Electronics | Imagination Works

Steinberg UR22mkII – USB audio interface with 192 kHz, 24 bits, 101 dB dynamic range, 2 inputs and 2 outputs

Company Steinberg presented new modification of one of its entry-level USB audio interfaces UR22mkII, supporting 192 kHz and 24 bits work mode, 101 dB dynamic range, and having 2 inputs, 2 outputs and 2 inputs preamplifiers Yamaha D-PRE Class-A. On its frontal panel there are : 2 combined XLR/TRS 1/4″ jack microphone/linear inputs with volume control knobs, clip indicators, common phantom power +48 V LED light and USB connection activity signaler; 2nd input can work in instrumental Hi-Z mode and there is according switch button. Also on it there are : mix controller analogue inputs/signal from digital USB connection; TRS 1/4″ jack monitor headphones output with volume control; and main interface outputs’ volume control knob.

USB audio interface Steinberg UR22mkII ( back panel )

On back panel of Steinberg UR22mkII there are can be found : power adapter input and USB port for connection to computer and powering, as well as power from one of these connectors selector; MIDI input and output; phantom power for inputs of interface switch; and left and right linear TRS 1/4″ jack outputs. Device supports functions True Integrated Monitoring in DAW Steinberg Cubase, Loopback for mixing of digital and analogue signals and their returning to computer for subsequent streaming; and is a Class Compliant – compatible with Apple iPad via Apple Camera Connection Kit adapter. Audio interface works in Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X 10.7 and newer via specialized drivers with support of ASIO 2.0, WDM and Core Audio interfaces, via which interacts with modern DAWs : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others.

Besides main sampling rate, Steinberg UR22mkII also supports 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 and 176.4 kHz; all analogue inputs and outputs of device can work in balanced and unbalanced modes, except of instrumental Hi-Z inputs, which work only in unbalanced mode. Working frequencies range of microphone inputs equals to 20 Hz – 22 kHz ( with deviation +0.1 dB / -0.3 dB ), dynamic range is 101 dB ( A-Weighted ), THD+N – 0.0035%, maximal input signal level is – +4 dB, input impedance is 4 kOhms and gain levels are in +6 – +60 dB range. Linear inputs have following characteristics : maximal input signal level is +24 dB, impedance is 20 kOhms, gain levels range is -14 – +40 dB. Instrumental Hi-Z inputs : maximal input signal level is 8.5 dB, impednace is 1 MOhm, gain levels are in -0.7 – +53.3 dB range. Linear outputs specifications are : working frequencies range equals to 20 Hz – 22 kHz ( with deviation +0.1 dB / -0.3 dB ), dynamic range is 104 dB ( A-Weighted ), THD+N 0.005%, maximal output signal level is +10 dB and impedance is 150 Ohms. Maximal power, which Steinberg UR22mkII can give to headphones equals to 6 + 6 mW with 40 Ohms impedance; device draws maximum 2.5 W of energy.

For installation of DAW Cubase AI there is need in connection to Internet for downloading of additional data with 500 MB size. Steinberg UR242 supports following DSP effects : Latency-free monitoring with FX ( dspMixFx ), True Integrated Monitoring with FX in Cubase, Guitar Amp Classics, REV-X Reverb, Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip, Phase switch per channel and High-Pass filter. Cubase AI – is a simplified version of professional DAW of Steinberg, it is based on the same audio engine with 32-bits float precision of calculations; can work simultaneously with 32 sound tracks, 48 MIDI tracks and 16 instrumental tracks with ability to record completed compositions to disk in WAV and AIFF formats, and in MP3 after purchsing of according module. For audio and MIDI editing in program following editors are built-in : Key, Score and Drum, pitch-shift instrument AudioWarp with support of ACID files format, which allows to use large amount of already created sounds samples, and Chord Track editor. 28 VST effects and processors are built into it for work with sounds, sampling synthesizer instrument HALion Sonic SE with 180 sound; mixing console with 4 Inserts and 4 Sends for each track and equalizer. DAW Cubase AI can work in 32 and 64 bits operating systems Windows and Mac OS X.

Sizes of Steinberg UR22mkII are 159 ( width ) x 46 ( height ) x 159 ( depth ) mm and mass is 1.03 kg; its body is completely made from aluminum with black and silver coloring for increased durability and reduction of electro-magnetic interference. With interface DAW Steinberg Cubase AI is supplied, owners of Apple iPad can download from Apple App Store DAW Cubasis LE; package with Steinberg UR22mkII contains : USB cable, optical disks with drivers and programs, warranty card and user’s guide.

