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Brainwavz Audio B200 dual balanced armature earphones review

Beyond simple classifications (over-ear, on-ear, in-ear) one tends to either really care about in-the-weed-level details, or generally be okay with what’s easily available. As a brand, Brainwavz Audio clearly falls into the former category as you can get lost in the specifications of their products. Let’s pull back the veil a bit and wade through some tech.

What is it?

The B200 model from Brainwavz Audio are in-ear monitors or earphones that use a dual balanced armature design to maximize performance and comfort. “Dual balanced armature”? Read on…

Hardware specs

  • Drivers : Dynamic, 8 mm
  • Rated Impedance : 16Ω
  • Frequency Range : 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
  • Sensitivity : 100 dB at 1 mW
  • Rated Input Power : 20 mW
  • Cable : 1.3 m Y-Cord, Copper
  • Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold plated

What’s in the box?

  • Earphone Hard case
  • 3x Sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
  • Set of Comply Foam Tips T-100
  • Shirt Clip
  • Velcro Cable Tie
  • Instruction Manual
  • Warranty Card (24 month warranty)
    ** Brainwavz includes a 3-button mic and remote as the standard cable. Our review unit came with the optional 3.5mm stereo cable and an extra set of silicone tips as well as a third comply tip. Non-remote cables are available optionally from Brainwavz.

Design and features

The B200 earphones are visually stealthy and nondescript at the same time. From a color standpoint, they’re black, clear with a small hint of gold on the 3 connectors. The two features that stand out most are the clear monitor enclosures and the matte twisted MMCX cable which actually refers to the gold micro-miniature coaxial connectors that attach to the monitors.

The cable on these earphones is removable, which is relatively common on high quality in-ear monitors. The MMCX connector is tiny and one of the reasons it’s such a good fit for in-ear audio. Another is that there’s a very positive snap when you connect and then the connector is able to rotate 360º radially.

Now, let’s talk about the monitor enclosures. They’re a slightly frosted clear material and each one has subtle differences from the other. Brainwavz actually uses a liquid-resin 3D printer to print every pair. Very cool. Because of the process, each enclosure has small visual differences due to flow of material while having the same dimensions and profile. Alas, they didn’t send the printer along for review so here’s a picture from their site.

The cable uses the up-and-over ear wrap. Kind of a secret service look, but it serves an important function. Any pull or tug on the cable pulls on the top of your ear, not a direct stress on the connector. That section has a small bendable wire inside so you can form them to your ear shape easily.

The 3 button mic/remote, yoke and the 3.5 connector both use a smooth sturdy aluminum body.

Balanced armature drivers are tuned to sound good in a specific frequency range. Brainwavz uses a dual balanced armature design separating out two different frequency ranges for the highs and lows effectively increasing their ability to work with more types of music.

Lastly, there’s the extras. S, M. L silicone tips as well as red Comply™ tips, a shirt clip, velcro tie and a durable, zip-close hard case.

Setup

Ears are not a one-size-fits-all affair as much as some companies may ignore that fact. Thankfully Brainwavz understands this. They provide different sized tips that are easy to press on and remove so try them all until you find a fit that feels good to you. You’re looking for easy to insert into your ears, a good seal in your ear canal and then comfort over time.

You may need to play some audio to really be able to tell. Pick something with some strong bass and you’ll hear the difference between a good and not-good seal. Try the Comply tips if the silicone ones aren’t working, or if they want to work their way out on you during wear. They’re a bit trickier to push on as the inner core is pretty firm. Comply uses a memory foam, so just squish them small in diameter, insert into your ears and then give them a moment to rebound and seal. On to performance.

Performance

To start, the B200 drivers are tuned to produce a balanced, accurate sound signature. Brainwavz states that this provides little-to-no coloring on the music so you can hear it the way the Artist intended. This is great in theory, but in the end, you’re the one listening. If you start to research how to test earphones you’ll get a lot of conflicting information.

I’m sure my approach will also draw some ire, but here goes…

Start by playing a few songs you know well. It’s the best way to tell if something is missing from the audio response or if you’re suddenly hearing things you never knew were in the recording. Here’s a Spotify link to the songs I mention if you’re interested.

My go-to is “Lingus” by Snarky Puppy. It’s epic in length with amazing musicians, clean sound, insane solos and grins that I think I can hear. I’ve watched their video so many times it pretty much plays in my head while I’m listening.

Next is something like “Ground On Down” by Ben Harper. About 25 seconds in the guitar dives into reverb, low feedback and then some distortion. The rest of the song puts any earphones to test for me.

I then like to listen to something new by an artist I know, followed by something by an artist I’ve never heard before. I’m sure it sounds weird, but it forces me to consciously listen to the music trying to figure it out instead of letting my memory fill in for me. For these earphones I listened to “Eat the Elephant” by A Perfect Circle, “Blood Thinner” by Royal Coda and then “Bellbottoms” (Soooo good!) by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

In the course of testing, I put these through their paces in some different locations. A crowded, very loud BART ride from Oakland into SF, a United flight to Shanghai, the Metro in Shenzhen and in the hotel room writing this review.

