Electronics | Imagination Works

Roland STUDIO-CAPTURE – professional USB audio interface with 192 kHz and 24 bits

USB audio interface Roland STUDIO-CAPTURE

One of the most functional audio interfaces of company Roland is a USB dvice STUDIO-CAPTURE : professional studio interface with support of 192 kHz and 24 bits work mode, 16 inputs, 10 outputs and 12 VS PREAMPs. On its frontal panel there are : 4 combined XLR/TRS 1/4″ jack inputs ( 1 and 2 are instrumental Hi-Z inputs ), state indicators of all 16 inputs of interface with control buttons; preamplifiers control block, consisting of gain control knob and buttons for control of phase, LoCut filter, Auto-SENS function and phantom power +48 V enabling for microphone inputs; compressor control block with enabling button, Threshold setting knob and activity indicator; Direct Monitor control block with enabling button and volume control; 2 TRS 1/4″ jack outputs for monitor headphones and their volume control knobs; display with device’s parameters, buttons for menu control, Direct Monitor volumes indicators and power button. On back panel there are : power adapter input, USB Type-B port for connection with computer, MIDI input and output, coaxial digital RCA input and output, 8 TRS 1/4″ jack balanced linear outputs, monitor XLR outputs ( left and right ) with volume control enabling button, ground connector, 4 TRS 1/4″ jack inputs and 8 additional combined XLR/TRS 1/4″ jack inputs. All inputs of device are balanced, it is powered from power adapter.

USB audio interface Roland STUDIO-CAPTURE ( back panel )

Noise level of Roland STUDIO-CAPTURE when inputs and outputs are connected is -90 dB, dynamic range of analogue to digital conversion is 105 dB, digital to analogue : 114 dB, these are good characteristics for audio interfaces. Device draws maximum 1.6 A current, for it drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X with support of ASIO 2.0 and Core Audio interfaces, accordingly, which allow it to work with DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Device’s sizes are 284 ( width ) x 162 ( depth ) x 89 ( height ) mm and mass is 1.9 kg, its body is made from aluminum.

Package contains : Roland STUDIO-CAPTURE audio interface itself, USB cable, power adapter, CD-ROM disk with drivers, 2 rack mount angles, warranty card and user’s guides. Interface is very good and functional and delivers for studio all necessary connectors and functions with high components quality; there is also ability to look on top-level devices of Steinberg, Behringer, Focusrite, Roland itself, ESI, M-Audio and other manufacturers production; for small studios there is no need in such amount of connectors and there is ability to buy audio interfaces of these manufacturers with smaller amount of them for smaller price.

Xiaomi Hybrid Dual Drivers – in-ear headphones with 2 drivers types and 20 Hz – 20 kHz sound

Company Xiaomi presented new in-ear headphones Hybrid Dual Drivers, containing 2 types of drivers in each cup : dynamical and 2 armature ones, for more uniform playing of sounds of different frequencies, and supporting playback of 20 Hz – 20 kHz audio. Their sensitivity is 101 dB and impedance is 32 Ohms; to both cups 1.25 m cable is mounted with 1/8″ mini jack connector and microphone and smartphones control buttons in volume control module. Device’s mass is 14 g; package contains : Xiaomi Hybrid Dual Drivers headphones themselves, warranty card and user’s guide. Headphones are quite good, with 2 types of drivers in each cup for more even amplitude and frequency characteristics, wherein their price is around 14 USD, which is quite good for their functions; also, for the same amount of money in-ear and entry-level over ear headphones of other manufacturers can be bought.

Impression ImPAD 6415 – 7″ IPS Android 5.1 tablet PC with Intel Atom x3 C3230 processor and GPS

Among Android tablet PCs, working on Intel processor, there is a novelty : Impression ImPAD 6415, using Atom x3 C3230 chip with 4-cores and 1.2 GHz frequency, and supporting GPS navigation. In it following are also built-in : 7″ multitouch IPS screen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, Mali-450 MP4 graphical chip, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in memory with ability to extend via Micro SDHC flash cards with 32 GB max capacity ( larger ones are, probably, also supported ) and 2 SIM cards slots. Tablet PC can be used as phone, it can work in 2G ( GSM ) and 3G networks, without 4G LTE support; and has GPS satellite navigation and acceleration and gravity sensor.

