Archive for October, 2006
The studio-grade Sennheiser HD 2809 Pro headphones block out noise passively. They’re heavy and bulky—and they sound terrific. Response is effortless and natural throughout the sound spectrum. Low- frequency response is nothing short of amazing: You can actually feel the lowest notes before you can hear them.
The HD 280 Pros block noise effectively, but they don’t work as well as the Bose QC2 headphones. And although the thick circumaural pads are comfortable for long listen- ing sessions, you may find, as we did, that the tightness against your head ultimately becomes oppressive. The long, weighty, coiled cord and screw-on quarter-inch adapter make the HD 280 Pros a rugged choice for home or studio use; you’d have to be highly committed to high fidelity, though, to take these heavyweights on the road. Quieting: 15 dB; Frequency response: Professional; Comfort: Very good.
Review by mp3.com
Sennheiser’s ruggedly constructed HD 280 Pro high-performance headphones feature comfortable leatherette ear cushions, a headband, and a foldable design for compact storage. Weighing a relatively lightweight 10 ounces, this $199 model has a 10-foot coiled cable fitted with a 1/8-inch miniplug. Sennheiser also includes a 1/4-inch adapter for use with a home stereo.
Our listening tests started in our living room. The naval battle scenes sprinkled throughout the Master and Commander DVD amply demonstrated the HD 280s’ power and glory. These ‘phones can play loud, and their bass definition was quite good, though not the equal of Ultrasone’s mighty HFI-650s. But this well-recorded DVD sounded crisp and clear on the HD 280 Pros, with the sort of detail you hear only from high-end speakers.
Review by TechReviewer
During my early LAN party going days (small, private ones) I always dragged my speakers along with me, after a while it just became a hassle to bring them along. Finally, I decided to start bringing some small lightweight headphones along with me instead of my speakers. Sony MDR-CD60 were the first headphones I bought since they had a good reputation for making quality headphones. They were alright for the time being, but the headphones were completely flat and had no bass whatsoever and just weren’t cutting it anymore (plus it’s left channel stopped working anyways!). I set on a quest this time to buy some new high quality headphones that would be long lasting like the old school Sony MDRV6 headphones. After a week or so of researching and comparing I decided on the Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones; it was at a decent price and had great sound quality!
Review by CompuKiss.com
The nice folks at HeadRoom Corporation sent me a large box of headphones to review. After giving my ears a good workout, I chose my favorite. The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Ear-cup Headphones get my vote for sound quality as well as the most bang for the buck. These are closed, circumaural, headphones. For you headphone novices: Closed means that there is no opening in the back for the sound to escape. This feature gives you sound isolation and allows you to use the headphones without disturbing others. Circumaural means the ear pad go over and around the entire ear. When wearing these headphones, the outside word becomes oblivious. So, all you men had better remove them when your wives are speaking to you.
Ushering in a whole new era of out-loud audio for iPod, the inMotion iM7 delivers full-bodied sound that rivals traditional home stereo systems. Its sleek, compact design goes where you go. Mobility is encouraged via the iM7’s long lasting battery mode. Or plug into a nearby outlet for AC power. The iPod recharges while you listen. Your dockable iPod is secured within a patent pending universal cradle that gracefully opens and recesses with the touch of a finger. The iM7’s impressive sound comes from highly advanced neodymium drivers and tweeters, plus a powerful, built-in subwoofer. A wireless remote provides across-the-room command of both the iM7 and iPod, allowing perfect adjustment of your music. Now, your iPod has an ideal traveling companion, the inMotion iM7. Just give it a listen and you’ll know why!
Review by mp3.com
Altec Lansing has been churning out portable speakers for the Apple iPod and other audio devices long enough to have it down to a science–at least that’s what the company’s latest iPod-ready product would have us believe. The inMotion iM7 portable audio system is one of the best sound systems we’ve seen designed for Apple’s champion MP3 player. In fact, the iM7 is comparable to the much-extolled Bose SoundDock, yet at $249, it’ll cost you $50 less.
