iBasso D14 Bushmaster High-Performance Stereo DAC & Headphones Amplifier – Review – For iPhone, MAC, Android & PC

Audio, Reviews,

Ibasso D14 Bushmaster

Welcome to my review of the iBasso D14 Bushmaster High-Performance Stereo DAC & Headphones Amplifier. The iBasso D14 Bushmaster is ideal for connecting to your iPhone, Android phone, computer or MAC via the lightning, optical, USB or analogue line in port to substantially improve the sound of your headphones.

Key Features and Specifications

– Sabre32 ES9018K2M DAC chip with XMOS USB receiver for superb sound conversion
– Up to 32bit/384kHz PCM signal and native DSD up to 256x directly from computers/mac
– Asynchronous USB transfer
– Works as a DAC for Android smart phones via a USB OTG.
– With Apple Camera Connection Cable works as a DAC with iOS devices
– Built in battery lasts 13 hours as a DAC+AMP combo or 25 hours as just an AMP.
– Other than the USB input the D14 can take up to 24bit/192kHz optical input coaxial input and analogue line in.
– Amp uses an OPAMP based high output headphone amplifier which can output up to 400mW into a 32ohm load.
– Frequency Response 17hz – 20khz DAC, 17hz to 100khz AMP
– Weight 149g
– Dimensions 60mm x 104mm x 20mm
– Recommended Headphones 8 to 300ohm

Ibasso D14 Bushmaster

Audio Quality

iBasso provide many extras with the D14. These include a protective pouch, OTG Mini USB to MicroUSB, Mini USB to USB A,3.5mm analog cable and a 3.5mm SPDIF cable. These are all short length cables. You also get the mini USB cable for recharging. The D14 is fairly neutral sounding with speed and plenty of detail. The mid range and vocals are superb. The D14 has a deep and wide soundstage.

The D14 sound quality improved during the course of its burn in which was around 50 hours. During playback it gets slightly warm but this has absolutely no impact on its performance, quite the opposite actually. iBasso have included many different ways of connecting to the D14 making it fairly versatile.

At its price point of around £175 nothing sounds quite as good. But if you have the budget I would recommend the Oppo HA-2 which costs £259 and is far more smartphone friendly. See my review – Click HERE.

Conclusion

A little bit larger than most portable headphone/DACs and still using mini USB, but well worth the extra bulk as its powers your headphones in a way to reproduce beautiful tunes.

For more info and the latest pricing on Amazon UK – Click HERE.

Video Review

The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet – Just 800 calories per day – Week 3 – My Epic Results & Journey

Diet,

wp-1470377021122.jpg

On the 16th July 2016, I started the 8 week Blood Sugar diet that is just 800 calories per day. I completed week 3 on Saturday 6th August 2016. Once again it has been a week of highs and lows.

The lows. Not too many this week, but I have had a few moments when I felt really hungry and my next meal wasn’t for a few hours. So I drank water, sometimes had a black coffee too. After 15 to 20 mins the hunger disappeared.

The highs. My overall wellbeing is so improved. As you will read in a moment, my weight loss after 3 weeks is amazing. My neck and waist is smaller. I am now looking at buying smaller sized clothes and taking my big man’s clothes to a charity shop. I feel fantastic in Week 3. Full of more energy and highly motivated to keep going. Willpower is important and being in the right frame of mind. Somehow I have managed both. I’ll be honest, typing this diary helps keep me motivated. As I mentioned last week, if I fail, you will all know I failed, so I can’t fail, can I! I cannot stress how important all the support across the internet and at home makes to helping me through each day and week. It makes a big difference. My logic at the start was that it was time for action. 8 weeks of my life is such a small amount of time in reality and in 8 weeks I could fix so much because of the diet.

My breakfasts on work days are simply a healthy shake from one of the menus in the Blood Sugar Diet book. One of my kitchen gadgets is an Andrew James soup maker. (More info and Amazon link on the Andrew James Soup maker –  Click HERE. ) It also does shakes which makes light work of creating a superb shake each morning. The shake is made from Fage Full Fat Greek Yoghurt, Green Tea, Blueberries (sometimes I use raspberries or blackberries) and flax seeds. It may sound boring having the same breakfast, but I need simplicity during workdays. I normally use my soup maker to produce my soup for lunch, which is placed into a thermos. In addition to the soup, my lunch also consists of a banana or apple, and sometimes if I have enough calories a small cheese cube.

