Hi-Tech Design

The RS 120 is a very affordable open supra-aural design headphone option from Sennheiser’s fine line of wireless headphones. Like most Sennheiser products, the RS 120 has pretty good sound including deep basses. The RS 120 controls are easy to use and intuitive.

Set-up is a breeze right out of the box. One of the nicer features is Sennheiser’s “Easy Recharge” system. The transmitter also works as a charging unit. Just place the headphones on an attractive metal cradle when you’re not using them and you’ll likely never have to worry about batteries. It’s very convenient.

Get yourself a pair of Sennheiser’s here at amazon.

Lots of Neat Features:

• Nice sound reproduction with good bass and middle tones
• Controls are simple and set-up is easy out of the box
• Attractive metal cradle automatically recharges headphone batteries
• RF Wireless reception works through walls and ceilings up to 100 meters (328 feet)
• Controls are located directly on headphones including volume and on/off switch
• Can use multiple headphones to receive the same RF signal from a single transmitter

Great Wireless Reception

Wireless reception is also consistently good. They work on an RF wireless system (unlike Sennheiser’s more expensive wireless headphones that use Kleer technology). The specs say they receive transmissions up to 100 meters (328 feet) from the base.

This is really good range, though you might have reduced sound quality and hear a little interference at the very outside of it. It’s something to be conscious of only if you’re setting up a wireless audio system in a really big house. They do transmit through walls quite well.

Customer Feedback

Here’s what one owner wrote on amazon.com about his RS 120s:

After researching other brands, I settled on the Sennheiser RS-120′s and have no regrets. I didn’t know wireless headphones could be this good… Sound quality is excellent. Bass is strong, mids are prominent, and highs are crisp… Build quality is very good. They are light weight, and much sturdier than the other Sennheiser RS phones.

The charging system is simply superb. No messing around to get the contacts just right… I have worn them for almost 10 hrs. straight, and the batteries have never run down. They are very comfortable as well. I was worried they would get uncomfortable after wearing them for a few hours. I was wrong. They have never felt uncomfortable.

This review was paraphrased. Read original review here.

 Technical Details

• Frequency Response – 22-19,500 Hz
• Transducer Principle -  Dynamic, Open
• THD - < 0.7% 
• Max. SPL - 106 dB
• Ear Cupling - Supra-Aural 
• Modulation - FM Stereo 
• Power Supply - Via 2-AAA batteries
• Weight (without cable) - 230g (7.2 oz.)
• Range - Up to approx. 100m (328 ft)

With the Sennheiser RS 120 headphones, the possibilities are endless. No more complaints that you’re playing your thrash metal too loud. Jam to your favorite tunes while mowing the lawn. Indulge your secret love of Broadway show tunes without anyone finding out.

These headphones are the perfect complement to your digital music system. All things considered, for wireless headphones in this price range, you won’t find a much better choice out there.

Buy the Sennheiser RS 120 headphones through this Amazon link.

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With the unveiling of its newest digital music system the Play:3, Sonos has also redubbed its other digital music system models to align them with their new image. To clarify its status as the big brother to the Play:3, a 3 speaker, stand-alone system, the ZonePlayer S5, with its five internal speakers, has been renamed the Play:5.

The ZonePlayer 90 is now known as the Sonos Connect, denoting its ability to integrate with existing audio and home theater equipment. And the ZonePlayer 120 is called the Sonos Amp, to signify it has an internal amplifier and only needs to be paired with a set of speakers.

Rounding out the name changes are the Sonos Bridge, formerly the ZoneBridge, the Dock, a wireless docking station for your iPod and iPhone, and the Sonos Control, their optional remote once called the Controller 100.

No matter what they’re called, Sonos has a fantastic lineup of digital music system models that will please almost everyone.

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

M-Audio’s line of studio speakers are best sellers within the music industry, and now they seek to dominate the home market as well with their new, high-quality AV 40 speakers. These are said to be serious multimedia speakers with highly accurate sound quality.