Review by Playlist Magazine
Until recently, if you wanted a compact speaker system for your iPod, you were forced to compromise: portability or sound quality/volume. That’s not to say you didn’t have any good options; we’ve been big fans of portable systems such as Altec Lansing’s inMotion iM3 and iMmini ($180 and $130, respectively), and Logic 3’s iStation ($100). But although these compact systems are great for throwing in your suitcase or laptop bag, their volume levels are limited (by both their size and their 4AA batteries) and their sound—though good considering the size of the systems—isn’t comparable to that of “home” or “desktop” speaker systems. On the other hand, Bose’s $300 SoundDock provides impressive sound quality and volume in a compact desktop/bookshelf package—but you have to give up battery-powered portability.
Review by PC Magazine
The tube-shaped Altec Lansing inMotion iM7 is a combination Apple iPod dock and portable speaker system. The iM7 adds a little oomph to the company’s inMotion line, providing room-filling sound in a stylish white and gray casing.
The iM7 is part of a growing trend in this product category, in which portable speakers are becoming larger, heavier, and louder. It offers several advantages over Bose’s Editors’ Choice-winningSoundDock Digital Music System, not least of which is that it can run on either batteries (eight D-size alkalines) or AC power. The iM7 also makes more sense for iPod users than, say, the Virgin Boomtube EX by virtue of its integrated iPod dock connector, though the Altec Lansing system is much larger and heavier. The iM7 impressed us enough to name it our Editors’ Choice, though the SoundDock will retain its EC award for non-portable systems because of its slightly superior sound.
Review by lordpercy.com
The word portable is often misused and a devices portability is linked to the users ability to transport the device rather than its size. So when we first saw the inMotion IM7 system portable seemed a little unlikely as its somewhere between mini systems and the bigger JBL sound dock.
Altec Lansing have broken from the tradition of earlier IM series devices and made the IM7 a tubular design made of the same metal mesh but with a good dose of iPod white plastic and even a splash of grey rubber. The design is reminiscent of the 80’s boom box with a unique cassette like loading system for your iPod. The inMotion IM& will take any size iPod from the smallest mini (4gb) to the full size fatty the iPod photo (60gb), adjusting the holder is achieved by a wheel on the back of the unit which twists until your iPod is held firmly.
It may be only a couple of weeks since we first started seeing reviews of Thomson/RCA’s Lyra X3000 portable media player, but that hasn’t stopped the company from announcing a successor, the X3030. Like the X3000, the X3030, due out in May, can handle WMA, PlaysforSure, Audible and DivX files, and has a 3.6-inch LCD display. In fact, the main difference between the two models appears to be a bump in hard disk size, from 20 to 30GB (gee, that must be why this is the X3030). RCA has kept the suggested retail price at the same $399 level as the X3000, so if you like the Lyra’s specs and 20GB will do it for you, now might be a good time for you to grab an X3000 from a clearance bin.
Review by CNET
RCA continues its portable video player parade with the Lyra X3030, the upgrade to the company’s short-lived X3000. (In fact, the X3030 was announced just as we finished our review of the X3000 in April.) In addition to a much-needed boost in capacity (particularly for $400), the X3030 adds protected Windows Media Video support and DivX certification. Otherwise, the two units are virtually the same–feature-packed playback and recording devices that could be a little easier to use.
Review by LetsGoDigital
Thomson announced retail availability in the US of the Lyra X3030 by RCA, a pocket-sized 30GB Personal Multimedia Recorder that enables direct recording of audio and video content from multiple sources and is capable of storing dozens of movies, hundreds of hours of music and thousands of photos, all in the palm of your hand. Because the new Lyra unit utilizes secure Windows Media (WM10), video-hungry consumers can easily access purchased content from Zvue, the video download store from HandHeld Entertainment, to download more than 120 hours of DVD-quality music videos, TV shows and movies onto the Lyra X3030. The unit also works with other Microsoft PlaysForSure subscription and download stores such as Amazon’s newly launched Unbox service.
Featuring a built-in FM tuner with programmable presets, the NW-E005F is the perfect MP3 player for the gym, the daily commute or traveling. Store up to 1,350 of your favorite tracks with 2GB of built-in memory. Easily transfer data without the use of a cord with a built-in USB connector, and the quick battery charge features gives you up to three hours of playback with just a three-minute charge. View song titles, battery life and time/date information on the 1-Line Organic Electroluminescence Display. The NW-E005F Walkman® player is available in black, green and violet.