To keep my body going to the loo properly, I have found I need to drink 3 litres of water a day. I was drinking 4 litres, but I now find I can manage on about 3 litres of water. Obviously drinking that amount of water has side effects of needing to pee a lot 🙂

Just as a reminder to help me make this diet work, I am using various gadgets to help me record and monitor accurately my progress. I am also taking selfies along the way. If you want to recap all the items I’m using , read my first post –  Click HERE. I also have a dedicated page where all my diet posts are being kept. This can be found using the Menu or Click HERE. . It is worth checking out each week’s posts as I also show a selection of the meals I ate.

I have one other post up today, which is a gallery of a large selection of all the food eaten over the last 3 weeks.

Feedback. Thanks again for all the positive feedback received. All your support is really helping me keep to the plan. I still receive comments that you cannot manage on less than 2,000 calories a day. Well, that’s nonsense. First to understand why you can, read the book. Second, the diet uses food to help keep you feeling full, but also as a method to reset blood sugar levels. The amount of people I have spoken to each week, who have reversed Type 2 diabetes is incredible. I don’t have type 2, but my blood sugar levels were very high and close to being pre diabetic. I am overweight too.

As mentioned before I am using a notebook to plan my week’s food out in advance. I am using many of the of the suggested menus in the Blood Sugar Diet book. Amazon Link to Blood Sugar Diet book – Click HERE.

Below are a selection of my meals from this week, from lunch, breakfast and dinner. These are all from the Blood Sugar Diet book. What amazes me is the fact that full fat items are used in this diet. The full fat helps keeping you feel full and is healthy. Who’d have thought that! Click on any photo to open the gallery to see photo in a larger size. Don’t forget to check out Result Week 1 and Week 2 Posts which has more food photos 🙂 The food photo at the start of this post, was chicken and vegetables. The chicken was coated with chopped almonds, parmesan and basil. You will see below a plate with a few almonds on. One day I had some spare calories, so I weighed and checked the calories and plated just the right amount of almonds I could enjoy that day.

So how did week 3 go in terms of weight, blood sugar levels and more ? Below are the measurements from Saturday 6th August 2016, exactly three weeks after being on the 8 week Blood Sugar Diet.

Here we go – 

– Weight – lost 5 lbs this week – Overall weight loss – 1 stone 7lbs. Incredible to have lost 1.5 stone in just 3 weeks!!

– Waist – lost 0.5 inch this week. Overall 3 inches loss on my waist. My overall body shape looks a lot slimmer. My big man’s clothes are going to a charity shop as I am in a smaller size now.

– Neck – 0.5 inches loss this week. 2.5 inches overall since start of plan

– Blood Sugar levels – now at normal levels.

– Blood Pressure – My blood pressure is now just above the normal healthy range. My pulse is lower than last week

– Body Water Percentage – increased by 1% since the start of the diet.

As a consequence, my BMI and body fat has also dropped again.

Finally I would like to say thank you again to everybody who wished me good luck. It really helped keep my motivation up!

So all that remains is to complete the next 5 weeks. 

PS – Just to re-iterate I went to my doctor to discuss going on this plan as recommended by the book. My doctor was very supportive and offered a number of ways of helping me at different intervals. In fact, I was surprised just how helpful and supportive my doctor was when I mentioned I wanted to start the 8 week blood sugar diet. When I finish the 8 weeks plan, I will move to the 5:2 diet, which is no calories tracking for 5 days but still on the Mediterranean style food plan, and 2 days at 800 calories.

The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet – Photo Gallery of 3 Weeks of Meals

Diet,

The number one question is how do you manage on 800 calories a day for 8 weeks. Well I have a shake in the morning and generally a soup for lunch. These are relatively low calorie, home made options. At weekends, I normally have a different lunch with red peppers or even a plate of ham, cheese and celery. The shake consists of fage full fat yoghurt, blueberries, flax seeds and green tea.

