Here’s the one thing you need to know about computer and audio/video cables: They’re cheap.

“NO!” you exclaim, perturbed by my obvious and odious lie and my use of purple prose in this paragraph.

“But I spent $75 at Best Buy on an HDMI cable, and…”

Yeah, you’re an idiot. Though it’s not your fault. You, like many before you, have been duped by the markup gods and the big box retail game.

The truth is, depending on your technological needs, you can get away with paying little to nothing for cables and wires. Here’s what I mean:

Case #1: I have a new HD flatscreen television with a cable box. I do not have surround sound or an A/V receiver to hook up

You need: One HDMI cable. It will handle audio and video.

You could get away with: One component video cable (Red/Green/Blue plugs) and a Red/White RCA audio cable.

You should spend: $0. Comcast will give you either cable for free. Ask for the HDMI cable. It’s one wire that does everything instead of five wires. HDMI also supports 1080p, whereas component video only goes to 720.

What the stores have tried to sell me: An $89 — yes $89 — Monster HDMI cable. Again, you should spend ZERO dollars for the same quality.

Case #1a: I also have a Blu-ray player.

You need: To buy an HDMI cable, because it most likely did not come with your $30 Blu-ray player.

You could get away with: Asking your cable company nicely for a second HDMI cable. They literally have piles of these things.

You should spend: No more than $5. Don’t believe me? Click here.

The stores have tried to sell me: The $89 — yes $89 — Monster HDMI cable and a $35 optical audio cable. You don’t need an optical audio cable when you’re using HDMI. Ever.

Case 2: I have a flat-screen television, a brand new A/V surround sound receiver, a cable box, and a Blu-ray player.

You need: Speaker wire, a subwoofer cable, possibly a subwoofer Y-adapter, and three HDMI cables. You run one HDMI cable from the television to the receiver and one each from the receiver to the cable box and Blu-ray player. Same with a PlayStation 3. No audio cables needed. You run speaker wire from each speaker to its corresponding port on the receiver. DO NOT buy banana plugs or any other kind of accessory for the speaker wire. It’s simply another point of potential failure. Just use the bare wire.

You can get away with: Do not use component video cables. You’ll have to buy a separate coaxial or optical audio cable for surround sound (Dolby Digital/DTS) audio. Just use HDMI.

You should spend: $5 or less per HDMI cable and no more than about $15 for the speaker wire.

The stores have tried to sell me: The $89 — yes $89 — Monster HDMI cables, $35 optical audio cables, $40 Monster speaker cable and $10 speaker cable attachments.

Case 3: I have several home networking devices, including a NAS device, home theater PC, video game consoles, and a network printer

You need: Cat 6 cables and a gigabit router with Wireless N. You can use Wi-Fi for things like Wii, room monitors/security cameras, a smart thermostat, etc. For an Xbox 360/PS3, a computer, a NAS, and anything that is storing photos, videos, or music, you should make sure it is plugged into the network directly. Just my advice. Some will say Wi-Fi is there, but I say plug it in.

You can get away with: Cat 5e cables and a gigabit router with Wireless N.

You should spend: About $100 on the router (see this story) and $2-20 on each network wire.

The stores have tried to sell me: Extremely marked up routers and $20-40 cables. Think twice.

Orb Audio puts out a bangin’ audiophile-approved sound in a tiny package.

What’s best about the company’s products is that they’re infinitely expandable — from 2.0 left-right speakers to full-on 7.2 monsters. You can buy two speakers for your setup, and when you’re ready to expand, you can keep the little orbs coming until you have your dream unit.

In a way, this translates to their “Computer Unit,” which Blast had a while to test out lately. But it’s not a perfect marriage.

The Orb Computer Unit is build on two speakers and a Pyle Pro PTA 2 2X40 watt stereo amplifier. By rewiring the orbs, you can bang out an amazing stereo experience, with up to eight speakers wired in four-unit pairs, but since the product is built on a two-channel amplifier, you can’t go beyond the two channels without scrapping the amp and buying a brand new one that can do 3-4-5-6-7 channels of audio.

The Pyle amplifier also doesn’t have an output for a subwoofer, so you have to run speaker wire from the amp, to the subwoofer, to the speakers if you want some real bass. That gets clunky quickly.

There also isn’t any design ingenuity. The product is just two orb speakers and the stock amplifier. If this was really a computer/standalone unit, Orb should have scrapped the “expandability” concept and engineered a modular product with an amplifier’s guts, its orb speakers, and some flashy casing.

On the flip side, the 40-watt amp is plenty of power for the Orbs, though they can certainly handle at least 100-watts. And to be even more fair, the product sounds fantastic. Music, gaming, and movies all sound crisp, clear, and well-defined. The Orb unit sounds better than most standard computer speakers that you could buy in the store.

But it is more expensive than most, at $299. You have to be pretty dedicated to your computer audio to shell out $300 for speakers.

If you’re interested in Orb, and you should be, I’d invest in a surround unit. An Orb Audio Mod1 Plus 5.1 system at $999 is pretty moderate when you think about what people invest in five speakers and a subwoofer.

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“I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty; I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore!”

It’s that time of year again and you’re left wondering what to buy the person who has everything or at least give something besides that lame gift card. Here are 21 different gifts at every price point that are sure to be a delight to whoever receives them.

Open it!  $9.99

Did you know that each year an estimated 300,000 people visit the hospital as a result of a laceration incurred from packaging, mostly during the holiday season? To avoid having your own Larry David breakdown over a plastic wrapped gift, pull these out of the drawer before anyone starts unwrapping anything on Christmas morning to save your sanity and to avoid spiking the coffee.  This highly anticipated package opener now offers a five-in-one method to open everything under the Christmas tree safely and easily.  Open it! Allows you to cut it, snip it, slice it, unscrew it and pop it open.  It’s even lefty compatible.

Scosche: flipSYNC $19.99

Scosche’s flipSYNC is pretty damn awesome if you ask me. If you’re not home or near a car, how do you plan to charge your phone? The flipSYNC attaches to your keychain so you always have a way to charge and sync your phone or MP3 player. The flipSYNC features a USB 2.0 for fastest data transfer possible. Available for both Blackberry and iPhone/iPod with the data cable included.

Desk Pets: SKITTERBOT $19.99

Save the coffee mug full of peppermints for the coworkers you don’t like and buy your neighbor who always has your back one of these for when “doin’ work” ain’t on the schedule. Who needs the water cooler to have a joke when at your desk you can race these for endless bragging rights. The world’s fastest legged micro-robotic toy that travels one foot per second with 5 full-function remote control that allows you to go forward/back/left/right/stop and retractable USB charger for 15 minutes of play. While it sits on your desk begging you to ignore your TPS reports it the SKITTERBOT has red heartbeat eyes that pulse to egg you on. Available in red, blue, clear and green all operating on their own frequency for multi-player racing and battling.

