Speaker Month Day #5: Hipo by Ivation Hip400 Shower Speaker Review

     Yep. You heard it right. A shower speaker. The Hip400 is a waterproof, Bluetooth speaker that can play music, charge your phone, and allow you to answer calls while you are getting squeaky clean.

     The speaker itself is designed pretty well and the matte finish on the black, hard-plastic body feels nice. As for the green hook-like thing on top, that is actually what you use to hang the speaker from in the shower. Inside the body are two 3-watt speakers, a USB port to charge your electronic device, a remote on the face of the device to answer calls and control music playback settings, and a micro USB port to charge the lithium ion battery in the speaker (which is rated at 25 hours of music playback). Unfortunately, you are stuck using the Bluetooth 2.1 to play your music, as there is no auxiliary cable input to directly link your music player to the device.

     The two 3 watt speakers sound full and crisp given the size of the speaker. Distortion occurs on most tracks at 90% volume, but that is still plenty of volume for its intended purpose. The sound stage packs plenty of bass and highs, though sometimes a lot of lows and mids in the song would result in it coming off a bit muddy.

     Overall, the Hip400 is a solid speaker that works well for its intended use. The only downfall is that there is no auxiliary cable input for easy out-of-the-shower listening sessions and the speaker is a bit pricy, but so are most waterproof speakers at the moment.

Speaker Month Day #4: Tweakers miniPOP Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

     The market is flooded with miniature Bluetooth speakers. The Tweakers miniPOP, the newest speaker release by Grandmax, a small tech firm, is not much different than other small Bluetooth speakers on the market in terms of features. On the flip-side, the miniPOP is competitively priced at only $20.00 on Grandmax's website.

     Despite its humble appearance and the fact that it is even packaged in a plain white box, the speaker is well-built and has all the features you would want in a speaker this size. It feels extremely lightweight and good in the hands, things probably attributed to the fact that it has only a small, 320 mAH rechargeable battery inside of it. It also utilizes Bluetooth 2.1 and also has an auxillary cable feature if you want to directly plug in your MP3 device and play music without a loss in quality. Unfortunately, you cannot daisy-chain the speaker to other speakers to get stereo sound. 

      Another thing I found interesting about the speaker is that, despite it being rated at 3 watts (the average for speakers in its class is 2 watts), it sounded like a 2.5 or possibly even a 2 watt speaker. Compared back-to-back with the 3 watt Francois et Mimi "Trois" speaker reviewed here, the miniPOP was clearly the loser in terms of volume (but fared slightly better in terms of sound quality). On the other hand, songs playing at maximum volume on the miniPOP played flawlessly and without distortion.

     Stay tuned for my review of the Tweakers Lites, another new product by Grandmax, coming this month.  

Speaker Month Day #3: Sennheiser HD 219s Headphones Review

     Today we take a look at the Sennheiser HD 219s on-ear headphones. These will run you about $80, though there is an older version (aptly named the HD 219; without a microphone) that sells for $60. Getting straight to performance, these are not the best headphones I have heard for under $100, but there is something to be said for how light and comfortable they are, and the fact that the in-line remote can answer calls and adjust the volume with ALL devices, versus just Apple devices. Recordings made using the chunky mic on the remote came out extremely clear, with minimal static.

     These headphones have a particularly flat response. I found that in some tracks with a lot of instruments playing at once, the bass tended to get lost in the music. Highs sounded really good and pronounced though, with electronic instruments and female vocals taking the lead. Noise isolation was very poor with these headphones and I certainly wouldn't recommend them for bus commuters or for listening to music at basketball games. Sound leakage was minimal but noticeable at mid-volume.

     As long as they would be used in a quiet environment, the HD 219/219s would make a great all-around headphone for all genres minus hardcore hip-hop and rock. Their portability and comfort on the head would make them excellent for long listening sessions in the car. Of course, if you are looking for a pair of headphones that can answer calls, adjust volume, and can still play music worth its two cents, these are your cans.