As far as overall fit, the driver enclosures tucked into my ears really well, even to the point where I could place a flat palm against my ear and not feel pressure on my ear canal. (Please excuse the hexagonally rotated photo crop)

The fact that the MMCX connector rotates allows for that extra level of adjustment for fit. On the tips, I went back and forth between the small silicone ones which provided a slightly better bass response and the ones from Comply which were more comfortable for longer listening sessions. If Comply works best, you’ll want to pick up some extras as they do show wear and grime faster. If you’ve got a good seal these are great noise-isolation earphones. They don’t actively cancel any outside sounds, but definitely block enough. I do wear glasses sometimes, either prescription, sunglasses and yes, reading glasses now. The cable wrap over the ear is pretty minimal and shouldn’t cause too much trouble.

The cable did a good job of not transmitting too much noise up to my ears. Taking a thumbnail and dragging it down the cable produced a rumble, but general motion on a shirt or jacket was nice and quiet. Might want to use the included shirt clip if you’re wearing something with a big toothy zipper. It also coils well for storage without too much memory when you take them back out again.

You’ll also want to consider your music source. The earphones you choose are only as good as they work where you want them to. Playing music from your mobile phone is quite a bit different than from your computer or stereo with a headphone amplifier. I did both using the stock Apple lightning adapter with my iPhone to listen to downloaded (not streaming) music and through iTunes on my Mac with a FiiO Q1 Portable USB DAC Amplifier I’ve had for a couple years. The B200s sounded great on both. The good news is that balanced armature drivers don’t take as much power to drive as they aren’t pushing volumes of air so performance directly from a mobile player is pretty good.

So what’s all this add up to? In my opinion, for my listening needs, the Brainwavz’s B200 is a solidly built pair of earphone that fits into and around my ears comfortably while providing a good acoustic seal. The music I listened to sounded really good with enough bass to keep me happy and mids and highs that still came through clearly. Any subtleties that certain types of music might need, I’ll likely be able to dial in with some EQ settings. The cable remote worked well with buttons that were easy to find without looking and enough tactile feedback to know that they’d been pushed. Overall I only had two small annoyances that were both trivial. First, the ear hooks make wrapping, storing and unwrapping the earphones little tougher as the hooks would get caught on the cable, although the same earhook feature lets them hang on a shirt collar easily. Second is that I’d really like to see an optional cable that was lightning cable specific. Definitely not a dealbreaker, but adapters are annoying and with more phones foregoing the headphone jack it would be a welcome option. Ok, let’s wrap this up.

What I like

  • The sound. Accurate and clear
  • Comfort, especially with Comply tips
  • Secret service up-and-over ear wrap
  • Replaceable cable
  • The price. This is a lot of earphone for the dollars

What needs to be improved

  • Would like to see a lightning connector cable (just say no to adapters)
  • Wrapping for storage is an annoyance with the SecretService wrap

Final thoughts

Earphones/headphones are intensely personal. It’s hard to know if you really like a pair until you’ve tried enough varieties to know what you’re looking for. They should work for the music, movies, and content you like, your daily environments and above all they should be comfortable. The B200 earphones work very well for me across all of those metrics and it really is a great price for what you get. The ear hook is a bit more of a commitment over a simple earbud, so they’re best suited when you can plan for uninterrupted listening which I’d encourage anyone to find more time for.

Price: $119.50
Where to buy: Brainwaves Audio and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Brainwavz Audio

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Brainwavz Audio B200 dual balanced armature earphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 14, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Logitech Slim Combo iPad case with Detachable Backlit Keyboard and Smart Connector Technology review

Keyboard cases for the iPad arrived very shortly after the device itself. We’ve covered many here at The Gadgeteer. Most of these have incorporated a Bluetooth keyboard. I’ve usually not been interested in these, because the typing surface of the keyboard is so much smaller than a standard keyboard. With the release of the 10.5” iPad Pro last year, the idea of a Smart Keyboard-equipped model became more interesting to me. The surface of the screen is just a touch larger, so I’ve kinda gotten used to typing on a smaller than normal keyboard. Recently, the Logitech Slim Combo caught my eye, and they sent one to us for review.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

The Slim Combo, as the name implies, is a two-piece keyboard and case for the 10.5” iPad Pro. The Case is interesting in that it has a kickstand a la Microsoft Surface built into the back. It has padded corners, which are also raised so that the screen cover/keyboard fits into it and makes a flush, snag-free whole.

Hardware specs

  • Two-piece cover and keyboard for iPad Pro 10.5
  • Keyboard is backlit with ambient light sensor and control keys
  • Cover has a kickstand, adjustable from 90º to 30º
  • Loop for Apple Pencil
  • All edge buttons (volume and sleep/wake) are covered, all ports are open.

What’s in the box?

