Category Archives: Review

V-Moda Crossfade LP Review

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The excellent Klipsch Image One headphones I reviewed last year have been my default headphones since I bought them. At $150 I feel that these headphones are the best option around. However, what happens when a $200 headphone drops to $100?V-Moda Crossfade LP

The retail price for the V-Moda Crossfade LP headphones is $200, a $50 premium when compared to the Klipsch option. But with the V-Moda Crossfade LP2s on the market, the originals are going for a song! With a drop in price that drastic, I figured it was time to see if these guys are worth the rock bottom $100 street price. Continue reading →

Kanto Yaro speaker review

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So you took advantage of Black Friday and picked up a sweet 50 inch HDTV, a Angry Birds-toting Roku 2 XS and a great Xbox bundle. But what good are all these new toys if the audio coming out of them is flat, boring and anemic?

In November, I received an email from the people at Kanto Speakers asking me if I would be interested in reviewing their new speaker system. It’s called the Kanto Yaro, a two-channel audio system, made especially for owners of streaming setup boxes like the Apple TV, utilizing audio technology by the venerable Bang & Olufsen (the makers of beautiful speaker systems I could never dream of affording). I of course said “YES!”

Kanto Yaro digital stereo system
Kanto Yaro digital stereo system

The Yaro is a breeze to setup, dramatically improves on the stock audio from your television and does it with panache. But does its performance match the $330 price tag?

Continue reading →

Zagg invisibleSHIELD Review

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In my four years as a proud and lucky owner of an iPhone, I have come to the conclusion that there are generally three camps of iPhone owners. On either extreme are the following:

  • Those who like to live on the edge never putting their iPhones and other gadgets in a protective case. When their screens crack they either wear it as a badge of honor or pay the $75-125 for a fix.
  • Those who fear that at any moment gravity, keys and beer will team up to absolutely annihilate their cellphone. They keep their phones in bulky cases and are constantly replacing their screen protectors as they themselves get scratched up.

I fall right about in the middle. I always have my iPhone and iPad in a slim but protective case with a screen protector, but I have never purchased an OtterBox or even more extreme, the recently announced Case-Mate Tank. While I do value protection, I still want my devices slim and sexy, OtterBoxes are neither slim nor particular sexy, unless your phone is into BDSM of course.

Zagg invisibleSHIELD for iPhone 4S
Zagg invisibleSHIELD for iPhone 4S

The Zagg invisibleSHIELD has become my de facto device protector used with a slim-line case. It provides the best scratch protection I have ever experienced, lasts longer than any other screen protector I have tried and comes with an unbeatable warranty. Not only that, it can even improve your cellphone’s signal strength! Continue reading →

ZaggSparq 2.0 Review

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Around a year ago, Ryan bought a Samsung Epic™ 4G Android phone which, at the time, was pretty much the coolest phone in town, at least on Sprint. He loved it for its bright screen, slide-out keyboard and 4G data speeds. That last part had even me jealous. My iPhone 4 was blown away by the data speed on the Epic 4G.

ZaggSparq 2.0
ZaggSparq 2.0

Problem was, the battery life on this phone was dreadful. It got to the point that his phone was only getting a few hours of standby power. Even with 4G turned off, and the supposedly incredibly efficient AMOLED screen, battery life was abismal. So when Zagg had a 50% off sale on just about everything on the site, I picked up a ZaggSparq 2.0. Continue reading →

Headroom Total BitHead Review

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Two months ago I purchased the Headroom Total BitHead with the intention of both enjoying the sonic benefits it would provide me and to review right here. It is a device I have been dying to play with for years. That being said, unless you found this post by Googling the gadget, chances are you have no idea what this $149 device is or does.

HeadRoom Total BitHead
HeadRoom Total BitHead digital audio converter and headphone amplifier

The Headroom Total BitHead is a portable headphone amplifier and digital audio converter. It plugs into your portable music device using a headphone jack or into your computer via USB to provide you with a superior audio experience.

When plugged into a computer it uses the USB port for power, otherwise it runs on three AAA batteries. It’s important not to use rechargeable batteries or cheap batteries. That is covered in the Clipping section.

So you ask yourself, “Why would I need or want one of these?”

  • You have some fancy, high-impedance headphones that can’t quite get to the level of loudness or fullness you’d like and expect after spending hundreds.
  • Your portable music player’s audio output is weak and you want more oomph.
  • You listen to audio through your computer but hear interference from things like the hard drive or motherboard and need something to rid you of this annoyance.

This audio gadget resolves these issues. The high quality Burr-Brown digital audio converter (DAC) bypasses the noisy sound card in your computer. Onboard sound cards (like those found in cheap computers and laptops) are the most prolific offenders. Meanwhile, the (also Burr-Brown) amplifier boosts output signal; helpful for bigger headphones like my Sennheiser HD600s which simply can’t run off an iPhone with much gusto.

For those of you who want a quick answer on whether they should buy the Total BitHead. Yes, it is worth purchasing, especially if you have any of the three problems listed above. In some cases, however, it is a waste of money. To learn if it meets all its claims of magically better audio, my pet peeves on its design, when it is a waste of money and why it’s worth every penny, I suggest you keep reading. Continue reading →