Reviews | Imagination Works

Terratec Aureon XFIRE 8.0 HD – external USB sound card with 192 kHz and 8 channels

Lets meet with external sound card Terratec Aureon XFIRE 8.0 HD, it is designed for 7.1 channel sound playback and supports 192 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits per sample precision. Its front side has : USB port, through which it communicates with computer and receives power from it, and digital optical TOS link input and output. Its back panel has : gold-plated RCA connectors for front channels and nickel-plated 1/8″ mini-jack connectors for side, rear and subwoofer/center channels. Its side panel has 1/8″ mini-jack connectors for linear input, microphone and headphones. On its top volume control knob is placed.

External sound card Terratec Aureon XFIRE 8.0 HD ( rear view )

It plays sound with signal to noise ratio 108 dB and THD ( Total Harmonics Distortion ) -90 dB; and records it with signal/noise ratio -85 dB and THD 106 dB. Card can be used for sound recording, there are even drivers released for it with ASIO 2.0 and Core Audio interfaces support for integration with modern DAWs, but it is not its main use, because its microphone input does not have phantom power +48 V and it has no instrumental Hi-Z inputs; mainly it is designed for multichannel sound playback. It has drivers for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X 10.7 and newer; also additional software and plugins can be downloaded for it. Package contains : Terratec Aureon XFIRE 8.0 HD sound card itself, USB cable, 2 optical digital TOS link cables, RCA – 1/8″ mini-jack adapter ( with connector ), the same adapter with socket and user’s guide. All in all, this is a good sound card for multichannel sound playback, if it will be used for this purpose, then there is ability to choose between this device, similar devices and AV receiver; but if it will be used for professional studio work, then it is better to buy according device of Steinberg, Behringer, ESI and other manufacturers.

Review of new in-ear headphones KEF M100

Lets review new in-ear headphones KEF M100. And begin with the fact, that manufacturer among technical details names only facts, that they have 10 mm drivers, that are moved by neodymium magnets, and does not tell information about sounds frequencies range, that they can reproduce, impedance, sensitivity, signal/noise ratio and maximal power input. In the same time manufacturer names lots of “unique” “technologies”, which have little to no technical sense. Price, that manufacturer asks for this device, is 150 USD at the end of Autumn 2015, for 5 – 7 times smaller sum there is ability to buy in-ear headphones with known technical details ( with very good technical details there is need to note, which given model does not have ). So, these headphones KEF M100 and all other devices of this manufacturer are not recommended for purchase, because they are marketing money-pumping from customers for devices, which does not worth them and which has now technical advantages, that are adequate to their price. So, they are not recommended for purchase and it is better to buy in-ear headphones of other manufacturers, which name all technical details of their devices and do not overprice them.

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 – external sound card with 2 inputs and 4 outputs

External sound card Focusrite Scarlett 2i4

Lets meet today with external professional studio sound card Focusrite Scarlett 2i4; it can work with 96 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits per sample precision; to its microphone inputs Focusrite preamplifiers are connected. Its frontal panel has : 2 combined XLR/TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) inputs, which can work in linear, microphone and instrumental Hi-Z modes, their amplification levels control knobs with backlight, linear/instrumental switches, and PAD switch with backlight; phantom power +48 V switch for these inputs with backlight and MIDI and USB connections indicators; TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) output for monitor headphones, their Direct Monitor function switch, headphones signal sources switch, stereo/mono switch for Direct Monitor and volume control of main sound card outputs. Its back panel has : Kensington Lock slot; USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer; MIDI input and output; 4 linear unbalanced RCA outputs; and 2 linear balanced TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) outputs.

