Beats Studio 3 Wireless

This very well-built headset comes with a sturdy design that somewhat fit nicely on your head. This headphone is a really good and worth-it product despite its hefty price. Besides its amazing positive attributes, there are definitely negative ones to it as well. Read on to find out more.

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As you can see in the picture above, the design looks like as if the whole headphone is completely solid but in the matter of fact, it is not and is rather flexible in some way. By flexible i mean the frame is slightly bendable to satisfy the “an ear at a time” condition if you know what i mean. It is not as bendable as rubber but not all frames of headphones are as bendable as this one. Also, the ear cups are really comfortable, and does not really make our ears sweat unlike most other headphones.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless offers improved sound quality, noise cancellation/cancelling and a longer battery life thanks to its predecessor in the same exact design as other Beats products. First, let’s talk about its battery capabilities. We all know making long-lasting rechargeable batteries ain’t an easy task. Shockingly, this headphone has a battery life of about 12 hours while using the wireless functionality and about 20 hours while connected via the 3.5mm headphone jack. Beats also claims a battery life of 22 hours with active noise cancelling turned on and 40 hours without. This headphone works really well with apple devices. If it is not an apple device it is connected with, the battery life will shorten and its bluetooth will not function as good as when it is connected with an apple device. It also does not have a passive listening mode, so it has noise cancelling on all the time, which could be a problem if someone wants to have a conversation with you.

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Now, i am going to talk about the most important feature of any headphone – sound quality. You all might be expecting the sound quality to be exquisitely amazing, but it might not turn out as you expected it to be. Now, these headphones are bass masters. The lower frequencies are too emphasized, to the loss of basically everything else. In fact, the higher frequencies can barely be clearly heard due to the monstrous bass emphasis. Ultimately, this headphone is mainly for rhythm, beats and bass lovers.

By now, you probably have forgotten some of the positive and negative features of this headphone. So here is a summary of all the pros and cons of the Beats Studio 3 Wireless :

Pros

Bendable Frame

Compact Foldable Design

Battery Life

Great Bass Quality

Comfortable Ear Cups

Amazing Noise Cancelling Technology

Wireless Audio With High Sound Definition

Good Operation With Apple Devices

^ POSITIVES ^

———————————————————–

Cons

No Gesture Controls

Expensive

No Passive Listening Mode

Does Not Work Well With Other Devices

Not Water Proof / Splash Proof

^ NEGATIVES ^

Sony WH-1000XM3

Sony has been competing against other headphone companies, trying to make the best headphone as possible.

Sony WH-1000XM3 has already proven it. The headphone had undergone a lot of changes; it has been lighter, and the headphone has a softer touch on your ear.

Although it is lighter (in terms of weight) now, it is still heavier than some headphones. But the headphone is more comfortable now. It has a new quick-charging function, which gives 5 hours of usage from a 10 mins worth of charge. The ear cups and controls have a gentler touch and the carrying case contains a section for the USB and headphone cable. The ear cup of the Sony WH-1000XM3 has a more oval shape now, so it is more suitable to the ear.

(A picture of the Sony WH-1000XM3)

The headphone transmits clearer sound, a higher definition audio and louder bass. It also has a better noise-cancelling effect. However, the noise-cancelling has little flaws; the music might stop sometimes, or the noise-cancelling function might not work, making loud music be heard from outside.

Now you can set the auto-off function, where the headphone will turn off a short while after you stopped listening to music. By doing so, you can save battery. But you can deactivate the function, which allows the noise-cancelling effect to still be in place eventhough you are no longer listening to music.

(A picture of the Sony WH-1000XM3 in its packaging.)

Some functions of the Sony WH-1000XM3 are also extra and useless.

Details on the Product

It weighs 254g, can be bluetooth- connected, and has a long battery life.It also is available in black or silver.

In a nutshell, the Sony WH-1000XM3 is a very good headphone; It is comfortable, has a long battery life,  and better noise-cancelling effect. It has improved a lot from previous models. However, the noise-cancelling effect sometimes might fail halfway while listening to music and your ear might get warm after using it for a while.