Review by Engadget
You’d think a company that’s been around since 1915 could’ve come up with something a bit more exciting, but it looks like this is all Braun Phototechnik has to show for 91 years on the market. Their new lineup uniformly fails to perform, but we’ll give you a rundown just in case you were on the market for a shoddy, Asian-manufactured German cam with heritage. Up top we have the D800, which sports a 6.2 megapixel CCD, but interpolates up to 8 megapixels for no good reason. The camera also sports a 2.4-inch LCD, 3x optical zoome, 32MB of internal memory and video recording mode.
Review by Audio-Video Store
Featuring a built-in FM tuner with рrоgrаmmаblе presets, the NW-E005F is thе perfect MP3 player for the gуm, the daily commute or traveling. Store up tо 1,350 of your favorite tracks with up to 2GB of built-in memory for uninterrupted playback even whilе carrying the Walkman(R) player during most active uses. Easily transfer data without the use of a cord with a built-in USB connector and the quick battery сhаrgе features gives you uр to three hours of playback with just a three-minute charge.
Review by PC Magazine
The Sony NW-E005F Walkman is a member of Sony’s latest entry-level line of flash-based MP3 players, the E000 series, intended for digital audio newbies. It’s basically a USB thumb drive that plays digital music files with a built-in FM tuner and a one-line OLED screen. The player is relatively simple to use, and its small size and light weight make it perfect for exercising and casual listening. But its subpar audio quality, combined with a lack of on-the-go playlisting or PlaysForSure support, prevents me from recommending it to experienced listeners despite its low price.
Beneath the ZEN Vision W player’s classy magnesium surface is everything you’ve been looking for in a mobile entertainment device. Carry all your digital entertainment-15,000 songs, tens of thousands of photos and up to 120 hours of videos-wherever you roam. The patented ZEN interface couldn’t be easier to use. This premier MP3 player with a large 4.3″ color screen allows for excellent TV, movie and photo viewing in 16:9 format. ZEN Vision W features a Plug&View compact flash card slot that lets you quickly transfer photos from your digital camera. No PC needed! Free up precious memory space in your compact flash card during long photo shoots by archiving tens of thousands of photos on your ZEN Vision W player. Enjoy your favorite photos and videos with a few friends over lunch. Connect yo…
Specifications
* 30 GB multimedia device holds tens of thousands of photos, up to 120 hours of video, and up to 15,000 songs
* 4.3-inch WQVGA wide aspect, high-resolution TFT LCD screen delivers crisp, clear details
* Built-in Compact Flash memory card slot lets you transfer pictures directly from your camera
* Connect the Vision W to a projector or TV with the included AV cable
* Measures 5.27 x 2.95 x 0.87 inches (WxHxD) and weighs 9.7 ounces
Review by PC Magazine
Creative has literally expanded its Zen Vision line with the new Zen Vision:W portable media player: the W stands for widescreen. Unfortunately, the player isn’t particularly sleek, and its audio battery life is shorter than it should be for a device this size. Still, at $299.99 (direct) for the 30GB model (or $399.99 for the 60GB model), there’s enough to like about the ZVW. The one thing that could have put this product over the top, however, would have been an optional video-recording feature along the lines of the Archos 604 and its optional DVR docking station.
Review by CNET
Look around. There’re plenty of people who seem to be perfectly content with watching videos on their too-tiny screens. Mobile phones and miniature flash-based MP3 players are the general causes of squinty eyes. But take a look at dedicated video players like the monstrous Archos AV700 with the 7-inch screen and things assume a new perspective.
Review by mp3.com
The Zen Vision:W quickly brings Creative up to speed in the blossoming world of portable video. And how could it not, with its splendid 4.3-inch wide-screen display, intuitive control set, removable battery, and CompactFlash slot? Bulkier than the aging Zen Vision, this aggressively-priced 30GB ($299.99) or 60GB ($399.99) portable video player definitely marches to its own beat, forgoing the DVR functionality that makes the Archos 04 series and Cowon A2 so special. But with more sources of compatible video content becoming available via online stores and TiVo, should we care?