Anyway, below are all the meals I have enjoyed over the last 3 weeks. Some of these plates are so tasty, I have eaten them several times. To see the dish full size, tap on any photo to open up the gallery. The plate of almonds was a snack.

To read all my other posts on my 8 week Blood Sugar Diet journey – Click HERE.

Samsung Galaxy S7 – Camera Shots of the Month

Android, Photography, Tech News

Below are a selection of my favourite photos snapped on the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Speed Demons #Plymouth #SamsungS7

I really like the mood and angles of the speed boats. Did you notice the boats stacked on large shelving behind the 3 speed boats?

St Petroc's Church, Lydford next to the Saxon Fort

St Petroc’s Church, Lydford, Devon. Lovely church that sits next to a Saxon Fort.

Mother & Daughter #Dartmoor #Ponies #landscape #nationalpark #beautiful #shotonaphone #SamsungS7

Looks like a postcard.

Big Guns #Plymouth #Barbican

Can you imagine the canons just been fired and what you can see is the explosion?

Haunting #Church #Princetown #Historic #S7

My local church. A favourite place of mine to take photos.

Having fun on Dartmoor this morning - George, Fury, Tiggy

And finally, one of George and Fury.

Sony Xperia X Performance – No 1 in the DxOMark Camera Test – Incoming Review

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

As part of any phone review, I always test the camera. The latest phone undergoing the knife is the current flagship smartphone from Sony, the Sony Xperia X Performance.

This phone achieved the top score in the DxOMark Camera test. So will it live up to this reputation? And what other tricks does the Sony Xperia X Performance include?

My thanks to Clove Technology who now have this in stock, sim free.

If you have any questions you would like answered in my upcoming review, please let me know in the comments or on social media.

BlackBerry Hub+ on my Samsung Galaxy S7 – The BlackBerry 10 Experience on Your Android Phone

Android, BlackBerry, Tech News

Blackberry

BlackBerry announced yesterday that it was bringing the super productivity suite known as BlackBerry Hub+ from BlackBerry 10 to, not just PRIV or their DTEK50 smartphone, but ALL Android smartphones running android 6.0 and above. BlackBerry is working on extending support to devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop as well and even iOS.

So I installed it on my Samsung Galaxy S7. See screen shot above. I then installed the other apps it offers.

Blackberry

As you can see it has unified all my social media apps apart from Google Plus. Setting up the BlackBerry Hub+ was really simple. I have noticed a small bug with text messages. When trying to open text messages from Google or Amazon, it triggers “create a new message”. Apart from that I haven’t seen anything significantly wrong with the apps. It even works really well with my Samsung Gear Fit 2, giving me options on the Gear Fit 2 with Gmail email to delete, reply all, snooze and show on phone.

Blackberry

So what’s the catch and why has BlackBerry made this move? Well it is clear to me that BlackBerry has become a services company instead of selling hardware. The BlackBerry Hub+ is a 30 day trial which gives you access to the Hub, BlackBerry Calendar and Password Keeper. After 30 days, you can continue using the apps for free by opting to view occasional ads, or subscribe to the entire suite of apps for just 99 cents a month, which will include additional powerful time-saving features: Contacts, Tasks, Device Search, Notes and Launcher.

In essence your android phone for $12 a year becomes a BlackBerry device with all its services. So far the experience is good but I do need more time to test it, but based on my initial experience I would be tempted to pay 99 cents a month to gain access to the complete set of apps and see whether or not it improves my user experience.

BlackBerry Hub on Google Play Store

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0 Headphone Review – The Gold Standard of Bluetooth Headphones

Audio, Headphone, Reviews,

sennheiser Momentum Wireless Headphones

Welcome to my review of the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0 Bluetooth headphones.

The Key Features

The Sennheiser Momentum Over Ear headphones are a premium bluetooth headphone that come with many features as below. With the rise in popularity of bluetooth headphones and the next iPhone not having a 3.5mm headphone jack, these are one of the best bluetooth headphones for sound quality.

