| GADGET GUIDE: GEAR GIZMOS GOODIES |
| Designed to deliver a true console-gaming experience on an iOS 7 device, the Logitech PowerShell Controller + Battery fi ts an iPhone or iPod touch. The device offers console-style, off-screen controls and a 1500 mAh increase to the connected iPhone or iPod touch. The PowerShell Controller provides access to the power and volume buttons, the headphone jack and the camera. |
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| Grado SR125i now comes in at the most affordable |
| Although it sits in the middle of the New York-based company’s six-strong Prestige range of headphones, Grado has recently slashed the prices of its cans so that the SR125i now comes in at the most affordable end of this group. From a style point of view, they have all the visual hallmarks of the Prestige series – chunky cabinets, heavy branding, thin head band and large foam pads. |
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| Harman Kardon Soho has only recently entered the headphones market |
| Ahuge consumer electronics company, Harman Kardon has only recently entered the headphones market, and the Soho is the most affordable model in its small range of cans. Harman Kardon might find itself in hot water with Bowers & Wilkins over the look, which bears uncanny visual similarities to the P3s |
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| LG LAP340 SoundPlate - high expectations |
| The LG LAP340 SoundPlate came with high expectations. LG’s budget soundbars, after all, have won group tests and Awards in the past year. In this new soundbase form, we expect LG to deliver just as good TV-bettering sound. |
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| Garage Band 2.0 for iOS |
| Apple’s claim that anyone can pick up the app and make music may accurately describe the iOS version, but the Mac upgrade is a rather different beast. Some teething problems, as well as features that have been dropped, have angered veteran users. |
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| Three Great 500 Series-Compatible Microphone Preamplifiers (Part 1) - Sonic Farm Silkworm |
| The Silkworm is an entirely new beast and is simply brilliant. The Silkworm’s gain is controlled by combining a three-position Gain switch and a variable Gain Trim control. It’s switchable from Medium to Low to High, which was a bit awkward at first; when I tried to raise the gain from low to medium, my natural reflex was to turn the switch up a click, but this actually raises it from low to high. |
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| Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter Plug-in Collection |
| Fairchild compressor/limiters are revered for good reason, as they can be heard on some of the greatest records of all time, but keeping those vintage hardware units running—complete with 20 tubes and 14 transformers—is not an easy task. Luckily for us, Universal Audio has modeled a few classic “golden reference units” from Ocean Way Studios, then added several modern touches for its own Fairchild emulations, now available direct from their website. |
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| UnderTone Audio MPEQ-1 Channel Strip |
| The MPEQ-1 from UnderTone Audio is a multifunction microphone preamplifier, DI and equalizer with several unique tricks inside. Designed by Larry Jasper and Eric Valentine builders of the UTA LC Series Consoles analog consoles—the MPEQ-1 can be used as a mic pre, mic pre with direct line out, line input and EQ line output with or without the output transformer. |
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| Spendor A6R - Outstanding Speakers Without Any Obvious Flaws |
| The Award-winning Spendor A6 speakers from 2009 have been given a makeover, with big changes including a new mid/bass drive-unit and a re-engineered crossover. You’d never know it to look at them, though, as they keep the same compact, understated design as their predecessors. |
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| SVS Ultra Tower Are Big Speakers |
| The SVS Ultra Towers are big speakers. At 1.14m tall, our piano-black review pair dwarfs the majority of the competition at this price. They’re deep too, due to their unique slanted trapezium shape. |
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| Tannoy Precision 6.4 - The Flagship Floor-Standing Loudspeaker |
| That’s not to say the 6.4s aren’t a great pair of speakers. They make a good case for themselves. But while the 6.2s blew us away with beautifully balanced sound and excellent stereo imaging, their flagship siblings fall slightly short of the same wow-factor. |
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| Apogee Quartet Four-Channel Preamplifier And I/O |
| Imagine a very-high quality, four-channel preamp, complete with DIs. Then throw in 24-bit, 192 kHz converters and a monitor controller capable of handling three sets of stereo speakers or 5.1 surround. Add to that Optical Ins (x2), MIDI capability and a WC Out. Plus a very powerful headphone output to boot. |
