The Art and Science of Sound: Grado Labs and Logitech
How often do you consider all of the things that must happen in order for humans to hear the world around them? Sound occurs when air molecules move, and the way the molecules move is determined by the shape of the object creating the movement. It’s that same movement that causes your eardrum to vibrate, and then your brain must interpret those vibrations. There are factors like sound-wave frequency that the human brain interprets as pitch, both high and low, and air pressure levels affect the volume of sound. We discuss a lot of audio equipment here at Truly Obscure, and after doing some research, the conclusion we arrived at is that we are genuinely grateful that there are people out there like Grado Labs and Logitech that understand sound better than we do.
For instance Grado Labs has created the Prestige SR80i which demonstrate an outstanding grasp on the way sound works. These cans feature such things as a vented diaphragm, a 4 conductor connecting cable, and a dynamic transducer. We don’t fully understand all of the science behind these things, but we know that when assembled in the way that Grado has done produces a set of headphones with rich mid-tones, punchy bass and clear high tones. There were no pops or crackles with these cans, the sound was full and clear regardless of what we were playing, though we were partial to old Billie Holiday. Comfort was never an issue with these headphones, we were able to wear them for extended periods of time with no pinching of our ears or pressure over the top of the head. In our opinion the Prestige SR80i performed just as well, if not better, as some of the most expensive personal audio systems on the market. Between the extremely reasonable price tag of $99 and the quality of sound it’s no surprise that the Prestige SR80i’s are considered to be some of the best headphones available. We highly recommend picking up a pair for your favorite audiophile, even if (or especially if) that audiophile is you! The packaging and styling might feel dated, even ancient- but we love old school if it means good sound and solid materials at a great price. Look for the Prestige SR80i on Grado’s website, or on Amazon.
Now something for those of us not looking for the ultimate personal listening experience, but rather a way to use our iPhone or iPod as a primary music source. There is a never-ending supply of iPhone/iPod docks that one can purchase. From whole room systems to portable ones, what you choose should be determined largely by what you plan on using the system for. Logitech recently released the Rechargeable Speaker S315i, which boasts nearly 20 hours of playtime when used in the power saving mode. While we can attest to this estimate, we don’t recommend choosing this mode for regular listening. The sound quality goes from respectable when it’s plugged in or running off of AA batteries, to dismal at best in power saving. Some of the things we really liked about this dock is that it’s shielded, which means we were able to use our iPhones without putting them into airline mode. It’s simple to use, and has a 3.5mm auxiliary audio input on the back to accommodate non-Apple MP3 players. There was no case or remote included, which is a bit unusual for this type of speaker/dock unit; we wish there had been one of each. The Logitech s315i doesn’t take up much room, is durable and quite portable though. A solid choice for a dock, especially if you’re looking for one that’s easy to use with an iPhone. Look for them on Logitech’s website or on Amazon for around $130.