  • Smart Connector keyboard screen cover
  • Form-fitting protective case with built-in kickstand

Design and features

The cover is made from a hard plastic. The fit is tight and secure, without being difficult to put on or take off. The back cover is mostly slightly textured plastic with generous, well-placed cutouts for the mic, camera, speakers, and ports, as well as an exposed edge for the Smart Keyboard. Opposite this edge, there is a fabric ribbon loop 3.25” wide. It is not stretchy but fits the pencil precisely. The area over the kickstand is of a different texture and patterned to mimic the fabric on the front cover. There is a “Logi” logo debossed into the center of it, but there is no color or other markings. The action of the kickstand feels smooth and well-constructed, and there are rubber bumpers on each corner. There is a good bit of heft in this cover, which does add weight, but you feel your iPad is well-protected. The cover weighs 8.4 oz. by my kitchen scale.

The keyboard is a separate piece, with a Smart Connector placed on a tab that magnetically attaches to the iPad, just like Apple’s covers and Smart Keyboards do. This piece weighs 10.4 oz. Above the keyboard’s top row and below the connector is a thick, soft strip of rubber that prevents the keys from making contact with the iPad screen when it’s folded. The palm rest is also raised a bit from the keyboard level in order for it to hold the bottom of the keys clear of your screen as well. The “outside” of the keyboard has a strip of hard plastic running up the keyboard connector edge for just over an inch. The remainder of it is a fabric glued on inside a slightly lower area of the plastic. The fabric and naked plastic edge is precise, and you can’t tell where the two meet except for the change in texture.

There is a magnetic connection between the keyboard and cover that pulls them together and activates the built-in sleep/wake feature of the iPad, if you have that turned on. This also keeps the keyboard from starting up and using battery power. Given the pair weighs 18.7 oz. together, you’re looking at a doubling of the weight of a naked iPad.

The backlighting of the keyboard is sufficient for use in dimly lit areas, and adjustable from totally off to a good brightness even when the room is lit. Key travel is very shallow, and while each key has its own individual travel path, there’s a visible movement of the whole keyboard when you type in the area around the space bar. Keys are cupped and separated and of equal size and level, except for the media/control keys across the top. These are half size, and include all the standard Apple items – screen brightness, keyboard brightness, previous/play/next playback controls, volume up, down, and mute, plus a key to pull up the software keyboard. Two that are added are a home button and a lock key. These quit the current app to reveal the Springboard and immediately lock the screen, respectively. Each of these are good additions and worked as expected reliably.

Setup

There is no setup other than putting the iPad into the back cover. Connecting the Smart Keyboard makes it active and removing it deactivates it.

Performance

Performance varies on occasion. I’m not sure if it’s the keyboard layout or the Smart Connector or the feel of the keys, but I found myself getting random spaces and random periods rather than commas. I tend to type very quickly while looking at my fingers, but I’ve been typing this way for decades, and haven’t seen this on any other keyboard. Perhaps I’m not as used to this size keyboard as I thought I was. Or maybe it’s the slight difference in the layout and size of the keys. This issue lessened as I used the keyboard more and paid attention to those issues.
If you’re one who likes to chat via video in Portrait mode, you’ll find this a great case. When you pull the kickstand out fully and turn the iPad 90º, the kickstand holds the iPad at a 72° angle that is perfect for video chats. It’s also great for reading the news or email, if you’re not wanting to reply.
Even with the magnetic latch, I found the unit would come on in my bag frequently, making the battery run down a bit. This could have happened because of the keyboard being disconnected or because the closure slid open a bit.

What I Like

  • Kickstand is a nice feature
  • Case is very protective
  • Portrait mode for video calls and no-hands reading
  • Keyboard never touches screen

What needs to be improved

  • The case doesn’t stay together very well in a bag
  • The connection with the keyboard is flimsy
  • Smart Connector means keyboard must always be connected to iPad.

 Final thoughts

The Slim Combo is a solid performer. The Smart Connector means there is no battery to replace or charge for the keyboard, but the trade-off is that it must remain connected while using. The flimsy connector between keyboard and iPad needs to be addressed so that the keyboard doesn’t wake up during transport. This connector also affected the performance of the keyboard itself.

While I’m sold on the Kickstand, I don’t think it’s quite the be-all-end-all that Microsoft made it out to be in early Surface marketing. But with it, I can use a Bluetooth keyboard and have the iPad in portrait or horizontal. I may invest in a standard Apple cover and try just the case with my trusty K811. Watch this space for updates.

Price: List price $129.99 current price $112.75
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Logitech.

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Logitech Slim Combo iPad case with Detachable Backlit Keyboard and Smart Connector Technology review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 13, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Thinkware F800 PRO dashcam review

Last September I reviewed the Thinkware F800, a stealthy, feature-rich dashcam that remained in my old sports car until the day I sold it. Well, as the story goes, my new car didn’t have power ports nearly as well place as my former set of wheels. So, instead of having the 12V cable dangling from my rearview mirror, I had Thinkware’s optional power cable hardwired into my new car in preparation for this review. Thinkware has recently sent me their latest and greatest to try out, the F800 PRO. So, let’s see how this dashcam compares to the original and if it lives up to its PRO moniker.

Since the F800 and F800 PRO are nearly identical in form and function, I will be plagiarizing myself while describing the Pro’s shape, ports, and shared features but dive into what differences there are.

What is it?