So, should you buy it?

Yes, because it is a perfect headphone besides some flaws. It is also priced at $289.99, which is relatively a reasonable price in my opinion.

Credits:

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/sony-wh-1000xm3-review/

https://www.digit.in/audio-video/sony-wh-1000xm3-review-173357.html

Jabra Elite Active 65t

The Apple’s Airpods have dominated the truly wireless headphone category since their arrival in late 2016, but Jabra’s Elite 65t ($170, £150 or AU$300) and Elite Active 65t ($190, £170 or AU$350) are among a handful of truly wireless models that are compelling alternatives. The Jabra Elite Active 65t also have advantage in their performance compared to Apple’s Airpods as they include a more secure fit and better noise isolation.

image source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiBpIiI9MngAhXJYisKHT2FDJgQjxx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jabra.com%2Fbluetooth-headsets%2Fjabra-elite-active-65t&psig=AOvVaw2y71ZY7o5P5mFvB3nUZ0BR&ust=1550738175213432

Comparing the Jabra Elite Active 65t to the other wireless headphone, the Jabra Elite Active 65t have a more refined, comfortable design, improved sound, slightly better battery life, excellent call quality and voice support for all major virtual assistants, including Amazon’s Alexa on-the-go. With voice support in the Jabra Elit Active 65t, it can be very convenient for you to ask virtual assistance using your wireless headphones to help you out with anything you need. Example being you cooking and needing the best recipe for the dish you are preparing while listening to music with the Jabra Elite Active 65t, you can just simply ask for help using the voice support function in Jabra Elite Active 65t

The Jabra Elite Active 65t is identical to the Elite 65t but with a slightly grippier finish, with three feature upgrades: Added sweat-resistance with an IP56 rating (versus IP55 for the standard Elite 65t), a built-in accelerometer and a quick charge feature that allows you to get 1.5 hours of juice from a 15-minute charge in the included charging case. That charging case is also coated with the same, faintly rubberized finish you’ll find on the buds. 

image source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjao4b99sngAhUYFHIKHRfjCqIQjxx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnlewis.com%2Fjabra-elite-65t-active-true-wireless-sweat-weather-resistant-bluetooth-in-ear-headphones-with-mic-remote%2Fp3641187&psig=AOvVaw2y71ZY7o5P5mFvB3nUZ0BR&ust=1550738175213432

They also removed a built in heart-rate monitor as compared to the Elite 65t, but that is actually a good thing. Why? Removing that features allows the Jabra Elite Active 65t to last longer, from 4.5 hours to 5 hours. The Jabra Elite Active 65t unfortunately has an additional two charges for the charging case which to me is a bummer. Overall the Jabra Elite Active 65t has mostly nailed the design this time round. The earphones come with three different sized eartips and while there are no wings or fins to hold the buds in place, they are still able to stay secure in your ears.

In my opinions, if you do not have a budget for wireless headphones, the Jabra Elite Active 65t is for you. But if you do, i would recommend you to not purchase this wireless headphone as there are still lots of other wireless headphones outside which are cheaper than the Active 65t if you are not looking for quality products.

Razer Hammerhead Pro V2

RAZER HAMMERHEAD PRO V2

Do you dislike using headphones for gaming or find them really uncomfortable? Then, the Razer Hammerhead Pro V2 might suit you if you’re the type that prefer earpieces.

The Hammerhead Pro V2 is an improved version of the previous Hammerhead Pro model sharing similar design features of its predecessor.

The Hammerhead comes with 2 variants, the Hammerhead Pro V2 with an in-line microphone and remote and Hammerhead V2 without the microphone and remote. I will be reviewing the Hammerhead Pro V2.

What’s inside?

When you first purchase a Hammerhead Pro V2, it comes with an audio jack adapter for older models of PCs that still use the 2 audio jacks so that you can utilize both microphone and use the earpieces at the same time.