And they’re the perfect match for your digital music system. Whether you hook them up to the Touch or Duet from Logitech or the Sonos ZonePlayer 90, you’re sure to be pleased with the room-filling sound these speakers offer.

Audiophile Quality Components

While most multimedia speakers intended for home use are relatively cheaply made mainly from plastic, these speakers utilize the kind of premium woofer and tweeter components that are trusted by musicians, composers and producers throughout the professional recording industry.

The M-Audio AV 40 speakers are capable of rich lows and crystal-clear highs, and they feature wave guides for the best possible sound clarity and detail. The casing of the speakers is made of wood to get an even tighter, punchier sound. They are perfect for not only recording but for enjoying crystal-clear audio when listening to music or watching movies or television.

Get yourself a pair of AV 40s now through this amazon.com link.

Top features of the M-Audio AV 40 Speakers:

• 4″ woofers coated with polypropylene for a tight bass sound
• Ferrofluid-cooled silk cone tweeters capable of crystal-clear high tones
• OptImage III tweeter wave guides capable of superior image clarity and detail
• Magnetic shielding that makes it ideal for safe use near computer monitors
• 1/4″ TRS balanced and RCA unbalanced inputs in the back panel for connecting other electronics such as game systems, sound mixers, DJ equipment and musical instruments
• 1/8″ stereo auxiliary input for connecting personal computers, CDs or other audio equipment
• Front-panel headphone output in case you need to connect headphones to the speaker
• A wood cabinet designed with bass reflex in mind for a deep yet clear bass sound

High Praise from AV 40 Owners

The M-Audio AV 40 speakers currently have a four and a half star rating from customers on Amazon.com. Those who gave the product positive reviews say that the sound quality is great, especially for a “computer” speaker and especially for the affordable price.

Reviewers have also praised the elegant look of the speakers which are a cut above most home speakers on the market. These speakers are ideal for anyone who wants a high-quality sound system for a low price.

 One current owner writes on amazon.com:

The M-Audio AV 40 speakers are what I expected – great reference monitors that offer equal levels of sound across every frequency. I’m using them with my computer and the bass is tight & terrific and the trebles are crisp. Taking into account their size, look and features, the AV 40s are exactly what I needed. 

Review edited for length – Read original review here.

As you can see, there’s no way you can go wrong with a pair of AV 40s. Sure there are better speakers out there, but when you look at other models in their price range, the AV 40′s exceptionally high-quality sound and construction makes them the best choice for your digital music system setup.

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

You have a pretty impressive CD collection. Friends marvel at the towers of jewel cases you’ve amassed over the years and wonder aloud how you manage to keep them so organized. Yes, it’s a point of pride to have such a diverse array of music at your fingertips, something for every occasion. You smile as your friend recognizes and admires your commitment to and investment in music.

But are you really experiencing your collection as much as you could be? You’ve ripped some of your favorite CDs to digital formats, but doing them all is such a daunting task, you don’t even want to think about it. If only someone would do it for you….

This is where a CD ripping service such as Ripstyles comes in handy. For as little as $.25 a disk, you can have all of your music converted to the digital audio format of your choice. If you’d like to have it in two formats, say MP3 for your portable player and FLAC for home, it’ll cost you just a bit more. The best part is, most companies will send you the shipping supplies for free and insure your disks as well.

Let’s look at some of the features available with most ripping services.

(There may be an addition cost for some of these.)

• Free shipping both ways
• Meta data – album, artist, track, album artwork
• Instructions on how to get everything to your computer
• Copying your digital collection to a portable device or hard drive you provide (or purchase from them)
• CD cleaning and repairing
• Turn around time can be less than a week
• Can also convert cassette tapes, VHS tapes and other media to digital formats

So now that you don’t need your CDs anymore, what should you do with them? Two of my favorite ideas are turning them into “scarecrows” in you garden and using them for skeet shooting.

