News and reviews of audio products, including FireWire and USB input interfaces, podcasting, microphones, and more

Review: G-Go water-resistant Bluetooth speaker impresses

Lex Friedman — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 -0700

The G-Go water-resistant Bluetooth speaker is shaped something like a Dustbuster or an iron, but it sounds a lot better than either of those appliances.

iHome's iW2 AirPlay speaker system betters its predecessor for less

Lex Friedman — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:00:00 -0700

iHome's iW2 AirPlay speaker system is small but loud, with good sound and well-implemented features.

Spider Realvoice headphones are a pleasure to listen to

R. Matthew Ward — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Spider's Realvoice in-ear-headphones don't give you the clearest and most-detailed audio available, but the Realvoice makes music a pleasure to listen to.

SRS introduces iWow Universal audio enhancer

Jonathan Seff — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Following up on its iWow 3D for iOS devices, SRS Labs has announced the iWow Universal, an audio-enhancing dongle for any product with a 3.5mm headphone output jack.

TechHive: Multi-Dimensional Audio could be the future of sound

Jonathan Seff — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:00:00 -0700

SRS Labs' Multi-Dimensional Audio (MDA) has the possibility to change how we think about sound.

Bowers & Wilkins previews new Apple-compatible headphones

Joel Mathis — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:00 -0700

British high-end audio manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins only recently jumped into the headphone business, but the company is already expanding its product line: On Thursday it announced the new Apple-compatible P3 headphones.

TechHive: Which music subscription service should you use?

Christopher Breen — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:30:00 -0700

Seeking access to millions of tracks? A subscription service can provide it.

Review: Big Jambox is like the original, only bigger--and better

Lex Friedman — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:01:00 -0700

Jawbone's sequel to the acclaimed Jambox speaker is notably bigger, and this is a case where bigger really is better.

Review: Logitech UE Air impresses, but audio quality is just decent

Lex Friedman — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Logitech's UE Air AirPlay speaker system gets a lot right, from its simple setup to its wireless performance to its built-in iPhone/iPod dock cradle. But it's audio quality is unremarkable.

Review: Onkyo's SBX-300 Music System offers good sound for any i-device

Lex Friedman — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:30:00 -0700

Onkyo's SBX-300 iOnly Bass Dock Music System works with iPads, iPhones, and iPods, providing good sound and looks. It's especially appealing at current street prices.

The Week in iOS Accessories: Listen up!

Joel Mathis — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0700

There are a million accessories for listening to music from your iPhone or iPad, and this week’s roundup includes about half of them, plus items to help you hold your phone or use it as a laser. Yes, a laser.

Review: Scosche IEM856md In Ear Monitors offer great sound

R. Matthew Ward — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:45:00 -0700

At the $250 list price, Scosche's IEM856md and IEM856m canalbuds aren't cheap, but they offer great, well-balanced sound with no glaring weaknesses. Their substantially lower street prices make them potentially great values.

Review: Apogee Mic is a flexible Mac and iOS microphone

Christopher Breen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

If you need a small, high-quality microphone that's at home with your Mac as well as with your iPad or recent iPhone, Apogee's Mic is worth your consideration.

Weekly Wrap: iPads new and old, Foxconn, and Mac tips

Lex Friedman — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:00:00 -0700

Get the 411 on what happened this past week in the latest edition of Macworld's Weekly Wrap.

Bugs & Fixes: Problems pairing iPhones to Bluetooth audio systems

Ted Landau — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:15:00 -0700

Ted Landau reports that some people are having difficulties pairing their iPhones with their Bluetooth car audio systems. Here are your options.

Review: Lower East Side Audio Dock Air is a quality AirPlay speaker

Lex Friedman — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:30:00 -0700

The Lower East Side Audio Dock Air sounds amazing and doesn't take up much space, but it's not without some odd design choices.

Review: Behringer U-Phono UFO202 offers an inexpensive way to digitize LPs

Christopher Breen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:30:00 -0700

If you're looking for an inexpensive interface for digitizing your LPs, Behringer provides it in the form of the U-Phono UFO202.

Review: Four desktop amplifiers/DACs compared

R. Matthew Ward — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 05:30:00 -0700

We tested four desktop amplifiers, each with a built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC), aimed at turning your Mac into a quality desktop audio system.

Opinion: Imagining a future free of data caps

Christopher Breen — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:45:00 -0700

You can’t build fast networks and expect customers to perform slow-network tasks on them because doing otherwise breaks the bank. Christopher Breen weighs in on what can be done to satisfy customers and carriers.

Review: Scosche BassDock is a solid speaker, stand, and charger for iPad

Lex Friedman — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:00:00 -0700

The BassDock is a very good iPad charging stand, and the integrated speaker is plenty powerful, too.

Review: SpeechMike Pro a nicely-designed dictation microphone

Kirk McElhearn — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:30:00 -0700

Philips recently released Mac OS X software for their SpeechMike Pro LFH3200 handheld microphone allowing it to be used with Macs and with Nuance's Dragon Dictate.

Apple TV (third generation): What you need to know

Macworld Staff — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:25:00 -0800

The third-generation Apple TV, unveiled Wednesday, shows Apple is taking its hobby just a little bit more seriously, thanks to improved video support and an overhauled interface. But there are still plenty of questions about the latest edition. Here’s what we know so far.

Review: iMainGo XP iPad speaker case is good for watching video

Lex Friedman — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800

The iMainGo XP is an iPad case that doubles as a speaker. It's a clever idea, and it works well for video-watchng, but it's bulky and it doesn't sound great for music.

Review: Logitech's Bluetooth-enabled Wireless Boombox is slim and portable

Lex Friedman — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800

The Wireless Boombox from Logitech is slim and portable, but you may be better served by its sibling, the S715i.