EZ Grill $4.99 – 9.99 (depending on size)

Is there anything better than tailgating? Tailgating can be more fun than the actual event if you do it right but who wants to deal with messy grills you have to transport home later? Not I said the hostess. EZ Grill’s are ready-to-use recyclable, convenient and portable instant grills complete with foil pan, grill grate, stand and charcoal.  Instant all-natural charcoal included – NO additives, unnatural chemicals, fillers or lighter fluid.  Convenient clean-up means no mess. Lights with one match and cooks for at least 1 ½ hours and it’s approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). So encourage your diehard Dolphin fan, or whoever it is you root for to tailgate and gtfu out of your living room for a silent Sunday.

Hercules: XPS 2.0 35 USB Speakers $19.99

I confess, I do not own a stereo, an iPod or any other device to listen to music from other than my laptop. The speakers on my laptop just don’t cut it for when I get the urge to sing into my hairbrush either. The Hercules XPS 2.0 35 USB speakers provide that extra oomph. They are so easy to plug into your headphone jack so in you can listen to it wherever without needing an outlet to plug into. It comes equipped with a padded carrying case for portability.

IDAPT i3 Universal Desktop Charger $49.99

If you have a power strip devoted entirely to charging your gadgets, toss it. The i3 Universal Desktop charger simultaneously charge three different portable devices and clear cord clutter with one affordable system. Interchangeable “quick release” tip system allows for easy, customizable charging

System that is compatible with over 3,500 brands of mobile devices, including Apple, Nintendo, PSP,

Blackberry, Garmin, and more. Package includes either six of the most popularly used interchangeable tips, or you can custom chose 4 tips. Available in black, silver, white, and pink

iSkin: iPad Vu $64.99

If you just so happen to have an iPad on your holiday shopping list, a case cannot be forgot. The iPad Vu case is designed for fashion, functionality and protection with an environmentally friendly soft plastic with a beautifully patterned hard plastic back shield that entirely embedded Microban antimicrobial protection, which is exclusive to iSkin. Vu’s unique rear-bottom hatch that can be easily removed for docking it into the iPad keyboard or standard dock. Recessed volume and power button coverage, an integrated earphone port cover, and home button protection. Available in multiple colors: Pink, Aqua blue, Blue, Red, Orange, Purple and Black.

FINIS: Lap Track $74.99

An avid swimmer would appreciate the ability to easily keep track of the number of laps they have swam, lap times, lap chrono function, split times, calories burned as well as the date and time on a clear 6” by 6” display. With four ways to mount the device for different size tiles.

Sony 8GB E Series Walkman Video MP3 $79.99

For those nonconformists like myself, there are some MP3 players out there that do not reflect a certain piece of fruit in order to be of quality or easy to use not to mention for a lesser price. The Sony E series Walkman has a long lasting battery with up 50 hours of music or up to10 hours of video playback, FM turner, drag-and-drop file transfer, Clear Audio technologies, headphones and a 2.0” LCD. Available in black, red or blue.

With the holidays upon us, you may be struggling to find something for that frequent traveler or music junkie on your holiday buying list. These may have you covered.

Any frequent traveler will agree that there’s nothing worse than trying to relax to your favorite album or movie, only to have that audio be replaced by the roaring sound of the plane’s engines or a crying baby. Look no further than to a pair of noise canceling headphones, which may be perfect companion for that frequent traveler, music junkie or anyone wishing to hear the beauty of their collections without background noise getting in the way.

The first thing any shopper should be concerned about is the price and at $79.99, JVC’s HA-NC120 noise canceling headphones are a steal for the quality of sound they deliver and their overall performance.

As you set your eyes on a pair of these NC-120 headphones, one can’t help but notice the compact and sleek design of the product with its an all black and shiny, mirror like finish with chrome trim running along the outline of product. There are two switches on the device, which can be found at the bottom each individual headphone and enable/disable volume limit and function as a power switch. Under the left headphone, the product features a nice retractable 3.5 millimeter headphone cord which can be extended by simply pulling out on the cord and retracted by pressing a small button which sucks the wire back into the headphones where it is stored nicely and out of the way. This feature alone is great because it makes for easy and quick stowage by virtually eliminating the cord, saving you the time and hassle having roll and pack away the cord.

My favorite feature is that they can be folded down to about half their original size, allowing for easy portability. When not in use, the NC120 headphones can be folded in half and the individual headphones can then be swiveled and folded inward condensing the product to fit easily in a small purse, glove compartment or forward set compartment.

Sound quality was overall very good, considering the relatively low price and the small design of the product. When in use, music sounded crisp and lifelike, and the base levels were much better than I initially expected from a product in this price range.

JVC claims these headphones are capable of 88 percent ambient noise reduction, and I decided to put this claim to the test and take these headphones along with me on an eight hour flight to Europe and see just how well they blocked out the loud engine roar and passenger cabin noise. The results actually stacked up to be pretty well, and I found the headphones did a decent job at removing background roar. One thing to keep in mind with these headphones is loud background noise is only eliminated when music is playing, so you might find ear plugs to be a better solution if your trying to sleep in say a noisy environment.

In conclusion, I was very much impressed by both the performance and design of this product for its price range. At $79.99, this product is definitely worth the money and is an overall great set of headphones that sound excellent, look great and are a breeze to travel with for the money.

Aren’t you tired of us just, literally, pouring stuff down your throats for free all the time? The games, the movie passes, the electronic gizmos. When will it stop?

The next item up for free: Wicked Audio: Wicked Little Buds.

The Wicked Little Buds are the next evolution in earphone design. They are noise-isolating yet super-small.

We have two, and they will be yours. Oh yes, they will be yours.

You know the drill. Register as a Blast user. Comment on the story. Two random comments will win. Post by Thanksgiving, and you’ll get these badies shipped over on Black Friday.

About the Wicked Little Buds:

• Petite earbuds feature a semi-glossy finish and feature tiny Wicked Logos on the ends of each bud
• Fiber-like cord enhances the aesthetic appeal and gold-plated tip prevents corrosion
• Light weight form provides a “barely there” feeling for the ultimate in comfort
• Available in 4 stylish colors: Black, Blue, Purple and Silver
• 5.8 mm Driver, 20-20,000 Hz Frequency, 1.2 Meter Cord
• Price: $29.99

There are always those electronics that are a pain to shop for, especially those that you’re not able to test out prior to purchasing. Headphones and earbuds are prime examples. Sure you can return them if your not satisfied, but how many trips to the store are you going to be willing to make before you become frustrated? Hopefully we can help simplify the process here at Blast with our review on Wicked Audio’s Wicked Empire WE-8803 in-ear earbuds.

From the clear little window on the box, you really can’t help but notice the sleek design and nice styling of the product. With an all black finish, long cord length, and an eye-catching design/symbol on the ends of the buds, its no wonder why the product is so eye appealing.