External sound card Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 ( rear view )

For it drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X with ASIO 2.0 and Core Audio interfaces support, through which it tightly integrates with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Noise level of its microphone inputs is -120 dB; linear -90 dB with 100 dB signal/noise ratio; and instrumental -87 dB. Dynamic range of analogue to digital conversions is 105 dB and digital to analogue is 104 dB. Card’s body is made from scarlet anodized aluminum; its sizes are 210 ( width ) x 140 ( depth ) x 48 ( height ) mm, and mass is 890 g. Package contains : Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 sound card itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software ( DAW Ableton Live Lite 8, Focusrite Scarlett plugins package, software Novation Bass Station and Loopmasters sounds samples package ) and user’s guide. It is good professional sound card, it is weaker than Steinberg and Behringer devices in sampling rate respect, but it has balanced outputs and MIDI connectors; so, sound card of this manufacturer and others for purchase should be chosen, based on specific task, for which it is bought, and prices of available devices.

Review of new monitor headphones KEF M500

Lets review new monitor headphones KEF M500. Lets start with the fact, that manufacturer tells not much about their technical characteristics : they can reproduce sounds in 20 – 20000 Hz range ( which is not much for asked price ) and they have built-in 40 mm drivers, which are powered by neodymium magnets; and there is no information about their sensitivity, impedance, signal/noise ratio and maximal power input. At the same time there is large amount of loud names of different “technologies”, which mean not much in technical respect, if they mean something at all. Manufacturer asks 300 USD for this device – for more than 3 times lower price professional studio monitor headphones can be bought, which are far superior to these ones in all technical respects, and for even smaller price there is ability to buy headphones with known technical characteristics of Sony, Philips and other manufacturers. So, in respect of these headphones KEF M500 there is ability to say, that they are marketing money-pumping from customers with use of dull loud names of different “technologies”, so, this model is not recommended for purchasing and it is better to buy other headphones with known technical details for 3 times and even more smaller sum.

Fujifilm FUJINON LENS XF35mmF2 R WR – new protected photo-lens with quick auto-focusing

Photo-lens Fujifilm FUJINON LENS XF35mmF2 R WR

Among photo-lenses for Fujifilm X mount there is novelty appeared – Fujifilm FUJINON LENS XF35mmF2 R WR, it is protected from dust, water splashes and low temperatures ( can work at temperatures higher than -10 degrees on Celsius ) and has quick auto-focusing ( 0.08 s ). Its 35 mm focus is fixed; diaphragm can be set in f/2 – f/16 range via 9 diaphragm blades; field of view is 44.2 degrees; it is designed for APS-C sensors; and its minimal focusing distance is 0.35 m. Lens does not support optical image stabilization ( camera can perform it by itself via sensor shifting or digitally, if it supports it ). 9 glasses ( 2 of them are aspherical for geometric and chromatic distortions reduction ) in 6 groups are built into it ( it is relatively high amount of lens elements for fixed lens ), all of them are covered with protective and anti-reflective Nano-GI multi-coating. 43 mm optical filters can be attached to it, its sizes are 60 ( diameter ) x 45.9 ( length ) mm, and mass is 170 g. Package contains : Fujifilm FUJINON LENS XF35mmF2 R WR itself, frontal and rear caps, carrying and storage wrapping cloth and users guide. In a whole, this is a good photo-lens with interesting functions ( auto-focusing, protection from dust, water splashes and low temperatures, built-in aspherical lens elements and others ), which is useful for photos and videos making ( especially if camera supports image stabilization ). Wherein, if there is no need in auto-focusing, then there is ability to buy cheaper lenses with better optical characteristics, including lenses for other mounts, which can be used via adapters and converters.

Review of external sound card AUDIOTRAK DR.DAC2 DX TE

Lets review external sound card AUDIOTRAK DR.DAC2 DX TE, which is designed for recording and playback of already completed audio signal. It supports 192 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits per sample precision; MUSES 8920 operational amplifiers are built into it, they can be replaced with others, if needed, and WIMA film capacitors in its analogue part; it supports 123 dB dynamic range of digital to analogue conversion. Its frontal panel has : switch button and power indicator; 2 TRS 1/4″ jack headphones outputs with activity indicator; chosen sampling rate indicators; digital input switch ( USB/SPDIF ), source switch ( analogue/digital ), outputs switch ( headphones/linear outputs ) and outputs volume control. Its back panel has : 2 linear unbalanced RCA-outputs and 2 linear unbalanced RCA inputs; power adapter input ( for SPDIF connection ); optical digital input; USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer; and digital optical and coaxial inputs.