All in all interface UR22mkII is great and fits very well to small or in-home studios; there is ability to anticipate, that Steinberg will not set high price for device and it can be recommended for purchase. There is also ability to look on other USB audio interfaces of Steinberg, Behringer, Focusrite, Roland, ESI, M-Audio, Alesis and other companies production, but this one – is one of the best among them.

Steinberg – is a German company – creator of DAWs, VST effects, processors and instruments and also of audio interfaces, being based in Hamburg. It was established in 1984 year and now is being owned by Yamaha Corporation from 2004 year. At current moment Steinberg is one of the leading audio equipment and programs manufacturers in the world, for example, its professional DAW, instruments and hardware are used by following musicians : Hans Zimmer, Junkie XL, Justice, Kraftwerk, New Order and others.

LG Stylus II K520 – 5.7″ IPS Android 6.0 smartphone with 4G LTE, 1.5 GB RAM, 4-cores CPU and 13 MP camera

Smartphone LG Stylus II K520 with stylus

Company LG announced its new Android 6.0 smartphone Stylus II K520 with 5.7″ IPS multitouch screen with HD 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, 4G LTE, 1.5 GB of RAM, 4-cores processor, working on 1.2 GHz frequency, and 13 MP main camera. Mobile device also has : 16 GB of on-board memory, flash cards bay with 32 GB max capacity and almost for sure present support of larger memory modules and 1 slot for Nano SIM cards. Smartphone can work in networks 2G ( GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 ), 3G ( HSPA ) and 4G LTE ( +LTE-A Cat. 4 ) and supports satellite navigation GLONASS and GPS+A-GPS.

Smartphone LG Stylus II K520 ( back and side panels )

LG Stylus II K520 has 2 good for portable devices cameras : 13 MP main one with autofocusing and 8 MP frontal one; they both can record Full HD 1080p video with 30 frames/s rate. Smartphone supports wireless connections Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g/n ), Bluetooth 4.1 ( +A2DP ), DLNA and NFC for remote communications with other devices and data transfers. On its external panels there are : Micro USB 2.0 port for connection to computer and battery charging, 1/8″ mini jack headsets and headphones connector, as well as volume control and power buttons and microphone and speaker. Its battery capacity is a 3000 mAh – which is a good value for mobile phones, its body sizes are 155 ( height ) х 79.6 ( width ) х 7.4 ( depth ) mm and mass is 145 g, judging by its view, it is made from metal.

Smartphone LG Stylus II K520 ( angle view )

Package with LG Stylus II K520 contains : stylus, USB cable, recharger, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, smartphone is quite good : with large IPS screen, powerful system, good cameras, stylus, wireless connections support and satellite navigation, as well as capacitive battery; there is also wish for second SIM cards slot for full functions spectrum. Faster of all, LG will not set high price for this device, when it’ll appear in shops, so, when one is being chosen, there is ability to look on this device or Windows or Android portable devices of this or other manufacturers.

AKG K92 – stylish 40 mm monitor headphones with 16 Hz – 22 kHz, 113 dB/mW sensitivity and professional AFC

Among stylish monitor headphones there is a novelty appeared – 40 mm AKG K92 – device with 16 Hz – 22 kHz sounds frequencies playback support, 113 dB/mW sensitivity, professional Amplitude Frequency Characteristic ( with high equalization of volumes of different sounds frequencies ) and closed back architecture. Their impedance is 32 Ohms, maximal input power 200 mW; cable with 3 m length is attached to only one of the cups and is not detachable, it is connected to sound source via 1/8″ mini jack connector with gold-plated contacts. Earspads are made from leatherette and can be replaced, if needed.

AKG K92 have automatic adjustments mechanism for different sizes of heads of different users and are released only in matte black color variant. Headphones mass is 200 g, they are not foldable. Package with AKG K92 contains : screw-on adapter to 1/4″ jack plug also with gold-plated contacts, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, headphones are professional : they have wide audio frequencies playback support, as manufacturer tells, high equality of AFC, high sensitivity and stylish look. Their price is around 80 USD – it is not high for their functions; however, there is need to note, that for much smaller sum there is ability to buy 40 mm monitor headphones with similar characteristics or for the same amount of money – 50 mm monitor headphones, providing better basses reproduction support.

