December | 2015 | Imagination Works

Focusrite Saffire 6 – portable USB audio interface for live performances

External USB sound card Focusrite Saffire 6

Among USB audio interfaces of Focusrite there is portable device Saffire 6, oriented for reliable work on live performances; it can work with sampling rates up to 96 kHz and 24 bits per sample precision; to both inputs of interface Focusrite preamplifiers are connected. Front panel of card has : 2 combined XLR/TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) inputs, which can work in linear/microphone and instrumental Hi-Z modes; signal amplification control knob, work mode and PAD function switches and signal and clip indicators; phantom power +48 V switch for both inputs; mixing control knob ( between input analogue signals and sound from computer ) and its work mode switch; device’s volume control knob and USB and MIDI connections states indicators; TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) monitor headphones output, their volume control and its source switch. On back panel there are placed : Kensington Lock slot; USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer ( it has no need in additional power adapter ); MIDI input and output; 4 RCA outputs with nickel-plated connectors; and 2 TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) balanced outputs.

External USB sound card Focusrite Saffire 6 ( back view )

DAC and ADC of Focusrite Saffire 6 dynamic range is 114 dB; accounting full analogue and digital parts, it goes down to 105 dB for analogue to digital conversion and to 103 dB for digital to analogue conversions; ports characteristics are as following : microphone inputs ( signal to noise ratio 105 dB, THD+N 0.0025 % ), linear inputs ( signal/noise 105 dB, THD+N 0.001 %, noise level -90 dB ), instrumental inputs ( signal/noise 105 dB, THD+N 0.0025 %, channels isolation 80 dB ), TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) balanced outputs ( THD+N 0.0025 % ), RCA outputs ( THD+N 0.03 % ) and headphones output ( signal/noise 103 dB ). With device Xcite+ package ( including DAW Ableton Live Lite 8, software synthesizer and sounds samples packages ) and VST/AU plugins package ( among them there are compressor, reverberation, gating and equalizer ) are shipped. For sound card drivers for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 with ASIO 2.0 interface support and Mac OS X with Core Audio interface support are released, which allow modern DAWs ( REAPER, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live and others ) to use its capabilities to their full extent.

Device sizes are 220 ( width ) x 145 ( depth ) x 45 ( height ) mm and mass is 1 kg; manufacturer does not tell what amount of current device draws, but judging by amount of inputs and functions around 200 – 600 mAh. Package contains : Focusrite Saffire 6 audio interface itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software, warranty card and user’s guide. Maximal sampling rate of device is not the highest one, but it has MIDI connectors, balanced outputs and high analogue connectors specifications. So, when there is choice between this sound card and devices of Steinberg, Behringer, ESI, M-Audio, Roland and other manufacturers, there is need to look on their prices and accordance of technical details to specific tasks, for which device is bought.

Sven AP-350M – great on ears headphones for 8 – 9 USD

Among headphones manufacturers there are also honest companies : Sven is one of them, releasing new model AP-350M with 8 – 9 USD price, which is simply great for such device. Headphones are of over ears type, with 40 mm drivers ( with ferrite or neodymium magnets : manufacturer does not clarify which ones are used ), 20 Hz – 20 kHz reproducible frequencies range, 105 dB sensitivity and 32 Ohms impedance. With all of this, they also have built-in microphone with 30 Hz – 16 kHz perceivable frequencies range ( this is very good value, amplitude frequency characteristic, probably, is not quite flat, but microphone is good anyway ) and -58 dB sensitivity. To one of cups 1.2 m detachable cable is connected with 4 pins nickel-plated 1/8″ mini-jack connector. Headphones mass is 135 g. Package contains : Sven AP-350M headphones themselves, warranty card and user’s guide. Headphones have very good characteristics and with their price they have no competitors at all in value/price ratio respect; so, if there is need in good headphones with optimal price, then these ones are candidate number 1 for purchasing.

Olympus Pen E-PL7 – compact MFT camera with OMD E-M10 technologies

Among mirrorless compact cameras with interchangeable lenses for Micro Four Thirds bayonet there is replenishment : Olympus Pen E-PL7 camera, having top level Olympus OMD E-M10 technologies in small size. In it 4/3″ Live MOS sensor with 16.1 MP effective resolution, sensor-shifting image stabilization and TruePic VII graphical processor are built-in. Camera can make photos with 4608 x 3456 pixels maximal resolution, saving them in JPEG, RAW ( with 12 bits per channel precision and lossless compression ), RAW+JPEG and MPO formats; and record videos in Full HD 1920 x 1080 30p, HD 1280 x 720 30p and SD 640 x 480 30fps modes, saving them in MOV ( with MPEG-4 AVC or H.264 image encoding ) or AVI ( Motion JPEG ) and recording stereo or mono sound in Wave Linear PCM 16 bits and 48 kHz format via built in or external microphones. Supported color modes are sRGB and Adobe RGB, with ISO sensitivity levels in 100 – 25600 range; camera has no built-in viewfinder and flash, its 3″ touch LCD screen has 1.04 MP resolution and can be tilted under different angles.