PCB of sound card AUDIOTRAK DR.DAC2 DX TE

Drivers are released for it for Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X ( they can be downloaded via Internet from manufacturer’s website ). Package contains : AUDIOTRAK DR.DAC2 DX TE sound card itself, 2 RCA cables, USB cable and user’s guide. It is good sound card, that is mainly designed for playback of audio signal from digital and analogue sources; it can be used for sounds recording, but it is not its main use. If audio interface will be bought only for high-quality sound playback, then there is ability to choose between this interface or AV receiver, taking into account functionality, built-in hardware, price and power consumption; but if it will be used for wider spectrum of audio tasks, then it is better to buy device with wider functions and connectors amount, for example of these manufacturers : Steinberg, Behringer, ESI and others.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1RM2 – compact camera with 42.4 MP full-frame optical sensor

Compact camera Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1RM2

Lets meet with new compact photo camera Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1RM2, which will be available in shops from 25th November of this year. Its ZEISS Sonnar T* lens is mounted and have fixed focus, this is compensated with 35 mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS optical sensor with 42.4 MP effective resolution : there is ability to take parts of photo with big enough resolution or use digital zoom. Camera can shoot photos with 7952 x 5304 pixels maximal resolution in sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces with ISO 50 – 102400 levels and save them in JPEG and RAW ( with 14 bits precision ) formats. It can record videos in Full HD 1920 x 1080 60/50/30/25/24 and HD 1280 x 720 120 modes ( with ISO 100 – 25600 levels ) and save them in XAVC S ( with LPCM 2ch sound encoding ), AVCHD format Ver.2.0 compatible ( Dolby Digital (AC-3) 2ch ( Dolby Digital Stereo Creator ) ) and MP4 ( MPEG-4 AAC-LC 2ch ) formats. It supports automatic and manual focusing, digital image stabilization and variable low-pass filter. It has digital OLED viewfinder with 0.39″ size and 2.36 M dots resolution; its main tilt-able TFT LCD display has 3″ size and 1.23 M dots resolution.

Camera can save photos and videos on SD, SDHC, SDXC, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo ( High Speed ) and Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo flash memory cards; it has : USB port for data transmitting and Li-ion battery recharging, Micro HDMI connector, microphone 3.5 mm mini-jack stereo input and Multi Interface Shoe connector; it supports NFC and Wi-Fi connections for data transmitting and remote control. One charge of its Li-ion battery is enough for 220 photos. Its lens apperture can be set in f/2 – f/22 range with use of 9 diaphragm blades; it can focus on 0.24 m – infinity distances in normal mode and on 0.19 – 0.29 m in macro mode; 49 mm optical filters can be attached to it. 8 glasses in 7 groups are built into lens, 3 of them are aspherical; they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Camera sizes are 113.3 ( width ) x 65.4 ( height ) x 72 ( depth ) mm, and mass is 507 g ( with battery and memory card ). Package contains : Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1RM2 camera itself, USB cable, power adapter for battery recharging, optical disks with software and user’s guide. It is very specialized camera, that is mainly designed for macro-photos making with very big resolution;, because its lens is mounted and fixed; wherein it costs 3.3 thousands USD; so, if there is no need in its specialized functions, then it is better to buy semi-professional camera with interchangeable lenses for much smaller price and receive high-quality photos and videos.

Review of new monitor headphones Sennheiser HD 598

Lets review new monitor headphones Sennheiser HD 598. Manufacturer does not tell information about diameter of their drivers, but, judging by their view, it is 40 mm, they are driven with neodymium magnets and can reproduce sounds with 12 – 38500 Hz frequencies, thier impedance is 50 Ohms; manufacturer does not tell information about their sensitivity and signal to noise ratio. Package contains : Sennheiser HD 598 headphones themselves, TRS 6.3 mm jack – 3.5 mm mini-jack adapter and user’s guide. Overall, they are too overpriced ( 250 USD at the end of Autumn 2015 ) : in the technical details ( which not all are disclosed ) they are not better and in some respects even weaker, than top-level monitor headphones of Sony and Philips and cost much more, than they are; and for less than half of this sum professional studio monitor headphones can be bought, which are far superior in sound quality respect, than this handcraft. So, this is a classical example of marketing money pumping from customers with use of loud claims and names, which mean not much in technical respect; so, these headphones are not recommended for purchasing, it is better to buy top-level monitor headphones of other manufacturers with known technical details or professional studio headphones for much smaller price.

