Reviews related to : Media players
The words ‘All In One’ normally relate to a printer that also copies and scan. Here it is an audio device that has everything in a single unit that measures 38x18x11cm. So you have DAB+, FM, Internet Radio, CD, Spotify, Podcasts, Bluetooth Audio and Auxiliary Input via 3.5mm socket.
The initial setup is controlled from a 6x5cm screen on the top of the unit, the first thing is to connect it to your Wi-Fi network once done you see a screen that displays eight icons in two rows of four. Control can be from buttons in front of the screen and you can move through selections sequentially. There is also a small remote control that allows you to make changes from the comfort of your chair.
This is a voice and audio recorder from Olympus who while they are probably best known for high end cameras also do extremely good voice/audio recorders so any new device from Olympus be in photographic or audio is always of great interest.
The Olympus LS-P4 is called a Videographer Kit. I am surprised my spell checker did not have a fit over Videographer a clever word new to me but one that describes it use very well for a photographer who wants top quality sound. This with the right camera taking video would give excellent results far better than what was the option a few years ago a Camcorder. The recording unit is 11x4x1.5cm and weighs only 75grams with the supplied ‘AAA’ rechargeable battery inserted.
Are you old enough to remember Ghetto Blasters? Then if you increase the size and weight you have a rough idea of this rectangular box however the sound it gives even from a low level stream from a mobile phone via Bluetooth is well, that vastly over used word WOW.
It is 49x22x31cm, it weighs 9.5kilos and is available in Blue, Red, Orange, Green, Yellow, White, Grey or Black. The one I was sent was Blue. It has a very solid feel and has a black leather carry handle screwed into the top of the unit. You can purchase it with an optional cover and or battery pack, the latter is said to give between 15-20 hours playback time at a good volume level, I was sent the Classic without the options, so the mains lead that is provided needs to be used at all times.
Do you suffer from poor Wi-Fi coverage then Zyxel may have a solution for you. This Tri-Band Router allows you to increase the area covered over that offered by the majority of other similar devices simply by not sticking to one waveband.
Unlike most this is an easy setup and everything required – even a good length Ethernet lead is supplied, just plug the Multy X into your modem insert the power supply and download the App – yes App – and then once the App is linked to the Multy X you get a white light on the Multy X and you just plug in whatever you want to and it works. It is even possible to get Amazon Alexa to control Internet time for children using Multy X.
Very different to the original first launched in 2014 and a little bit different to Chromecast 2 launched two years ago. It really is just a matter of plugging into an HDMI port and downloading an App to your phone the link is almost instant and then almost anything on your phone can be ‘cast’ to the HDMI screen be it on a TV or computer.
The original Chromecast was an oversize USB stick which meant at the very least it would obstruct ports either side of the one you connected to and in most cases you would need to hang it from an extension lead. The latest model is small and circular and is attached to a short lead so it gets away from the other ports on the rear of your TV or panel. It has a 1.5metre micro USB to mains lead plug so in most cases this is long enough but you can always use an extension lead if required.
Sometimes it is worth taking a second look at a product that failed to impress the first time.
It was about two years ago that I first encountered the Chromecast technology that allowed user to stream content from the small screen of a mobile device to the larger viewing area offered by a television set. It has to be stated that my experience with the product and technology was hardly inspiring. In fact I was so disappointed that I quickly put the product to one side and forgot about it as more appealing offerings grabbed my attention.
Having recently resurrected the cassette player groov>>e now think that the portable CD Player still has legs. Certainly while I have downloads the majority of my audio collection is still on CD but is that only a generation thing.
The Groov-e GVPS110 retro CD player measures 15x12.5x2.5cm and weighs not a lot. It runs on ‘2xAA’ batteries or a DC power supply neither are supplied. There is a small circular display that shows track number and elapsed time. The majority of the unit is black apart from the top which is a silver grey colour.
This device turns an Audio System without Bluetooth into an Audio System with Bluetooth providing you have either RCA jacks or a 3.5mm audio input, however it has an extra not found on a lot of other devices it also has Wolfson DAC.
The One For All Bluetooth Music Receiver measures 10.5x6.5x2cm and you should add another 2cm to the middle figure to allow for whatever cables are inserted into it. Supplied in the box is a DC lead to small power brick this lead is 1.8metres long, also a 3.5mm to 3.5mm lead that is 1metre long and a small RCA pair to 3.5mm plug that is 10cm long.
I thought I would have reviewed my last cassette player quite a long time ago but if someone now brings one out they must think there is still a demand, perhaps the mix tape as a way of breaking the ice with a partner may be making a comeback.
Having reviewed other Roku items the Roku 2 seems something that until now has passed me by so when offered one to review I thought I would put that oversight right. Roku are one of the big companies in streaming things to your TV the box claims ‘1500+ channels’.
