GoPro HERO5 Black UnBoxing

Review Audioengine A5 Powered Speakers

I love music, I don’t have a talent in that but generally listening in music helps me to do things better then without any music.

That why I have music wherever I go and whatever I do, be it at work, or at play.

Recently I embark to improve my listening experience at home to get an improvement from my existing audio setup. iTunes (in apple lossless when possible) à Creative Xmod à Altec Lansing ATP3. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great budget setup and I think this costs less then 150 SGD if you get it today however I predict I will be spending more time in my room in near future and don’t really want to be wearing my UE11 at home.

My 1st attempt at improving my current setup was a disaster, decided to go for the cheaper upgrade route by keeping my Creative Xmod and just upgrade the speakers to Creative Gigaworks T3. What a mistake, I made my decision to get a 2nd hand T3 just by 5 mins with the T3 at Creative retail shop and also online reviews.

Maybe I am pampered by my UE11, the T3 while having very nice treble and crazy amount of bass, it ALMOST de-voided of any mid tones, the easiest way I can explain mid-tones … okay I can’t explain mid-tones, basically it makes the music sound FULL and WARM. The Creative T3 sounds very clean and clinical, the crazy amount of bass (even at minimum settings) made it worst. It’s like having your ears jabbed with something sharp over and over again whilst having someone slap you with a big flat fan. Okay, I think I am making it sound worst then it actually is. But trust me .. for MUSIC, the combination of Xmod and Gigaworks T3 is really bad, no mid-tones and flabby bass all over the place. This results in what we call ear fatigue, when you can’t stand listening to the speakers over a long period and makes you tired and irritable from listening to it. I couldn’t take it and sold the T3 at a loss of 10 SGD after a month of using it.

My research bought me to the Audioengine A5 and the ESI nEar 05 which is highly recommended by members of the audio community. After narrowing down to these 2 models, I set off to Adelphi to do an audio test of these 2 speakers. Unfortuntely, ESI is no longer carried by jaben, instead I was directed to some ulu place and contact some stranger. Arrghh .. right, no way I am going to go for a wild goose chase just to test out some speakers.

Since I was at Adelphi, went ahead to test at Audioengine A5 at CD Acoustic with Jimmy (really nice guy).

My quick impressions of the various speakers tested at CD Acoustic.

Test Equipment: iPod Classic 80Gig
Connector: 3.5mm Male to Male Connector
Music Bitrate: Apple Lossless

Audioengine A2

1st speaker we tested, our first impression was WOW .. such nice vocals, like concert hall. Very nice .. and this was from an audio CD that Jimmy played from CD Player. Decided to play different genres of music from iPod Classic. Hmm okay .. the bass isn’t that good. Tight but gets distorted at some range and apparently, if it’s too loud, the speakers will shut down to protect itself, but still .. very decent pair of speakers if using it for small room or office.

Audioengine A5

This is the big brother of A2, the significant but not sole difference is that the A5 has a charge/docking station on top of one of the speakers, it also has a slot for plugging in a Apple Wireless thingy (can’t remember the name).

The A2 didn’t sound impressive when we 1st listen to it .. sounds hollow, then we pumped the volume and then we understand .. the A5 needs some level of loudness to realize it’s full potential and the bass is no longer weak and bloated.

I begin to realize why everyone loves the A5, the treble is clear, the mid tones is smooth and the bass is tight and accurate (i.e the bass doesn’t go BOM BOM BOM, it goes THUM, THUM THUM) which makes you want to listen more and feels good listening to it (zero ear fatigue).

Akimate Mini

Just before I left, Jimmy requested for me to try out the Akimate Mini as well, before we go into the sound, the Akimate Mini features a wireless remote and a built-in ipod dock as compared to the A5.

Soundwise, it’s a or several grades higher then A5. Basically we sat in front of the coach and just had our jaws dropped as we listen to Diana Krall. It was as if we were sitting in a concert hall and listening to a live performance.

The sound was very very smooth, very tight bass and amazing surround sound. Even with the amazing surround effect, the music did not lose it’s richness and vibrancy, it was like a mini concert in front of me.

Unfortunately, this was out of my budget by quite a significant amount. If I do not have a budget to meet, it’s no question asked that I would have gone for the Akimate Mini.