While looks are important, sound quality is crucial and can make or break a product like this, but the product delivers well for its price range. We were very impressed with the sound quality for these small mid-priced earbuds. Both base and treble sounded great, and the earbuds had no problem reaching louder volumes without distorting all that much.

One thing however, is that the product may not be for everyone especially with people with odd ear sizes and people that are planning to exercise while using these earbuds. We noticed when running or fast walking with the earbuds in, that they slid around a little. This creates slightly annoying pounding noise.

The product retails for $39.99, and you can find them cheaper on Amazon and other online outlets.

We’ve been really pleased lately with some of the new products from iHome. We love all the improvements and it seems like the company has been innovating a lot and the iP90 is no exception.

The iP90 is a Dual Alarm Clock Radio and also functions as an iPod speaker system. Simply place your iPod or iPhone onto the dock and the product will instantly start charging it and allow you to listen to some of your favorite tunes through the built in stereo quality speakers, which surprisingly sound very good for such a small unit.

As soon as I unpacked the iP90, the first thing I noticed was its very sharp appearance, featuring an all black design with silver trim along the front, which accents the product very nicely. As you glance at the face of the iP90, you can’t help but notice the large glimmering LCD screen and the two stereo speakers, in which are covered the black-wired speaker grill. As you work your way to the very top, you’ll notice an array of backlit glowing, large sized buttons that are very easy to see perform well. On the back of the iHome, you really find anything interesting there besides a line in jack, power port, FM and AM antenna ports, the set time zone and the manual clock set/time sync buttons.

Aside from design, performance is what really matters. So how does this product rack up? Music playing from the iPod dock through the built in stereo speakers sounded impressive for the small device size. There was a good amount of base, tones sounded loud and clear and when I increased the master volume, I really didn’t hear much distortion at all, which again is a nice plus.

When using the duel alarm clock, I found it worked well and when pressed and held the settings are very customizable, which is superb. Users can set the time they wish to wake up, select whether the alarm just be weekdays, weekends or seven days a week and then finally choose to wake up to either the buzzer, playlist, iPod or the Radio. Then when the alarm does sound, the unit will gradually increase the volume over a period of time, so you wont be startled out of bed, which I really like. Also, for those of you who can’t get out of bed and relay on the snooze button, you’ll be pleased to know its located at the center front of the device.

A nice touch on the iP90 is sleep mode, which lets you gradually fall sleep to your favorite audio. Simply set the sleep timer from 120, 90, 60, 30 or 15 minutes and the iHome will gradually lower the music and shut off once you reach the allotted time. Other notable features include: fade in sound, a play/pause button directly on the unit and on remote, ability to skip songs using the plus/minus toggle, daylight savings time and time sync switch, battery backup and more.

I was also very pleased with included the remote control. Not only is it well built, feels great in the hand, but it allows you to control almost everything the unit does from a distance. I’m very glad to see such a functional remote, since on my prior iHome iH6 unit this wasn’t the case.

A few disappointments I had with the unit were its large depth and the fact that the input/line in button doesn’t list the iPod as a source; Instead, I found to get to the iPod source you have to press the pay/pause button. This isn’t entirely a big deal, but I’m not sure why iHome doesn’t list the iPod as a source there and why the unit is so large in the rear. One small thing to note is the unit doesn’t come with every insert for the iPods that it supports. If in the box you don’t get the proper insert for your device you can order one the company. In my case, the unit didn’t ship with an insert for my first generation iPod Touch, so you have to place a call to order one.

Other than those small things, the iHome iP90 is sounds fantastic, is well priced, performs great and because of its relatively small size, it is ideal for college students living in dorms or for any room in that matter. The iHome iP90 is available for $99.99.

We’ve heard some of what Hercules has to offer in the budget audio spectrum, and it ain’t bad.

That’s why this new $99 5.1 system is an eye-catcher.

The XPS 5.1 70 Slim is a computer speaker system designed for movie watchers and gamers. They’re ultra-slim and have two drivers per satellite for mids and highs.

The all-wood subwoofer promises to add some thump also.

It’s 75 total watts RMS (4 x 7.5W for the front and rear satellites, 15W for the center speaker and 25W for the subwoofer) but the big thing is that it’s under $100. It’s hard not to at least be curious.

I’m somewhat enamored with stage monitors that were developed for use in music video games. But I can’t help but wonder — WTF took you guys so long?

Between the Polk Audio Hitmaster, which my friend Big Jim Murray reviewed a few weeks back, and the Altec Lansing Stage-Gig, we have a few good ideas here that have come out several years after Guitar Hero and Rock Band (and about a year after the games hit their maximum popularity).

At its core, the Stage-Gig is a versatile, 40-watt speaker with strong bass response and clear highs. It plugs in via standard Red/White audio plugs, so it works with PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and anything else that, you know, makes sound.

It’s only about 1/2 as big as a “real” stage monitor. It’s meant to give you some more realism when you (and hopefully your friends) are making fake music in your living room. You can also string together multiple units for added audio power.

The problem is, and the problem was with the Polk product, is timing. This would have been a fantastic product to showcase at all the music game booths at E3 in 2008.

But as a bonus, both stage monitors we’ve tested are just $100. The Stage-Gig is a great speaker, which will sound fantastic at a party with your iPod or stereo. It even hooks up to your computer if you want it to.

If you already have a great home theater setup, you don’t need the Stage-Gig, but if you’re relying on your television’s speaker, this will make everything sound better.

Blast Factor: The Stage-Gig is a great speaker, if you need a great speaker. While it might be more practical for picnic music than for pretending to be the next great American band, the product does what it says it will do without costing much.

The Altec Lansing Stage-Gig is $99. A sample was given to us by the developer for reviewing purposes.

There’s a certain musical element in the air today at Fenway Park, and it’s not just “Sweet Caroline.”

Producer/artist Dr. Dre, music industry legend Jimmy Iovine and basketball phenom LeBron James will be at Fenway Park today to unveil the Red Sox Beats by Dr. Dre headphones from Monster.

We had an early chance to check out the officially licensed Red Sox Beats. These full-size headphones were pitched to us promising audiophile-quality sound and all the fashion that a diehard Sox fan could ask for.

We tested them out after unboxing a set yesterday of these headphones, which had been a secret until now. They sound great and are very comfortable.

And they should. After all, the headphones were designed by the legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine, who know a thing or two about good audio.

"The Red Sox are one of the most historic and respected franchises in all of professional sports," Iovine said about why he decided to run with the Sox as the first and right now only set of Beats sports headphones. Iovine and Dr. Dre have designed custom headphones for athletes like King James in the past, but this is the first officially licensed professional sports team to have a set of Beats.

A few drawbacks — the headphones need two AAA batteries to operate. It can be a bit of a nag to take off the battery cover and replace it.

They come with a protective carrying case, two 1/8-inch cables and a 1/4-inch adapter. The Red Sox logo and name look good on the phones. The luxury sports market is a tough nut to crack, but these look and sound great.

