|
|
Featured Reviews
Up one level
|
This is a review of the new EMP E56Ci Center Channel & E55WI On-wall surround speaker system integrated with E55Ti towers, and dual ES1010i subwoofers. Valuable set-up info is given.
|
The Klipsch SW-311 sports a 10" active & 2 passive 10" drivers & 500 watt amp. It's a small subwoofer packed with excellent technology & performance earning our "Medium Room" Bassaholic rating.
|
Recently Reviewed
The Pioneer SE-MJ591 Stereo Headphones are, hands down, the best sounding earphones I've ever had the pleasure of testing. The imaging is phenomenal and rivals my experiences with $20k a pair electrostatic speakers. The sound quality is rich and vibrant and, if you are anything like me, you'll start rediscovering your music collection. They are designed for both critical listening and portability, making them perfect for multiple applications. While they'll reveal all the flaws in your poorly recorded/encoded music, they'll also reveal all the beauty in the high-quality recordings. I didn't find them very comfortable to wear, though you may feel differently. At $300, these aren't inexpensive headphones but, if you care about sound quality, you'll likely feel it is money well spent.
AirPlay has been a technology we've been extremely impressed by. If you're in the apple ecosystem it's bound to be a part of your life if you're buying current AV products and love the idea of streaming music wirelessly. Logitech just released their first AirPlay-enabled speaker, the Logitech UE Air Speaker. The UE is Logitech's abbreviation of a company they purchased back in '08, called Ultimate Ears. The Air Speaker, which looks like the business end of a Hammerhead shark, is pretty cool-looking, with minimal buttons and an integrated iPhone/iPod dock that retracts into the base when not used.
Are the Sonomax PSC-250 Sculpted eers the best ear-buds I've tested? Yes. By far. Of course, that's a short list right now. But even when comparing them with my full sized Denon AH-D1000 and Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones, the Sonomax come out on top. They may not have the flattest frequency response, but they have a very full and rich sound and is a joy to experience. The molded earpieces means that you've got a set of earbuds that are tailored just for you and, paired with the earhooks, will take an act of extreme violence to get them off your head. If you are looking for high-end audio even when working out, check out the Sonomax PSC-250 Sculpted eers. You won't be disappointed.
The XL7F’s are a three-way, four driver, floorstanding loudspeaker system from a relatively unknown Canadian manufacturer. At around $1k/pair, they’d seem to be a pretty good deal from their specs on paper. But imagine our surprise when we realized they actually cost under $500/pair delivered to your door with a lifetime warranty! In tough economic times, it’s always refreshing to find bargains to help fellow budget-minded Audioholics reach their goals of sonic nirvana. While the Fluance XL7F’s don’t represent the pinnacle of loudspeaker technology compared to some price-no-object systems, they get about as close to that goal as any floorstanding speaker in this price class and arguably even a good amount more. If you’re looking for an attractive, well put together floorstanding speaker that will give you plenty of bass and good sound on the cheap, give these babies a try. Highly Recommended!
For almost 19 years, Bose has been successfully marketing their Wave Radio Music System. Over the years, they've added new features such as a CD player, and alarm functionality and even color options. Today when we logged into the Audioholics Facebook page we noticed a post from Bose linking to their "new" Wave Music System III along with the following quote "It’s not a makeover … more like a make better. Bose Wave music system III." We were interested to determine whether or not any audio enhancements have been made to this unit, so we opened up a chat window with a friendly Bose support staff member to get the scoop.
MartinLogan is typically known for their hybrid-electrostatic loudspeakers; however, they are now trying their hand at more traditional speakers, with a twist. The Martin Logan LX16 two-way bookshelf speakers ($799 pr.) utilize a proprietary Folded Motion tweeter. Martin Logan has reached a new price point, and consumer demographic, with the entire Motion Series. I found the LX16s to stand up to the MartinLogan name. No, the LX16s cannot really compare to MartinLogan’s iconic hybrid electrostats, but they shouldn’t be expected to at only a fraction of the cost. The LX16s have a beautiful finish, excellent aesthetics, and come in a reasonably small package. The 5.25” midrange driver hammers out a surprising amount of bass, and the Folded Motion tweeter is crisp and clean, if not a little bright. These speakers would work great in a standalone 2.1 system, or as main speakers in a 5.1 system. If you are in the market for good speakers with above average looks, give these a listen.
Aperion Audio, who is known for making loudspeakers and delling them direct-to-consumer, has done something different. It's developed a wireless speaker for Windows. That's right, not for AirPlay, but for Windows devices. Today they gave Microsoft employees a sneak preview of this newest wireless speaker, the Aperion ARIS. The ARIS lets digital music lovers listen to their tunes from any room in their home. They simply place the speaker where they want it and connect via wireless or Ethernet to their home network using the Windows 7 (or Windows 8 Consumer Preview) operating system.
So, I hear your wife won't let you install a real 5.1 system in her living room... Wait, let me try that again. So you're in an apartment and can't hang those surround speakers on your ceiling... Whatever the reason, soundbars are a viable alternative for those who - try as they might - can't pull off a true discrete speaker system. We were kinda excited about this Soundbar because it's from harman/kardon. Those guys know speakers. It didn't mean that this one, the harman/kardon SB 16 Active Speaker Soundbar would necessarily sound great - but it definitely gave it a fighting chance.
Somebody needs to put AirPlay into a car audio system. Cause that's about the only place we haven't seen it yet. In fact, Apple's wireless technology seems to be steadily infiltrating the home audio segment. We'd say Gear4 is jumping on the bandwagon, but they're too early to market to slap that on them - they're one of the pioneers. So this is Gear4's new AirZone Series 1. It's a stereo speaker that can dock your iOS device, stream music from AirPlay, take audio from an auxiliary source, play FM radio and it smells like bacon. It doesn't really smell like bacon, but if it did I would totally buy it. I would.
Speakers
The following sub-folders are contained in this folder:
View All Articles in Speakers
|
http://www.audioholics.com
|