The F800 PRO is a screen-less dashcam, shaped more or less like a thick deck of cards with a growth on its side to house the lens assembly. Like its twin sibling, I love the minimalistic, non-distracting form factor of the F800 PRO. Other than verbal/audio notifications, you can hardly tell it’s installed being tucked behind the rearview mirror. The F800 PRO is even more stealthy than the original, housed in all-black (vs gray) plastic and packed full of the latest tech, features, and Sony’s 2.13MP Exmor CMOS camera.

Design and features

Package Contents:

  • Main dashcam unit
  • Mount with 3M tape (1ea)
  • 12v power cable
  • Adhesive cable holders
  • 16gb microSD memory card with adapter (consumable)
  • Quick start guide/warranty card

The top of the F800 PRO has four slots that slide onto the mounting plate which allows for easy installation and removal of the device. The mounting plate is securely held to the windshield by a 3M adhesive strip (vs suction cup mount). The dashcam locks into place with a secure, wiggle-free connection.

The main face of the F800 PRO has the mute, SD card format, WiFi, and power buttons in addition to the GPS, recording, and WiFi status LEDs located on the left. The F800 PRO’s speaker is also located on the front of the device. Like the F800, the PRO’s speaker impressed me, definitely the clearest and loudest dashcam sound I have experienced to date.

The bottom, front facing edge of the dashcam has LED security lights that are managed via the Thinkware smartphone app.

The right side of the F800 PRO has its video-in, power, and external GPS ports. The video-in port is for the rear, second channel camera.

The F800 PRO’s camera is on the left side of the device, engineered to sit very close to the windshield to reduce distortion and glare. The camera housing is able to rotate vertically approximately 90 degrees to accommodate nearly any windshield angle and vehicle design.

The top of the F800 PRO has the recessed reset button, microSD card slot, and microphone. The PRO ups the maximum microSD card capacity to 128gb (vs the 64gb of the original F800).

Installation:

As I mentioned above, instead of using the included 12v power cable I had the Thinkware TWA-SH hardwiring cable installed by the Geek Squad @BestBuy. The cable itself was about $25 on Amazon and $50 to have it professionally installed. The hardware kit enables you to use all of the F800 PRO’s Parking Mode features/capabilities.

Other than the mute, format, WiFi, and the power buttons, configuring, managing and viewing/downloading video is all done via the Thinkware app available for iOS and Android devices.

The Thinkware app even helps you align the dashcam when first setting the 3M mounting plate as you can see here with the blue & green lines.

Setup and Management:

To customize the F800 PRO’s multitude of settings, you have to connect to the dashcam via WiFi and use the mobile app to tweak things as you like. The process requires you to press the WiFi button on the front of the dashcam, directly connect to its WiFi (for me it is Thinkware_B8), then start up the app.

In addition to accessing the F800 PRO’s camera (memory card/camera/recording/road safety/system) settings, the app also provides a listing of recordings and enables you to download these files from the microSD card to your smartphone wirelessly. Each 85mb file takes approximately a minute to download. Viewing videos are definitely easier by removing the microSD card and watching them on the Thinkware viewer on your computer.

Noteworthy Features:

  • Built-in GPS sensor  – the F800 & F800 PRO have absolutely the FASTEST built-in GPS I have ever tested.
  • Driver assistance – Includes lane departure, forward collision avoidance, and forward vehicle departure warning.
  • Speed camera alerts – the F800 PRO has an internal database that warns you when you’re coming up to an intersection or location with a known speed camera standing watch.
  • High-temperature protection system – a built-in thermal sensor protects the F800 PRO hardware and data against intense heat by automatically turning it off to prevent overheating.
  • Dual channel capable (aka second camera) – Thinkware also offers a rear camera that captures HD video @30fps.

Video Quality:

The F800 PRO uses the Ambarella A12 Chipset able to record 1080p simultaneously on both channels. The lens has 140 degrees of viewing angle with little fish-eye effect. I plan on adding Thinkware’s Rearview Camera in the near future.

Like the X550 and F800, the F800 PRO’s daytime video is good with solid resolution, excellent color, and better than usable image quality. Even though the F800 series has a 2.13MP Sony Exmor CMOS image sensor, some details are lost at HD (1920 x 1080) quality video.

Thinkware’s Super Night Vision 2.0 and Sony Exmor CMOS image sensor are very good at capturing light, producing an excellent nighttime video. The example shows excellent control of glare and exposure while producing well lit, very usable video.

Thinkware Viewer:

The Thinkware PC viewer is one of the best features of using their dashcams, very well polished and intuitive. Other dashcam manufactures either create a half-baked viewer or do not offer one at all.  The Thinkware viewer is an excellent integrated tool for viewing not only your driving video but speed, lat/long, Google map location, and three-dimensional G-forces the car is experiencing at any particular moment. These G-forces are illustrated in the bar graph under the video and the dial with a car in it with X- Y- and Z- axis in the lower left corner of the window. Like the X550 and F800, the F800 PRO records in 1:00 minute blocks that are approximately 85mb in size. The only issue I had with the viewer was the Google mapping integration was a bit hit or miss but I believe it might be the security settings on my Mac and/or iPhone.

F800 Pro vs F800:

As I mentioned above…other than its more stealthy coloring, there is no outward/physical difference between the F800 Pro and the original F800.