Also, these Beats are an investment. At $399.99, they’ll run you about as much as a day at Fenway for two with hot dogs and beer, so be ready to make an investment if you want to listen to tunes and movies on that new iPad while showing off your team pride.

Do people even care about the Rock Band/Guitar Hero genre anymore?

While I do think a firm “no” as an answer to that question would be hyperbole, there’s no question that those games popularity is most definitely not what it was just a few short years ago. And look no further than the sales trending downward and trouble at Cambridge-based Harmonix for proof.

That said, I find it somewhat odd that Polk Audio has chosen now to release their new Hitmaster stage monitor.

Yes, you read that right. It’s a stage monitor.

Something normally reserved for REAL bands with REAL instruments, but, here’s one for use with Rock Band and or Guitar Hero.

First, you audiophiles should know the all important stats.

The Hitmaster comes in at roughly 14 inches wide and 9 inches tall, and is packed with a 6.5 inch sub-woofer and two 1-inch neodymium tweeters housed in 2.5-inch by 5.5-inch horns, and 80 watts of amplification.

Look, I’d be lying to you if I said I knew exactly what all of that exactly means, but I CAN tell you that the Hitmaster does “go to 11″ (no, literally!) and, it sounds pretty awesome.

Especially if you’re comparing that to the sound from your T.V. speakers.

For example, while playing Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” for Rock Band 2, I was pleasantly surprised by the big sound, in this relatively small speaker.

Lemmy’s baseline is immediately much more punchy and bottom heavy with the Hitmaster.

A sound you’re clearly not going to get through ANY t.v.’s speakers, no matter how fancy it may be.

Still though, as much as I enjoyed the obviously better aural experience of playing Rock Band 2 through the Hitmaster, I couldn’t help but feeling that much more…um, dorkier for doing so.

I mean, let’s be honest. It’s silly enough wailing out on the plastic guitar or drums at this point, but to then add a stage monitor to blast music into your face while you’re playing?

It just feels like overkill.

I guess if you were say, a bar owner who still held a Rock Band or Guitar Hero “night,” I’d recommend picking one or more of these up (they can be daisy chained) but I just can’t see blowing a hundred bucks on one for your home.

That is unless you’re without any kind of home theater system.

If that’s the case, well, then the Hitmaster ends up being an incredible bargain.

See, as long as it uses RCA stereo cables (T.V.’s, DVD/Blu-Ray players, your iPod, etc.), you can plug it into your Hitmaster, crank it up, and annoy your neighbors!

Obviously, Polk isn’t advertising this monitor for that kind of thing, but after using the Hitmaster with my iPod out on my porch while grilling delicious meats this past weekend, I came to this conclusion.

The Hitmaster for use with Rock Band and or Guitar Hero?

Kind of dumb.

The Hitmaster for use with outdoor bbq’s and or for people too fiscally conservative to blow money on a real home theater system?

Kind of awesome.

The Blast Factor:Based solely on the fact that you’re getting an all in one three speaker and amp for just 99 bucks, the HitMaster not only sounds better than expected, it’s also a pretty good bargain. The unit is incredibly easy to hookup, and thanks to this, you’re not forced to use it exclusively with your gaming console, solely for RockBand or Guitar Hero. Summer’s coming. So, if you’re the party hosting type who wants to blast their MP3 player outdoors and get things moving for relatively short money, I’d recommend picking one up.

The Bose L1 Compact is a very impressive portable PA system. We were a bit skeptical upon seeing the small box it arrived in, but this thing kicks ass. We have played with amps of similar size. Some have strong volume or tone, but have a learning curve more intense than that of the instrument being played. The L1′s incredible sound, coupled with the user-friendly two-channel mixer onboard makes it the complete package.

This is perfect for you, your guitar and whatever small crowd or venue you run into. It’s great for a coffee shop, open mic gymnasium or your living room. All you have to do is adjust the height of the tower for the coverage you need. It is a very easy to use system, but its versatility shines. There are a total of four pieces: the base, and three extensions. The base can be used with one extension only, making it an extremely portable amplifier, or it can be used with the full tower of all extensions. There are no cables to deal with between these extensions either. The square extensions piece into one another, and the connections are made internally, which is nice because instrument and microphone cables are enough to deal with. For your microphone channel, there are adjustments for volume, treble, and bass. Once you have an instrument plugged in, all you need to do is adjust volume. There is even a green light for each indicating that your signal is being received. So many portable amps require fumble over 30 knobs and switches before a sound you can tolerate emerges, but the L1 System keeps it simple, and small. While we only tested this with guitar and vocals, it could certainly be used with a bass or keyboard as well.

Each array of the system has a durable soft protective cover. The slipcover for the base even has an attached diagram of how to connect your instrument, microphone, and each component of the system that you wish to use. It couldn’t be easier.

For those with a variety of PA system needs, just place the base on a table and pick up the mic and your ready to give a presentation. There is even an mp3/Ipod input (1/8") for your intermission from the stage, or just hanging around at home.

Though this system is $1,000, a few hundred more than other similar two channel systems, the sound and tone quality are worth the extra investment. That, coupled with the ease of use and modest size of the L1 Compact make it an easy choice.

Nicole Cullop is used to traveling across the continent to compete against guys, yet her most recent venture against the opposite gender was a bit different than her usual escapades.

Cullop, or LethalxPrincess as she’s known to many, is a pro-gamer by trade. For years, Cullop crisscrossed the nation with Major League Gaming (MLG) immersing herself in a cutthroat world while breaking stereotypes in the process. Her squad, Team Foxy, is considered the top female team in the gaming community.

Not surprisingly, it was actually gaming that connected Cullop to the Sound Tour. Sponsored by the popular headphone company, the tour, which we previously told you about, is a reality show pitting Cullop and a team of four other female contestants against a squad of all men.

“I heard about the Sennheiser Sound Tour through the gaming community. Sennheiser is a great product that is highly recognized for its quality in the professional gaming world. When the tour was announced, the word spread quickly in the E-Sports community” Cullop recalled.

With the ultimate goal to promote the Sennheiser headphone product base, the two teams have spanned North America participating in a variety of challenges. From meeting celebrities to getting on tour buses, Cullop admits it’s been a whirlwind ride.

“Personally, there are many highlights of the tour that I have enjoyed such as traveling, experiencing new communities, and meeting new and exciting individuals” said Cullop. Ever the gamer, she admits that for her personally, the best part of the tour has not been meeting a person or going to a particular place, but rather it’s been a simple truth.

“The biggest highlight of the tour so far has been the fact that the girl’s team is in the lead. We have won three challenges and the guys have only won one. I am a very competitive individual and I am confident we will take home the grand prize” she confided.

Along the way, both teams have been faced with the challenge of going up to people on the street to promote Sennheiser. While in some cases they’ve been shut out and rejected, most people have been willing to step in front of the camera according to Cullop.