Photo camera Olympus Pen E-PL7 ( top view )

Olympus Pen E-PL7 supports manual and automatic focus, diaphragm and exposure settings and can be used for astronomical photos making via T-mount adapter. Camera saves recorded photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards with Eye-Fi support for saving directly on external devices; it supports wireless Wi-Fi connections ( IEEE 802.11b/g/n ) for remote data transfers and control with QR code connection and position coordinates receiving from smartphones. Among connectors there are : USB 2.0 for connection with computer ( it also can be used as AV out and for remote control ); HDMI Micro Type D; Hot Shoe; and Accessory Port 2; speaker is only one and plays mono sound; one charge of Li-ion battery BLS-50 is enough for 350 photos ( this is a good value for compact mirrorless interchangeable lenses cameras ). Device sizes are 114.9 ( width ) x 67 ( height ) x 38.4 ( depth ) mm and mass is 309 g ( only camera without lens, memory card and battery ); its body is made from metal; operating conditions are : temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity level in 30 – 90 % range.

Photo camera Olympus Pen E-PL7 ( back view )

Package contains : Olympus Pen E-PL7 camera itself, Li-ion battery BLS-50, BCS-5 recharger, USB cable, external flash FL-LM1, CD-ROM disk with OLYMPUS Viewer 3 program, mount cap, warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses and their caps. Camera is good and gives high-quality photos, videos can be not always of the best quality, frontal grip can be not convenient for people with large palms. Overall camera worth its money, wherein for the same price there is ability to buy APS-C sensored mirrorless cameras of Sony, Pentax, Canon or Fujifilm, so, in this case, there is need to choose : professional technologies of top-level Olympus OMD E-M10 in compact body or APS-C sensor.

Highscreen Spark 2 – new balanced smartphone made in Russia

Quite recently Russian-based company Highscreen released new smartphone Spark 2, which has balanced functions and costs around 60 USD. It works on Android 4.4 platform, its 4″ touch LCD screen has WVGA 480 x 800 pixels resolution. In it following modules are built : 4-cores Qualcomm MSM8212 processor, working on 1.2 GHz frequency; Adreno 302 graphical chip; 512 MB of RAM; 4 GB of built in flash memory with ability to extend via micro SD cards ( with micro SDHC support ); and 2 SIM cards slots. It can work in 2G and 3G networks; GLONASS and GPS navigation tools are built into it; it has acceleration, proximity and lighting sensors.

Smartphone Highscreen Spark 2 ( side and back views )

In Highscreen Spark 2 two cameras are built : 0.3 MP frontal one and 2 MP main one with flash; it supports wireless Wi-Fi ( IEEE 802.11 b/g/n ) and Bluetooth ( 4.0, EDR, A2DP, HID, PB, AP ) connections for remote data transfers and communication with other devices. It has USB port for connection to computer and Li-ion battery charging and 1/8″ mini-jack connector for headset; battery capacity is 1420 mAh ( this is a low value for smartphones ). Device sizes are 122.4 ( height ) x 64.5 ( width ) x 9.69 ( depth ) mm and mass is 108 g; it is supplied in 5 color variants : orange, white, blue, black and yellow.

Package contains : Highscreen Spark 2 smartphone itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery, recharger, warranty card and user’s guide. Device has balanced characteristics and very concurrent price, in value/price ratio respect it is one of the best devices. However, there is need to note, that entry-level Microsoft Lumia devices has close price and in some technical characteristics are better, than this model.

Roland Tri-Capture – portable audio interface with 3 inputs

Lets review external USB audio interface Roland Tri-Capture, oriented on portable recording of 3 inputs, incoming signal monitoring and sounds playback from different sources. All connectors are placed on card’s back panel, among them there are : TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) headphones output; the same balanced outputs for left and right channels; USB port for connection with computer and power receiving from it; 2 RCA inputs for stereo sound recording; TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) input, which can work in linear and instrumental Hi-Z modes; and XLR microphone input, to which phantom power +48 V can be connected. Its top panel has : phantom power switch and signal level control; Hi-Z/linear modes switch for instrumental input and signal level control knob; stereo signal level control; signal and clip indicators for all 3 inputs; recording mode selector ( microphone/instrumental inputs, all inputs or loop back mode ); outputs mute button, Direct Monitor mode switch for headphones and their volume level control with levels and clipping indicators for both channels. Card can work with sampling rates up to 96 kHz and 24 bits per sample precision.

