2017 was a big year for SOLIS, who debuted a number of attractive, connected, and stellar-sounding speakers. From portable, smart Bluetooth speakers to gorgeous vacuum tube amplifiers, SOLIS has every audiophile covered. I had the pleasure of testing two of their offerings in my home and came away impressed. Read on to hear about the SO-3000 and the SO-8000.
For years, I’ve coveted an original Wurlitzer 200 electric piano. My sonic palate needed that famous chiming tone like it was water. Unfortunately, I never had the extra $2,500 lying around to be able to buy one.
We have many musical instruments at our house, but we have always lacked a drum set. My youngest son has begged to learn how to play, so when I had the chance to review the Yamaha DTX400K electronic drum set (MSRP $799), we jumped all over it. I was not sure what to expect, but this thing has blown us away.
I’m an audiophile. And like most audiophiles, a good vacuum tube HiFi system makes me drool. But unfortunately, nobody told my pocketbook. Tube receivers sell for several hundred dollars on eBay. Even DIY kits are generally over $300. For a piece of equipment that my ears and budget could agree on, I decided to purchase this HiFi buffer.
Musicians have been using metronomes for millennia to keep them on beat. From early pendulums to the click tracks used in audio recording, they’ve helped everyone from beginning piano players to orchestras to metal bands play at a consistent tempo.
Iconic guitar manufacturer Fender announced today a special collaboration with Tim Armstrong, the singer/songwriter from Rancid.
This is a sponsored post; we received compensation from VIZIO, but all opinions are the author’s. Last year, VIZIO sent a 2016 VIZIO SmartCast M-Series Ultra HD HDR Home Theater Display for review. We set it up in our bedroom and love it! (Read the review here.) So I was thrilled when VIZIO offered me one of their brand new 36″ 5.1 VIZIO SmartCast Wireless Sound Bar Systems. It is the perfect complement to the display.
iClever’s BoostRun BTH07 Sweat-proof Bluetooth Sport Headphones are a good budget option if you’ve got an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus without a headphone jack. The BoostRuns stay on your ears thanks to the built-in ear hook, and they are certified IPX4 waterproof to protect itself from rain and sweat. At ~$22, The iClever BoostRun are worth checking out.
A leader in the audio world since launching their first radio way back in the early 1920’s, Crosley Radio is now debuting a new top-of-the-line product that you just have to check out.
If you are an aspiring DJ but don’t know exactly how to go about starting your quest of being the party starter, you should be checking out a Dj set that will help you out. Hercules, the leader in mobile and professional DJ equipment announced three unique DJ Party Packs to make sure you can always be the life of the party.
A Perfect gift for the music lover, you should check out an affordable music creation device that gives you a unique way of creating music without having to step into a studio.
As a child, I remember watching the record spin ‘round and ‘round on the turntable at home – and Dad yelling at us to stop making it skip. Vinyl albums went the way of the Dodo bird decades ago but wait – there is a new resurgence in long-playing albums, and Crosley Radio is at the forefront.
The Parrot Zik 3 are a pair of Bluetooth headphones that were heavily talked about during CES 2016 due to their great sound and even better build quality, so when the company sent me over a pair to review I was not surprised at how marvelous the headphones themselves would be.
It has been nearly three years since I reviewed the recording Levin-Minnemann-Rudess, which I described as a “powerhouse onslaught of uncompromising instrumental joy”. It is one of those albums I ripped and added to my iTunes library and have listened to ever since.
Back in 2013 the power trio of Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, & Jordan Rudess released a self-titled album that was a joyous romp for shred-loving musicians, but went much further and deeper. Now they are back with a new album called “From the Law Offices of LEVIN MINNEMANN RUDESS”, due out on July 15th and available for pre-order! In my review I described their first album as: “a powerhouse onslaught of uncompromising instrumental joy. Throughout the album there are tastes of prog rock from the 70s, 80s, and 90s as well as fusion, metal and pretty much every other hard-driving…
Spotify today announced a change to their family plans which expands the number of family members (up to 6) included for one monthly price of $14.99. This pricing change shouldn’t have been a surprise as Google Play and Apple Music have identical family offers.
The Libratone ZIPP was one of my all-time favorite speakers. It looked great, sounded amazing, and let you customize the look with exchangeable covers. With portable AirPlay it was as close to the perfect speaker for an iOS-user as you could find. Now Libratone has rebooted the ZIPP and they are offering the smaller, and less expensive, Libratone ZIPP MINI. The new Libratone line has a new look. It’s more curvy than before and has a zipper that runs around the circumference of the speaker, rather than running vertically as it did with the original. The ZIPP MINI has an…
Two years ago guitarist Mary Halvorson stepped back from her ever-expanding group projects and released an album called Thumbscrew with what I called a ‘trio of equals’. Now the group is back and ready to release their next album in a few weeks, called Convallaria. And from the preview track, it sounds great.
There’s a new player in the high-end U.S. home audio market and they’re gonna blow you away. Raumfeld’s initial stateside offerings are impressive. We’ll be looking at three of their products in this series of reviews. First up are the oh so impressive Raumfeld Stereo M Bookshelf Speakers. These speakers get seriously loud and sound great at all volumes. The Raumfeld Stereo M bookshelf speakers feature an award-winning design, easy setup, lossless file support for CD-quality sound, and multi-room streaming functionality. They bring German-engineered audio technology to the U.S. in a way that, I suspect, will gain a tremendous amount…
IK Multimedia has brought the symphony to your computer and given you full control. Miroslav Philharmonik 2 brings instruments played by the best musicians creating living, breathing samples. The new unique sound set brings feeling and emotion to an already great product. The number of instruments is staggering, and the sound quality is top-notch. Let’s take a look.
The Phorus PS5 speaker is a gorgeous new way to fill your home with music. It’s got dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity that allows you to connect via your iOS device, Android device, or Windows PC. Featuring DTS Play-Fi, Bluetooth with AptX technology, and support for AirPlay, the PS5 is a music-streaming powerhouse. Get yours now for $199!