Tablet PC Impression ImPAD 6415 ( back panel )

In Impression ImPAD 6415 two simple for tablet PCs cameras are placed : 2 MP main one and 0.3 MP frontal one; it supports wireless Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g/n ) and Bluetooth connections for remote data transfers and communications with other devices, without NFC support. On its outer panels following are placed : USB port for connection to computer, external devices plugging in and battery charging, 1/8″ mini jack connector for headsets and headphones, speaker and microphone and power and volume control buttons. Battery charge is 3000 mAh – this is an average value for tablet PCs, device’s body is made from plastic, its sizes are 188 ( width ) x 108 ( height ) x 10 ( depth ) mm and mass is 280 g.

Package contains : Impression ImPAD 6415 tablet PC itself, USB cable, recharger, warranty card and user’s guide. Tablet has good enough quality and is different from other entry-level Android tablet PCs only in use of Intel processor, so Windows operating system can be installed on it.

HTC One M9s – 5″ Full HD 1080p Android 5.0 smartphone with 4G LTE and 13 MP camera with HDR

Company HTC presented new top-level smartphone One M9s with 5″ multitouch screen with Full HD 1080p resolution and tough glass, 13 MP main camera with HDR and 8-cores 64-bits processor MediaTek Helio X10 MT6795, under OS Android 5.0 operation. In it following are built-in : graphical chip PowerVR G6200, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of on-board memory with ability to extend via flash memory cards with 2 TB max capacity and 1 Nano SIM cards slot. Smartphone can work in 2G ( GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 ), 3G and 4G LTE networks; it has support of GLONASS, GPS ( +A-GPS ) and BDS satellite navigation systems and lighting, proximity, acceleration and gravity and magnetic field sensors with gyroscope and compass.

Smartphone HTC One M9s ( black color variant )

In HTC One M9s two good for smartphones cameras are placed : 13 MP main one with HDR support, double LED flash and 28 mm lens with f/2 diaphragm, optical image stabilization ( OIS ) and autofocusing and 4 MP frontal one with HDR, 27 mm lens with f/2 diaphragm and 1/3″ sensor. It supports wireless Wi-Fi ( 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot ), Bluetooth 4.1 ( A2DP and apt-X ) and NFC connections for remote data transfers and communications with other devices; device can receive FM radio signal. On its external panels following can be found : Micro USB 2.0 port for connection to computer and battery charging, 1/8″ mini jack headset and headphones connector, microphone and speaker and power and volume control buttons. Charge of built-in Li-pol battery equals to 2840 mAh – this is an average value for smartphones; device’s body is made from metal. Its sizes are 69.7 ( width ) x 144.6 ( height ) x 9.61 ( depth ) mm and mass is 158 g.

Package contains : smartphone HTC One M9s itself, USB cable, recharger, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. It costs around 400 – 450 USD, from one side this an adequate price for its functions, from the other : there is ability to buy Windows or Android smartphone not so oriented on photos and videos making ( because smartphones cameras will not give high quality photos and videos due to small sensors and lenses ) with similar characteristics and good novice or entry-level professional camera with interchangeable lenses and receive much better photo and video quality with all smartphones functions.

Philips SHE3205 – in-ear headphones with 14.2 mm membranes, neodymium magnets and 8 Hz – 24 kHz frequencies

Another one novelty of Philips company among dynamic headphones is an in-ear devices SHE3205 with 14.2 mm membranes, neodymium magnets, 8 Hz – 24 kHz sounds frequencies and open acoustic architecture. Their impedance is 32 Ohms, maximal input power 30 mW and 107 dB sensitivity. To both cups 1 m not detachable cable is mounted with 1/8″ mini jack plug with nickel-plated contacts for connection to sound source, in its volume control unit microphone and smartphones control button are built-in.

Cups of Philips SHE3205 are created with accounting of anatomy of humans ears, which provides their comfortable and tide placement in ears. In each cup there is only 1 driver, in places of mounting to tips cable is additionally reinforced with resin tubes for increased wear resistance and durability during bending and tear-off forces application. They have no active noise cancellation function, as some monitor headphones have; device is released only in black, white and blue color variants. Package contains : Philips SHE3205 headphones themselves, warranty card and user’s guide.

Headphones are good with large membranes, neodymium magnets and wide frequencies range; probably, Philips will not rise their price too much, but there is need to wait for their appearance in shops to tell for sure : whether they are worth buying or it is worth to look on headphones of other types or manufacturers. At the beginning of August of 2016 year they cost around 22 USD – which is an adequate price for them, however for approximately the same or close money there is ability to buy 40 mm monitor headphones, providing much better sounds frequencies reproduction quality, especially basses; adding acceptable amount of money more, there is ability to buy 50 mm monitor headphones, which are even better in this respect. So, if from device compactness and lightness are not needed, then there is ability to look on this type of headphones.