It also comes with 3 pairs of different sized ear tips, small, medium and large. There is also a user manual that comes with it that tells you everything you need to know about the earpieces.

There is also case which contains the adapter and extra eartips that can be used to store your earpieces when bringing it out. It is quite durable and is quite compact so you will not have much trouble putting it in your bag or pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

Design

The first thing that stands out from the Hammerhead Pro V2 are the ear tips. Instead of the generic one tip, it has 2 tips instead, the smaller tip is connected to the bigger tip. If it scares you, you need not worry as it is actually quite comfortable to wear and you would hardly notice it there.

The only complaint i have so far is that when using the other ear tips, the metallic bit of the earpieces are quite annoying when it touches your ear though I have not faced that problem with the regular earpieces.

The wires are also flat which makes it much easier to fold and less likely to get tangled. This makes it much easier to bring it outside.

Audio Quality

The sound quality of the Hammerhead pro V2 is quite decent, though it is more bass over clarity, making it more suited towards bass heavy music like EDM (Electronic Dance Music). For gaming, it is quite immersive due to the background-noise cancelling and I had no incident where audio tearing happened or were sounds unclear.

Microphone

The Hammerhead Pro V2 comes with an in-line microphone and remote. The microphone quality is decent where people listening to me talk can hear me clearly with no issues. The remote is able to control the volume output of the earpieces which can be useful when outside.

An issue though, whenever the microphone hits against the fabric of your shirt, the person listening to you will be able to hear the ‘thud’ sound. But it is not a major problem.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The Hammerhead Pro V2 is a mid tier in-ear headphones that is decent for playing games however there are probably better options out there.

In general it is not a bad earpiece, it just lacks the bang for the buck as it’s pricing is around S$120 at retail price. If you’re interested in listening to music or you’re more of a casual gamer, this earpiece might be for you.

 

image courtesy of:

Razer

Game Hypermart

Sony MDR-1A

 

Sony’s new headphone, MDR-1A is the successor to the discontinued MDR-1R a “premium” over-ear headphone. Just like its ancestor, the 1A did inherit some of its traits.

The MDR-1A is just like the MDR-1R, being very, very comfortable. They both look really similar, but thanks do design changes, 1A beats its ancestor. The earcup design is subtly different, with softer padding and cushions that are slightly angled to confort to the user’s head better, the finish on the MDR-1A is also a bit more textured. But the biggest change is that the earcups can rotate in an opposite direction from the MDR-1R’s. Which means, that the headphones can rest flat,(pads down), which makes it more comfortable when it is resting on your neck.

Now for the stats. Only being 225 grams light and fitting somewhere between snugly and not too snugly, this pair of headphones can fit well to all sizes of heads. The sound quality is quite balanced( the bass, midrange and the treble is really smooth), the stereo soundstage is spacious and the dynamic range is quite dynamic. It is not bass boosted whatsoever or zippy treble it is just there, balanced and all-rounded. And it is just so comfortable that fatigue will happen after listening to music after quite some time.

What you will get from its box is 2 standard 1.2 meters long,one of which has a one-button inline remote and microphone. It is also geared towards Android but it works well with iPhones but you are unable to adjust volume on the iPhone. But if you use an Android phone, you can use Android’s free app SmartKey to customise the button control. A carrying pouch is also included. Sony do sell 3 higher end cables if you want even better sound quality.

All in all, Sony’s MDR-1A is a very balanced headphone that balances clarity with just enough of laid-backness to make it a very versatile headphone that is well worth for a headphone in the SGD400 range, SGD417 to be exact.

Photo Courtesy:http://brain-images.cdn.dixons.com/6/2/10091426/l_10091426_001.jpg

G402 HYPERION FURY

 

G402 Hyperion Fury is a gaming mouse made by Logitech. The mouse is said to enhance gaming performance and does not take a huge chunk of money out of your wallet. It comes with high speed tracking and 8 programmable buttons.