The F800 PRO supports microSD cards up to 128GB in capacity, double what the F800 can. This not only doubles the recording time before overwriting content but theoretically doubles any card’s expected life span.

The F800 PRO (as you would expect) includes a handful of added features the F800 does not, including:

  • Geo-Fencing allows drivers or parents to stay alert of the vehicle location.
  • Locate Vehicle drivers to find the vehicle’s current location.
  • Driving Impact Notification will notify owners when their vehicle has sustained a significant impact.
  • Energy Saving Parking Mode reduces power consumption by 1/3 less and gives 3x longer video recording than typical parking mode.

The Geo-Fencing, Locate Vehicle, and Driving Impact Notification features require an internet connection to work. To achieve this, the F800/F800 PRO can automatically connect to your smartphone’s or car’s hotspot when enabled. When set up correctly, I see these features as a great way to make sure whoever (aka teenagers) are OK and safely motoring down the road.

What I like

  • Great build quality
  • Additional features and functions
  • Stealthy/minimalistic form factor
  • Good video quality (especially Night Vision)
  • Dual channel/camera capable
  • Quick GPS lock
  • Excellent PC viewer
  • Solid companion smartphone app
  • Easy to install/use

WHat needs to be improved

  • Needs 2K resolution

Final thoughts

I really like Thinkware’s F800 series of dashcams…so much so, I have had them hardwired into several of our vehicles. I prefer their screen-less, minimalistic form factor. Both the F800 and F800 PRO are jam-packed with features you would expect from a high-end, flagship device. The all-black PRO only adds on to where the F800 stops. As I have said in this and past reviews, I would prefer a high resolution sensor but Thinkware’s flagship device has solid video quality and definitely gets the job done. Bottomline: I recommend the F800 for its design, features, and polished ecosystem and suggest spending a bit more for the PRO and all its added capabilities.

Price: $299.99
Where to buy: Thinkware or Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Thinkware, visit their site for more information.

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Thinkware F800 PRO dashcam review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 12, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Master & Dynamic ME05 earphones review

I’ve reviewed enough Master & Dynamic products to know how well they are made and also how great they sound. Surprisingly, I have not been familiar with their earphones. That’s now changed. Here is my review of the Master & Dynamic ME05 earphones.

What is it?

The Master & Dynamic ME05 earphones are made from hand-finished brass and are made much like their headphones with an attention to detail missing from many other brands.

Specs

  • Dimensions: 21.5 mm X 11.8 mm
  • Drivers: 8 mm Titanium
  • Impedance: 16 ohms
  • Weight: 21 grams
  • Materials: Brass, rubber, silicone
  • Cable: 47 in.
  • 3.5mm standard plug
  • Microphone Type: Omni-directional
  • Apple Compatibility: The remote and mic are supported only by iPhone 3GS or later, iPad, iPod touch (2nd generation or later), iPod classic (120GB, 160GB), and iPod nano (4th generation or later). The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd generation or later).

Design and features

The ME05 Earphones are made of brass and they look it. So, no surprises there. There’s even a polishing cloth included. The earphones have some weight to them and I was initially worried that this weight would make the earphones more difficult to stay in my ear. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t know how they did it but the weightiness is perfectly balanced, so any fears of falling out were alleviated within the first 30 minutes of wearing. I could even jump up and down without dislodging them, although I wouldn’t recommend exercising while wearing—especially since they are not water or sweat resistant.

Another welcome surprise are ear tips that fit! With my ears, this is a big deal. I didn’t have to revert to my saved stash of ear tips to achieve that important, proper seal. 

The earphones themselves are rather bulbous, but that allows the large dynamic speaker to sit outside the ear—and it helps with the balance I mentioned earlier. The brass is tastefully paired with black accents from the flat, tangle-resistant cords to the reinforced posts where the cord meets the earphone housing. The cord is a bit short for desktop use, but perfect for smartphone use. The overall effect of black and gold is that the ME05 earphones look more expensive than they are. Although made from brass, there are also two other color options: Black Chrome and Palladium. Master & Dynamic have a habit of matching style with substance and it shows here, also.

There is the usual assortment of accessories included. Four pairs of silicone ear tips along with an extra pair of “tuning filters.” These are not like the changeable filters you see on other brands of earphones that provide more bass, treble, whatever. No, these are identical to the already attached pair. However, unless you have gross ears, I can’t imagine why you would need to swap out the filters. Also, the filters are SMALL and yes, I dropped one and had trouble finding it. You’ve been warned. 

The accessories are housed in a nice leather-covered circular case that originally housed the earphones themselves when first opened. Once you pry out the insert that holds the tips, what’s left is a nice, hard case for protecting the earphones. Or you can opt for the included soft, cloth bag for easier packing in a backpack. It’s nice to have a choice. There’s also a shirt clip—which I have never used. 

On the cord, Master & Dynamic separated the mic from the controls, so the mic is closer to the mouth while the Play/Pause controls sit where the cord splits into left and right. Master & Dynamic claims that this reduces noise, but I’ve never noticed that problem with other earphones. But having the controls separate from the mic does reduce weight drag on the right cord since the mic weighs almost nothing.