External sound card Roland Tri-Capture ( back view ) — External sound card Tri-Capture ( back view )

Roland Tri-Capture fully powers via USB connection and draws 480 mA maximal current. Device sizes are 171 ( width ) x 134 ( depth ) x 40 ( height ) mm and mass is 320 g. For sound card drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 with ASIO 2.0 interface support and for Mac OS X with Core Audio interface support, via which modern DAWs ( Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others ) can use all its functions. Package contains : Roland Tri-Capture sound card, USB cable, CD-ROM with drivers and VST plugins and instruments, DVD-ROM disk with Cakewalk SONAR LE program for Windows, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, this is a good card, which has all connectors for analogue sounds recording in small studio; from its minuses not the highest sampling rate, lack of MIDI connectors and quite big sizes can be noted. Also, there is need to look on device’s price, quite may be that more functional entry level studio audio interfaces of Steinberg and Behringer cost less.

Panasonic RP-HXS220E – over ears headphones with 10 Hz – 25 kHz sound for 20 USD

Over ears headphones Panasonic RP-HXS220E

Panasonic continues to rejoice with good headphones for optimal price, releasing RP-HXS220E model. They are of over ears type and can be folded for more compact carrying and storage; 30 mm drivers are built into them, moved by neodymium magnets. Headphones support 10 Hz — 25 kHz sounds playback, 1000 mW maximal power input and have 24 Ohms impedance. To both cups 1.2 m cable with 1/8″ mini-jack gold-plated connector is mounted; their mass without accounting for cable is 138 g. Package contains : Panasonic RP-HXS220E headphones themselves, warranty card and user’s guide. Headphones are great, costing around 20 USD and having great sound characteristics, to which many much more priced models do not come even close.

Panasonic Lumix DMC GF7 – ultra modern camera in retro body

Recently among mirrorless compact cameras new model was released : Panasonic Lumix DMC GF7 its name with ultra modern technologies in retro body. It has 16 MP 4/3″ Live MOS sensor, Micro Four Thirds bayonet for interchangeable lenses, Venus Engine graphical processor and optical image stabilization with lenses, that support it. Camera makes photos with 4592 x 3448 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG ( DCF, Exif 2.3 ), RAW, JPEG+RAW and MPO formats; records videos in Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p/30p, HD 1280 x 720 30p and VGA 640 x 480 30p modes, saving them in MP4 or AVCHD formats with stereo sound in AAC or Dolby Digital 2ch formats, recorded via built in microphones. Camera supports sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces; ISO sensitivity levels are in 100 – 25600 range; it has built-in flash and has no built-in viewfinder, its 3″ touch TFT LCD screen has 1.04 M dots resolution and can be tilted under different angles.

Photo camera Panasonic Lumix DMC GF7 ( top view )

Panasonic Lumix DMC GF7 saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( with UHS-I support ) flash memory cards; and can establish wireless Wi-Fi connections ( IEEE 802.11b/g/n, WPA, WPA2 ) for remote data transfer and communication with other devices with QR code connection support; it can not establish NFC connections. Camera supports automatic and manual focus, diaphragm and exposure settings and can be used for astronomical photos making via T mount adapter. Following connectors are placed on it : USB 2.0 for connection with computer and HDMI Micro Type D; it has no Hot Shoe connector, speaker is only one, playing mono sound; 680 mAh charge of Li-ion battery is enough for 230 photos ( this is a small value for devices of such type ). Its sizes are 106.5 ( width ) x 64.6 ( height ) x 33.3 ( depth ) mm and mass is 236 g ( only camera without lens, battery and memory card ); operating conditions are temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity level in 10 – 80 % range.

Photo camera Panasonic Lumix DMC GF7 ( back view )

Package contains : Panasonic Lumix DMC GF7 camera itself, Li-ion battery, recharger, USB cable, DVD-ROM disk with PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.6 PE, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.2 SE and LoiLoScope trial version programs, power adapter cable, shoulder strap, bayonet cap, warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses and caps. Camera is very good, giving great quality photos and videos, it has weak sides and differs not much from other Panasonic Lumix DMC GF cameras, so, when one of them is being chosen, there is need to look on their prices, needed functions and capabilities of specific models.

ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser ZE500KG – new balanced functional smartphone with adequate price

Lets look on new Android 5.0 smartphone ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser ZE500KG, having balanced functions and price. It has 5″ TFT screen with HD 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, 294 PPI density and Corning Gorilla Glass 4, protecting from scratches; 64 bits Qualcomm MSM8916 QuadCore processor with 1.2 GHz frequency, Adreno 306 graphical chip with 400 MHz frequency, 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM, 8 or 16 GB of built in memory ( depending on modification ) with ability to save files on remote ASUS WebStorage cloud servers with 5 GB of available space and ability to extend via micro SD flash memory cards with 128 GB maximal capacity. It can work with 2 SIM cards, they both can work in 3G mode, but simultaneously only one of them can establish such connections, also it supports 2G networks and has no 4G support. Following navigation tools are built into it : GLONASS, GPS and AGPS; it has accelerometer, electronic compass and lighting and hall sensors.