“Generally people are accepting and don’t mind the camera, we actually seem to get better responses if the cameras are out and rolling. I think people want to know what’s going on with the cameras, the tour, and the product” said Cullop.

One of the Sennheiser girl’s most memorable visits was their trip to Boston. Between crashing a few weddings, visiting the Salem Witches Cottage and partying it up outside the Paul McCartney Fenway concert, the ladies got their fill of Beantown. Cullop says it was easily one her favorite places on the tour.

“My time in Boston was amazing; I literally fell in love with it the moment I arrived. Boston is now on my top five places to move. What I remember most about Boston was the atmosphere in the air, I went to Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, and shopping on Newbury Street. Everywhere I went people were alive with spirit; they were helpful, and even entertaining. I would love to live in an area like Boston because it has so much to offer” she said.

With the tour winding down, Cullop admits she misses her Xbox, controller and gaming in general. Save for a few hours of gaming in NYC, she has not gotten a chance to play much while on tour. Despite this, Cullop contends she wouldn’t trade her Sennheiser Sound Tour experience for anything “" or any game “" in the world.

“The one thing I will bring away from this trip is the experience. No matter how the team does and no matter how I personally do in the competitions, I will always remember the new places, people, and experiences I have encountered along the way” concluded Cullop.

Roland Corporation introduced on Tuesday the new BA-330 Portable Digital PA System.

The system is designed to be versatile and can run for 10 hours on eight AA batteries or forever on AC power and can entertain rooms with up to 80 people, Roland says.

The BA-330 has a four-channel configuration, with two channels dedicated for microphones or instruments, and two other channels for standard 1/4″ stereo inputs. Each channel has its own independent tone adjustment and effects switching for built-in effects, such as EQ, reverb, delay and widening. A Stereo Link function allows for a pair of BA-330s to work in tandem to provide an extra-wide stereo spread, Roland said.

The unit is built around four 6.5″ drivers and two tweeters.

Roland also says the BA-330 is the first portable PA designed with an “Intelligent Anti-Feedback function” that automatically sniffs out potential feedback and eliminates it automatically.

The BA-330 will be available in November for $829.50, so don’t count on playing with it outside a subway stop for pennies.

The BeoLab 4 PC is probably the best-sounding thing I’ve ever plugged into a computer.

Now let’s talk about that for a second.

At $1,000, these speakers cost more than the vast majority of desktop PCs on the market today.

Honestly, the speakers sound fantastic. You probably can’t buy something off the shelf that’s going to sound as good as the BeoLab 4.

Each speaker is powered and amplified (and as such, each speaker requires its own electrical outlet) and these pyramid-shaped speakers really crank. There are some small speakers that claim to reproduce full loudspeaker sound, and there are few that do. These do.

One issue I have with these speakers is that the BeoLab 4 is just a speaker. It’s designed to be plugged into stereos and amps and all kinds of cool products, but not necessarily computers. The BeoLab 4 PC is the same thing, but it’s designed with the right connectors to plug it into a computer sound card’s headphone jack. That does the job for the most part, but there’s no on and off switch, and there’s no volume control, so you’re relying totally on the computer’s volume control.

Each speaker is built on a 4-inch driver with a 3/4-inch fabric dome tweeter with 35 watts provided by the amp. Requiring two power outlets is a pain, but it’s mostly just an inconvenience because they only consume 7 watts of power. Don’t worry about the electrical bill. Frequency range is 50-20,000Hz.

There’s a lot of technical things I can say about these speakers, or you can read them here. The bottom line is, do you need these speakers?

Do you own a stock Dell? Yes? Then no, you don’t.

Are you an iTunes whore who’s always listening to your downloaded music? Yes? Then no, you don’t.

Watch the occasional DVD on your computer? Nah, still don’t need these.

Are you a music producer using expensive software and high end hardware? Yes? Oh. Well then yeah, these would be good.

Do you edit high definition video with multi-channel audio tracks? Yeah, these would do nicely.

Are you getting the picture?

These are awesome monitors. They sound great. They look good. They’re powered. You can even customize the colors.

The fact is, unless you need high-end speakers (and are equipped for them) you’re not going to notice the difference between these for $1,000 and a $100 set from Best Buy.

The BeoLab 4 is much more practical as a home theater speaker than it is as a desktop computer solution. They’re expensive toys for people who have a G-note to spare in this economy.

Part dream-job, part reality show competition, and part marketing gimmick, headphone and sound equipment manufacturer Sennheiser is putting together a new summer program called The Sennheiser Sound Tour.

Teams, divided by gender for maximum entertainment value, will travel across the US and Canada promoting Sennheiser’s products in a competition to quote, “put headphones on as many people as possible connecting them to the true sound of Sennheiser.”

Yeah, I don’t know what that means either, but it still sounds like fun. The benefits include getting paid to travel across thirty cities for ten weeks this summer while becoming a Youtube and Internet sensation. How you ask? Sennheiser will record these charades and edit them into weekly webcasts and upload them to their Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/sennheisersoundtour) for all to see.

To get in on the action you need to whip out your best reality show personality-I suggest reviewing a few seasons of the Real World as well as a heavy dose of Battlestar Galactica to drum up your nerd quotient-and make a video explaining why you’re the best candidate for the job. Submit your job resume to Sennheiser@thejetstargroup.com, include the location of your video, and finally, cross your fingers. Hurry: submissions are due by May 1.

Submissions extended to May 8

Sometimes you need a bit more power than those shiny white earbuds that come with your iPod can offer.

That’s where an entire audio sub-industry has sprung up, catering entirely to iPod owners who want to “dock” their music box somewhere and jam to a room-filling sound that’s not mashed into their ears.

Blast and The Boston Globe recently tested five of these docks: the Altec Lansing inMotion Max at $199, the Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus for $78, the compact iHome iH4B for $39.99, the Cambridge SoundWorks i765 for $299, and Wayland-based Sprout Creation’s all-wood Vers 2X at $199.

As a bonus, Blast also tested the Boston Acoustics Duo-I at $199 and the iHome iH51BR at $149.

For professional advice, we turned to Dariusz Dobrolinski, is co-owner of the tiny yet historic Q Audio store on Vassar Street in Cambridge, which claims to be the worlds smallest hi-fi store and one of the original distributors of CD players in the US in the early 80s. Dobrolinski said the Altec Lansing inMotion Max was the best item on the list, and we agreed.

“It sounded the richest,” Dobrolinski said. He warned us not to jump at the deepest bass or the highest treble, which some inexpensive systems tend to crank up to make up for their lower quality components.

“If you want to buy a docking system, don’t look for something that has bass and sizzles, it may impress you, but later on you will notice you don’t get the midrange and that’s where all the instruments and all the voices are,” Dobrolinski said. “Bass is not critical unless you want to fill a huge room, but none of those systems are designed for huge rooms.”