Philips – is a company, which were founded in Dutch in 1891 year; now it has 3 large subdivisions, which develop and produce : consumer electronics, medical equipment and lighting devices. At current moment this is one of the largest companies – producers of electronics, in which around 105000 people work in 60 countries of the world. In electronics area it produces wide range of devices : from kitchen appliances to headphones and smartphones. Philips is notable for producing quality devices, providing proper technical information about them without using of large amounts of psychological marketing and for setting of optimal prices for its goods.

Lenovo Phab PB1-750M – 7″ IPS Android 5.1 tablet PC with 4G LTE and 13 MP camera

Company Lenovo introduced new tablet PC Phab PB1-750M with 7″ multitouch IPS screen with HD resolution 1280 х 720 pixels, support of 4G LTE networks and 13 MP main camera, under Android 5.1 OS operation. In it following are built-in : 4-cores 64-bits processor Qualcomm MSM8916, working on 1.2 GHz frequency, graphical chip Adreno 306, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of on-board memory with ability to extend via Micro SD flash memory cards with 64 GB max capacity ( larger ones are, probably, also supported ) and 2 Micro SIM cards slots. It can work as phone and supports 2G ( GSM ), 3G and 4G LTE networks; in it are built in GLONASS and GPS ( with support of A-GPS ) satellite navigation and lighting, proximity, acceleration and gravity, Hall and vibration sensors and electronic compass.

Tablet PC Lenovo Phab PB1-750M ( sides view )

In Lenovo Phab PB1-750M two quite good for tablet PCs cameras are placed : 13 MP main one with flash and autofocusing and 5 MP frontal one; it supports wireless Wi-Fi ( 802.11 a/b/g/n ) and Bluetooth 4.0 connections for data transfers and communications with other devices, without NFC support. It can receive FM radio signal; on its external panels following can be found : USB port for external devices connection and battery charging, 1/8″ mini jack headset and headphones connector, directional microphone and Dolby Atmos speaker and power and volume control buttons. Its battery capacity is 4250 mAh, this is enough for 20 days in stand-by mode or 24 hours in talking mode; device’s body is made from plastics, its sizes are 97 ( height ) х 8.9 ( depth ) х 186 ( width ) mm and mass is 250 g. It is supplied in 3 colors variants : black, white and blue.

Package contains : Lenovo Phab PB1-750M tablet PC itself, USB cable, warranty card and user’s guide. From one side : tablet is good, with IPS screen, 4G LTE, satellite navigation and good for tablet PCs cameras; from the other : its price is around 200 USD, for 80 USD there is ability to buy 8″ Windows IPS tablet PC with more powerful system, but with weaker cameras and without satellite navigation, and for smaller sum there is ability to buy 7″ IPS Android tablet PCs with approximately the same characteristics and only weaker cameras. So, is there sense to pay for cameras of tablet PCs which will not give high quality videos and photos due to small sensors and lenses, when there is ability to buy with tablet PC good novice camera or entry-level professional one with interchangeable lenses?

M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 – miniature MIDI keyboard with powering from USB and good package of controls

MIDI keyboard M-Audio Keystation Mini 32

Among M-Audio MIDI keyboards there are very little devices, for example, Keystation Mini 32 – keyboard with 32 velocity sensitive keys, powering from USB and good set of controls. Among them : volume control knob, buttons Sustain, edit, octaves control ( they can be programmed for other uses ) and modulation and pitch control. On its side there is Mini USB port for connection to computer and powering. Device works in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X without additional drivers and allows to record MIDI notes in DAW ( Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others ) and control VST instruments and effects. Its sizes are 418 ( width ) x 105 ( depth ) x 19.8 ( height ) mm and mass is 0.45 kg.

MIDI keyboard M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 ( top view )

M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 can be connected to iOS devices via additional Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit. With it AIR Music Technology Ignite, 275 instruments’ sounds and DAW Ableton Live Lite are supplied. Package contains : M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 keyboard itself, USB cable, disks with programs, warranty card and user’s guide. MIDI keyboard is good : has 32 keys, compact sizes with powering only from USB connection and good set of controls; there is ability to wish for modulation and pitch bend wheels, instead of buttons, drumpads and larger set of controls, however this will dissonate with its compactness. Also it worth noting, that for the same amount of money there is ability to buy larger and more functional MIDI keyboards, including ones with powering from adapter for work with tablet PCs; so, here is the choice between compactness and functionality.