Conclusion

If you have no budget and loves music in general, please get the Akimate Mini, it’s entry level HIFI but designed for the ipod generation, it sounds so good even when driven by a mere ipod. You have have no complains about your speakers for a long time to come, you can even set it to switch on as a music alarm using your ipod (not sure about iphone, apparently iphones don’t have this feature).

If you have a budget and intending to use it on a relatively large room all by yourself, go get the A5 .. a very worthy contender to the Akimate Mini and MOST people will be hard pressed to hear the difference. Do note that the Akimate Mini and Audioengine A5 both occupies a large footprint so make sure you have enough space on your desk or bookshelf.

If you a budget and restriction on your desk, do go for the Audioengine A2, these have a smaller footprints but sounds amazing as well. You will not be able to blast it loud (i.e at a party) but it should sound much much better then those sub 100 speakers you see at Funan/Sim Lim.

As always, why should you trust me? No, you shouldn’t. My advise is to grab your ipod, free your afternoon and head down to Adelphi and do a listening test yourself. Jimmy’s a really nice guy and really allow me to test the speakers until I am happy to part with my money.

Extra Notes

After I bought my Audioengine A5, I began to read the possible benefits from a better soundcard (as compared to my existing Xmod) and I purchase a 2nd hand ASUS Essences STX for a steal.

The improvements from a better soundcard such as the ASUS Essences STX, is amazing !! I seriously didn’t believe that sound could improve that much, I dare say my audio system now is a very decent entry level HIFI which sounds amazing, the soundstage is wider, the singing sounds much warmer and bass more impactful.

Is this card worth the upgrade for the audioengine a5? If you have the spare cash .. I would say YES.

Having said that, the Audioengine A5 already sounds amazing even on it’s on so even without a great soundcard, you will be able to enjoy the speakers by itself.

PS: there’s an additional bonus for this soundcard, it has a built in amplifier to drive your headphones for better sound quality, though I must admit I am enjoying my Audioengine A5 too much to test the headphones amplifier.

Review: XMI X-Mini II

Summary

XMI has release their generation 2 of Xmini, which is officially call Xmini II or Xmini 2nd Generation. This is part of the new model for their mono speaker series.

I personally own the Xmini MAX which belongs to their stereo speaker series and personally very happy with the performance especially the amazing sound for such a speaker size. As such, I will be comparing the performance using the Xmini MAX compared to the Xmini II.

The Xmini II is physically bigger then Xmini MAX in terms of speaker/driver size but shorter then the Xmini II, the pictures will give a clear idea. It is still very handy size and will fit into your palm (man-sized) or pocket with no issues.

For the new size, It has a significantly bigger driver then the X Mini II and that allows for much richer sound as compared to the Xmini MAX. Besides the new driver, there are a few more improvements to the design which XMI has improved from the 1st generation of Xmini and Xmini MAX.

Sound
Generally, the Xmini II gives out a much richer sound, in terms of bass and clarity. The sound is much warmer then Xmini Max and really shows off a nice smooth tone likely due to the larger driver. Next to the Xmini MAX, the MAX sounds “thin” and not as smooth and warm as the Xmini II.

Having said this, the Xmini II is a mono speaker and loses to the Xmini MAX in terms of soundstage and loudness. No matter how loud the Xmini II can go, it will lose out in loudness to the dual Xmini Max speakers and due to the dual speakers configuration, the sound is more “3D” then the Xmini II.

If you are very particular about the sound quality, I would say that the Xmini II is more suitable for your needs and it is also possible, with a bit of DIY, to custom make an audio cable to hook up 2 sets of Xmini II, 1 unit to transmit RIGHT and 1 unit to transmit LEFT thus converting the mono Xmini speakers into stereo configuration alike to Xmini MAX.

Features
One of the much highlighted feature of the Xmini II, is the ability to daisy chain several units of Xmini II in a round configuration, meaning you will get a louder sound from the multiple Xmini IIs that you hook up. It’s important to note that the more Xmini II you hook up will result in a louder sound which does NOT translate to a better sound, it is just well .. louder.

Picture courtesy from CNet Asia

The Xmini II retains the cool factor of the 1st generation such as the extendable bass vacuum with you can open with a twist.

