Category Archives: Gadgets

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Sony MDR ZX110 Headphones

Sony pretty much invented Portable Hi-Fidelity Audio with the WalkMan back in the 1980’s. While one can debate the validity of cassette tapes as an audiophile format, you can’t argue that Sony has a history of offering some of the best affordable, high quality headphones for both professionals and consumers. I still use the same pair of Sony MDR V-150 Studio Monitor Headsets I bought 20 years ago for my video editing today.

In my ongoing quest to find the best “cheap” headphone I tried out Sony’s ZX110 heaphones. They come in a range of colors, I picked up a white colored pair on Amazon which were on sale for under $10 (regular retail price $15). They come shipped in a cleanly designed cardboard box. This is a nice step up from the usual vacuform clamshell packages of their competitors like Panasonic and JVC.

The headphones retained my V-150s design cues on the ear cup , while improving on their compact stowability. Cord was an ample 4ft long with good solid feeling amount of wire insulation for durability. The audio jack had a clever dimple design on a right-angled 3.5mm jack.

Wearing them, I found them to be more comfortable than my old V-150’s, which have to fit tightly on the head to reduce sound-leak along the ear pads. The ZX110 head a looser more light feel along the ears while providing decent sound isolation. The earpads are replaceable.

Audio quality was balanced but underwhelming compared to my studio headphones. Performance was very similar to Pansonic HF100’s with slightly weaker bass response but clearer in the mid-range. The bass was its weak point, sounding more rattling than thumping on a House music track. Those used to bass-biased power speakers, like Beats will be disappointed. But the overall balance was good and likely to be straining on the user when listening to spoken word, Classical, Jazz, or Acoustic Pop.

Overall the headphones were among the performers in the Budget sub $20 price tier. These headphones are available on Amazon. Please use my Affiliate link to support my work: https://amzn.to/3764DoW

SPECS

CORD: 3.94 ft

IMPEDANCE (OHM): 24 ohm (1KHz)

PLUG: L-Shaped 3.5mm

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 12–22,000Hz

DRIVER: 1.18 in dynamic – Dome type

SENSITIVITY: 98 dB/mW

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Panasonic HF100 Headphones

The HF100 is one of Panasonic’s most affordable wired headphones. They feature a clean modern design in a semi-open headset; the ear cups do not completely cover all of your ear. The ear cups do feature padding that provides a good sound isolating seal around your ear though some may find the squeeze uncomfortable over long periods of time.

They are a step up from their HT21 budget headsets but sound quality is very similar. They are well balanced for headphones under $30, though far from audiophile quality. Those looking for thumping bass will be disappointed. They are better than the free headphones issued on flights (unless you’re in Business class).

Unlike the HT21, these headphones also include an inline microphone and volume controls in the audio cord. The flat insulated wire cord feel somewhat silicone coated and ends in a standard 3.5mm TRRS jack. These lend themselves for use as inexpensive gaming or Zoom headsets, though they lack the heavy bass and venting for the former.

For the price and the microphone feature, these headphones are a good option for travel headsets or headsets you can send with your kids to school. They are inexpensive enough that you won’t have to cry about losing or breaking them. Though their lightweight construction does make me question their durability?

They come in a variety of colors (white, red, pink, black, and blue). I purchased these blue headsets from Amazon and they are also available from Best Buy, Walmart, and other retailers. Purchase through my Amazon Affiliate link to support my channel: https://amzn.to/3LmZoQr

Gadgets, Product Reviews

VeGue VM30 USB Mic


VeGue sent me their VM30 USB Condensor Microphone to test and evaluate. It is powered by a USB 3.0 cable which connects via USB-A or USB-C to your device or PC. Connecting via USB eliminates the need for a microphone mixer/pre-amp. While audio engineers and audiophiles will insist that a budget mic with a built-in, analog-to-digital audio converter will probably be sub-standard for master recordings, I doubt the average user or consumer will notice any difference or deficiency; I can not.

The shortcomings of this budget mic are a low sensitivity and dynamic range. One really needs to get very, very close to the microphone to achieve a warm resonance in tone. But the mic often clips when you get too loud but sounds very muted if you get more than a few inches away from it.

It has some nice features such as a 3.5mm headphone monitoring jack, a built-in gain dial, and a mute button (for Zoom meetings this is handy). Its shortcomings are its cheap plastic build, unforgiving dynamic range, and low audio sensitivity. This budget mic retails for about $30 and is a good starter microphone to give a boost in quality to any Zoom meeting or for recording Voice-Overs for Powerpoint Presentations or for beginning vloggers and podcasters.

Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NJyyDQ

Gadgets, Product Reviews

GoTega CD/DVD USB Drive

I was asked to supply a CD of music for the school’s Talent Show. A CD? In 2022?! While I still buy my games on DVD and movies on Blue Ray, it’s been well over 10 years since I last owned a computer that had a DVD burner in it. So how the heck was I supposed to supply a CD?

So I went on Amazon and looked up their Editor’s Choice for an inexpensive USB CD/ROM drive. This USB 3.0 is a step up from an older USB 2.0 drive that has since broken on us years ago. This drive is powered directly from a single USB 3.0 cable integrated into the bottom of the drive making it super portable.

No drivers were required to install on my 2015 Macbook Pro (Big Sur v11.6). The drive showed up on my desktop and the 20 year old contents of the CD I tested showed up (albeit with a lag). The drive is made by Gotega, a brand I’d never heard of. It retailed for less than $25 and is available from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KDyDaa

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Wincent Biometric Gun Safe

Wincent sent me their π1 Biometric Portable Gun Safe Lock Box to test and evaluate. I was hesitant after reading some negative Amazon reviews. Some early models of this safe had issues with the biometrics lock, which would unlock using any body part.