LG K4 K130E – 4.5″ Android 5.1 smartphone with 4G, 4-cores CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 5 MP camera

Company LG at the beginning of year released a couple of new smartphones, among them there is K4 K130E – 4.5″ multitouch Android 5.1 smartphone with 4G, 4-cores processor MediaTek MT6735M, working on 1 GHz frequency, 1 GB of RAM and 5 MP main camera. Judging by photos, screen has good angles of view and IPS, AMOLED or other quality matrix is used; its resolution is 854 x 480 pixels; in device following are also built in : 8 GB of on-board memory with ability to extend via flash memory cards with 32 GB max capacity ( larger are, probably, also supported ) and 2 Micro SIM cards slots. Smartphone can work in 2G ( GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 ), 3G and 4G LTE networks; it has A-GPS satellite navigation system and gravity sensor.

In LG K4 K130E two relatively good for smartphones cameras are placed : 5 MP main one with LED flash and 2 MP frontal one; it supports wireless Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g/n + Direct ) and Bluetooth 4.1 for remote data transfers and communications with other devices, without NFC support. On its external panels following can be found : Micro USB 2.0 port for connection with computer and battery charging, 1/8″ mini jack connector for headset and headphones, microphone and speaker and power and volume control buttons. Device’s body is made from plastic, its sizes are 131.9 ( height ) x 66.7 ( width ) x 8.9 ( depth ) mm and mass is 120 g; battery charge is 1940 mAh – this is not big value for smartphones; device is released in 2 color variants : blue indigo and white.

Package contains : LG K4 K130E smartphone itself, USB cable, recharger, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. Smartphone is good : with large screen, powerful system, relatively good for mobile devices cameras and 4G LTE support; its minus is only weak battery. There is need to wait for device to appear in shops and there’ll be an ability to say what competition it can make to other simillar Android and Windows smartphones.

M-Audio M-Track Hub – USB hub and audio interface in compact metal body

One of combined USB hubs and audio interfaces is a M-Audio M-Track Hub – device in small fully metal body. It has power adapter input and can supply energy to 3 USB devices simultaneously and play sound at the same time, this allows to connect to computer a couple of USB instruments and listen for the sound from DAW with 24 bits per sample precision ( manufacturer does not tell with which sampling rate ). On top it has large metal knod for main inputs volume control; on frontal panel there are TRS 1/4″ jack headphones output, their volume control and 3 USB ports. On back panel there are : Kensington Lock slot, power adapter input, USB input for connection to computer and 2 balanced main analogue TRS 1/4″ jack outputs ( left and right ).

Audio interface M-Audio M-Track Hub ( back panel )

Package contains : combined USB audio interface and hub M-Audio M-Track Hub, USB cable, warranty card and user’s guide. From one side : this is a convenient compact device, allowing to power 3 USB devices and connect them to computer and listen to the sound simultaneously; from the other : taking into account M-Audio‘s pricing policy, it is better to buy entry-level studio audio interface of Steinberg, Behringer, Focusrite, Roland, ESI or other manufacturers production and externally powered USB hub and receive much bigger functionality for the same or even smaller sum.

Philips SHQ4305 – in-ear 8.6 mm headphones with neodymium magnets, 5 Hz – 24 kHz and microphone

Among new devices of company Philips there are in-ear headphones SHQ4305 with 8.6 mm membranes, moved by neodymium magnets, support of 5 Hz – 24 kHz sound and built-in microphone. Their acoustic system is closed, impedance is 16 Ohms, sensitivity is 107 dB and maximal power input is 20 mW. To one their side 1.2 m cable is connected with 1/8″ gold-plated mini jack connector and microphone, built into volume control module; it additionally is reinforced with kevlar to increase break resistance at exercises and equipped with clip for mounting to clothes. Headphones have neckband, they are protected from sweat and moisture and have only 11.4 g mass. Package contains : Philips SHQ4305 headphones themselves, cable storage pouch, 3 pairs of interchangeable tips of different sizes, clip, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all headphones are good : with neodymium magnets, 5 Hz – 24 kHz reproducible frequencies range, built in microphone and protection from sweat and moisture. Probably, Philips will not overprice them and there is ability to expect around 20 USD price. If they’ll cost more, then for the same amount of money there is ability to buy 40 and 50 mm monitor headphones or for much smaller sum in-ear headphones of other manufacturers. So, here is need to look on their price at shops, when they’ll appear in them.

Tag: Electronics