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

Today Sonos introduced its newest digital music system, the PLAY:3. Smaller than the S5, aka PLAY:5, the new player has three built-in speakers each with a dedicated digital amplifier. And just like the S5, you can pair two of them in the same room and have dedicated left and right audio channels.

To make it more versatile than the other models, the PLAY:3 can be positioned vertically or horizontally. The system automatically detects which position it’s in and adjusts the speaker output accordingly. If that’s not cool enough, you can mount it on the wall or under a counter with the optional mounting kit. At just 12″x9.5″x8.5″ and under 8 lbs it will fit almost anywhere.

As with the other Sonos products, the PLAY:3 streams all your favorite internet radio stations, subscription services and personal music collection. Set up works the same as other models, and you control it with the dedicated controller or one of several apps available for Apple or Android.

The PLAY:3 goes on sale today at the following prices: $299 USD, $329 CAD, $419 AUD, 299 EUR, 259 GBP, or 2980 CNY.

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

MP3, FLAC, WMA – You see these acronyms when you’re dealing with your digital music, but do you know what they mean, and better yet, when and why to use each one?

There are many different audio file formats, and each one treats sound recordings differently. Some, like MP3s, are popular because they offer relatively good sound quality in a smaller file size. Others, like WAV, may be preferred for their superior sound and “Lossless” feature. (We’ll get to that term shortly.)

In a nutshell, audio formats have four features that need to be considered when deciding how to store your music – compression, data loss, bitrate, and developer support. A Fifth consideration is how the format is supported on the digital music system you’re using.

Audio Format Features

Compression - Most audio formats shoot for the smallest file size possible. They accomplish this by deleting unnecessary bits of data similar to the way a zipped file works. All the data is still there, so there is no loss of sound quality. WAV and AIFF are the only formats that do not use compression; all others do to some extent.

Lossy or Lossless – A lossy format is one that produces a smaller file size by throwing out some of the data. MP3 is one example. Obviously, they try not to delete so much that you’ll notice a decrease in quality. A lossless format keeps all of the data when compared to the original recording. WAV and FLAC are two popular lossless formats.

Bitrate - Measured in kilobits per second, it just tells you how much data is in the stream. The higher the bitrate, the better the music quality and larger the file size. 128 kb/sec is considered average quality, whereas 320 kb/sec is very high. A codec, which is the software that translates the music from digital bits to what you hear, can either have a variable bit rate, “VBR” or constant bitrate “CBR”.

Developer Support - Just like most of everything else in the world of software, audio formats can be open source or proprietary. Open source means that the code is available to anyone to extend or improve its functionality and typically enjoys greater support in the developer community. What this means to you is that the format will probably be around longer than proprietary ones. FLAC, WAV and MP3 are all open source. Two popular ones that are not are Apple’s AIFF and Vorbis.

Device Support - Audio formats are either natively supported by a music player or they are transcoded. If it enjoys native support, it means your digital music system can handle the decoding internally. Formats that are not native must be translated into a native format before your device can play it. If you have no way of doing the transcoding, say through a media application like Logitech’s SqueezeServer, a non-native file format will be unplayable.

Decision Time

So, after taking all of this into consideration, which file format should you use for your digital music system? The answer depends on several factors such as how much disk space you have, how sensitive your ears are to the loss of sound quality in lossy formats and whether or not you need a small file size for portable devices.

Many people keep two copies of each track – one in a lossless format like FLAC and another as an MP3 for portable devices. This system ensures they have a high quality version for home use and a small file size version to take with them. Ultimately, though, it’s your call.

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Well, today is your lucky day! Sonos just announced it is slashing the price of its ZoneBridge in half – down to $49. While even with this price adjustment Sonos models are still more expensive than comparable Logitech ones, it does help to bring down the cost of implementing a Sonos system for your house.

You can purchase a ZoneBridge at the discounted price through this Amazon link.