– Closed Circumaural design featuring Bluetooth wireless technology
– 18 ohm high-end transducers to produce high quality audio
– NoiseGuard hybrid active noise cancellation with dual built-in microphones dynamically cancel out external noise for better speech intelligibility
– NFC for quick pairing to smart devices
– Attachable audio cable, in case Bluetooth connectivity is not permitted
– Leather covered memory foam cushions provide higher comfort for long listening sessions
– Folding headband for storage in to the included carry case
– Connect up to two devices simultaneously (phones and computers) and up to eight devices in the pairing list
– 22 hour battery life with Bluetooth and NoiseRad activated

Key Specifications

– Impedance passive 18 ohms, active 480 ohms
– Frequency Range – 16 Hz – 22000 Hz
– Dual omni-directional microphone
– Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR – A2DP + AVRCP + HSP + HFP
– APT-X
– Weight 260g
– In the box – 1.4m audio cable with 3.5mm low-profile angled plug, USB Charging cable,Inflight adapter, Manuals, Carrying case

Sound Quality

I recently reviewed the new flagship bluetooth headphone from Bose, the Bose Quietcomfort 35. Click HERE to read the review. The Bose QC35 cost £100 less than the Sennheiser Momentum headphones and offer better noise cancellation. In fact the noise cancellation on the Bose QC35 is nothing short of miraculous. So I wondered how Sennheiser’s flagship bluetooth headphone would compare.

For starters the Sennheiser Momentums offer a hybrid noise cancellation system. It works but you can still hear noise outside as its not as powerful as that from the Bose QC35. The Sennheiser Momentum cost £100 more than the Bose QC35, costing £379. That is a lot of money! So what extra do you achieve and are they worth £379?

The Sennheiser Momentum are luxuriously built bluetooth headphones with leather pads filled with memory foam, providing superb comfort when worn. APT-X is included for devices that support this standard. The key aspects is the audio quality and the Sennheiser Momentums do not fail to disappoint. They possess superb high quality audio reproduction via bluetooth. As closed back headphones, the music stays within your ears. Bass is fast, deep and punchy. Mids and treble are fantastic.

Connect the supplied audio cable and the sound is even better. I then used an iBasso D14 Headphone amp/dac with these and reproduced even better audio quality. Call quality is excellent. Personally, I have not heard any better sounding bluetooth headphones. But are they worth £379. No I think Sennheiser has been a little greedy. These should be nearer the £300 mark. However, at the moment there is no other option if you want the best audio quality.

Conclusion

The Sennheiser Momentum are expensive bluetooth headphones with noise cancellation. However, they are one of the best sounding headphones and extremely comfortable.

For more info and the latest pricing on Amazon UK – Click HERE.

Video Review

Samsung Note 7 – The Full Specs & My Thoughts – Is it worth £749

Android, Tech News, ,

Note 7

Samsung announced the new Samsung Note 7 yesterday. Judging by the reaction on social media the reaction was low and for a number of reasons.

First lets take a look at the key specs below –
​

  • Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
  • 5.7” dual-edge SAMOLED Quad HD 2560 x 1440 (~518ppi)
  • Octa-core (2.3 GHz quad + 1.6 GHz quad) Samsung Exynos 8890 processor (64 bit, 14 nm process)
  • 4GB RAM (LPDDR4)
  • 64 GB storage / micro SD support
  • 12 MP dual-pixel OIS f/1.7 main camera
  • 5 MP f/1.7 selfie camera
  • Biometric security – fingerprint and iris scanner
  • 3,500 mAh battery – wired & wireless fast charging (Qi, WPC & PMA)
  • NFC for payments with Samsung Pay & Google Wallet
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
  • Bluetooth v4.2 / USB Type-C, / GPS with Glonass & Beidou
  • LTE Cat.12 / LTE Cat.10 / LTE Cat.9 *May differ by markets and mobile operators*
  • 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm / 169 grams
  • IP 67 / 68 water and dust resistant

    • The first thing to strike you is its design. It looks like a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with just a few tweaks in the hardware department. But comparing it further with the S7 Edge, there are small but important tweaks. First the glass edges are gently curved now equally on both sides with the Note 7. The Note 7 glass is Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Gorilla Glass 4 found on the S7 Edge. The Note 7 comes with 64gb storage instead of 32gb found in the S7 Edge. The Note 7 has changed the micro USB port for USB Type C port . IP68 carries over to the S Pen, meaning you can take notes underwater. As all the remaining specs are the same as the S7 Edge, actually what you have is a powerhouse of a phone. But is it worth sim free £749?

