Welcome to my review of the new HiFiMan Edition S Headphones. The HiFiMan Edition S cost £189 and now is the cheapest headphone in their range with the most expensive costing over £2,000. So HiFiMan have taken all the audio knowledge and create a more budget priced headphone that sounds superb.
Key Specifications
– On Ear – Closed or Open Back Desgin
– Frequency Response: 15Hz-22kHz
– Sensitivity – 113db
– Impedance: 18ohm
– Weight: 248g
– Driver Technology: 50mm Dynamic Driver
– iOS / Android in line cable with mic and controls
Audio Quality
Work in an office and don’t want everyone to hear what you are listening to. Get home and wait to experience the full benefits of an open back headphone. Or fancy a slightly punchier, stronger bass sound that you can get from a closed back headphone, then the HiFiMan Edition S tick all the boxes.
I tested these headphones using my Samsung Galaxy S7. The S7 does not have a powerful headphone amp, yet the HiFiMan sounded excellent. This is helped by being highly efficient cans. They possess quick timing and have a slightly warmish sound. I really liked these headphones straight out of the box.
In the box, you get a hard carry case, a 6.3mm and airplane adapter, and the cable which has basic controls for android and iOS devices. Because the cable is removable, you can upgrade or replace it as required.
So what else is special about the HiFiMan Edition S. Well they are comfortable and very easy to drive. They sounded superb straight out of my Samsung S7. In open or closed back modes, the bass is tight and fast and deep enough to keep me entertained. The headphones were able to pick out nuances in the music that other headphones hadn’t been able to do. Whether in open or closed back mode the sound stage was wide. Obviously, in closed back mode (this is with the speaker plates on) bass is slightly enhanced and the sound stage reduced. A tiny amount of sound does escape in closed back mode at medium to high listening levels. With the speaker plates off, this is open back mode and the sound freely escapes. The speaker outer plates are held on via magnetism. See video below.
Genres used were pretty much everything – classical, pop, rock, jazz, blues, opera, dance and more. I used streaming apps from Google and Amazon as well as USB Audio Player Pro and Poweramp Alpha apps.
Upgrading the Audio Quality
So after testing the HiFiMan with my S7, I decided to upgrade the experience and use an Oppo HA-2 Headphone/DAC and replace the headphone cable with an Atlas cable. The difference using both of these extras created a cleaner and tighter sound, and more insightful. I could pick out even more detail and the sound stage was even wider. This was a perfect upgrade in my view.
Video Overview and Unboxing – Plus Upgrades
Below is a video to compliment this written review.
Conclusion
Out of the box the HiFiMan Edition S shine. With the versatility of open or backed and being one of the easiest pairs of headphones to drive from HiFiMan, these are highly recommended.
More information and latest deals on Amazon UK – Click HERE.
Welcome to my review of the Choetech 33W USB C Car Charger.
With the rapid expansion of USB Type C and Quick Charge 3, I knew it would not be long before car chargers would be released that were more specific. The Choetech comes with dual ports. One which is a USB C charging port and means it doesn’t matter which way around you place the cable. This as I found is handy at night.
Key Specifications
– 1 x USB C Charging Port: Custom made for Type C charging device like Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Lumia 950, Lumia 950XL, Meizu Pro 5, ZUK Z1, LeTV One Max, LeTV One Pro
– 1 x Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Port: Compatible with all versions of Quick Charge technology (1.0, 2.0 & 3.0), up to 4X faster than standard chargers
– Up to 5V/3A for charging Type C supported devices. 5V/2.4A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A full charging speed for Quick Charge 3.0 compatible device, 5V/2.4A for most devices
– Safe Guarantee: Over-current, over-charging, short-circuit protection will make the charge safely, without any risk of overheating or damaging your devices.
The Choetech 33W USB C Car charger does exactly what is says on the tin. I also liked the fact that it has a compact like profile. See photo below of it inserted into my car charger.
Video Overview
I have also created a quick video overview of the product.
Conclusion and Special Offer
A useful and recommended car charger for anyone thats needs fast charging and ideal as it has a USB C port.
Offer. Choetech have kindly offered a 70% Amazon UK discount code for the first 10 people to email me at gavinfabl at gmail dot com. You then need to ensure you order item via link below too. Be quick!
More information and the latest pricing on Amazon UK – Click HERE.