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| Focusrite Red 1 500 Series Mic Pre |
| Focusrite’s foray into the 500 Series format is with the Red 1 preamp. Originally released in 1993 with its striking red face-plate, the Red 1 became quite popular as a 2U quad-channel pre and was later released as a stereo pre, the Red 8. How did Focusrite squeeze its signature pre into the 500 format? |
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| PMC Twenty 23 - An Open, Engaging And Communicative Loudspeaker |
| In our 5.5m x 4.5m listening room, we never feel left wanting. Their design might not immediately give away the premium price tag in the same way the Tannoy Precision 6.4s do and they might not be able to compete with the scale and power of the SVS Ultra Towers, but instead the Twenty 23s wow us by just being beautifully balanced. |
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| BenQ RL2455HM Gaming Monitor - A Feast For A Gamer's Eyes |
| It's not an exaggeration to say that BenQ takes gaming displays more seriously than many other monitor makers out there. Whilst there are a lot of PC displays out there that are made for artists and designers, gaming displays are still a very niche market. |
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| Equator Audio D8 Studio Monitors |
| The $777 per pair D8s are nearly identical to the D5s, feature-wise: all wood cabinetry, gray finish, coaxial/time-aligned woofer/tweeter arrangement, XLR and TRS inputs, stepped sensitivity control, three-position boundary switch (bass roll-off, “sculpted” and flat settings), front face port, limiter/driver protection, and short circuit and thermal protection. |
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| Eventide H9 Harmonizer Multi-Effects Pedal |
| Breaking new ground is never easy, but that’s exactly what Eventide has done with its H9 Harmonizer Multi-Effects Pedal. Incorporating the latest in blue tooth technology, iOS app control and sheer simplicity, this small but powerful floor unit can reproduce the sounds of all of Eventide’s stomp boxes and then some. |
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| Yamaha STAGEPAS 600i All-In-One Portable PA System |
| As 1000 W Class D amps in near-bullet-proof cabinets become the unofficial rule in pro-grade portable PA (PPA) systems, lightweight all-in-one systems are growing up, too—just in slightly different ways. |
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| The MeMO Pad HD 7 - A Stylish And Portable 7-Inch Value Tablet |
| When we look at tablets costing less than $240 we start seeing compromises and can come away feeling that, for one reason or another, they aren’t to be recommended. There are compromises with the Asus MeMO Pad 7 HD, but on the whole they are compromises we can live with. The hardware design is a key example. |
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| Panasonic TX-L65WT600 - The Best 4K Ultra HD TV |
| TV manufacturers continue to pursue a 4K agenda, even though standards (unlike Ultra High Definition images), aren't clear. Panasonic, though, has stolen a major lead over the competition, with the launch of its first 4K set, the 65in TX-L65WT600. |
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| Sony HAP-Z1ES - A Hi-Rez Media Streamer (Part 2) |
| Even compressed tracks and internet radio stations sound relatively luxurious through the HAP-Z1ES. A 320kbps AAC rip of Eminem’s Bad Guy obviously lacks the dynamic headroom and outright resolution of the CD original, but the Sony’s forgiving ability to unearth detail and keep the organization and rhythm of the track intact is a real highlight. |
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| Sony HAP-Z1ES - A Hi-Rez Media Streamer (Part 1) |
| The HAP-Z1ES is a serious statement of intent from Sony. This is flagship stereo hi-fi, but the fact you’re looking at a server and not a CD player shows modernity and gives an indication that the Japanese giant is taking the future of music consumption seriously. |
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| Hi-Fi For The Long-Haul (Part 4) |
| The Fiio E17 looks more like a portable MP3 player than a petite headphone amp/DAC. Nevertheless, it’s still portable enough to slot in your pocket and be considered in the same class as the DragonFlys and D3s of this world. |
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| Hi-Fi For The Long-Haul (Part 3) - Cambridge Audio |
| Cambridge Audio already has a couple of very capable DACs on its books in the shape of the DacMagic 100 and DacMagic Plus – but these are both reasonably hefty desktop units that require mains power. The ultra-portable DacMagic XS that completes the range is a dinky USB model. |
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| Hi-Fi For The Long-Haul (Part 2) - AudioQuest |
| The DragonFly created a huge buzz when it launched in 2012. AudioQuest took a DAC and headphone amp, two traditional hi-fi components, and served them up in a great-sounding, consumer-friendly package. |
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