JBL Pulse 3 WhatGear Review

June 25, 2017 whatgearreviews Leave a comment

So you can mix and match your JBL Connect plus products. For example I have the JBL Flip 4 and by simply pushing the connect plus button on the device they will connect together. It’s really that easy. Not only can you sync the audio but you can also sync the light show patterns across your pulse 3’s. One more cool feature I should mention, if you want to quickly change the lights to another pattern/colour you can simply pick and shake it.

The Pulse 3 uses Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX which basically means you get a much better Bluetooth streaming experience than older portable devices. So of course because this is a heavyweight hitter of a portable speaker it does need some considerable power. Inside the JBL Pulse 3 is a 6000mah battery that takes around 4.5 hours to charge and will last up to 12hrs continuous playing with the impressive led light shows. The Pulse 3 weighs in at around 960 grams and is built to stand vertical with the dimensions being approx 22cm tall and 9cm wide. It’s presence will not go unnoticed.

So I really think this a perfect speaker if your going on a beach holiday. The build quality with its acrylic, rubber and tight weave mesh makes this thing incredibly durable and it can resist dust and sand… And its IPX7 rating means it’s waterproof… Now I know what you wanna see, so I threw it in the pool check out the video

Now let’s look at the on board controls and ports. It has a power button, volume controls, a play and pause button. Bluetooth button a JBL connect plus button, and a dedicated button to switch the light patterns. It also has 5 leds to indicate exactly how much battery life is left. Underneath this rubber flap is its USB b charging port and an analogue input. It has everything you need to proceed with your listening experience.

So one more cool feature that will be available through the JBL Connect app is that you can set the pulse 3 to work with Google assistant and apple’s siri. Turning it essentially into a smart home device. A good feature I hear you say!

That’s it for this JBL pulse 3 #WhatGear Review and this is a world’s first for me. This is the 1st time I have reviewed a product before its official release date. I want to say huge thank you to JBL for that, you guys are legendary. Also a big thank you to you to you for watching/reading this review. I just want to say One last thing… doesn’t this kind of resemble one those precious stones from Indiana Jones Temple of doom…?

Anyway I believe this a great sound investment you should definitely go and check this one out.

Headphones, Uncategorized

Focal Listen Headphone Review

May 29, 2017 whatgearreviews Leave a comment

So listen, hear, real quick… What do you do with headphones… You listen. Here in lies the very reason why you might want to buy Focal listen headphones.

For those of you who don’t know the French company Focal. You should probably know they been around for around 40 years making high end audio equipment… Based out of Saint ettiene in France. Focal have designed these the premium Focal listen headphones just for you.

The design

The Focal listens are largely made of durable, flexible plastics with brushed metal ear cups. Across the headband is fair bit of Focal branding and on the earpieces and a really nice metallic focal logo, which looks good to me. Also it has small print across the earpieces for those of you who like the finer details.

I really like the look of the earpieces on these. The red finish on the material that covers the drivers gives it a really nice contrast.

The headphone jack screws in locking it tight & I think this will reduce any damage if you happen to snag the cable by accident. I had some beats by dre once that got messed up like that. The cable is very stylish and feels really premium and robust. It has a built in omni directional mic with a chrome trim and separate multi function remote control… Which I really like the look of.

The Focal Listens are designed to used on the go and the fact that they compact down nicely to fit into its nicely designed neoprene pouch makes it very easy to travel with. One little improvement I think these could use is having the left and right markings a little easier to see. Apart from that a tres bon design here.

Comfortability

So the listen has nice design features that should comfort you. It has a soft touch headband and heat-sensitive, very high-density memory foam earpieces. Which should enclose your ears ENTIRELY offering a sort of noise cancelling effect.

And Of course you adjust the height of the headband to fit you perfectly. I’ve been using these for while now and I must say they are quite like weight and seem to have a firm grip. Which could make them good for casual exercise. The location of the omnidirectional mic is perfect and I’ve never encountered a problem with it getting in the way.

On the sound quality.

So if you’re a WhatGear subscribers you probably already know I have had quite a few headphones lately. So I think I’ve got a pretty good ear for them now. The Focal Listens have 40mm mylar titanium coated drivers. Do they sound good… well yes they do… They sound very to me. The fact that the earpieces really isolate your ears so well really helps you focus on the finer details of the music. You get a really dynamic sound from each one of these drivers. I guess you could call them a dynamic duo.

But listen for those of you who love heavy bass you won’t be disappointed here. Although focal have really focused more on tonal balance as opposed to amped up low end frequencies. I like to listen to all kinds of music. and I must say the listens sound good all round and especially crisp when playing high res audio.