The Altec Lansing and Cambridge SoundWorks models were all very similar, though. They sounded great, look great, and come from brand names that are known for generally building their products to high quality specifications.

The iHome name has gained a lot of ground in the last three years. You often see these functional alarm clock iPod docks in both luxury hotels and college dorms. They generally sound good and have useful wakeup features like dual alarm clock times and, of course, the ability to wake up to your favorite songs blasting from your nightstand. The iH4b’s compact size and low price makes it a great value for dorm rooms and bedrooms. It has a good sound on a small footprint.

The Vers 2X is a great choice people who want something different. It doesn’t have a radio or really any other features except an iPod dock, but it’s an attractive, well-built speaker system.

Dobrolinski said that you should also focus on how the product looks. Style is important. He also said that you’ll want your dock to have a remote control so you’re not getting up all the time to tune it.

Individual products on Page 2

I still take crap from sanctimonious Justin Long-loving Mac people about the the holy artsy abilities of the Macintosh.

No doubt, bro. Mac’s got mad skillz. Word to your one button mouse.

Adobe Creative Suite runs just fine on my Dell, but for audio, and for the past, oh, 10 years, it’s been Acid Pro.

As I’ve said in a previous review, anyone can pick up Acid and make something happen with it. If you actually spend some time with the software, you can do absolutely wonderful things with the software. You can still get Acid Studio for about $40 if you just want to dabble, though.

In its most basic form, you can use Acid to mix together and cross-fade the perfect mix tape for your sweetheart. You can also compose a synchronized video soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Acid Pro 7, released at the end of 2008, has all the features you’ve come to expect from the franchise — multi-track recording, loop-based production, MIDI sequencing, and lots of freebie effects. This iteration, however, has some features that are just plain delicious if you’re a musician.

Pro 7 features a dedicated sound and MIDI mixing console that has the ability to let you assign effects, working seamlessly with a good keyboard.

A look at the Acid Pro 7 interface

Sophisticated input busses allow the user to record from external sources and mix your audio and instruments. You can also plug external effects processors in and monitor them from the program. You can also direct that processed audio to other external hardware.

Basically, Acid Pro 7 is a modular recording, processing, and producing station.

The software also has native Flac support, which will make those people who record at concerts happy.

Best of all, the software loads up quickly, runs as fast as your computer will let it and puts out excellent sound.

The Logitech Squeezebox really tickled our fancy. This product will forever change the way we listen to music. We like it, in part, because the Internet provides tons of free choices from radio stations all over the world.

It would be fair to go into the ring not expecting much of a fight out of the plucky $300 Logitech — it’s based on fairly lossy streaming Internet audio after all and built on good if not basically mediocre drivers. But no. It sounds good. Not audiophile, but you’re not paying for audiophile either, are you?

One of the funnest things about the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is listening to Radio One London from an apartment in Boston.

That’s why Blast loves the Squeezebox: expanded horizons.

One of the funnest things about the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is listening to Radio One London from an apartment in Boston.

Tuning via a knob is much easier than tediously and repeatedly pressing buttons over and over, so that’s a big plus as well.

Download an audio design white paper on the Squeezebox Boom.

Pros: Internet radio provides a number of free choices from radio stations all over the world, giving you not only a wide range of music, but a little culture. A ton of the content is free, and you can also stream your existing music collection from your computer to the Squeezebox. It plugs into your network or downloads via Wi-Fi.

Cons: You have to download special software to send your MP3s and music files to the device. It doesn’t automatically find them on your network.

The final word: This is really more of a lifestyle choice than an impulse buy, meaning it will change your music listening life. We loved it.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

The Meridian F80 was pitched to us as a solution for a flashy executive as a great “secondary audio system” for bedrooms, kitchens, etc.

Of course, this British audio product partially designed by Ferrari costs $3,000.

The Boothroyd Stuart Meridian F80

It may not be cheap, but what the F80 is is a full on 2.1 (two speakers and a subwoofer) stereo system with two programmable antennae, input/output options and an excellent CD player built in/

You can also buy an iPod dock for the F80, but if you buy a $3,000 stereo, don’t sully it with your compressed musical crap, ok?

The rear mounted subwoofer adds amazing depth to the system, but the real surprise is that the two front speakers don’t sound like they’re inches apart. You get a spacial experience that feels like a room full of sound in a compact little red box.

Pros: The F80 sounds amazing. It is a complete 2.1 (two speakers and a subwoofer) setup inside one compact box. It plays CDs, AM/FM radio, and you can even plug it into your television/home theater to play DVDs. If you really miss your iPod, you can buy an external dock to plug it in.

Cons: Why doesn’t it have HD radio? We understand that not everyone is all about HD radio, but why not throw it in for three grand?

The final word: The F80 is basically a portable home theater with 80 watts of power. It doesn’t feel like the speakers are right next to each other. If you absolutely have to have the best stereo/radio/alarm clock, drop your chips here.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

Promotional:
Get the best home theater speakers for optimum home theater experience at The Speaker Company.

A few years ago, you were looking at $400+ for any decent Cambridge SoundWorks product at their mall-front audio boutiques.

You got a good product, but they sort of fell into the Sharper Image category of “oh, this is nice, but I’d never spend that much money on it.”

The big difference, however, is that Cambridge actually has useful products that normal people can benefit from instead of hundreds of different back massagers.

Cambridge SoundWorks, now owned by Creative Labs, decided to close all of its retail outlets and focus on direct marketing — reducing their and our costs.

Thus, the SW820 HD Radio, which would run you hundreds more in the store days, is only $129.99, and it still sounds like $400.

Not everyone is a believer in HD Radio, and we’re not necessarily sold on the concept either. But look at it this way: Radio is here to stay. Why not give HD a shot if it really does offer more programming options for free?

There’s just one flaw in that otherwise impeccable logic. The HD signals are often spotty at best, especially getting 15-20 miles into the suburbs, away from a metro radio signal.

Here in Boston, you’ll have a hard time getting a good HD signal — or the stations-between-the-stations — on the South or North Shore or beyond Framingham. (West Coasters — think of that as deep into Orange County from Downtown Los Angeles.)

The other big flaw with the SW820 is that the antenna is a bitch to screw on, requiring a special wrench that comes with the radio. Don’t lose it, or you can forget about HD programming no matter where you are.

The radio does sound very good, and tuning via the knob instead of repeatedly mashing buttons is a relief. When you do get an HD signal, you clearly notice the difference.

Like it or not, HD Radio sounds good, and for the $100 you’ll spend on Amazon for this baby, Cambridge SoundWorks makes their case.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

We’ve got more stuff for you guys!

We have over a dozen Plantronics Audio 350 gaming headsets that we’re just throwing at our readers right now. Enjoy the ultimate gaming headset for free!