With the buttons, you could do a lot of actions with just one simple click, like quick accessing your inventory when you’re playing a game. You could even switch your DPI (dots per inch) settings almost instantly, like sniping in-game with 250 DPI and run away from your foes with 4000 DPI. This allows flexibility when in the midst of battle in a game.

The mouse design is for right-handed only and weighs 141g which is relatively light. It comes with a 32-bit ARM processor that promises high performance and using the Logitech Gaming Software you can craft and assign macro commands with ease.

It uses a USB 2.0 with a 3.14m long cable and 4 low friction plastic feet at the bottom to glide smoothly on your mouse pad or desktop. The mouse designed for maximum comfort for people with medium-sized hands; however the thumb rest might be a little too short for people with long fingers.

It is a really durable mouse with the ability of 20 million clicks on the left and right side while the 4 low friction plastic feet have a maximum of 250km. But do keep in mind that this might vary from different type of users.

In conclusion, this gaming mouse is quite worth to get. It is priced at S$65.00 which is relatively cheap for a gaming mouse with quite good performance as it has a 1 millisecond report rate. However the only thing that could be improved is the thumb rest as it could be game changing factors if you have a long thumb and the fact that to get the full feature set you need a Windows. I would really recommend this mouse for both casual and hardcore gamers.

Photo courtesy of:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/30/logitech-reveals-the-g402-hyperion-fury-gaming-mouse

 

 

Marshall Mid ANC

The Marshall Mid ANC, Marshall’s first ever noise-cancelling headphone. Not only just a noise-cancelling headphone, it is also wireless and has an on-ear model. People might take on-ear model headphones as tight, but the Marshall mid ANC is fits just right.

Why buy it?

The Marshall Mid ANC for a noise-cancelling headphone, is pretty affordable at only around S$360. Its does not have a deep bass, which is what i do not prefer and instead has a balanced bass and seems pretty dang great for Marshall first  noise-cancelling headphone. But being the first does not mean its the best, its noise cancelling is not as strong as the other headphones, you would still hear a little of sound muffling around you. The Marshall Mid ANC is on a different level of on-ear headphones ; I usually would not like on-ear models but with the Marshall Mid ANC  it does not seems to be uncomfortable and instead i find it just right.

You may ask “How about its Battery life?” well let me answer you, if you want to listen to music at a noisy area, you can run noise cancelling which would last you 20 hours while being wireless. Without noise cancelling, it last you for around 30 hours which is pretty outstanding to me.

How about its design?

Its mainly black with cursive golden “Marshall” lettering on them. Marshall also design it to make them have a retro look. They includes coiled cables emerging from the headband to the ear-cups, looking somewhat reminiscent of guitar cables. Why is this headphone different from others? There’s an anodized metal headband lined on the outside with a leather-like micro-fibre and on the inside with felt. Both black, of course. The micro-fibre ear cups are deliciously soft and comfy.

But

They don’t have the same luxurious leather feel you associate with high-end audio brands. They feel more basic, and they don’t have the same heft to them as the usual brands(Bose, Beats). But they still look and feel like the real deal, and their relative lightweight nature makes them very comfortable to wear.

Source:

http://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Marshall-Mid-ANC-Headphones.jpg

https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/970x/assets/images/144043-headphones-review-marshall-mid-anc-review-image1-kf9bcu7jx4.jpg

Jay Chong

(202)

Creative Sound Blaster Jam

The Creative Sound Blaster Jam is a budget headphone.It is a bluetooth headphone.It cost $50 and sounds great.It is light and portable and produces good sound quality.

The Creative Sound Blaster Jam weight 2.9 oz which is acceptable for a headphone.It may not be super light, but it is quite comfortable to wear.

The Creative Sound Blaster Jam does not have a very unique design.But the design is makes the headphone comfortable.The headphones cannot be folded but it is still quite portable because of it’s mass.

It may not look very sturdy but it is actually durable so it would not spoil very quickly.In my opinion, paying $50 for a durable headphone with good quality is very worth it.