Sound Bars have been around for a while, they started life as a means of improving the quality and range of the poor quality TV sound, they had one drawback the need for space in front of the TV which could be a problem, enter the Sounddeck and the TV sits on the deck.
This is a quality item and as we all know quality is not cheap. A while ago I visited the then new Harrods Technology Department and today you should be able to see most of the Raumfeld range there. It is 73x39x9cm and it has a chunky rubber foot at each corner to sit it on and to allow sound to percolate from under the unit, these feet raise it another 10cm from whatever you sit the Sounddeck on. Both sides and the front are covered in black fabric and behind it are the speakers.
The popular Ivy Restaurant was the location where I first cast eyes on the subject of this next review.
The CEOL Carino is a Denon audio system that has been designed to combine USB connectivity to a computer and Bluetooth streaming from a range of mobile devices when delivering its audio content. Decked out in a fairly fingerprint resistant lacquered black (there is a white version), this kit consists of the main Carino box, two satellite speakers and a small remote control unit.
Here a more recent solution a record deck that allows you to play your music and even make a digital copy of it. It also has a radio and a CD player, so a complete audio system, should you want more than just an MP3 copy add one lead and a PC and you can.
While it is sold as ‘Retro’ in many ways it is bang up to date. It is creamy white in colour with a clear Perspex lid, the feet are chrome coloured. While it has a twelve page manual all in English the layout could be better. Diagram with numbers on the right hand page and then the key on the left hand page to follow.
The thing that enticed me to look at Roku 3 was its ability to stream sound so that you can have no sound from your TV and still hear sound through the ROKU 3 unit to headphones or earbuds, ideal for those who dont want to disturb others.
I have not seen either the Roku 1 or Roku 2 which I understand are still available. You will need to purchase an HDMI cable to connect the small 8x8x2.5cm box to a port on you TV. It comes with a small power brick – 1.5metre lead – that also connects to the Roku 3 box. Both these connections are on the rear of the box split by an Ethernet connector – you can also connect via Wi-Fi - below the HDMI connector is a Micro USB port.
On a recent visit to a UK preview of an American Consumer Electronics Show, I was introduced to a product designed to stream content from various sources. This product is Roku 3.
Offering to act as a media centre device, streaming content from different sources, is the designated aim of the Roku 3. This product is rather small, measuring just 27 x 80 x 80mm (H x W x D), and is predominately lacquered black in colour with a matte silver logo on the front face. Included in the box is an enhanced remote control, in-ear headphones set, 2 x AA batteries, AC power adapter and a slim Getting Started booklet.
Here something that I have not looked at recently a couple of MP3 players, both from Sony. The first is a water resistant offering mine was white. The second in more normal black a unit that claims a quick charge time of only three minutes.
This is an all in one unit with the earbuds fixed into the player unit. With some earbuds you can choose to hang them directly from the ears of to take them round your neck, here there is no choice as the ‘C’ shaped band will only locate in the ear if you then go behind your neck. The stretched out length of the band connecting the two buds is 33cm but is will always return to two ‘O’ shapes.
The Boxee Box could be regarded as a hybrid product. D-Link, the source of this particular offering, has combined the free Boxee media software with its own hardware kit in order to offer the user a solution to the conundrum of creating a home-based media centre for their entertainment needs.
Recently I have been checking out the Boxee Box as part of my home network computer set up. The results were not always as positive as I would have liked as the Boxee Box proved to have a temperamental side to its make-up. Lets start with the actual kit before getting down to the performance.
A DAB/FM Radio is just two of the things that this unit does, the Wireless Internet ability will give much more than Internet Radio, Pure Lounge and Media Player ability, the touchscreen or infra red controls make this more like a computer.
The nearest shape I can call it is an egg, it is 17x28x18cm and weights just less than 2 kilos, it can run on a ChargePak (internal rechargeable battery pack) but I doubt that many will walk around with the Sensia 200D Connect. Unlike most DAB units the visible controls are not obvious and consist only of volume up and down, mute and on/off. Everything else is controlled from the large 11.5x9.5cm touchscreen which is full colour and easy to read.
Do you remember your first one? I am, of course, referring to your first portable media device such as an MP3 player.
I have just had a flashback – fortunately it was not painful but it did remind me of my first MP3 player. This was a device, whose antecedents I have forgotten, that I won as a prize in a charity raffle. Actually it was not the prize attached in my winning ticket – that was a signed Chelsea football shirt from the period when Dennis Wise played for the club and they had just won the FA Cup.
With so many people turning to iPods or MP3 those like me who have large CD collections need a way to condense the output and this offering allows an easy way to transpose to WAV, MP3, Flac or Ogg Vorbis with little effort from you.
This comes with a rather good database that identifies most published recordings and fills in all the information for you while it is ripping your CD’s. Then with your library stored you can create playlists of simple select by Album or Artist what to play by just using the remote and the units display, just attach headphones or speakers.
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