Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re in the business where you have to record the occasional interview, why spend your money on a dedicated digital audio recorder when there’s a good chance you’ll already have a laptop computer with you. The Narae Recorder Mini is a compact microphone that simply connects to the mic-in jack on your notebook, and is capable of recording sounds up to 32 feet away. To be honest though, the only thing this really has going for it is its compact size. You can connect any microphone (non-phantom powered) to your laptop with the right cabling, but thanks to its small size this one could easily be mistaken for a Bluetooth or wifi dongle. So it might be handy if the person you’re talking to doesn’t actually want to be recorded and you need to keep it on the down-low that you are. No word on pricing or availability, but you can probably assume it isn’t going to break the bank.

[ Narae Inter to roll out its high-performance microphone ‘Recorder mini’ for notebook pc ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even though it’s not actually Summer yet, everyday feels more and more like it is. So if you’ve already got the backyard pool opened up, this floating Homer Simpson themed radio will provide you with a constant flow of songs from your favorite AM or FM radio station while you enjoy the water. Homer floats on his back while the can of Duff beer balanced on his gut is used to tune the radio and adjust the volume. He requires a set of AAA batteries to run, and I can only assume that the battery door, speaker holes and beer can tuner are all waterproof, otherwise the splash from a single cannonball will probably kill this radio star.

You can find it at Drinkstuff.com for about $40.

[ Homer Simpson Floating Radio ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever dreamt of having some sort of superhuman power? Perhaps you’d like super strength, or even something as simple as super hearing. Well thanks to these strange Batphones you’ll not only have super hearing, but you’ll also have the beginnings of your super hero costume. Be warned though, someone’s already taken Batman, so you’ll have to think up a different name for yourself.

Essentially these are simply a passive amplification device which work much the same as cupping your hand to your ear. I don’t really see these being all that useful, as they would likely diminish your ability to hear sound coming from behind you. Oh, and you’ll look like a complete idiot when wearing them. They’re only a concept for now, and lets hope that they stay that way.

VIA [ Yanko Design ]

By Evan Ackerman

I’m not an especially big fan of Monster Cable. I’m sure they produce quality equipment and stuff (not that it really matters), but they have a nasty habit of suing people, including Monster Garage (the TV show), Fenway Park (home of the Green Monster), Pixar (over Monsters, Inc.), and a variety of smaller audio companies. Most recently, Monster Cable has sent a cease and desist letter to Blue Jeans Cable, claiming patent infringement on its RCA connectors.

Happily, the president of Blue Jeans Cable, Kurt Denke, spent 20 years as a lawyer and knows how to respond to what are apparently frivolous threats:

“My observation has been that Monster Cable typically operates in a hit-and-run fashion. Your client threatens litigation, expecting the victim to panic and plead for mercy; and what follows is a quickie negotiation session that ends with payment and a licensing agreement… I do not compromise with bullies and I would rather spend fifty thousand dollars on defense than give you a dollar of unmerited settlement funds.”

You can read Kurt Denke’s entire response to Monster Cable, which makes them out to be a bunch of amateurish jerks, after the jump. It’s long, and if you have a short attention span, the best parts are the last few paragraphs… But if, like me, you enjoy watching smart people stand up to gigantic companies arrogantly trying to muscle their way around, you’ll get a kick out of the whole thing. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

The Clari-Fi is a small adapter designed to sit between your MP3 player and your headphones that will supposedly clean out any digital artifacts from your compressed sound files. Their website claims that by removing these artifacts you’re left with clearer, more natural sound, that is also less likely to damage your hearing.

The device actually uses a small bit of circuitry which draws power from the headphone jack, so it’s not just a case of it being some high-end, super-expensive cable. And while I admit I haven’t actually tried the Clari-Fi for myself, the words snake & oil do come to mind. Maybe some PR-talk about the technology behind the device will convince me of its usefulness.

At the heart of the clari-fi is a proprietary semiconductor technology developed over the past three years in San Jose, CA using custom Silicon. This technology allows for real-time compression of digital audio, removing harmful digital artifacts and ’spikey-ness,’ while retaining the music’s original acoustic tonal quality, and improving its clarity and richness.

Nope, still not convinced. But if you’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, the company actually sells two versions specifically tweaked for listening to music or podcasts. The Clari-Fi Music sells for $59.95, while the Clari-Fi Podcast sells for $49.95.

[ Clari-Fi ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Luke Anderson

Growing up in a family of musicians has given me a fairly good ear, though I’m by no means an audiophile. I just know good sound quality when I hear it. I had the opportunity to test out ableplanet’s latest high-end noise-canceling headphones.