The sound coming out of the ME05 earphones is as rich as the way they look. It’s a bit on the warm side but not overly so, which is a good thing. Warm just means that bass is accentuated just enough without crowding out the mids and higher frequencies. I can almost feel the bass thump in songs. Of course, that’s impossible with earphones, but the effect is there (depending on the song, of course). 

Brian Eno’s “Written, Forgotten” from the album “Small Craft on a Milk Sea” is a real bass tester. With the ME05 earphones, the deep bass notes sounded much like a subwoofer, but I could still hear faint, subtle whispering in the background giving the song an ethereal quality. I can’t hear that whispering with regular speakers or many headphones. It’s always a treat when you discover new things about songs you thought you knew very well.

Ladytron’s musical hooks are evident in many of their songs, but “Ghosts” is particularly infectious. When turned up, this song is a sonic kick in the teeth. Guitars are blurred with synth chords and distorted percussion giving the song a Phil Spector-like wall of sound. Despite this, you can still hear what you need to in order to make out specific instruments. 

Then there’s “Red Rain” from Peter Gabriel’s classic “So” album. I have a high res version on this album and the sonic improvements are evident throughout the song and album. Bass is tight and distinct from Gabriel’s vocals while there are higher frequency things happening in the background. However, the highs are tamed so there is no harshness at all. This is a well recorded album and the ME05s show that off.

What I like

They are extremely comfortable over long periods of listening, plus the ME05s have ear tips that fit me! The audio feels and sounds just right—not to bassy or bright. 

What needs to be improved

Nothing of note except the lack of water resistance. The ME05s are not cheap, but these brass earphones should last a long time if taken care of.

Final Thoughts

The Master & Dynamic ME05 earphones stick closely to the middle of the audio road without veering either too low or too high. This may disappoint some bass heads or people who like a brighter sound, but those people are not M&D’s target. M&D wants to please as many people as possible with something that sounds good to great and be comfortable doing it. And in that, they succeed.

One more thing. Before you say that $199 is a lot of money for earphones—brass or not—consider this: HifiMan makes brass earphones and those sell for $800. So by comparison, the M&D ME05 earphones are a bargain—especially since they sound so good.

Price: $199 US
Where to buy: Master & Dynamic
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Master & Dynamic.

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Master & Dynamic ME05 earphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 12, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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AmpliFi Teleport (AFi-RT) review

In 2016, Julie reviewed the AmpliFi WiFi router with mesh system. AmpliFi recently came out with a Teleport device that works with the AmpliFi router allowing you to securely connect to your home WiFi from anywhere in the world. I was sent the AmpliFi Teleport Kit for review. While testing it, I found that setting up the Teleport device is not easy. In addition, once I got it set up, it didn’t work every time. When it did work, I could successfully access my home network and devices.

What is it?

AmpliFi Teleport provides a secure and convenient way to access resources at home, even when you are not. Utilizing any Wi-Fi hotspot or wired Ethernet connection, Teleport is able to create an encrypted connection to your home network, expanding it wherever you go.

AmpliFi Teleport Kit works in two parts – an AmpliFi HD Router runs your home network and Wi-Fi while AmpliFi Teleport, which is a portable hardware extension to the router, makes the home network and its internet connection available from a different location. (AmpliFi website)

Hardware specs

AFi-T Specifcations (Teleport)

Dimensions: 43.00 x 75.85 x 38.85 mm (1.69 x 2.95 x 1.53″)
Weight: 80 g (2.82 oz)
Max. TX Power: 19 dBm
Speed: 2.4 GHz – 300 Mbps, 5 GHz – 300 Mbps
ESD/EMP Protection: ± 24kV Air/Contact
Buttons: Reset
Antennas: (2) Dual-Band Antennas
Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11b/g/a/n
Power Save: Supported
Wireless Security WPA2-PSK AES/TKIP
Operating Temperature: 14 to 131° F (-10 to 55° C)
Operating Humidity: 5 to 95% Noncondensing
Certifcations: FCC / CE / IC
Supported Data Rates
802.11n: 6.5 Mbps to 300 Mbps (MCS0 – MCS15, HT 20/40)
802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps

AFi-R Specifcations (Router)

Dimensions: 99.5 x 97.8 x 99.6 mm (3.91 x 3.85 x 3.92″)
Weight: 410 g (14.46 oz)
Max. TX Power: 26 dBm
Radios: 2
MIMO Chains: 6
Speed: 1750 Mbps
ESD/EMP Protection: ± 24kV Air/Contact
Buttons: Reset
Antennas: (1) Dual-Band Antenna, Tri-Polarity
Display: 1.6″ (40.6 mm) Diagonal, 240 x 240, 212 ppi, G+F Touch, Full Color
Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11ac
Power Save: Supported
Wireless Security: WPA2-PSK AES/TKIP
Operating Temperature: 14 to 131° F (-10 to 55° C)
Operating Humidity: 5 to 95% Noncondensing
Certifcations: FCC / CE / IC
Supported Data Rates
802.11ac: 13 Mbps to 1300 Mbps (MCS0 – MCS9, VHT 20/40/80)
802.11n: 6.5 Mbps to 450 Mbps (MCS0 – MCS23, HT 20/40)
802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps

What’s in the box?