Roland A-49 – portable USB MIDI keyboard with assignable controls and inputs for pedals

One of USB MIDI keyboard of middle level of Roland company is a A-49 – portable device with 49 velocity-sensitive keys and inputs for Hold and Expression pedals. It also has : 2 assignable buttons, 2 assignable knobs, pitch bend and modulation control lever, buttons for octaves control, programming of other buttons functions and other controllers. On back panel with pedals inputs there are MIDI output and USB port for connection to computer and powering. Also it has power and octaves settings LED indicators.

Roland A-49 draws maximum 98 mA of current and works in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X 10.5 and newer via specialized drivers, which allow it to work with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others and their VST/AU instruments and effects.

USB MIDI keyboard sizes are 836 ( width ) x 182 ( depth ) x 84 ( height ) mm and mass is 2.5 kg. Package contains : Roland A-49 keyboard itself, USB cable, CD-ROM disk with drivers and software, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, keyboard is good : there is ability to wish for drumpads ( however, with proper setup, keys can be used as them ) and power adapter input for work with tablet PCs and notebooks without load on their battery. There is also ability to look on USB MIDI keyboards of other manufacturers with close keys amount, which can have wider functionality.

Superlux HD-685 – 40 mm monitor headphones with microphone, 10 Hz – 20 kHz and neodymium magnets

One of the novelties among dynamic monitor headphones is a 40 mm Superlux HD-685 with microphone, 10 Hz – 20 kHz sounds frequencies playback support, neodymium magnets, closed acoustic architecture, dynamic audio emitters and price around 85 USD. Their impedance is 68 Ohms, sensitivity is 102 dB/mW and mass is 285 g without wire accounting ( 310 g with it ); it has 1.2 m length, attached only to 1 cup, can be disconnected and is plugged to sound source via 1/8″ mini jack connector with gold-plated contacts. With headphones 2 cables are supplied, one of them contains volume control module with microphone and mobile devices remote control button.

Superlux HD-685 are foldable for compact carrying and storage, earspads are made from leatherette for comfortable sounds and music listening over long time. In each cup there is only 1 sound emitter, they have no active noise-cancellation function, as some other monitor headphones do, but they have good isolation from external sounds. In place of entering into cup wire is additionally reinforced with resin tube for increased wear resistance and durability during bending and tear-off forces application. It is equipped with clip, for tangling and clinging to clothes and surrounding objects prevention, it has no slider for this purpose.

Package contains : Superlux HD-685 headphones themselves, 2 cables, carrying and storage pouch, cable clip, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all, headphones are good : with large membranes, wide reproducible sounds frequencies range, neodymium magnets and microphone, their price is not high for their functions. However, there is need to note, that there is ability to buy cheaper 40 mm monitor headphones, or for the same amount of money – 50 mm monitor headphones, providing better basses reproduction quality. There is also ability to say that, if from device compactness and lightness are needed, then there is ability to buy much cheaper in-ears headphones, oriented for use during sportive trainings and exercises and everyday compact use. Their cable is also often equipped with clip and slider.

Superlux – is a company, which main office is located in Taiwan development and testing laboratories and facilities in Hong Kong and other China cities. This name is a brand of company Goang-Fann Co. Ltd., which in 1997 year acquired Tenlux – company-producer of microphones and started to release headphones, microphones and other audio equipment under this name. Company is known for production of very functional devices with very attractive prices; so, when according sound devices are being choosen, it is useful to look on products of Superlux.

JVC HA-EBR25 – sportive in-ears 13.5 mm headphones with 16 Hz – 20 kHz, microphone and neodymium magnets

Company JVC released new sportive in-ears headphones HA-EBR25 with 13.5 mm membranes, 16 Hz – 20 kHz sounds frequencies playback support, microphone and neodymium magnets. Their maximal input power is 200 mW, mass is 13 g, without wire accounting; manufacturer does not tell anything about their impedance and sensitivity; cable with 1.2 m length is mounted to both cups, it is connected to sound source via 1/8″ mini jack connector with gold-plated contacts, compatible with Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad, as well as with Android and BlackBerry mobile devices.

JVC HA-EBR25 have ears band with adjustable size, protected from sweat and moisture, which is useful for sports exercises, and have microphone and mobile devices control button, built into volume control module. They are released in 4 colors variants : white, blue, black and red; package with JVC HA-EBR25 contains : warranty card and user’s guide. Their price is around 26 USD, which is adequate to their functions; but, in the same time, there is ability to buy similar in-ears headphones cheaper and, by adding small sum, there is ability to buy 40 or 50 mm monitor headphones, providing better sound quality, if compactness is not needed.