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

Sonos announced on June 1, 2011 the addition of two new global radio services to the Sonos experience – AUPEO! Personal Radio and Stitcher SmartRadio. After registereing at AUPEO! or Stitcher, all Sonos customers around the world can tune in to these services for free. After registering, go to the Music Menu on any Sonos Controller, touch More Music and add the service to your ZonePlayer.

John MacFarlane, CEO of Sonos, Inc. said:

Our goal at Sonos is to continuously connect our customers with all the music and radio on the planet. Providing them with two free, innovative radio services like AUPEO! and Stitcher enhances their listening experience and increases their entertainment choices at home.

AUPEO! Personal Radio

AUPEO! Personal Radio, now free with every Sonos system, is an Internet radio platform that lets you stream music for free and offers an excellent music discovery experience. Build your personal radio station starting with a music genre and hone it with “Love” and “Ban” buttons! Choose from 100+ Genre Stations, search for a specific artist on Artist Radio or tune your Personal Radio with the Mood Selector to match your mood. Plus, AUPEO! is offering all Sonos customers a free 14-day trial of AUPEO! Premium, which features ad-free listening and higher streaming audio quality.

Stitcher SmartRadio

Stitcher SmartRadio, now free with every Sonos system, is a podcast and Internet radio service that streams all of your favorite podcasts and radio shows, on-demand with no need for downloading or syncing. Choose from more than 5,000 shows in news, comedy, sports, talk, and entertainment. You can even personalize your listening experience by “stitching” together your favorite shows to create a customized playlist and discover new shows based on your past listening preferences.

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

by Deanna Mays

Sound Quality
Features
Functionality

The Duet is on sale for $225 through this Amazon.com link.

If you’re shopping for a digital music system to connect to your stereo that won’t break the bank, you have to check out the Logitech Duet. Packed with features, like a built-in, 24-bit DAC and a wi-fi remote, your friends will think you splurged on a high-end system. And just like any other Squeezebox, setup takes mere minutes.

The Logitech Duet is 50% off at Amazon through this link.

The player also has support for most music formats. You’ll be able to play music stored on your computer, free internet radio, and all your subscription music services like Pandora and Rhapsody. The wi-fi remote comes with a charging stand, and it works with all your other Squeezebox players.

Watch This Video Demonstration of How the Duet Works:

Purchase the Duet cheapest through this link to Amazon.com

Let’s check out all the features of the Logitech Squeezebox Duet:

• Connects to your existing audio equipment or powered speakers
• Includes an intuitive, wi-fi remote with a 2.4″ color screen, rechargeable battery, and recharging stand.
• 24-bit, built-in DAC for crystal clear sound
• Add up to 32 players for a whole-house music experience
• Supports all major digital music formats for playing your personal music collection
• Remote control displays album art or connect to your Flickr account to display your photo collections

Buy the Logitech Duet for 50% off through this Amazon link.

Who is the Duet Designed For?

1. People with an existing audio setup who want something small to stream music with
2. People who want a remote control included with their system

So, if you thought you were priced out of the digital music system market, this is your chance to jump in with both feet. For about $200 you’ll get a player with incredible, hi-fidelity sound that you can control from anywhere in the house.

Here’s what owner Jason M. has to say about the Logitech Squeezebox Duet:

We got the Logitech Duet about two weeks ago. It was so easy to set-up. Basically just connected it to the stereo, entered our wireless network password, let it update and within 15 minutes, voila! – music. Finding our local NPR station was a snap, and so was connecting to our internet music services.Sound quality is superb! Streaming audio is amazingly clear, and our MP3 collection sounds terrific. The remote works really well. It’s nice to be able to adjust everything from it and to see the name of an unfamiliar song. We’ve also used the software on our computers to control the duet. It works flawlessly.Since getting the Logitech Squeezebox Duet, we listen to so much more music. We’ve had no problems at all and really enjoy this fantastic music player!

Paraphrased for length – Read original review here.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Logitech Squeezebox Duet:

Duet

Squeezebox

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