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McIntosh Audio goes small with the MHA50 Portable Decoding Amplifier

Anyone who knows audio is aware of McIntosh—no, not Apple’s Macintosh! McIntosh is one of the most respected brands of audiophile gear with a history of great sound, long life and understated design with their signature blue lighting. Many years ago, I bought a Marantz receiver solely because it looked like a McIntosh (couldn’t afford the real thing). Only later did I realize that those copy-cat Marantz products were incredible in their own right. Lucky me! But I digress. McIntosh has continued to refine their core products (amplifiers, preamps, receivers, speakers) while also innovating in a digital world. Now they are venturing into the portable market with the McIntosh MHA50 Portable Decoding Amplifier.

Nearly everyone walks around with most if not all of their music library in their pocket or bag where it’s readily accessible via a pair of headphones. While convenient, it likely doesn’t sound as good as it could. The handheld MHA50 Portable Decoding Amplifier can make your music sound its best—and likely better than you’ve ever heard it before—through your headphones.

The MHA50 includes wired inputs for Apple iOS and Android devices plus Mac and Windows computers. It can also wirelessly connect to these devices via Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX technology ensuring high wireless sound quality. It has a high-performance 32-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and outputs audio that is superior to what your device alone can produce. It supports 32-bit/192kHz hi-res audio, DSD, and USB audio. Its 3,000 mAh rechargeable battery provides up to 6 hours of playback on a single charge when wireless and last even longer when wired.

About the size of a smartphone, the MHA50 is lightweight for portability with a beveled case that fits inside a pocket. Its features a glass front panel with a touch-sensitive volume control knob inspired by the classic knobs found on McIntosh products.

The MHA50 to work with all types of small earphones to large over-ear headphones. It comes complete with a luxurious leather carrying case, a Lightning to USB-A cable for Apple devices, a USB micro-B to USB micro-B cable for Android devices and a USB micro-B to USB-A cable for Mac and Windows PCs. A wall mount charger is also included.

The MHA50 sells for $700 US and is available from McIntosh dealers. Visit www.mcintoshlabs.com for more info.

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McIntosh Audio goes small with the MHA50 Portable Decoding Amplifier originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 5, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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Julie’s gadget diary – It’s official, I’m switching back to Android

When I was watching Google’s live event yesterday and heard that the new Pixel 2’s would be going on sale that day, I immediately opened a new tab on my browser and went to check the Google Play store. Sure enough, they were available to order, so I did just that.

I ordered the Google Pixel 2 XL 128GB version in black. The black and white version looks very snazzy and I am a little bummed that I didn’t pick it so I’d have the red power button. But I was worried that the white would look dirty after use. I also know that I’ll end up covering it up with a thin case to add some grip to what I’m guessing will be a slippery phone.

A few days ago I posted that I was going to be switching from iOS to Android after a 3-month Android hiatus in iPhone land. I mentioned that my device choice was narrowed down between an LG V30 and the new yet unofficial Pixel 2 XL. I ultimately decided to go with the Pixel 2 XL even though it doesn’t have a microSD card or wireless charging. Why did I order it then? Because it has crazy fast charging, will have security and OS updates for the next 3 years and free full-resolution back up to Google Drive of images and video.

I planned to give my iPhone 7 Plus to Jeanne to replace her really old Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Switching to Android concerned me a little because I had planned for Jeanne and I to both be on an iOS phone when I bought an iPhone X. We’ve been on different Android phones with different versions of the OS for years, which always makes it tough to troubleshoot problems when she calls me on the phone at work to complain about something not working right. I thought being on the same version of the OS would greatly help my stress level during those calls 😉 But I wrecked that idea when I decided I’d go back to Android. However, Jeanne didn’t really care about that and was just looking forward to getting a new phone no matter what it was. But it still bugged me.

Lady luck was shining on me though because yesterday Dave Rees offered to trade me a new still in the box Pixel XL (last year’s model) for my iPhone 7 Plus which he plans to give his son. I jumped on that offer because Jeanne and I could both be on the same OS like I wanted. At least through next year’s Android P update which is the last update the first Pixel phones will receive.

I also sold my iPad Pro 10.5 with Pencil yesterday to a friend at work because I have barely used it since buying it 3 months ago. So all in all, I feel like I got 2 brand new phones for only about $300. Yay!