Xiaomi Mi Max – new large 6.44″ IPS Android 6.0 smartphone with 4G LTE, 16 MP camera and 4850 mAh battery

Xiaomi acts big and releases Android 6.0 smartphone Mi Max with 6.44″ IPS screen with Full HD 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and tough Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 4G LTE, 16 MP main camera and 4850 mAh battery. From other modules it has : 8-cores processor Qualcomm MSM8976 Snapdragon 652 or 6-cores Qualcomm MSM8956 Snapdragon 650, depending on modification; 3 or 4 GB of RAM; graphical chip Adreno 510; 32, 64 or 128 GB of on-board memory, also depending on modification; bay for Micro SD flash cards with 200 GB max size; and 2 Nano SIM cards slots. Smartphone can work in 2G ( GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 and CDMA 800 and 1900 ), 3G ( HSDPA 850, 900, 1900 and 2100, CDMA 2000, 1xEV-DO and TD-SCDMA ) and 4G LTE ( 2100, 1800, 2600, 1900, 2300 and 2500 ) networks, supports GLONASS, GPS+A-GPS and BDS satellite navigation and contains acceleration and proximity sensors, gyroscope, electronic compass and fingerprints scanner.

Xiaomi Mi Max has 2 very good for smartphones cameras : 16 MP frontal one with autofocusing, HDR and double LED flash, as well as 5 MP frontal one; it supports Full HD 1080p and HD 720p video recording with frame rate up to 120 per second. Smartphone can establish wireless connections Wi-Fi ( 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-Band, Direct, DLNA and Hotspot ), Bluetooth 4.2 ( A2DP and LE ) and NFC for remote data transfers and communications with other devices; also it can interact via infrared port. On its external panels there is ability to find : Micro USB 2.0 port for connection to computer, battery charging and external devices plugging in via OTG and USB Host; 1/8″ mini jack headsets and headphones connector; microphone and speaker; as well as power and volume control buttons. Xiaomi Mi Max works on MIUI 8 platform, based on Android 6.0 operating system, there is ability to acquire Android applications for it in Google Play, Yandex.Store and other shops.

Mobile device’s sizes are 173.1 ( height ) x 88.3 ( width ) x 7.5 ( depth ) mm and mass is 203 g; its body is made from metal and battery charge is 4850 mAh, which is a good value for smartphones. Package with Xiaomi Mi Max contains : USB cable, recharger, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. Smartphone is very good : having large IPS screen, operating system Android 6.0, 4G LTE, high-level cameras, powerful system and capacitive battery; it should appear in shops in May of this year, its cost will be according, but, taking into account company Xiaomi prices policy, there is ability to anticipate, that it’ll be one of the smallest among similar to it smartphones.

Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 – new USB audio interface with 48 kHz, MIDAS preamplifier, 2 inputs and 2 outputs

USB audio interface Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22

Company Behringer released new USB audio interface of entry level U-PHORIA UMC22, supporting 48 kHz and 24 or 16 bits work mode ( manufacturer does not tell which precision it supports, but, probably, it should support 24 bits ) and having MIDAS preamplifier, 2 inputs and 2 outputs. On its frontal panel there are : combined XLR/TRS 1/4 jack microphone/linear input; TRS 1/4 jack instrumental Hi-Z input; their volume control knobs with signal and clip indicators; Direct Monitor function switch; outputs volume control; power and phantom pwer +48 V indicators, as well as TRS 1/4 jack monitor headphones output. On back panel of device there are : USB port for connection to computer and powering, phantom power switch, Kensington Lock slot and left and right TRS 1/4 jack linear outputs.

USB audio interface Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 ( back panel )

Dynamic range of Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 equals to 100 dB, all its connectors work only in un balanced mode; audio interface can work in 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 interact with modern DAWs : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others. After purchase there is ability to download from manufacturer’s website program for work with sound and more than 150 VST/AU instruments and effects. Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 sizes are 46.45 ( height ) x 163 ( width ) x 125 ( depth ) mm and mass is 0.5 kg, its body is made from aluminum for increased durability and reduced electro-magnetic interference.

Package with Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 contains : USB cable, warranty card and user’s guide. From one side, audio interface is good enough, has entry-level studio characteristics, connectors and controllers and small sizes; from the other side, there are more functional compact audio interface, for example, ESI UGM96. So, this audio interface can be recommended for purchase only, if its price is much less than of competitors; otherwise it is better to look on other entry level audio interface of Steinberg, Behringer, Focusrite, Roland, ESI, M-Audio, Alesis and other companies production.