EHANG launches new flying GHOST DRONE 2.0 for photos and videos recording

Lets review new flying bot EHANG GHOST DRONE 2.0 for photos and videos recording, which will be available in shops from 31st December of this year. It will be supplied in 4 variants : Ghost Drone 2.0, Aerial, Aerial+ and VR; first one have no camera and gimbal, second one has gimbal, compatible with GoPro Hero cameras, third one adds 4K camera and fourth one has virtual reality goggles, which allow to control it and see via its “eyes”. Bot can be controlled from Android or iOS smartphone with use of special device G-Box ( which is included in package ), it connects with smartphone via Bluetooth connection and allows to control it via special application. Transmitter range is 1000 m, in case of connection lost or low battery charge it will return to starting point. One battery charge is enough for 30 minutes of flying, it fully recharges in 60 minutes; it supports following flight modes : Waypoint Mode, Companion Mode, Avatar Mode and Fly Planning. Mainly bot is designed for minimal flight control experience of operator and performs stabilization in air in automatic mode. This is interesting drone model for photos and videos recording from air, but its price is too big, in comparison with competitors, which for the same money offer bots with similar or better flight characteristics and camera in package. So, for this price this model is not recommended for purchasing, maybe, after some time after release, manufacturer will lower its price under competitors pressure and for lower price this bot can be quite competitive.

Review of external sound card M-Audio M-Track Plus II

Lets review external sound card M-Audio M-Track Plus II, which is designed for professional studio work. Its frontal panel has : combined XLR/TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) inputs, which can work in microphone, linear and instrumental Hi-Z modes ( first 2 can work in balanced mode, instrumental is unbalanced ), there is ability to switch +48 V phantom power for them; amplification level control knobs, linear/instrumental modes switches and level indicators with clip indication for these inputs; TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) output for monitor headphones with volume control knob and Direct Monitor function switch; phantom power switch with backlight indication and volume control knob for main sound card outputs. Its rear panel has : Kensington Lock slot; USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer; and main analogue balanced TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) outputs.

External sound card M-Audio M-Track Plus II ( rear view )

Card can work with sampling rates up to 96 kHz and 24 bits per sample precision; its body is made of metal; and its connectors have following characteristics : microphone inputs ( dynamic range 104 dB, signal to noise ratio 104 dB, perceived frequencies 20 Hz – 20 kHz, -53 dB sensitivity ), linear inputs ( perceived frequencies 20 Hz – 20 kHz, -43 dB sensitivity ), instrumental inputs ( frequencies range 20 Hz – 20 kHz, -47 dB sensitivity ) and main card’s outputs ( frequencies 20 Hz – 20 kHz and dynamic range and signal/noise 102 dB ). Sound card is bundled with DAWs Ableton Live Lite and Cubase LE Waves plugins package ( AudioTrack, Eddie Kramer Effect Channel and TrueVerb ). Its sizes are 238.76 ( width ) x 52.58 ( height ) x 123.19 ( depth ) mm and mass is 1.04 kg. For it drivers are released for Windows 7, 8 and 10, in Mac OS X 10.7.5 and newer it works without additional drivers, and supports ASIO 2.0 and Core Audio interfaces, accordingly, via which it tightly integrates with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Package contains : M-Audio M-Track Plus II, USB cable, optical disk with drivers ( software can be downloaded via Internet from manufacturer’s site ) and user’s guide. It is good sound card with professional functions, in some respects Steinberg and Behringer cards are better, than it, for example, in 192 kHz sampling frequency, in some respects it is better, than them : balanced inputs and outputs. So, when card is being chosen, there is need to look on specific task, for which it is being bought, and on prices of devices.

Category: Reviews