Today, Ian reviews his Moto 360 Sport and compares it to his Apple Watch.
From Ian-
It’s been awhile since I’ve looked at Android Wear, I was an early adopter of the LG watch and Samsung Gear Live.
For the last year my Tag Heuer has been put away and My Apple Watch Sport has been my daily driver. But It’s a real love hate relationship. love the build, notifications and changeable straps. Hate the user interface and slow apps, the only one that I find useful is Heartwatch.
So to the Moto 360 Sport, love the round screen and the amount interesting Watch faces. I can also live with the flat tire for the ambient light sensor. Android Wear on IOS is better than expected, provides me with the ability to change watch faces and all my notifications work as they do on my Apple Watch., but on a bigger screen. The downside is no third party apps.
The Moto 360 sport does come pre installed with Moto Body, a running app and also has integrated GPS. I did take it out for a run and compared to Runkeeper on the iPhone. Seemed to take ages to get a satellite lock, compared to my iPhone, the other data and reading from heart rate sensor was comparable to the iPhone with my chest strap. The Moto 360 Sport uses a ‘hybrid’ display, which combines a traditional LCD screen with reflective panel so reading in the sun is an ease, but can seem a little washed out compared to the Apple Watch.
Overall an interesting alternative to the Apple Watch, really like the round screen, but the integrated rubber strap is not nice, picks up dust like you won’t believe. May look at the Huawei watch next or a dedicated Sports watch like the Garmin Fenix 3.
More info and the latest deals on Amazon UK – Click HERE.
So having used the LG 360 Cam and being slightly disappointed by the photo and video quality I had no intention of even looking at the Samsung Gear 360.
But then I started to see some footage and read some early reviews and noticed that the video footage looked a lot better than that I took from the LG 360 cam.
Primarily the Samsung Gear 360 has higher quality optics and better software stitching – well that is the claims I have seen so far.
I will say because the LG 360 cam’s profile is more rectangular / flat in shape it’s far easier to stick in your pocket.
Anyway back to the Samsung Gear 360. First impressions of the hardware and test photos and videos have been pleasing. I will be sharing some of these soon.
I mentioned there was a lanyard strap in the video below. I have since discovered that this connects to the black tripod. This becomes apparent when you watch the video as you will see the lanyard attachment holes .
Yesterday Ian provided a review of his current Bluetooth headphone, the TechElec SP-X versus the Powerbeats Wireless. Harry replied to Ian’s post with his experience if the Powerbeats 2 headphones.
By Harry –
I bought some Jaybird bluetooth earbuds at the Apple store a few years ago. I tried them for a few days, but they had an odd effect that I didn’t like. When walking outside, the wind blowing over the wires transmitted into the earbuds and interfered with what I was listening to. Also, anything that touched the wires also interfered with music / podcasts.
So – I took them back to the Apple store. I was really disappointed, because I had wanted some decent A2DP bluetooth earbuds for a long time. But there’s no “demo units” to try out , for obvious reasons.
After arranging for the return with the Apple store sales buy, I went over and looked at the Powerbeats 2. I think they had just been released. The price knocked my socks off.
I asked the sales guy “If I don’t like these, can I return them?”
He replied “of course you can”.
So I forked over the 200 maracas and enjoyed those powerbeats for a long time. I wore them out I used them so much. They eventually started to fall apart. I walked back to the Apple store at lunch one day and bought my second pair.
The powerbeats ship with a large egg shaped zippered semi hard pouch. If you buy them – always store the earbuds in that pouch. The zipper on the pouch of my first beats broke. I then took to wrapping two rubber bands around the pouch to hold it shut, Rubber bands only last a few days,
The second pair I bought are a little more sturdy than the first. Just a little better build quality, They ship with the same egg shaped semi hard pouch.
More info and current deal on Amazon UK – CLICK HERE.
There have been many review recently published and many more coming soon. Below is a highlight of the reviews of all the smartphones recently published.
Today, we have an article from reader Ian Bundey in response to my post on Saturday asking if anybody would like to volunteer and write a few articles for Gavin’s Gadgets.
From Ian –
I thought I would put a quick comparison together, bought my Beats about a year ago, to match my Apple Watch. I am currently on my second pair as the first pair had to be replaced after going in the wash
with my muddy MTB gear (not that waterproof).