What do you have to do to get one of these freebies? Write a review! Review a new movie, music album, video game, software, hardware, gadget, laptop, camera, pretty much whatever you want. Write up a review that’s at least 400 words, and if we use it, you’ll get a freebie!

Email all reviews to newsroom@blastmagazine.com, and include your name, address, website address if you have one, the review, any photos you have of the product and don’t forget the 1-5 star rating!

There are two truly great and ridiculously fun pieces of software that have been out there forever in the music studio/audio editing/looping world: Fruity Loops and Acid.

They’re fun because even though most people don’t have a damn clue how to really use the software, anyone can pick either title up and start making noise right away.

Acid Pro first came out in 1998 and was the first true loop-based Desktop Audio Workstation. It’s been popular with bands, DJ’s and producers ever since.

Acid Pro 6 remains the bulked up commercial product at $200+, but a slightly lighter Acid Music Studio 7, which you can scoop up for $50 has most of the features of its predecessor and just about everything a student or individual user could ask for.

What I liked about Acid Studio were the tutorials. Sony’s “Show Me How” system lets you ease into working with the software, and I highly recommend spending a few hours practicing on them if you want to get serious with the software.‚ 

There are also 3,000 build in music loops, 1,000 MIDI files and the capability for importing your own audio to mix up. You can also record live from your own instruments via your sound card.‚ 

Finally, when you’re done you can export your audio artwork to CD’s, flash drives, MP3 players or package them for easy web streaming.‚ 

I have always prefered Acid over the years to Adobe’s Audition, and being a PC guy I don’t have much experience with Garage Band. I can tell you that if you want to really ease into audio editing and mixing, there’s a free, open source title out there called Audacity. While it’s not as polished or powerful as the boxed products, it is a great, free resource for audio editing.

There are a bunch of other DAW’s out there, but I’ve found Acid Pro and now Acid Music Studio balance power and learning curve better than the competitors. There’s also a free trial available.‚ 

Overall, Music Studio won’t do everything that Acid Pro 6 does — particularly with sample rates. Music Studio maxes out as 16/48kHz while Pro can do 24/192kHz. Pro also can process 5.1 surround sound recordings. But if you’re just looking to break into music creation and mixing, I love Music Studio.

Sonoro Audio, a German designer of high-end audio products, announced Tuesday that it is releasing a clock radio that’s decorated with about 4,000 black and white Swarovski crystallized stones.

The Swarovski crystals cover the outside of the radio forming a tattoo-style vine wrapping across the product, the company said in a statement.

You can have some bling for $2500 if you can make your way to Saks Fifth Avenue’s home department.

We’re currently reviewing one of Sonoro’s Cubo products, and we love the way it sounds so far.

Arkados and IOGEAR, two companies that put out nifty electronics and gadgets, announced Thursday that they are producing the “Powerline Stereo Audio System,” a multi-room audio setup that connects to your iPod or other source (does everyone have to say “works with iPod!” when they mention any sort of audio gadget?) that will let you send audio all around your house via the electric lines in the building.

The Powerline Stereo Audio System will be displayed by IOGEAR at CEDIA 2008 in booth #468.

And now, something technical:

“The Powerline Stereo Audio System uses existing electrical lines within the home to stream music to any room, creating a full-house multimedia network without the need for expensive audio cable installation,” the companies said in a statement. “Arkados’ HomePlug powerline technology and its Direct-to-Speaker software provide reliable connectivity and the highest quality digital sound from the audio source to the speakers for the system.”

Of course, everyone’s happy:

“We are pleased to have joined forces with IOGEAR, a leading connectivity manufacturer, to provide an affordable, high-quality solution to home audio networking,” said Oleg Logvinov, president and Chief Executive Officer of Arkados. “The Arkados HomePlug solution within IOGEAR’s Powerline Stereo Audio System allows consumers to install their own state-of-the-art home audio network at a significantly lower price point. We are looking forward to showcasing the system at CEDIA.”

Yay.

Oh. Ohhhh… Interesting.

It’s heavy and shiny and costs as much as a high-end home audio center channel, but the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin will do things to your iPod audio that you weren’t sure she was capable of.

Sure, at $600, it’s more expensive than any iPod, but if you want a $20 speaker system, there’s plenty of those out there that sound like amplified earbuds.

The Zeppelin sounds phenomenal. It weighs in at almost 17 pounds and packs five drivers.

It’s built around a central 5″ bass driver, two 3.5″ midranges and two 1″ metal dome tweeters for those high notes and puts out 100 total watts of power, which is as powerful as any standard home theater setup.

Why the constant comparison to home theater components? Because the Zeppelin acts more like a piece of equipment than a device. It feels more like an antique wood coffee table than a plastic folding card table. The majority of audio components sound “good.” A bunch of them sound “bad.” And then there’s a breed that sounds like what your “always-has-to-have-the-best” neighbor has. The audio quality on the Zeppelin is amazing, and it’s even more amazing that this device was specifically built for iPods.

And if there is to be any complaint about the Zeppelin, it’s that it is 99 percent iPod-centric. Obviously there’s no CD player. There’s no radio. You can plug a Zune or any other audio device in, but then you’re left with this arm in the middle where the iPod is supposed to go.

Maybe that’s not a complaint, because this seems to work just fine. We’re a music consuming world that’s now 99 percent iPod (or iPhone now) centric, so why not plop your pod into something like the Zeppelin?

The remote control doesn’t work that well. There, I issued a complaint. It’s good up till about 10 feet and then it’s hit or miss.

With a product like this, all we’re missing out on here is the fact that we’re still largely using compressed MP3 files that don’t sound as good as pure, unadulterated audio. Do yourself a favor sometime, plug a CD player into a device like this. I did.

Digression over.

The Zeppelin works with iPod Touch, Classic, 4th and 5th generation, Nano and Mini. There’s also an auxiliary input port so that you can plug in just about any device. You can also use composite or S-Video to output video to a television or display.

This is a peach of a product that you should definitely check out.

Let’s just get the standard stuff out of the way right now. The iHome iH12 comes in black and pink. It docks and charges any iPod. It plays music and video with a high-quality powered speaker. It has built-in alarms. It has a radio too.

So, I’ve toed the company line. That’s what the iH12 and every other iHome product does. It’s what they do, and they’re very good at it.

The iH12 is a compact cube with a backlit display, dual alarms and gradually progressing volume for waking and sleeping. It has a remote, AM/FM radio with 12 presets and an auxilary input to plug in your non-iPod devices.

The device has iHome’s usual Reson8 speaker with passive subwoofer for bass. It’s not going to shake a room, but the iH12 projects a clear sound that’s as good as any of the docks on the market.

It is not compatible with 3rd generation or earlier iPods, so make sure you have something fairly new to throw at it.

At $80, it’s priced right in the meaty curve of the iPod-audio-docking-alarm-clocking products. Give it a shot.

