Music

Phaz Prepares Their Headphones for Apple’s Rumored Axing of the Headphone Jack

Last week at CES I had the opportunity to test out a pair of headphones that are truly ahead of the curve when it comes to audio. With Apple likely to remove the headphone jack from their devices, Phaz Music announced the industry’s first-ever universal headphones in the Phaz Music P5 Headphones. The Phaz P5 Digital Headphones will be the first versions available on the market, but they are truly innovative as they will be the first on the market to pull digital audio content directly from the MicroUSB/iOS Lightning cable on your smartphone. Essentially, the Phaz headphones will simply plug…


Does The Spotify Class Action Suit Threaten Streaming Services?

My favorite streaming music service, Spotify, is facing a class action lawsuit claiming they violated the copyrights of thousands of artists. If the suit sticks, Spotify could be responsible for millions in unpaid royalties. If this happens, could it be the first in a domino effect for the entire streaming industry? What does the future hold for streaming users? 


The T4 Wireless Speaker System by Creative Is the Home Audio System You Need

If you’re looking for an excellent sound system for a space in your home for the holidays, well look no further. I had the opportunity to review the Creative T4 Wireless Bluetooth Sound System, and I’ve been holding off on reviewing the T4 Speakers for a few weeks as I’ve been enjoying them quite a bit in my home, and wanted to give an accurate review of how great they are, both in sound and in overall quality. Now when you first see the packaging, it’s pretty much like all of Creative’s products. They make it a mission to highlight not…



iRig Acoustic Makes Mobile Guitar Recording Possible

Today’s technology brings many ways for musicians to record and play their instruments. These options are often expensive and difficult to use. IK Multimedia has introduced the iRig Acoustic to solve this issue. The iRig Acoustic ($49.99) is a high quality microphone pickup system that allows acoustic guitar and ukulele players to record and play anywhere. Let’s take a look!


IK Multimedia iRig Acoustic Reinvents Guitar Miking for Mobile

The IK Multimedia iRig Acoustic is something totally new and hugely innovative. As the company notes it, “Reinvents Guitar Miking for Mobile” and does so in a smart, innovative way that musicians are going to love. It is the first acoustic guitar mobile microphone/interface for use with iOS devices, Macs and Androids too! It is nicely-priced and easy to use! As IK Multimedia explains, “Now acoustic players can get stunning, studio-microphone quality sound for recording and live performance from any acoustic guitar anytime and everywhere.” iRig is the best-selling mobile interface of all time. With the iRig Acoustic it is,…


Jamstik+ The Smart Guitar Review

When I started playing the guitar in the early 80’s, I dreamed of having a cool electric guitar with some cool technology. It is now 2015 and I have now played a small, portable guitar that connects to my smartphone and tablet. The Jamstik+ is a wireless, compact MIDI guitar that needs no tuning and costs $299. Let’s take a look! The Jamstik+ is quite unique looking. Kind of like you took a guitar and cut the heart out to make a new kind of instrument. The Bluetooth enabled guitar sports real steel strings and frets giving it a realistic…


NoiseHush i7 Noise Cancelling Headphones are Perfect for the Solitary Type

The NoiseHush i7 Aviator Active Noise Canceling Headphones provide extremely comfortable silence whether you’re on an airplane or trying to get work done in a noisy office. The i7 comes with a flat cable with 3.5mm connector to plug in to your media player to listen to your favorite tunes without added background noise. The i7 headphones retail for $99.99.



You Deserve the Cambridge Audio TV5 2.1-Channel Speaker Base

Cambridge Audio is back with a 2.1-channel speaker base, the TV5, perfect for a reasonably priced upgrade to your home’s audio system. It’s a sleek speaker base with built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming. At $399, it’s a beautiful addition underneath any size TV and you won’t need an external subwoofer to make sure the bass is pumping.



Get to Know the Dead, Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Dead

What do you do when you have numerous interviews with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead and have only published a small number of them? If you are musician and journalist Alan Paul, you pull the interviews together and publish them as an Amazon Kindle Single. The result? The eBook-only Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Dead by Alan Paul.



The Polk Audio Omni S2 Is Wireless Sound That Goes with Any Decor

Polk Audio describes the Polk Audio Omni S2 wireless speaker as “The First Great-Sounding Wireless Music System.” That’s a bold claim for a wireless speaker that costs under $180 and comes with multiple grills. If the claims ring true the S2 is a great deal. The key of course is, “If the claims ring true…” According to Polk Audio the Omni S2 offers “unparalleled sound.” As they explain: “The Omni S2 is an ultra-compact speaker that lets you put Polk’s widely respected signature sound in any room of your home. The Omni S2 comes with both black and white swappable…


808’s Performer Bluetooth Headphones Are Best Used With It’s Cable

It’s always fun being able to review Bluetooth headphones over here at Gear Diary, so it was exciting to be able to review 808’s Over-The-Ear Audio Performer BT Bluetooth Headphones.   I will be the first to say this…I hate cords. Wearing a sling bag daily to and from work, I really despise having to pull my phone out of my pocket to change a tune or check a notification. Yes, first-world problems. The 808 Audio Performer BT’s are able to be used wirelessly for those of us who enjoy being cable free, or if you just have to have…


Infinity Reference 1200S Subwoofer Is All About The Bass

While not an homage to Meghan Trainor, this review is all about that bass–specifically, the Infinity by HARMAN Reference 1200S Subwoofer. An award for unique style and design should go out to the Infinity car audio engineers that came up with this unique, space-saving, low-profile subwoofer that brings excellent bass reproduction, selectable impedance, and small enclosure requirement.



AmpliTube 4 Launches on iOS with Major New Features!

IK Multimedia ‘s AmpliTube has been the ultimate guitar amp simulator since it was released several years ago, and it just keeps getting better and better! Now they have announced an entirely new version–AmpliTube 4–featuring a computer-grade DSP system, new microphone options, expanded effect sequencing options, an updated look and more! And it’s a free upgrade for owners!


EasyAcc DP100 Bluetooth Speaker-Sound Sacrificed for Aesthetics

The EasyAcc DP100 Ultra Portable Bluetooth Speaker lives up to its name, since it’s smaller than a can of soda. This tiny Bluetooth speaker puts out decent sound for its size, convenience, and price while its battery lasts up to 20 hours of playback time. This low-energy Bluetooth 4.0 speaker is now available at Amazon for $35.99.



Marco Minnemann Readies Celebration, His New Solo Tour-de-Force!

Last fall I reviewed Marco Minnemann’s excellent solo album Eeps. I called it ‘musician’s music’, “that is technically insane and that you will listen to again and again to absorb the details of what they are playing and how they are putting it together”. Now he is back with Celebration out June 1st, and it sounds awesome so far!