    There are two ways of looking at this. Samsung have priced this in the same region as an iPhone 6S Plus 64gb. Which of the two phones would you prefer to have? Is the Samsung Note series strong enough to carry a price of £749. I say yes. I would also point out that it excels in both hardware and software. There is not another device like it! Looking at this from the Note series, it has everything now from IP68, 64gb storage plus micro SD card support and so on.

    The other way of looking at it is that it is crazy expensive. This would be the case if you had a S6 or S7 Edge as it doesn’t offer that much. But if you move up from a Note 4 then you are getting all the latest specification. I hear some screams that £749 is a joke. The OnePlus 3 is only £329 and surely the difference isn’t worth £400. Well this all depends on your priorities for a phone. £400 buys you a better screen, camera and the list goes on. Each difference adds up in pounds and pence. So they are not the same, but the experiences between a OnePlus 3 and Note 7 might be both enjoyable. So it boils down to your personal budget and how much you want the Note 7.

    Question is, where do you sit. £749 is fine or is it a rip off when you can buy devices like the OnePlus 3?

    The Power of Pokemon Go and a Dog Rescue Shelter – Updated

    Tech News,

    This is quite simply an amazing side benefit / bonus of the Pokemon Go craze. Pokemon Go has now be downloaded over 100 million people and its popularity is still growing. Below is a story about a dog rescue shelter and the effect Pokemon Go had on its business.

    Updated – For the truth behind this story head over to Click HERE. Thanks to @kevwright for the link .

    Groov-e Fusion Bluetooth headphones – Go wired or wireless – Ideal for the new iPhone

    Audio, Headphone, Reviews, Tech News

    groov-e fusion headphones

    Welcome to my review of the Groov-e Fusion headphones.

    The Key features –

    – 40mm drivers.
    – Super Bass sound
    – Impedance 32 ohm
    – Frequency 20Hz-20Khz
    – Sensitivity 98dB+/-3dB
    – Microphone Sensitivity -58dB
    – Connect via Bluetooth or via the included removable 3.5mm audio cable.
    – Built in microphone so you can receive calls on the go
    – 10-12 hours of audio playback
    – Swivel soft ear cups offer ease of adjusting headphones. They fold too, making it convenient for travelling.
    – Colours – black, gold, silver

    The Design

    The groov-e fusion headphones are the new headphones from groov-e. With the soon to be released new iPhone which will not have a 3.5mm headphone jack, bluetooth headphones are going to explode in popularity. groov-e believes they have the solution with their new fusion headphones, which will of course work with any phone, device or computer that either has bluetooth audio or a 3.5mm headphone jack. The headphones are made from a lightweight plastic, with swivel folding cups. The cups have soft pads too. The headphones allow for basic controls from play/pause, answer/end call, reject call, skip/rewind tracks, last number dialled and volume up/down.

    The Sound Quality

    At an official retail price of £34.99 you are not going to get audiophile grade of headphones. What you do get is a fun sound, with the emphasis on bass. Consequently the mids and treble are somewhat recessed at times. I am not aware that these headphones include APT-X codec either. Despite the recessed mids and treble, I did enjoy listening to my music with the headphones especially the sub bass effects when present in the tracks and I can imagine the average consumer would enjoy listening to these too.

    I have included a video review of the groov-e fusion headphones below.

    Conclusion

    The groov-e provide a fun sound, with added sub bass when listening to music. For call quality they offer average call quality. They are not audiophile grade headphones, hence why they cost a modest £34.99.

    The official retail price is £34.99 although Amazon currently have the headphones on offer at under £30 in various colours.

    For the latest pricing on Amazon UK – Click HERE.