4 out of 5 stars

When the subwoofer earned its rightful place in the realm of computer audio, one of the smallest computer peripherals became one of the largest overnight. The deep bass and added clarity gave computer audio a tremendous gift, but that gift has been one of the hardest aspects of computing to micro-ize as computer footprints get smaller and monitors universally become flat.

We have seen some excellent smaller, two-piece computer speakers (Bose has a great one for $400). There are also some excellent one-piece systems, like a Polk Audio product for $1,000.

There are several choices in subwooferless computer speakers. There always have been. Most of them suck or are too expensive or both. The challenge has always been to somehow capture the sound that comes with today’s 2.1, 4.1 and 5.1 (even 6.1 and 7.1 that we’ve seen…) computer speaker systems. Let’s face it, a lot of users just don’t feel like mounting a complete surround system around their desktop.

The Altec Lansing SoundBar tries to pick up the slack and give users a compact solution that won’t sound like two tin cans and a string.

At $80, it is not going to compete with the Polk SurroundBar, but it’s a long shot better than the $10 Dell Sound Bar that is made to retrofit their Ultrasharp monitors.

The Altec Lansing SoundBar sits comfortably below any flat monitor and lets you connect your computer and any other headphone-jack device, like an iPod, simultaneously.

Here’s what you should know about the SoundBar: it does its job. He’s a blue-collar, clock-punching factory worker who’s happy with his lot in life. The product has good bass, excellent highs and projects a pretty clear sound. But it’s not going to shake a room.

The SoundBar is still a one-piece speaker system without a subwoofer, and nobody is trying to sell it as anything different. So don’t expect it. It also doesn’t deliver (or claim to deliver) a three-dimensional surround sound experience. This isn’t a home theater unit. It’s not going to make you jerk your head around to see where that sound came from. The SoundBar is essentially a center channel that does a decent job of separating left and right effects.

The SoundBar is powered by three 2″ divers; two of them are active, full-range speakers, while the third is passive and handles the bass. The device is controlled by a single knob that handles power, volume and muting. The line-in and headphone jacks are also useful, and they give you audio ports right at your fingertips.

It’s certainly priced right, and if you’re looking for a clear, compact speaker that won’t need its own room and require multiple wall and ceiling mountings, this is a great choice.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

High-end (they say “distinctive”) audio manufacturer Sonoro is storming into the American market with the release of the “cubo” line.

The product will come in two flavors — “cubo elements” and “cubo fusion.” The elements model comes with Internet radio that allows users to choose from 10,000 radio stations. There is also an AM/FM version of the product. “fusion” comes equipped with an iPod docking station and key-lock system to secure the unit in place.

“Cubo fits comfortably on nightstands, kitchen counters and tabletops, adding flair to any room,” the company said recently. “User-friendly buttons let individuals effortlessly control their music and program alarms to a desired song or radio station.”

The system is built on a full-range driver with a bass-reflex tube. It comes in three wood and seven lacquer-color finishes. It looks like a good one, and at $350, they just might catch the eyes of their style-conscious target market.

iSkin’s Cerulean line of products is a handy collection of Bluetooth accessories and earbuds for iPod’s, laptops and other audio devices that let’s you go cordless. They work with laptops, iPods and mobile phones for hands-free calls.

They come in a wide variety of packages and configurations.

In a nutshell, there are three main Bluetooth devices, the TX, the RX and the F1.

The TX sends audio, the RX receives audio, or you can go with the F1 — stereo Bluetooth headphones.

The Cerulean F1 wireless stereo headphones reach 33 feet, and they allow you to to plug-in to any auxiliary audio source or iPod-compatible audio system and listen to it.

They are designed to with with traditional iPod docking platforms, and the TX and RX don’t require any batteries because they’re charged by the iPod and Dock-compatible audio device. You can use them with non iPod products, but you’ll need an external power source and audio wires.

These are great but expensive toys. A set of TX + RX or F1 + TX will run you upwards of $150. They sound great, however and are sleek and stylish on top it it all.

Overall, if you’re willing to put up the extra dollars, iSkin’s Cerulean line is one of the best, most compact Bluetooth devices I’ve used. It removes the wires, but it’s versatile enough to be used away from the traditional iPod application.

Take a look on the iSkin website.

Quick hits:

Distributor: iSkin
Developer: iSkin
Genre: Bluetooth audio
Launch Date: August 8, 2007

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Sound Forge is Sony’s professional digital audio production suite. Long considered one of the frontrunners in its class, SF has garnered much attention and has won the hearts of many with a well-polished user interface and lots of attention to detail.

THE MEAT

Probably the biggest new feature in SF9 is its ability to directly record and handle audio streams of up to 32 separate channels. What this means is that you can, for example, capture an entire 5.1 surround sound stream in one pass, whereas previously, you’d have to break the stream into three pairs of tracks and record them separately, synchronizing them after the fact. It’s something of a wonder that this feature wasn’t introduced a long time ago. In this day and age of DVDs and 3D games with cinematic soundtracks, producers are increasingly finding themselves to be dealing with greater-than-stereo mix scenarios, and Sound Forge’s previous two channel limitation was a thorn in the side that many weren’t willing to bear.

While the phrase that would come to most people’s minds in a case like this would be “better late than never,” Sony was obviously not satisfied to hide behind this excuse and used the time effectively to do things right, rather than simply tweaking a few functions to hack in multiple channels in a few places. They took the effort to modify the supporting features of the program to cope with the new information properly, so that things like the spectrum analyzer and mix meter would be capable of showing frequency and phase cancellation issues across the composite of all channels simultaneously.

Additionally, the mix capabilities are appropriately flexible and aren’t arbitrarily limited to stereo-based notions of left and right, enabling you to crossfade and bleed any channel into several others at once so that you can precisely position things when merging down or spreading up. If that’s not enough, they also put in enhanced drag-and-drop between channels and files, and added support for exporting and saving into over half a dozen multichannel file formats, with support for over two dozen formats overall.

In addition to multichannel capabilities, SF9 now comes with Quicktime/MPEG, Noise Reduction 2.0 and the iZotope mastering effects bundle as part of the standard package, which is a significant value boost over the previous version, considering all three are worth a couple hundred dollars by themselves.

The iZotope set is particularly interesting, giving you an EQ, reverb, compressor and limiter, all with real-time graphs and meters that show you exactly what you’re working with (the multiband compressor looks especially useful). Effects also have highly configurable wet/dry mix and crossfade options now, and along with all the multichannel support comes the ability to use multichannel VST pluggins too.

Last but not least, we also get integration with the Gracenote MusicID Media Recognition Service, so you don’t have to waste time manually typing in id3 tag information when extracting songs from audio CDs.

LAST WORDS

Sound Forge version 9 is definitely a major step forward for the program. With its current feature set and price (and now Windows Vista compatibility as well), it offers a very attractive package that’s well worth considering and should be on the radar of both owners of previous versions, and anyone new who’s just getting into the business.