There is a pause/play button which can be used as a answer/end button for mobile phone calls.There is also volume control buttons.And when you hold down on these button, it can be used to advance track back and forward.There is also a bass boost button which boost the bass but reduces clarity slightly.

There is also NFC tap-to-pair technology for the Samsung Galaxy phones that supports it.Otherwise, it will just pair up with any Bluetooth phone or audio source when you press and hold on the pairing button

This headphone has a solid battery life of 12 hours usage which is great for music lovers that travel a lot.

The sound quality of it is also very good.It is relatively clean and dynamic for a bluetooth headphone.Bass is strong even without the enhanced bass turned on.The bass is even stronger with the enhanced bass turned on but it lacked a little bit of clarity.

So overall, in my opinion I would purchase this headphone rather than other more high end or budget headphones as this headphone has good quality and is cheap.It is very worth it for it’s specs.I would recommend this headphone to all type of people that uses headphone as this headphone is good for office work and listening to music.So if you are looking for a budget headphone you should buy this.Or if you are looking for a high end headphone you might want to consider buying this instead.

Photo courtesy of: http://d287ku8w5owj51.cloudfront.net/inline/products/22312/fea_sbjam_pdt.jpg

Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480

The Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 is a computer keyboard that works with not only your computer but also your tablets and smartphones.

The Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 has a rubberised groove stand where you are able to slide in your devices. Above the ‘esc’ button is a dial that allows you to select the devices that you would like to connect to by Bluetooth. They’re labelled as 1, 2 and 3 so if you have many devices, you just have to remember which number is assigned to which device.

The device is 2cm by 29.89cm by 19.5cm which said to be rather compact width-wise and is longer in depth. However by placing your device in the groove stand, it would not take up much space on your desk.

The device weighs 821g and is not exactly the lightest keyboard to be bringing around. It also comes with 2 AAA batteries which are included with the keyboard and it is said to last up to two years depending on one’s usage.

The Keyboard is also compatible with almost every operating system and platforms such as the Windows 7/8 or later. However Windows Phone is not compatible although Windows PCs are.

The well-spaced keys and comfortable keys to type on make the device a much better keyboard than others. The keyboard contains shortcut keys like a Home button that works for all mobile operating systems.

In conclusion, the Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 is a really good keyboard with a cheap price of S$59.00 and long battery life. You can easily switch up to 3 devices with a dial and is compatible with almost all devices. It adds simplicity to one if you’re not comfortable with the keyboard that comes with your device. I would recommend this device as it is really a great edition to your digital life.

 

Photo courtesy of http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/multi-device-keyboard-k480

 

Post by: Tan Yong Jian

Logitech MX Master

The Logitech MX Master is a high-end mouse which works on most surfaces, due to the Logitech Darkfield Laser technology. It has a rechargeable battery with a long battery life which lasts up to 40 days with just one charge, depending on how you use it. Charging it for just a very short period of 1 minute will make the mouse last for 2 hours. If you connect it with a micro-USB cable, it will continue charging while using it. Basically, you will almost never run out of battery. This mouse is comfortable, smooth and precise and costs US$100

Like some high end mouse, the Logitech MX Master has a speed adaptive scroll wheel which changes the speed of the of scrolling automatically, on whether you scroll quickly or slowly and also takes into consideration on the length of the page. You can connect the mouse wirelessly by Bluetooth or by using the tiny USB dongle which is provided. You can also switch between three different computers by using the Easy-Switch button (which you can change the controls) , which is very convenient. There is also a second scrolling wheel which enables side scrolling

If you are a Mac user, there is a gesture support for the multi-finger trackpad gesture which can be controlled using the mouse when holding down an extra key.

However, like all mice, it also has its some minor downsides. This mouse is only made for right handers and there is no left-hander option for the mouse. The battery is also non-removable.

Photo Courtesy of : http://img.clubic.com/07966047-photo-logitech-mx-master-wireless-8.jpg