Now I just have to wait 2 weeks until the Pixel XL 2 arrives. Waiting.is.so.hard. 😉

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Julie’s gadget diary – It’s official, I’m switching back to Android originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 5, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Sonos One is their first smart speaker with Alexa (Hands-on)

“Play mom’s playlist.” We suspected it was coming, and today Sonos confirmed that they are bringing Alexa into their eco-system. A software update is now available that allows Sonos owners to use Alexa to control their Sonos. The update is a beta that will be available for users in select countries, including the U.S. 

The company also unveiled their new Sonos One speaker which comes with Alexa support out of the box. But don’t let its familiar looks fool you, the Sonos One might look similar to their Play One speaker on the outside – but on the inside, it has been completely re-engineered. To that effect, it comes with a six-mic array and an adaptive noise suppression algorithm that has been optimized for Alexa. Worried that Alexa won’t hear you over the music? That’s where the echo cancellation technology inside of the mics come into play. Overall, the Sonos One is really positioned as a building block, since it allows you to use Alexa to control the rest of the Sonos family.

We briefly got to listen to the Sonos One, and it sounded fantastic for its size – even when playing all on its lonesome. Of course, like with other Sonos speakers, you will be able to pair the Sonos One with other Sonos Ones in stereo mode. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to pair the Sonos One with an older Play One speaker that you may have laying around. That’s a bummer, but Sonos did tell us that they may possibly add that feature later on in an update. And considering how great Sonos is with software updates, our hopes are high.  The Sonos One will retail for $199. Pre-orders for the Sonos One start on October 4th at www.sonos.com and it will be available globally on the 24th.

And not to make Google feel left out – especially on “Google Day”, Sonos announced that support for Google Assistant will arrive in 2018. In addition, Sonos unveiled plans to bring Apple Airplay 2 to their speakers in 2018, as well as the ability to directly control Sonos from within the Pandora and Tidal apps via an update within the next few months. Direct control from within Audible, iHeartRadio, and Kuke Music are also set to land in 2018. Last but not least, Sonos showed off a revamped Sonos app, which is more user friendly and modern, offering quicker access to your music.

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Sonos One is their first smart speaker with Alexa (Hands-on) originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 4, 2017 at 8:15 pm.

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OLALA 7800mAh Power Bank review

I really like portable chargers that have built-in cables so that I can eliminate having to carry additional charging cables with me when I’m away from home. I have Android devices (that use only micro-USB charging cables) and iOS devices that may need a charge when traveling, so the OLALA 7800mAh Power Bank with its built-in micro-USB cable and built-in Lightning cable attracted my attention when it was offered to the Gadgeteer for review. I found this charger to be a wonderful compact size (it fits well in my hand) and that it worked well charging my devices.

Package Contents

  • OLALA 7800 mAh Power Bank
  • Micro-USB charging cable
  • User Manual

Technical Specifications

Basic  Spec Capacity 7800mAh
Dimension 110.5 x 66 x 22 mm/4.35 x 2.60 x 0.87 inches
Weight 223 g/7.87 ounces
Battery Type Lithium-ion battery
Performance Input 5V / 2.0A
USB Port Output 5V / 2.4A max
Built-in Lightning Connector Output 5V / 2.4A max
Built-in Micro USB Connector Output 5V / 2.4A max
Fully Charged by 2A Adapter 5hrs
Cycle Life >500 times
Conversion Efficiency 85%
LED Battery Indicator 1LED 0~25%
2LED 25%~50%
3LED 50%~75%
4LED 75%~100%
LED Charging Indicator Blue Light Flashing Charging
4 Blue Lights On Charged
Environment Condition Operation Environment -10 to 55℃
Operation Humidity 10%~85% RH
Storage Environment -20 to 70℃
Storage Humidity 5%~90% RH
Package List Power Bank 1pcs
Micro USB (for charge) 1pcs
User Manual 1pcs
Warranty 1 year

Design & Build Quality

The OLALA 7800mAh Power Bank is enclosed in a matte black metal case and measures 4.35″ x 2.6″ x 0.87″ and weighs 7.87 oz. The metal casing makes the battery feel well made and it is small enough to fit in my purse. The rounded sides also make it comfortable while carrying it around. However, it does NOT come with a carrying case.

There are four LEDs that illuminate to indicate the amount of charge left in the battery:

  • 0-25% – 1 blue LED
  • 25-50% – 2 blue LEDs
  • 50-75% – 3 blue LEDs
  • 75-100% – 4 blue LEDs

This charger comes with built-in micro-USB and Apple MFi certified Lightning cables, thus allowing you to eliminate having to carry around additional charging cables (unless you want to charge a third device or charge the battery itself while traveling).