Smartphone ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser ZE500KG ( side view )

ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser ZE500KG, as many of the other modern smartphones, has 2 cameras : 5 MP frontal one with 85 degrees field of view and f/2.0 diaphragm lens; and 13 MP main one with Toshiba sensor, Largan lens with 5 elements and f/2.0 diaphragm, laser auto focusing, 2-colors LED flash and HDR support. Smartphone supports wireless Wi-Fi ( WLAN 802.11 b/g/n ) and Bluetooth ( V4.0, EDR, A2DP ) connections for data transferring and communication with other devices; and has USB 2.0 port ( for communication with computer and Li-ion battery charging ) and 1/8″ mini-jack ( for headset ) connectors. Maybe there is ability to attach other devices to it via USB OTG technology. Li-ion battery has 2070 mAh capacity – this is an average value for smartphones; it supports FM radio and has following sizes 143.7 ( height ) x 71.5 ( width ) x 10.5 ( depth ) mm and mass 140 g. It is supplied in 5 color variants : black, white, silver, gold and red.

Package contains : ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser ZE500KG smartphone itself, Li-ion battery, recharger, USB cable, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, smartphone is good and has quite balanced value/price ratio, wherein there is ability to buy for smaller sum Microsoft Lumia device with similar characteristics and 4G additionally to them.

M-Audio Super DAC – compact external sound card with stereo input and outputs and 192 kHz

Today’s audio part will be devoted to compact external USB sound card M-Audio Super DAC, able to record and play stereo sound and supporting 192 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits per sample precision. Its frontal panel has : output work mode switch ( headphones/line output ), source switch ( digital/analogue, effectively this is a Direct Monitor switch ); 1/8″ mini-jack stereo linear input; and 1/8″ mini-jack and TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) headphones outputs. Its top side has power on and sampling rate choosing knob; on back side USB for communication with computer and powering from it, 2 RCA linear analogue outputs and digital optical and coaxial outputs are placed. Manufacturer says, that high-quality headphone amplifier is used in card, and about Wolfson DAC and ADC.

External sound card M-Audio Super DAC ( top view )

M-Audio Super DAC dynamic range is 110 dB, maximal output power is 210 mW with 16 Ohms headphones or speakers; besides 192 kHz it also supports 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 and 176.4 kHz sampling rates; THD+N equal to 0.00003%. Card sizes are 91 ( width ) × 94 ( depth ) × 27 ( height ) mm and mass is 210 g; it is powered only from USB connection and does not require additional power adapter, judging by its small sizes and small amount of functions and connectors, it should not draw too much current. Audio interface is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X 10.7.5 and newer operating systems; in first ones it works via specialized drivers ( judging by them, it supports ASIO 2.0 interface ) and in second ones via native OS drivers with Core Audio interface support, so, it can be used in DAWs : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others.

Package contains : M-Audio Super DAC sound card itself, USB cable, optical disk with drivers and software, warranty card and user’s guide. This card is oriented for high-quality stereo sound recording and playback on nature, live performances and in small studio; it has good technical characteristics, but costs as more functional entry-level studio sound cards, so, it is better to look on Steinberg, Behringer, Roland, Focusrite, M-Audio itself, ESI and other manufacturers audio interfaces of such level.

M-Audio – is a company, founded in USA in 1998 year, it produces audio interfaces, MIDI keyboards, synthesizers, loudspeakers, monitor headphones, DJs equipment, microphones and other sound devices. Company offices are also located in Canada, UK, Germany, France and Japan. Many popular artists use its products, among them there are The Crystal Method, Depeche Mode, Evanescence and others.

PROEL HFC16 – monitor headphones with adequate price

Lets review new monitor wired headphones PROEL HFC16 with interesting design and adequate for their technical characteristics price. 40 mm drivers are built into them ( manufacturer does not tell which magnets are used, but the most probably neodymium magnets ), reproducible frequencies range is 20 – 20000 Hz, sensitivity is 106 dB, impedance is 32 Ohms, THD is 0.1 % and maximal power input is 200 mW. To one of cups 2 m cable is connected with 1/8″ mini-jack connector. Headphones mass is 178 g, they can be folded for convenient carrying. Package contains : PROEL HFC16 headphones themselves, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, these are good headphones : frequencies range is sufficient ( in most cases people do not hear sounds outside 20 Hz – 20 kHz range ), all other characteristics are on high enough level and they cost around 25 USD, which is quite adequate price for their technical abilities.

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