Novation Launchkey Mini – 25 keys USB MIDI keyboard with 16 drumpads, 8 knobs and other controllers

USB MIDI keyboard Novation Launchkey Mini

One of the most compact USB MIDI keyboards is a Novation Launchkey Mini with 25 velocity-sensitive keys, 16 velocity-sensitive drumpads with color backlight, 8 knobs and other controllers. It also has : 2 octaves control buttons, 2 tracks selectors, 2 navigation buttons, InControl activation switch and 2 round buttons with color backlight. In addition to them there are Kensington Lock slot and USB port for connection to computer and powering are placed on keyboard.

USB MIDI keyboard Novation Launchkey Mini ( back and left panel )

With Novation Launchkey Mini DAW Ableton Live Lite 9 and program Novation Launchpad are supplied; it can be connected to Apple iPhone and iPad devices via Camera Connection Kit or USB Camera Adapter. MIDI keyboard is powered only from USB port; and can work in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X and integrate with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others, and their VST/AU instruments and effects. Its sizes are 325 ( width ) x 175 ( depth ) x 43 ( height ) mm. Package with Novation Launchkey Mini contains : USB cable, disks with drivers and programs, warranty card and user’s guide.

MIDI keyboard is very compact and at the same time has large amount of controls, which not many larger MIDI keyboards have. But it has its own minuses : it has no modulation control and pitch bend wheels; it is powered only from USB port and has no power adapter input, so it will draw charge from tablet PCs and notebooks batteries; also 25 keys can become not enough for professional work over time. However, in the role of compact and mobile device Novation Launchkey Mini can be very good, especially if its price in shops is lower than of similar competitors.

Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z – top-level 53 mm monitor headphones with 5 Hz – 45 kHz, titanium cups and 2000 mW power

Monitor headphones Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z

Lets look on top-level class of professional studio monitor dynamic headphones and meet with 53 mm Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z, having 5 Hz – 45 kHz sounds frequencies playback support, titanium cups, 2000 mW maximal power input and closed acoustic architecture. Their sensitivity is 101 dB/mW, impedance is 44 Ohms, mass is 294 g; speakers baffle is made from magnesium alloy for resonance reduction, cable with 3 m length is mounted to both cups, is not detachable and is connected to sound source via TRS 1/8″ mini jack connector with gold-plated contacts, left and right channels have separate grounds, which many other headphones do not have.

Inside of Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z there is a magnetic system German Permendur, coils are wound with use of OFC-7N wire for mass reduction and better signal transmittance, magnets’ yoke is made of pure iron, PCB of headphones is located in their top part for better air circulation inside them – all this together allows to much better and loudly reproduce all sounds frequencies. In each cup there is only 1 audio emitter; headphones are produced with use of Double Air Damping System ( D.A.D.S ) technology, increasing quality and loudness of basses reproduction due to their resonance inside cups; they are released only in silver-black color variant. Device has no active noise-cancellation function, like some other monitor headphones do, however they have very good external sounds isolation. Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z have no smartphones and volume control buttons and microphone.

Headband of Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z has auto-adjustment system to different sizes of heads of different users, earpads are made from soft material for comfortable listening over long time. Manufacturer also tells about implementation of different other techniques for increased amplitude-frequency characteristic uniformity. Package with Audio-Technica ATH-A2000Z contains : screw on adapter to TRS 1/4″ jack connector, warranty card and user’s guide. Headphones are great and aimed for professional studio use, they have according characteristics and will have according price at time of appearance in shops : > 680 USD. For high quality sounds and music playback such characteristics are not needed and there is ability to buy much cheaper consumer level or studio entry-level 40 or 50 mm monitor headphones with good characteristics.

If from headphones compactness and small mass are needed in the first place, then there is ability to look on in-ears headphones, which do not reproduce audio frequencies as good, as monitor ones do, but they cost much less and have small sizes, are light and comfortably place inside ears. Which is especially important during sportive exercises and trainings, also wire of such headphones often has slider and clip, to prevent its tangling and clinging to clothes and surrounding objects.

There is also need to note, that Audio-Technica – is a Japanese company, established in Tokyo in 1962 year, as phonographs cartridges producer. Then it started to develop and introduced among its products microphones and headphones, among which now there are wired and wireless models. At current moment it is one of the leading foreign consumer sound electronics and government organizations devices supplier in USA. And in the country of a rising Sun audio devices are usually made with high quality of components and assembling.

Tag: Electronics