I use them mainly for the Gym, Running and Mountain Biking. Heard some really good things about TechElec SP-X Bluetooth V4.1 Stereo Headsets from Amazon, pretty much identical to my Beats, the main difference is the controls are on the right earbud, they also come in a soft plastic finish compared to the Beats. Firstly, the fit is much better, I often find there’s a great deal of audio leakage from the Beats as they don’t give enough, but the SP-Xs fit really snug and also look a lot more streamlined on.
Now I am no audiophile, but I do the like the sound better than the Beats, definitely don’t have to turn them up as loud as the Beats, this maybe down to the fit, but at under £20 compared to £170 seems a bit of a no brainer to me.
Will keep me going until Samsung release the Icon X or if Bragi ever fix the Dash.
More info and latest pricing on Amazon UK for the Powerbeats 2 – Click HERE.
More info and the latest pricing on Amazon for the TechElec SP-X – Click HERE.
Over the weekend, I installed the alpha build from Xiaomi of MIUI v8. Despite being alpha and not a beta, this is a public version and so far has been stable with few bugs.
MIUI v8 brings some welcome improvements to the MI Max. Also installing this new version was as easy as heading off to the Mi Forums, downloading the update on my Mi Max and running the installer app. No data was lost during installation.
Anyway, enjoy my video below, detailing the some of the new features.
Welcome to my review of the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL. Thanks to Steve Litchfield from @AA_WP for the loan.
The first thing I noticed reading the specs sheet is that the hardware is well specified. However, more and more phones also comes stacked to the gills with specs, so does the 950 XL stay ahead of the came. Well first, you will notice my 950 XL has the optional Mozo red leather back cover, which I have to say looks smart. Without the leather cover, the standard plastic finish looks and feels cheap and not as premium as other phones. Anyway, maybe the specifications are ahead of the competition? So lets look at the full specifications –
Key Specifications
– OS – Windows 10
– Size & weight -Height: 151.9 mm,Width: 78.4 mm,Thickness: 8.1 mm,Weight: 165 g
– Display size: 5.7 inch, WQHD (2560 x 1440),TrueColor (24-bit/16M),AMOLED, ClearBlack,518 ppi
-Display features: Easy to clean, Orientation sensor, Wide viewing angle, Lumia Color profile, High brightness mode, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Automatic brightness control, Sunlight readability enhancements
– Memory 32 GB,RAM: 3 GB,Maximum memory card size: 200 GB micro sd,
– User data storage: In device, OneDrive cloud storage, App and data storage on memory card
– Replaceable battery: Yes, 3340 mAh, Fast charging, Built-in Qi wireless charging
– Design details: Exchangeable back cover
– Other user interface features: Glance screen, Voice Commands, Tactile feedback, Voice dictation in edit fields
– Sensors: Barometer, Gyroscope, SensorCore, Magnetometer, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor
– CPU name: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
– SIM card type: Nano SIM
– AV connectors: DisplayPort over USB-C, 3.5 mm stereo headset connector
– Charging connectors: USB-C
– System connectors: USB-C
– USB: USB 3.1, USB Dual Role Port (Gen1)
– Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1
– Bluetooth profiles: Hands-free profile (HFP) 1.6, Object Push profile (OPP) 1.1, Generic Attribute Profile (GATT), HID over GATT profile (HOGP) 1.0, Message Access Profile (MAP) 1.1, Human Interface Device Profile (HID), Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP) 1.1, Personal Area Network Profile (PAN) 1.0, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) 1.2, Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) 1.3
– NFC: Pairing, Sharing, Tagging, Secure NFC for payment
– Wi-Fi: MIMO, Wi-Fi call, WLAN IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
– Wi-Fi hotspot: Up to 8 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
– Other wireless connectivity: Screen projection
– Local sharing Peer-to-peer sharing: Nearby Discovery
-Cellular connectivity, GSM network: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, WCDMA network: Band 5 (850 MHz), Band 8 (900 MHz), Band 1 (2100 MHz), Band 2 (1900 MHz), Band 4 (1700/2100 MHz), LTE FDD network: Band 5 (850MHz), Band 8 (900MHz), Band 17 (700MHz), Band 20 (800MHz), Band 1 (2100 MHz), Band 12 (700 MHz), Band 2 (1900 MHz), Band 28 (700 MHz), Band 3 (1800 MHz), Band 7 (2600 MHz), Band 4 (1700/2100 MHz), TD-LTE network: Band 38 (2570-2620 MHz), Band 40 (2300-2400 MHz)
– GPS and navigation – A-GPS, A-BeiDou, A-GLONASS, Barometer, Gyroscope, Sensor enhanced positioning, Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning
– Main camera -Main camera: 20.0 MP f/1.9 OIS Camera Focus Type: Auto focus with two-stage capture key
– Camera digital zoom: Yes,Camera optics: 6-lens optics,Oversampling, Sensor size: 1/2.4 inch
– Camera Flash Type: Natural flash
– Camera features: PureView, Fast Focus, True 16:9 sensor, High resolution zoom, Backside-illuminated image sensor
– Camera minimum focus range: 10 cm
– Front camera: Full HD 5 MP wide angle, f/2.4,Front camera video resolution: 1080p (Full HD, 1920 x 1080)
– Main camera video resolution: 4K (Ultra HD, 3840 x 2160)
– Camera video frame rate: 30 fps
– Video recording features: Video zoom, Video light, Continuous autofocus, Optical image stabilization, – Lumia Rich Recording with four microphones
– Video recording formats: MP4/H.264
– Audio recording codecs: AAC LC, AMR-NB, GSM FR
– Audio recording features: Lumia Rich Recording with four microphones
– Audio playback features: Graphical equalizer, Virtualized loudspeaker listening
– Radio features: FM radio
-Video playback frame rate: 30 fps
– Video playback codecs: VC-1, H.263, MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, Windows video
– Video streaming: Progressive video download, YouTube browsing and video streaming, Streaming from video services and internet
Phone Basics
From a hardware point of view, the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL rocks and in many areas is ahead of the competition especially when you consider when it was first released. Just have a look again at the specification above. Qi Wireless charging. Quick charging. Excellent 20mp camera. Great audio and so on. Where the 950 XL suffers is software. Windows 10 is still being improved so there is the odd bug present.
The Windows Store for apps and games is dismal at best, but we all know that by now. So if the official app is not available you will be hunting for a decent third party option or not bother with an app, and use the web browser instead. You may be lucky and a universal app arrives though. Universal apps may be what helps keep Windows 10 going. However, some of the included software like the Creative Studio are absolutely brilliant. I have covered more of the software situation in my video embedded near the end of the review.
The screen is fantastic. Amazing visibility in sunlight, bright and good viewing angles. Cellular and wireless connectivity was top notch too. Callers had no difficulties hearing me. Battery lasted a day and was recharged over night.
Bluetooth audio was good and the loudspeaker was reasonable.
The 950 XL has the benefit of the Display Dock, Continuum and Universal apps. So when you use the display dock, the phone becomes a mouse, and the apps go desktop quality on the connected display or TV. That’s the theory and its works sometimes. It does depend on the developer as to how well the Universal app is written.
Camera
The highlight of the phone so far is the camera quality. It is a real quality affair. Period. It does have some weaknesses mainly in the post processing whereby if you take a few shots and go to view them, you might see applying the finishing touches and have to wait until these are completed. Another aspect is using burst mode, or taking a large number of shots one after another. Eventually you might see a message on screen “saving” and will have to wait until this finishes before taking another photo. However, the image quality is so good, its worth the wait!
I have included a video review which covers the camera in more depth. In the meantime, lets look at some camera samples below.
The above photo is extremely accurate to the actual colours.
Again, very well balanced shot.
Vivid true to life colours with the shot above.
Difficult lighting but a great shot.
Unusual shot, but superb result.
The white flowers are handled well and again overall a good shot.
I really like this one of George. He was runninig really quickly and sort of cornering at the same time.
The overall balance and colours of this photo are absolutely spot on.
Another high speed shot and beautifully balanced with accurate colours.
Merrivale stones captured in all its glory. Perfect true to life shot again.
The shade and sun along with the clouds are captured brilliantly.
And finally a shot of my local church.
Video Review
As a compliment to my written review, I have created a video to cover off other aspects and demonstrates some of my points above.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is a hardware powerhouse phone with its weakness being the lack and quality of applications / games in the Windows Store. The camera is fantastic, one of the best I have used, so if you can live without a number of apps, which many can, then the Lumia 950 XL is ideal.
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