The Xmini II also improves certain aspects of the earlier generation. 3.5mm Audio Cable is now built-in to the speaker which is very cool and convenient although a bit short in length, you may end up carrying a 3.5mm extension cable in the end.

The volume control is also now built-in to the speakers instead of the usb cables for the previous generation, the sunken-in design is not very easy to reach but functional enough, definitely better then the 1st generation.

Finally, XMI has bumped up the battery life to 10-11 hours per charge, which we were unable to verify to due time limitation.

Here's videos on the Xmini II and Xmini MAX in action. Do note that the video speakers on my camera aren't very good and it is NOT a true representation of the sound quality. In fact, I would say that the actual sound quality is much better then what you will see in the videos.

Xmini II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1BUlfWN0mk

Xmini MAX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_-8xr-HTAI

Verdict
All in all, we are very impressed with most of the sound of the new drivers and new features that improved the implementation from the 1st generation.

If you are looking for small portable speaker with reasonable sound, the Xmini II is a well designed product with a reasonable price tag and will satisfied your needs. Not to mention, the cool design will invite envy stares and curious on-lookers anywhere.

XMI Xmini II can be bought for 49.90 SGD at Challenger.

Product Link:
http://www.x-mini.com/

Scorecard

Build: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
Value: 7/10

Thanks Irene for loaning me her Xmini II for review.

DIY Flash Diffuser for Canon G10

Just got the lovely Canon G10 which i am loving so much at the moment. As usual for flash photos, the photos cames out harsh and unflattering.

Decided to spend some time to DIY a diffuser for the Canon G10.

Budget - 2.40 SGD

Here's the results before I move on the to the diffuser DIY methods.

Top Row: -- No Flash -- DIY Flash Diffuser (Auto WB)

Bottom Row: -- Flash -- DIY Flash Diffuser (Custom WB)

*the lamp i am using in my room cast a yellow shade, in a room with white light, you probably will not need to custom the WB.

Now .. How to DIY one for yourself.

1. Go Popular and get a file with a thick material and slightly opaque. I got a file with the thick opaque for 2.40 SGD. The thickness must be thicker then normal paper so that it will retain it's shape after you fold it. Cut the thick opaque material into 2 pieces, a squarish block to act as the diffuser and a longish strip to hold the diffuser in place. Stick a white piece of paper on the squarish block. The longish strip should have the width of the hotshoe, you will know the reason below.

* See a small strip of paper coming out at the bottom? I will explain the reason for that below. Just stick an additional strip below the squarish diffuser like in the photo.

2. Stick the DIY diffuser in Canon G10 as shown in the photos. The small strip of paper should stick slightly into the lens ring, this will help to hold in in place.

iAudio X5L Battery Swap

Everyone knows that the best mp3 player without amps are the iAudio mp3 players. Amongst those, the most highly celebrated must be the X5L series. The output from the mp3 player is pure eargasm.


However, the battery life span of the X5L lasts slightly over a year and exchanging the in built battery will take 100-150 SGD plus 1 month of waiting time. This is extremely silly to expect a consumer to wait 1 month for the battery exchange.

Thus, I have decided to perform surgery on my X5L to slowly transplant the batteries from another battery source.

This is the operational procedure (pictorial mode)

The Perfect Jogging/Gym Rig

Jogging is boring .. everyone knows that but nothing gets the legs pumping with a great song blasting out the pain in the legs. Ever since I started jogging, i have been looking for the perfect jogging rig (mp3 + headphones). My requirements are simple.

1. Headphones must be relatively sweat proof or at least easily wiped.

2. Headphones must not fall off during jogging or exercise.

3. Jogging rig must be relatively light weight.

After testing/buying a new duds .. i think i have finally discovered the The Perfect Jogging/Gym Rig.

Nike Motion SHJ045

Complete Rig (Nike Motion SHJ045 + Ipod Nano)

Pros

1. Extremely Light Weight

2. The design of the headphones puts a gentle yet firm pressure on the earbuds against the ears. This means that the headphones will not fall off during extreme jogging or exercises. A good and firm hold on the earbuds against the ears also ensures a good sound with minimum air leakage.

3. The earbuds are easily cleaned and allows sweat to flow out of the ears so that the sweat will not create a vaccum between the ears and the earbuds.

Cons

1. Audio Jack is prone to breakage if subjected to pressure.

Audio Jack