Holiday Sounds from Grace Digital, Altec Lansing, Blue Mics
We’ve got a little something for everyone this holiday season, from kitchen equipment to video cameras and webcams. Sure, you may have already went out and done your holiday shopping yesterday- but for those who are procrastinating or just waiting for the right item, here are three different audio gadgets that can easily belong on your gift lists.
For those with an iPhone, or looking to get something special for the Apple iPod lover who does a bit of recording on the go, consider Mikey from Blue Microphones. We’ve previously tested their Eyeball webcam, which established their audio bonafides. Mikey continues their tradition of creating studio-quality mics, this time in a nifty and durable add-on for any iPhone or iPod Touch. Offering stereo recording, and the ability to tilt the mic for better positional/directional focus, it’s compatible with the iPod Touch 2G, nanos 2G and later, iPod classic models and iPhone 3G or 3GS- but the iPhones only in airplane mode unfortunately. It also works with the many recording apps out there, whether you’re using Blue Fire (their nice, free field recording app but lacking MP3 support) or the many versatile competitors.
We were blown away by the audio quality when compared to other mics, though the unit is definitely a bit bulky and does take up the dock connector (no pass-through). They claim it fits most protective cases, and the three we tried worked fine (though obviously your experience may vary). The built-in adjustable gain control is pretty handy for fine-tuning your recordings, though it can take some practice before figuring out what works best in a situation. They suggest setting it to 3 for concerts, 2 for lectures, and 1 for things like interviews and taking voice notes, which we found to work pretty well. It can be surprisingly sensitive, picking up fairly quiet sounds and noise, but handles louder shows and rapid volume changes pretty well, without much distortion. It was a bit too easy to pick up wind noise though, a problem for most microphones of course. They have some great samples available on the site, and we don’t doubt that anyone who records audio on their iPhone will like Mikey. At between $50 and $90, it’s a pretty great buy, especially if you can find it on sale from a store like Amazon.
If you’re looking for something a little larger, something for the person who either doesn’t have a home system with a lot of digital audio or has one but might want access to it from the kitchen or another room, then Grace Digital has your back. Their GDI-IR2000 Wireless Internet Radio is similar to other units we’ve checked out- it’s better in most ways than the C. Crane unit but more expensive as well, a bit more fully-featured than the Myine Ira, but not as good (or as pricey) as the Squeezeboxes that we’re fond of. It offers a great set of abilities and features, like free Pandora streaming, and even the ability to connect to your Sirius satellite radio channels (with subscription, through the third-party service Reciva, which did give us issues). Audio streaming is fairly straightforward for those with a large iTunes or MP3 collection (or even AIFF, WAV, AAC, or WMA though not OGG or copy-protected iTunes files), though no computer is necessary. Internet radio stations were even simpler- BBC and other foreign stations, or many local/weather/police scanners are a click away- but Last.FM is absent.
The alarm clock was pretty great- multiple alarms are a nice addition- even if the clock itself is a little small. It looks nice, even if it isn’t super sturdy, and is lightweight enough to move around. We had no issues with the wireless setup; it can connect to any 802.11b or g router (no built-in ethernet port for network connectivity unfortunately). A rear audio jack allows for auxiliary input from an iPod or other device, a separate minijack audio output is available, and the remote control is decent (even if it won’t be winning any awards). And we liked the iPhone app that allows you to control your radio using your phone. But we weren’t impressed by the audio- the 5W single speaker lacked bass, couldn’t fill a room, and felt a bit tinny and flat regardless of the audio source. The knobs and controls also felt a little weird- the power button is small, for instance. Overall, it’s a decent unit, filling a good middle ground between the higher end boxes while offering a good feature set. You can choose from black or white, and look to pay about $150 online or in some stores.
If the speakers on the above unit don’t grab you, you can always connect it to a set of external ones. We’ve looked at a few other units from Altec Lansing, including the recent review of their Backbeat 903s, and have usually liked the value of their speakers. The Expressionist Ultra MX6021 are their current high-end computer set, a 2.1 system that offers 200 watts of sound in a pretty intriguing package. Reviewers differed on the look, which is similar to the rest of the line, like the 2.0 Expressionist Bass system which offers decent sound for quite a bit less money.
The best part of the Ultras was the handy remote control, which was both attractive and easy to use, offering control over power, volume, and tone (bass/treble) as well as access to both an auxiliary input and a headphone output, and even some fun LEDs thrown in for style. The subwoofer was decent, though front-firing instead of the more normal (and better sounding) down-firing. Setup is simple, and the units feel solid, but we were slightly disappointed in the sound. When played back-to-back with their sibling model and home audio speaker systems, they simply didn’t perform much better than their lower-end counterparts- more powerful and able to play louder, but lacking a bit in clarity, separation, and depth. The Expressionist Ultras are pretty good, but considering the difference in size and the relatively high price (they run about $150-$170), you might be better off spending a bit less for the 2.0 Expressionist Bass or a bit more for another system.