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Orbitsound One P70 Review

May 27, 2017 whatgearreviews Leave a comment

So I hear that P70 might just be the one when it comes to an all in one Soundbar. But this ain’t just an ordinary speaker in box. No this speaker has orbitsound’s trademark patented airsound speakers on the sides.

Why would you have side facing speakers. Well I actually got to meet with the Managing Director of Orbitsound who explained it to me… All I can say is airsound tech will blow your mind. I won’t try to explain but just know this. Imagine if no matter where you sit in front of your P70 will be delivered the perfect balance of left and right audio channels.

Design

The One P70 has quite a large footprint in comparison to Soundbars with separate sub woofers. This can be placed in front of your TV. However you might have to make some shelf space. The design of the P70 also allows it to flipped upright for self standing or wall mounting. Which really helps if you have limited space.

Also you can pop out the orbitsound logo disc and flip it around depending on its orientation. I nice touch for those of you with a little ocd. I’m sure an upside-down logo would drive you crazy.

Usability

If you watched my orbitsound bar A60 video review you will see why I love the remote. It’s exactly the same remote with the P70. Check that video out here. The P70 does have a very minimal on board display. Orbitsound have kept it simple here and that’s a good thing. All you really need to know is what mode you are in and what the current volume, bass and treble levels are…and the P70 will tell you.

The on board controls are also kept to a minimum. Volume up, volume down and input mode selection. Exactly what you need. I actually own a Sony Sound base the HT XT1 and it sounds awesome but… No on board volume controls which is really frustrating. On the P70 you have exactly what you need to proceed listening will full control.

Now onto the inputs. The Orbitsound One P70 has the option of an analogue audio jack input or an optical cable input. Be that this is a stereo speaker an analogue cable will do the job. Although I think optical is the way forward. A little word of advice here. Be careful which cable you buy if you need to replace the ones in the box. As I had a problem with the connector part of my optical cable being to large. Which caused it not to be able to sit flat, I simply flipped it upright problem sorted.

Sound Quality

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JBL Flip 4 Review

May 21, 2017 whatgearreviews Leave a comment

So why buy the JBL flip 4… and who is this speaker for. Well if you’re the adventurous type or you’re going on holiday this might be the perfect portable speaker for you and let me tell you why.

The Flip 4 delivers a surprisingly powerful punch. I won’t lie the first time I heard one of these I was amazed at its impressive clarity and its overall well balanced sound. Particularly across the mid range frequencies, and low ends have been improved from the flip3. And its quite impressive really for a compact speaker that you can carry around in one hand like a beer can.

The flip 4 s bass is impressive and not to overpowering and I personally think that’s a good thing. It delivers smooth quality bass thanks to its passive radiators at either end. Which I might add are pleasantly pleasing to watch. And When you’re on the beach or by the pool it’s definitely going to turn a few heads.

And this thing has a water resistant rating of IPX7 which basically means it can be submerged in up to 1 meter. But if your at sea and the ship goes down you’d better be ready. Because it will sink… (clip) but at least you can still enjoy good music until the bitter end. And that might be why JBL added this wrist strap.

Anyway as for the Flip 4s design. My first impressions out of the box are… it feels incredibly durable. The Flip 4 is encased in tight weave fabric and rubber. The rubber strip runs across the back edge and this houses the power button, connect plus button and inputs which are tightly sealed under this flap. And the strip also serves another purpose… it actually stops It from rolling around. And this is useful because flip 4 is designed to sit horizontally but can be flipped upright… And maybe that’s why it’s called the flip.

The Flip 4 also now has the JBL Connect + feature. Which means you to join forces with other JBL connect + compatible speakers. For example if you have two of these you one play left and the other play the right audio channels… Or you can connect up to a hundred of these that play simultaneously … And I actually witnessed a new world record being broken. When I heard a thousand of these portable powerhouses all playing from one source… And It was awesome… I have know idea how they did it though

And I really like this… using the JBL connect app you can reconfigure the play button to fire up Google assistant or apples siri. So your flip 4 can kinda work like an amazon Alexa. OK Google.

And you can also answer your telephone. Just so long as don’t mind everyone else around you listening to your phone call.

And the flip 4 has improved battery performance of up to 12 hours… Which is how long this video is going to end up if I keep going on about it.

So I do I think. Well highly recommend this one… Sounds good to me, and it’s good sound investment. Go check it out there’ll be a link in the description below.

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