was kind enough to send me home with one of their new Mikey Digital audio recorders for iPhone and iPad. Let’s take a closer look. From Blue Microphones: The all-new Mikey Digital is the perfect tool for mobile recording. Featuring two custom-tuned Blue capsules for stereo recording, a line-input, USB pass through and a stylish…

Music Diary, Reviews

The iRig Pre Microphone Preamplifier Review

Sometimes releasing audio accessories is a thankless job. I recently reviewed the iRig Stomp, which has the glorious job of being a foot pedal interface between your guitar and the awesome sonic shaping of AmpliTube. Not exactly glamorous! Now along comes iRig Pre – and all it has to do is get your professional-grade microphone sound into your iOS device without screwing things up. IK Multimedia seems to know this if you look at ‘The Hype’ below. But let’s take a look and see how it does! The Hype: Introducing the First studio quality mic pre-amp for the iOS platform…

Reviews

Marshall Electronics MXL FR-310 Hot Shoe Shotgun Microphone Review

One of the main reasons I opted to get the Canon T3i when I was purchasing a DSLR last spring was the ability to use the camera for video. I love the camera and am quite happy with my decision. Still, the video aspect of it has been a bit hit and miss. You see, while the image quality when shooting video is excellent, the audio is far from it. And, as I have discovered over the past few months, this is a common issue. You see, while the T3i is a powerful camera the microphone amplifier built into it…

Gear Bits

Love Music? Sony’s BDV-E390 Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System with WiFi is Worth Checking Out

I love my speaker docks and enjoy using them. I love (LOVE) using my Sonos system too. But while the docks give awesome portability they often offer limited audio quality volume. And while the Sonos system give big sound, with each room costing a minimum of $299, it is a pricey proposition. Sony’s BDV-E390 Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System with WiFi, on the other hand, offers big sound at an amazingly low price. The system offers five speakers, one subwoofer and one 3D disc player. The specs look like this… 1000W(167Wx5+165W)5.1ch 3D Blu-ray Disc™ Theater System Built-in Wi-Fi® to stream movies,…

Editorials, Vehicles & Gear

Five Ways the iPhone 5 Event Disappointed, and One Sign It Started the ‘Great Apple Decline’

So we have lived through yet another iPhone announcement, the first one conducted by Tim Cook and out of the ‘shadow of Steve Jobs’. The conclusions? Some pretty sweet looking iPhone hardware, promising stuff for iOS 6, iCloud and iTunes, and a welcome refresh for the iPod line. But if you look around at tech websites there is much gnashing of teeth and hand-wringing amongst the Apple fan-sites, sneering derision from Android fan-sites, and hopes of a market share beyond 5% from the Windows Phone faithful who were just happy to see the Nokia Lumia 920 in spec line-ups with…

Events

Join Us for the Apple iPhone 5 Press Event!

Are you ready to see the end of all the rumors and speculation regarding the newest iPhone? We are, too! Let’s get something straight, although we do our best not to report on rumors, it doesn’t mean we don’t read them. We have, and we’ve gotten more and more excited. Sure it does seem like pretty much everything that needs to be known about the new iPhone has already been leaked, but that doesn’t guarantee the rumors are correct and, even if they are, it doesn’t make us any less excited for the announcements and that One more thing…! And…

Editorials

iPhone 5 Event Rumors Makes Me Ask, Does Anyone Care About a New iPod Touch?

As Dan mentioned, Apple is rumored to be announcing several things this week, such as the iPhone 5, releasing iOS 6, and possibly the iPad Mini, new iPods, new iMacs, and who knows what else. We don’t ‘do rumors’ at Gear Diary, but of course we have heard stuff – as has everyone – and we only have a few days to find out what is real. So the question I am left asking is: who really cares about a new iPod Touch? Over the last couple of years the distinction between content creation and content consumption has become increasingly stark,…

Music Diary

New Pioneer DJ Controller is the Most Affordable Yet, Brings Art of DJing to Everyone

When it comes to the world of DJs, whether stage performers like Skrillex or people pumping tunes at the local club, there seems to be a common name I hear when it comes to DJ controllers: Pioneer. Their CDJ series has all of the features a demanding pro could hope for in a portable and rugged package at a reasonable price. But for those starting off that ‘reasonable price’ is still too high, which for many means compromising and getting something that lacks features you need or lacks the build quality Pioneer delivers. Now Pioneer has stepped up with an affordable…