Speaker Month Day #2: i-Ecko Portable Speakers Review

      Wow! Two reviews in one week! I haven't done that since I started the channel! Anyhow, today I reviewed the i-Ecko Eco-friendly portable speakers. 
     The i-Ecko speakers are great for personal listening in a quiet setting. They are backed by a great company that is certified by the Green Business Bureau, signifying the i-Ecko supports Eco-friendly initiatives such as minimized packaging and encouraging employees to volunteer their time for environmental causes.
      The speakers are a bit louder than a pair of full-size headphones at maximum volume, which is impressive considering they don't use batteries. They are also ultra-portable since the cardboard backing can be flattened. Getting them to normal shape is no problem at all, either, and just requires hooking the backings' notches together with the slits in the adjacent backing sections.
      As for sound quality, there is some distortion at higher volumes, mostly on bassier tracks, but nothing that distracts too much from the music. Highs sounded the best for sure, which is pretty typical for small speakers.
     Overall the i-Ecko speakers will be amazing for environmentally-conscious consumers on a budget looking for a set of speakers for at-home listening. Also, if you don't feel like messing with a battery, these may be the way to go.

Speaker Month Day #1: Francois et Mimi Trois Bluetooth Speaker Review & Giveaway

      I have a lot of exciting things coming to the channel this month, starting with a review and GIVEAWAY of the Francois et Mimi "Trois" portable Bluetooth speaker. In a few days you will also see reviews of some more awesome MP3 audio accessories. I will be calling this "Speaker Month."

    As for the Trois (pronounced "twah") speakers themselves, they are definitely for those individuals looking for portability and affordability. For under $30, the Trois beats out most other miniature Bluetooth speakers in its category just in terms of power. Under the "hood" is a 3 Watt speaker, which shines in comparison to the 2 Watt speakers found in most portable Bluetooth speakers of its size and price range. Sound comes out crisp and sparkly, mainly focused on the high and middle frequencies. Bass is good compared to other miniature speakers, but (predictably) lacks the the fullness found in larger, more expensive units such as the Creative D100 and the Soundfreaq Soundkick. Most tracks can play at up to 85-90% volume without distorting, which is still ample volume for listening to music in your room or playing music on the deck at a small pool party. 

 

You can win this speaker through my giveaway which ends September 15th. To enter: subscribe to my channel, "Like" my Facebook page, and "Like" the post on my Facebook page pertaining to the contest. Winner will be announced via YouTube video. Good luck!

AppBounty Review

     Hey guys! Today I posted a review on a rewards "app" that I just started using recently. It's called "AppBounty" (search appbounty.net in Safari to find it) available exclusively for Apple devices. Compared to the other rewards apps that I've downloaded, the payouts are relatively high, probably up there with FreeMyApps (review coming soon) and definitely above JunoWallet's. One of the great things about AppBounty is that you can cash out your points that you make from downloading sponsor apps in relatively low increments. I was, however, disappointed to see that $1 and $2 Amazon giftcards were marked as "Sold Out" in the rewards store at the time of the review. Nonetheless, $5 Amazon giftcards were in stock, as well as a plethora of other rewards such as Steam and XBox Live cards. Worth checking out if you have a moment!

HTC Droid DNA Review Posted!!!

     What's up guys! I got another phone review for you all! This one is of the HTC Droid DNA released in November of 2012. I managed to snag a free one (with new two year activation) at Best Buy a couple of weeks ago. It's only available on Verizon, and it sure is a beautiful phone. The 441ppi Super LCD3 screen displays even the smallest letters on webpages without a hint of fuzziness. There is also has a blazing-fast processor and upgraded graphics card in the phone. The 8MP back camera also takes some really nice pictures (in moderate lighting), especially since the phone is equipped with a separate processor coined the "HTC ImageChip" to handle picture-taking. The 1080p video also played nice on the phone and could handle recording an ATV ride quite well with minimal distortion in terms of FPS. The new HTC One really tops this phone in all aspects, but since Verizon has made the decision not to carry it, the DNA is still worth checking out if you're with Verizon, on a budget, and can't afford the S4!

     As always, if you have any questions you can post below or PM my YouTube account. Stick around for some exciting reviews in the coming weeks!