The difficult thing about testing audio equipment is that unless you have something to compare with, it’s hard to be fair. Luckily I had the chance to pit their Linx Audio Clear Harmony headphones against a comparable set from Bose. After listening to a couple of selections with both, it was clear that the Linx Audio set were of a much higher quality. Not only could I not hear a single thing going on around me (which seemed like a miracle in that environment) but the mids were much clearer.

You’ll have to pay for a quality set of headphones like these. The ones I tested out will run you around $300, which isn’t too outrageous if you’re into music recording, or something similar that requires the clearest possible sound.

By Andrew Liszewski

This Light-Up Singing Elvis sign sitting on your desk probably won’t revitalize your career like it did for Elvis at his 1968 Comeback Special. But it will literally be a shining example that you’re still a fan of the King, long after his passing. It’s only about 9 inches wide but when you plug it in it will glow with all the class and impeccable taste Elvis was known for. In terms of controls there’s a 3-way on/off/flashing switch for turning it on, and a button that will play Don’t Be Cruel sung by none other than Elvis himself.

You can get it from What on Earth for $54.95. Kind of expensive, but far cheaper than a trip to Graceland if you need your Elvis fix.

[ Light-Up Singing Elvis Sign ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Whether you agree with analog audiophiles or not, there’s no denying they’ll go to great lengths and spend mountains of cash to recreate what they feel is the ‘perfect sound.’ Case in point, a company called The Tape Project is now selling albums on 1/4-inch reel-to-reel tape that they claim is as close to listening to the original analog masters as you can get. (Without buying a recording studio.) Here’s a description of their process:

Master tapes are created on the Stubb-U-Sonic analog system in the Camellia mastering studio at the 1340 Mission studio complex. The mastering monitor system uses custom designed Magico loudspeakers and Bottlehead tube electronics.

Running masters are made directly from session or mix tapes, mastered on an ATR Services 1″ two track ATR 100 with custom de Paravicini electronics, by Grammy Award winning mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine.

These 1″ running masters are played on a 1″ Ampex MM1200 master tape machine conversion by ATR Services, using the legendary Ampex MR-70 tube reproduction electronics custom modified by Tim de Paravicini.

Your master duplicate is recorded in real time at 15 ips in two track format on 1/4″ tape, on one of four tightly matched Ampex ATR 100s. During the duplicating process the tapes are constantly being monitored by an engineer, assuring that every tape is a perfect copy of the master.

Each completed 10.5-inch reel is engraved with a catalog number indicating the A and B sides and is given a unique serial number. It’s then packaged and delivered in a leather grained setup box with gold foil embellishment and if you think all that attention to detail doesn’t come cheap, you’d be right. A subscription which includes all 10 albums currently in their catalog will set you back $2,000. There’s also a selective option that will get you any six albums for just $1,200. And don’t forget about picking up a reel-to-reel machine and a decent set of speakers in order to actually enjoy them.

[ The Tape Project ] VIA [ Retro Thing ]

By Andrew Liszewski

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a creation by Ireland’s most famous inventor? (Who cares if Thomas Edison was actually Dutch? On March 17th everybody’s a little bit Irish.) This build-it-yourself phonograph kit comes with everything you’ll need to recreate Edison’s waxed pipe experiment, except that since waxed pipes have gone the way of HD-DVD, it uses plastic cups to record your message.

The only thing you’ll need to provide are a Philips’ head screwdriver, some scotch tape, scissors and a D-cell battery to power the motor. And by recording your own music you’ll never have to worry about the RIAA busting down your door, unless of course you start transferring your CD collection to plastic cups, as I’m sure that doesn’t fall under fair use rules.

[ Cup Phonograph Kit in Edison Style ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Luke Anderson

I recently acquired an iPod, which is a little odd since I’ve said time and again that I don’t really need one. However, I probably use it for playing music less than anything. As you might have guessed, it’s a Touch. Sure, I do use it to listen to tunes now and then, however, when I’m at home there’s no need to for it, as almost any room that I’m any for long periods has some way of accessing my music collection easily. However, if you’re looking for a way to transmit music from your iPod to your home stereo, this iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge from Monster looks pretty cool.

The small rectangular device you see plugs into the bottom of your iPod and transmits music to the base station, which hooks into your stereo. Since the device is going directly into your iPod, you’ll just use the controls on it, rather than some other remote. This sleek accessory will set you back $99.95.

[ Monster ] VIA [ Crave ]