AmpliFi Teleport
AmpliFi HD Router
Power adapter for the router
Two Ethernet cables
Quick start guide
The AmpliFi Story

Design and features

The AmpliFi Teleport (AFi-RT) kit came with their beautifully designed AmpliFi HD Router. It is a cube-shaped router, has a full-color LDC touchscreen display, and measures 3.91″ x 3.85″ x 3.92″.The back of the router has the following ports:

  • Four Gigabit Ethernet ports to connect 10/100/1000 Mbps wired network devices to the internet
  • Ethernet port (with a blue box around it) that connects to the broadband modem provided by your ISP (Internet Service Provider)
  • USB port that is reserved for future use
  • USB-C port for the power adapter

The bottom of the router has an LED ring around the bottom perimeter of the device and a rubber ring around the perimeter of the center plastic panel containing the product details. There is also a Reset button located here.  The AmpliFi Teleport kit also came with the Teleport device. The Teleport has an LED ring on the face of it and the device measures 1.69″ x 2.95″ x 1.53″.The back of the Teleport has outlet prongs.The bottom of the Teleport has a Reset button and an Ethernet port to connect it to an outside wired network (if desired).

Setup

AmpliFi HD Router setup

The Teleport device only works with the AmpliFi router, so I needed to set up the router first. There are a couple of ways to set up the router. You can set it up using the AmpliFi app (iOS or Android) or a web browser. I chose to set it up using the Android app. (Please see the AmpliFi Teleport guide to set up the router up using a web browser.)



To set up the AmpliFi router, I installed the AmpliFi app on my Pixel 2 XL phone. NOTE: If you are using an iOS device, you need to make sure that Bluetooth is turned on, or if you are using an Android device, you must make sure that WiFi is turned on.

After launching the app, I tapped on the “Continue” button (left screenshot above) then on the “Setup AmpliFi Mesh System” button (center screenshot above). Next, I powered off my internet service provider’s (ISP) broadband modem.



Using one of the provided Ethernet cables, I connected my AT&T modem to the Ethernet port (the one with a blue box around it) on my AmpliFi router as shown in the left screenshot above. Next, I connected the power adapter to the router’s USB-C port and plugged the other end into an outlet (as shown in the middle screenshot above). Then, I powered up my ISP’s modem.



To finish setting up the router, I needed to tap on the generic name of my router within the app (left screenshot above). Then I needed to name the router (its SSID) and create its password. And finally, I clicked on “Continue” as shown in the center screenshot above.

Now you can configure the router by tapping on the router icon in the center of the app home screen. Some of the router configurations include LCD and LED brightness, AmpliFi screen night mode settings, port forwarding, setting up a guest network, band steering which allows you to connect to the optimal band (2.4 or 5 GHz), router steering which would connect you to the main router, selecting 2.4 and 5 GHz channels and width of channels, as well as enabling hardware NAT, UPnP, clone MAC address, VLAN ID, IPv6, Bridge mode, etc.

AmpliFi Teleport setup

Preparations for Teleport setup

Step 1. Enabling AmpliFi Router Remote Access: The Teleport device needed to be paired with my router and to do so, I first needed to make sure that “Remote Access” was enabled on my router.



To enable “Remote Access” I needed to tap on the Menu icon in the upper left corner of the AmpliFi app (shown in the left screenshot above) and connect to either my Google or Facebook account. I chose to connect to my Google account. And that’s all I needed to do to set up “Remote Access”.


Step 2. Test Teleport connectivity: The second step in preparation for setting up the Teleport required me to test its connectivity. In the AmpliFi app, I tapped on the Teleport icon located in the center of the app home screen. I then tapped on “Test Connectivity” as shown in the right screenshot above. After doing so, it reported that the test failed and that I needed to enable UPnP on my ISP’s modem. However, AT&T (my ISP) does not allow UPnP for security reasons. I contacted Ubiquiti about this and they informed me that I could use port forwarding instead.

Step 3. Specify the port number in the AmpliFi router settings that the Teleport will use: Before setting up port forwarding on my AT&T modem, I needed to specify a port number in the AmpliFi router settings that the Teleport was going to use. To do this, I needed to log into my router using a web browser (http://amplifi.lan). Once I was logged in, under the setting “External port for Teleport Connection”, I entered the port number that I intended on using as shown in the screenshot above. You may click on the image to view a larger size.

Step 4. Set up port forwarding on AT&T modem: Now I was ready to set up port forwarding on my AT&T modem. I followed the steps outlined here.

NOTE: The port forwarding steps appear to be identical across AT&T modems. And, once you’ve created a new “user-defined application”, don’t forget to select it in the “Applications List” and add it to the “Hosted Applications” list in the setup.

Teleport setup

Now it’s time to setup the Teleport. First, you’ll need to plug the Teleport into an outlet and wait for the LED ring to start flashing indicating it is ready to be configured.

LED status: The LED ring on the face of the Teleport reveals its status:

  • Flashing blue full circle – it is ready to be configured
  • Circulating blue circle – it is connecting to the router
  • Steady blue full circle – it is configured and connected to the router

Next, I needed to find the Teleport listed in my phone’s WiFi settings as shown above. I then tapped on it.