But this new lockbox worked correctly. I set the biometric reader to my right thumb and was unable to open it with any other finger (or palm). It opened every time with my right thumb. As with any gun accessory, two is one and one is none. Biometric reader may fail at the most inopportune time. That’s why it come with a key to open the box manually. So keep the key hidden but accessible.

The box had enough internal space to fit my Glock 17 with an attached Streamlight TRL-1. It would not accomodate my O-Light Valkyrie or Surefire X300. But there was ample enough room for 2-3 spare magazines and a backup EDC light, in addition to my pistol.

This safe is available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3HHujV2

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Liberfeel Wireless Powerbank

The Liberfeel is a 10,000mAh wireless powerbank sent to me by Peakode to test and review. It has a decidedly feminine aesthetic with rounded edges somewhat reminiscent of a bar of Dove soap. It comes in a choice of 4 pastel colors: pink, blue, purple, and beige.

It features a wireless fast-charging plate (it will only fast-charge if wireless charging only 1 device) with a built in magnetic to help keep your phone in place while charging, though not strong enough to keep a phone attached to the charger if held up sideways. In addition it has a built-in Apple Lightning, a USB-C charging cable, a USB-A output port, and a USB-C in/out port, allowing it to charge up to 5 devices simultaneously. It can also recharge itself via it’s USB-C port, while charging 4 other devices at the same time. This makes the Liberfeel a useful travel charger.

Gadgets, Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

Add Bluetooth to your old Earpro


Comsoon J25 Bluetooth Receiver allows you to add Bluetooth audio to your old wired headphones or earbuds or your car through its AUX audio port, for less than $20. Far less than the cost of a new pair of Bluetooth headsets or even the cost of a J25 and a new pair of non-Bluetooth earpro.  

It’s small enough to mount directly onto your earpro and with the right connector cable, you can get the firing tucked away and even make it look like original equipment.

PRODUCT LINK
J25 https://amzn.to/3k6wWWJ
Right-angle cable https://amzn.to/3nZr04N
Velcro dots https://amzn.to/3CVEl2s

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

SANAG A11S Pro Headsets

A marketing Rep with SANAG contacted me and offered a pair of sports headphones for me to test out. They appeared to be bone-conductive headsets but the Rep said they were not. Oddly the box says they are but my tests seem to indicate that the Rep was correct.

My first impression was positive. The box made it look like a piece of electronics that you would spend +$50 on (MSRP $80).

My initial impression upon taking it out was also positive. The headset appeared well made and completely covered in a rubber-like coating which would be expected from a “sweat-proof” headset.

Bluetooth pairing was easy. It also comes with 32GB of onboard memory so you can play music directly from the headset by loading up songs from your PC or phone via the included USB-C cable. It came with about 40 pre-loaded Mandarin songs (ummm ok).

Its audio quality was disappointing. The sound was thin and distant, like when you pull your earbuds out of your ear and hang them. The sole positive feature is that as over-the-ear headsets, these allow you to hear your real-world environment while listening to tunes. But for the price, I’d want better audio fedelity. 

SPECS

• 8hr battery life

• 10hr standby time

• Bluetooth connectivity

• IP67 Waterproof

• Sweatproof

• Noise Reduction microphone

• 32GB internal memory

• Weight 26g

Amazon https://amzn.to/3yytIC7

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Wybenz Solar Christmas Lights

WYBENZ sent me a set of Solar Christmas String Lights to test and review. I own a similar set solar-powered lights but these have much heavier duty wiring. These look quite nice and beautify our exteriors without having to be plugged. This makes them much more versatile in where you place them around your house.

SPECS

  • Length: 66ft
  • Control Wire: 6ft
  • Strand LED: 200
  • Setting Modes: 11
  • Battery Capacity: 1200mah
  • Waterproof: IP65
  • Solar Panel: 2V 400MA
  • Working Time:Up to 15hours

MODES

  1. Steady On White
  2. Steady On Warm White
  3. Steady On 50/50 Mix White and Warm White
  4. Slow Flash White
  5. Quick Flash White
  6. Slow Flash Warm White
  7. Quick Flash Warm White
  8. Slow Alternate White to Warm White
  9. Quick Alternate White to Warm White
  10. Slow Flash 50/50 Mix White
  11. Quick Flash 50/50 Mix White
Gadgets, Product Reviews

AEGIS 300 Body Cam

My Geko Gear sent me their new Aegis 300 Body Cam to test and review. This is a professional grade body camera with password and encrypted footage and a rugged splash-proof body. It is an upgrade from the Aegis 200 (which I reviewed a few months ago) featuring such improvements as 1552p resolution, a removable/swappable battery pack, GPS, wifi, and electronic image stabilization (EIS).

On the last feature, the results were somewhat disappointing. The footage I got out of the camera were still shaky. In fact, not really any better than without the EIS.

Is the Aegis 300 worth the $50-$80 premium in price from the Aegis 200? If the EIS had significantly improved the footage quality, that would be an unequivocal yes but lacking that, I’m somewhat on the fence. It’s external battery packs are an improvement but they are proprietary and replacement packs are not yet available through MyGekoGear website.

Despite that, with essentially all-day battery life and recording capability, this camera (which is about the size of an old-school Nokia flip-phone) makes for a rugged alternative to most action cams.

AMAZON https://amzn.to/3kMa008

MyGekoGear: https://shop.mygekogear.com/collections/body-cameras/products/aegis-300

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