The lengths of the built-in cables (which are about 3.75″ long) tuck neatly into the side of the charger.

On one end of the charger, you can see that the micro-USB and Lightning cable connectors fit flush with the charger when inserted into the battery. You can also see the technical details of the battery in the above photo. 

The other end of the charger contains the power button (which MUST be pressed to start charging), the micro-USB port to charge the battery, a USB port to charge a third device and an LED flashlight.

Use

In order to start charging any device using this battery, it is necessary to press the power button. I found that this battery successfully charged my Nexus 6 phone (3220mAh battery) 2.5 times on one charge of the OLALA battery and about 2.75 times in another test (each time my phone was below 10% when the battery was used to charge it). It was able to charge my iPod Touch 6G (1043mAh battery) 5.75 times in another test (each time my iPod was at or below 16% charge when the battery was used to charge it). And, it was able to charge an HTC One M9 (2840mAh battery), a Nexus 6, and an iPod Touch 6G completely before needing to be charged. Since the battery has an output of 5V/2.4A max per each of the three outputs (which makes this portable charger better than my RAVPower Savior external battery with built-in micro-USB cable), it charged each device as quickly as their OEM chargers did (e.g. Nexus 6 was fully charged in one hour and 43 minutes or less).

Another attractive feature of this battery is that it only took about four to 4.5 hours to charge it after being completely depleted in my tests. When the battery is depleted, the first of the four LED lights flashes blue when the power button is pressed. When the battery is charging, the first LED light flashes blue until the battery reaches 25% charge and then remains lit, after which the second LED light flashes blue until it reaches about 50% charge and then remains lit, etc. When all four LEDs remain lit, the battery is fully charged.

This battery also has an LED flashlight as an added feature. In order to turn it on, you need to long press the power button for about three seconds and repeat the process to turn it off. My phone’s flashlight is about twice as bright as the flashlight on the OLALA battery, so I’m not so sure how useful this feature is.

Final Thoughts

I am impressed with the OLALA 7800mAh Power Bank – it is a well-made, compact portable battery. Its primary benefit is that it has a built-in micro-USB and Apple MFi certified Lightning cable so that you don’t have to carry around additional charging cables when traveling. It charged my Nexus 6 phone about 2.5 times on one charge of the OLALA battery and my iPod Touch 6G 5.75 times. It only took about four to 4.5 hours to charge the battery itself. The only drawbacks are that you have to press the power button to start charging a device and I would love to have the ability to directly plug the charger into an outlet so that I don’t have to carry ANY additional cables around to use it. Also, as time goes by and you upgrade your Android devices to USB-C devices, the micro-USB built-in charging cable will become obsolete. But until then, this charger works like a charm and you’ll be able to eliminate having to carry additional charging cables.

Source: The sample used in this review was provided by OLALA. Please visit their website for more information or Amazon to purchase one.

 

Product Information

Price: $29.99
Manufacturer: OLALA
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • -The charger has a built-in micro-USB and Lightning cables to eliminate having to carry extra cables
  • -The charger charges three devices at a time; each output is 5V/2.4A max thus it charged my devices as quickly as their OEM chargers
  • -The charger charges my phone about 2.5 times on one charge of the OLALA battery
  • -The battery itself charges in about 4-4.5 hours
Cons:
  • -The power button must be pressed first to start charging

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OLALA 7800mAh Power Bank review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 4, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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Wear your music around your neck with the Bose SoundWear Companion Speaker

Bose wants you to ditch your uncomfortable earbuds and over-ear headphones that cut you off from your surroundings for their SoundWear Companion Speaker. The SoundWear wearable speaker features a unique hands-free and ears-free design that allows it to fit comfortably on your shoulders for all day music enjoyment.

The speaker is water and sweat resistant and provides up to 12 hours of playback time on a full charge. A quick 15-minute charging session will add 3 hours of playback time so you’ll always be able to enjoy your tunes.

You can also use the SoundWear Companion Speaker for calls, or to talk to Siri and Google.

What do you think of this design? Would you use a wearable speaker? I’d love to try this.

The Bose SoundWear Companion Speaker is available now for $299. You can read all the details at bose.com and order from Amazon.

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Wear your music around your neck with the Bose SoundWear Companion Speaker originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 4, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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