Then I needed to tap on the Teleport again to sign into it (left screenshot above). On the next screen, I tapped on the “Sign In” button. I then gave my Teleport a network name (SSID) and password to log into in the future (right screenshot above).



Afterward, I needed to log into a hotspot to test the Teleport at home. NOTE: you’ll need to log in to a different WiFi other than your home WiFi when testing the Teleport at home which is why I used a hotspot device as shown in the left screenshot above.

After logging into my hotspot, the Teleport rebooted as shown in the middle screenshot above. Once it was up and running again, I had to find it in the list of available WiFi devices on my phone and tap on it (as shown in the right screenshot above – the Amp TLPT).



I then tapped on it again and tapped on the “Sign In” button to sign in. When the next screen popped up as shown in the right screenshot above,  I needed to switch over to my AmpliFi app to pair it with my AmpliFi router.



Within the AmpliFi app, a screen popped up asking if I wanted to pair the Teleport to the AmpliFi router. I tapped on “Yes, Pair this Teleport”.

I then went back to the WiFi settings on my phone and saw the center screenshot above. The center screenshot shows that my phone was connected to the Teleport device which was connected to the internet through an outside WiFi network (my hotspot). It also showed that the Teleport was paired with my AmpliFi router and thus connected to my home WiFi network.

After running the “Test Connectivity” again, I found no problems.


Now I could configure the Teleport within the AmpliFi app. To do so, I tapped on the Teleport icon located in the center of the app home screen. I could then change the Teleport settings listed (as shown in the right screenshot above) which include turning on/off the LED, pausing the Teleport, or rebooting it.

Wow, the setup process was surprisingly laborious!

Use


Using the Teleport to log into an outside network for the first time:

  • Plug the Teleport into an outlet and let it boot up
  • Connect your phone to the Teleport by selecting it from your phone’s list of available WiFi networks (left screenshot above)
  • Tap on the “Sign in” button to sign the Teleport into the available outside network (right screenshot above)



  • Select the available outside WiFi (or wired) network you wish Teleport to log into (left screenshot above), enter its password (middle screenshot above), and tap on “Continue”
  • The Teleport will reboot (right screenshot above)
  • After rebooting, you’ll connect your phone to the Teleport again by selecting it from your phone’s list of available WiFi networks
  • Now you have a secure connection to your home WiFi network

Using the Teleport to log into the same outside network that was logged into the last time you used it:

  • Plug the Teleport into an outlet and let it boot up
  • Connect your phone to the Teleport by selecting it from your phone’s list of available WiFi networks
  • Now you have a secure connection to your home WiFi network

Performance

The AmpliFi WiFi router was easy to set up and worked well for me. However, it was already reviewed by Julie. So, if you want to find out more about it, please read her review here. The purpose of this review was to test the AmpliFi Teleport device (which requires the AmpliFi router to work and is the reason why I received both items).

While I was out around town trying out the Teleport device, I found that I was hampered by the limited number of available outlets. Once I found an outlet to plug the Teleport into, I then had trouble with the Teleport logging into an available outside WiFi network. It sometimes reported that the password was incorrect. This was a false error. I know this because I was able to successfully log into the WiFi network directly (without the Teleport) using the same password. Furthermore, the same problem occurred a couple of times when trying to log into different WiFi hotspots at home while testing the Teleport device.

Some of the benefits of having secure access to your home network are that you have access to your network files, local streaming content, and access to your network devices. When I did finally get the Teleport to log into an outside WiFi network, it allowed me to successfully access my home network and devices. I was able to do things like use my Fing app to do some home network maintenance and stream Netflix and Amazon videos without issues. One of the things that I wanted to do was stream TV content from my WatchAir Smart WiFi antenna which was connected to my home WiFi network. However, the streaming was very choppy and unwatchable.

What I like

  • You can access your home network and devices

What needs to be improved

  • The setup process was tedious
  • Teleport sometimes had problems logging into an available outside WiFi network (it reported that the password was incorrect when it was not)

Final thoughts

The AmpliFi Teleport is a device that creates a secure network connection to your home network from anywhere around the world thus giving you access to your home network and devices. It works only with the AmpliFi router. While the AmpliFi router is easy to setup and works well, the setup of the Teleport was tedious.

After I was able to finally complete the setup, I found that I was limited by the number of available outlets. Also, when trying to log into an outside WiFi network using the Teleport, it sometimes reported that the password was incorrect even though I know it was not.

When the Teleport did work, I was able to do things on my home network like watch Netflix and Amazon videos without issues. However, the streaming quality of TV content through my WatchAir Wifi antenna at home was horrible. Thus, I have mixed emotions about using the Teleport. Sometimes it was just too frustrating to use, but other times it worked well and I could see its usefulness especially when you are traveling far from home.

Price: $208.05
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The product used in this review was provided by AmpliFi.

The post AmpliFi Teleport (AFi-RT) review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

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AmpliFi Teleport (AFi-RT) review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 11, 2018 at 2:16 pm.

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