News & Features

Monster and Viacom Announce Monster DNA Audio

As we have discussed numerous time recently, headphones have become fashion statements as much as they are audio. But that is the point- for headphones to stand out they need to have both the sound and the style. Too often it seems style becomes the focus and thee audio is almost an afterthought. That surely won’t be the case with the new headphones coming out of a joint venture between Monster, “the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance headphones and electronic accessories”, and Viacom, “home to the world’s premier entertainment brands”. Yes, these headphones promise to offer great audio quality on…

Music Diary, News & Features

iRig Stomp Now Available Everywhere!

When I reviewed the iRig Stomp last month, I said: It is easy to look at iRig Stomp and think ‘that’s it’? That is because ‘all’ it does is switch the signal path between using the iOS device or NOT using it. But in reality there is much more – it has to stand up to the rigors of BEING a stomp box, it has to have a clean signal path, and it needs to provide reliable functionality with all of the little extras IK Multimedia customers have come to expect. And iRig Stomp delivers admirably on all of those…

News & Features, Reviews

I-Mego Throne Gold Headphones Review

For anyone who reads any of my posts, you know I love me some headphones. Music and podcasts play a huge part in my life and I usually do not like to burden others with what I am listening to. I am probably not an audiophile, but I prefer my audio to be high quality. I have bought and reviewed many earbuds in the past few years and loved many of them, but for some reason I have never owned a pair of over the ear headphones. Many of my athletes have gone to this style of headphones in the…

Reviews

Dexim ClickStik Review

We reviewed the Satechi BT MediaRemote back in July and were impressed with the functionality it brings to pretty much all iOS devices. Sure, it is good for controlling music from a distance but it really shines as a remote shutter control for the iPhone’s camera. Dexim has gone one better with their new ClickStik for iOS. We brought word of it a few weeks back and now we have one in hand. The ClickStik features a lightweight, multifunctional tripod and a matte-black Bluetooth remote shutter control. There is also a free app available through the App Store that “allows…

News & Features

CROON Audio’s Original Sound System Looks Great, Promises to Sound Just as Good

I went into the office today after a few weeks of vacation. While returning email I decided to listen to some tunes. My set up at work looks like this- I have an excellent Altec Lansing Speaker that Judie gave me for Hanukkah a few years ago connected to an Airport Express which, in turn, is plugged into the wireless ethernet post that comes into my study. It was that Airport Express that provided WiFi in that part of the building. More than that, however, it also takes the standard, docking stereo and turns it into an Airplay-enabled speaker. I…

News & Features

Sonos Adds Support for Amazon Cloud Player and… It is a Big Deal

Amazon is making some big moves with its Cloud Player music service. They recently improved the way the system works and now lets you scan your music in much the same way iTunes Music Match does. Now word comes that Sonos has added support for Amazon Cloud Player. As they explain, YOUR MUSIC. EVERYWHERE. FROM THE CLOUD TO YOUR COUCH. Import and securely store your entire music library in the cloud Search, browse and play every song, album and playlist in every room with the Sonos Wireless HiFi System Amazon MP3 purchases are automatically stored in Cloud Player, and you…

Reviews

Zoom Microphone and Accessory Pack Review

I purchased the Canon T3i after speaking to a number of friends and reading a great deal on the web by way of reviews. There were a number of excellent options available in my price range but the T3i seemed to best fit the bill. I ordered through Amazon and got a good price on a Canon T3i kit (body and lens) and an additional telephoto lens. I’m happy with the decision. No, I’m very happy with the decision. In fact, I like everything about the camera… except the audio when shooting movies. That, in a word, stinks. The audio…

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

Griffin MIDIConnect for iPad Hands-On Review

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the release at Summer NAMM of the Griffin MIDIConnect, and that the great folks at Griffin sent me one to evaluate. I have had a chance to put it through its paces and found it did the job perfectly, and even offered some other reasons to check it out. Read on and find out! The Hype: Now you can plug your MIDI keyboards and other devices into your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad. Use MIDIConnect’s MIDI IN port to play your MIDI-capable instruments and controllers into GarageBand or other MIDI apps. Download…

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