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.
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 DAWsAbleton Live Lite and Cubase LEWaves 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.
Lets review external professional sound cardBehringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD. It is designed for studio work and has everything, that is needed for this. Its frontal panel has : combined XLR/TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) inputs for microphone, instrumental Hi-Z or linear work modes ( +48 V phantom power can be switched for them ); amplification level controls, instrumental/linear and Pad switches and clip indicators; TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) output for monitor headphones, their volume control, Direct Monitor switch, stereo and mono switch, main outputs volume control, card work modes selector and input, output, power and phantom power indicators. Its back panel has : USB Type B port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer; MIDI input and output; Kensington Lock slot and phantom power switch; 4 RCA outputs; 2 TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) outputs; and 2 TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) inserts.
Inputs of Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD have following characteristics : frequency response is 10 Hz – 50 kHz ( 0 / -3 dB ); impedance of microphone inputs is 3 kOhms, of instrumental Hi-Z – 1 MOhm; maximal level of input signal of microphone connectors is -4 dB, of linear is 20 dB and instrumental is -3 dB. Outputs have following characteristics : frequency response 10 Hz – 43 kHz ( 0 / 3 dB ); maximal volume level of signal is 3 dB; dynamic range is 110 dB ( A-weighted ). Inserts specifications are : 100 Ohms Send and 10 kOhms Return impedance; maximal input signal level is 3 dB. All connectors of audio interface are unbalanced.
MIDAS preamplifiers are connected to card’s inputs; it can work with sampling rates up to 192 kHz and with 24 bits per sample precision ( it also supports 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 and 176.4 kHz frequencies ); card’s body is made from metal and it is eligible to 3-year manufacturer warranty. Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD is bundled with codes for DAWTracktion 4 and different effects and plug-ins downloading. All functions of DAW are located on 1 screen : for sounds recording, tracks editing and mixing; from advanced functions it supports dynamic automation, unlimited tracks amount for work, MIDI signal recording and connection of VST/AU plugins of instruments and effects.
For it drivers for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer are released, in Mac OS X it works without additional drivers, with support of ASIO 2.0 and Core Audio interfaces. Via which it tightly integrates with modern DAWs : Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio and others. Device sizes are 46.45 x 185 x 130 mm and mass is 0.6 kg; it is powered only from USB port without additional power adapter input; maximum it draws 2.5 W of energy.
Package contains : Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD sound card itself, USB cable, optical disk with drivers, 3-years warranty card and user’s guide. After purchase there is ability to register it on Behringer site for applications and plugins downloading and support receiving in case of device breakings; if nearby from you there is no authorized service-center, then you can directly call manufacturer for audio interface repair or replacement. There is ability to connect to Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD microphone and analogue instrument or linear signal, MIDI device and work with them in DAW, which opens wide possibilities for studio music creation and its playback on small concerts and lessons on master-classes. Audio interface’s price is around 80 USD.
As usual : sound cards of Steinberg and Behringer have no competitors and, if professional studio sound card is needed, then there is need to look on devices of these manufacturers. However among other audio interfaces of Steinberg, Behringer, Focusrite, Roland, ESI, M-Audio, Alesis and other companies there are also good devices, which worth attention, when required interface is being chosen.
Behringer – is a company, which was founded in Germany in 1989 year, currently its offices are located in many countries of the world and it is a multinational corporation; main production facilities of Behringer are located in China. Currently it is one of the leading world manufacturers of audio interfaces, microphones, loudspeakers, instruments and other sound devices.
Today we will look on functional MIDI keyboard with interesting design M-Audio Code 49, which controllers are assignable. It has : 49 velocity-sensitive full-size keys with aftertouch function and 4 assignable sensitivity curve areas; assignable XY pad, which allows to control many instrument’s parameters simultaneously; 16 velocity-sensitive drumpads with back-light; 8 assignable knobs; 9 programmable sliders; 9 programmable buttons; and specialized transport control buttons. Also, it has pitch-bend and modulation control wheels, LCD display; inputs for sustain and volume control pedals; USB port for communication with computer and powering; and MIDI input and output with power adapter input, which is used with this kind of connection.
MIDI keyboard M-Audio Code 49 ( rear view )
Keyboard is bundled with DAWAbleton Live Lite and AIR Music Technology Hybrid 3.0 and Loom software. It works in Windows 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X 10.7.5 and newer without additional drivers via Plug and Play technology, in which it tightly integrates with modern DAWs, their instruments and VST plugins : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. There are also modifications of this keyboard with 25 and 61 keys. Package contains : MIDI keyboard M-Audio Code 49 itself, USB cable, optical disks with software and user’s guide. This is good MIDI keyboard, with wide range of assignable controllers and stylish design, which is worth its money, especially if it will be bought with discount.
Lets review external studio audio interface Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, that is designed for semi-professional work. Its frontal panel has : 2 combined XLR/TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) connectors, which can be switched between linear and Hi-Z modes, switches themselves and amplification level control knobs with back-light; TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) outputs for headphones, their volume control, Direct Monitor switch, volume control of main outputs of sound card, USB connection indicator and phantom power +48 V switch for its inputs. Its back panel has : Kensington Lock slot, USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer, and 2 linear balanced TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) outputs.
Card can work with 96 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits precision; analogue to digital and digital to analogue dynamic ranges are 105 and 104 dB, accordingly; noise level of microphone input is -127 dB, linear input is -104 dB and instrumental is -87 dB. It is bundled with DAWAbleton Live Lite and Focusrite plugins package, its body is made of anodized aluminum. For it drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer with ASIO 2.0 interface support and Mac OS X with Core Audio interface support, with which it tightly integrates with modern DAWs : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others. Package contains : Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 sound card itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide. All in all, this is a good sound card with semi-professional functions, but for the same price there is ability to buy much better Steinberg and Behringer devices, so, this sound card is recommended for purchase only with big discount.
Lets review new Beats Powerbeats2 In-Ear Headphones. Manufacturer tells nothing about their technical details, so this already rises suspicion. Judging by their view, 8 or 10 mm drivers are built into them, tips have additional hooks for better weight distribution and better fixing on ears, cable length is 119 cm and mass is 26.7 g. They are protected from sweat and moisture, volume control unit with microphone and phone remote control buttons is attached to cable. Package contains : Beats Powerbeats2 In-Ear Headphones themselves, carrying and storage case, 4 interchangeable tips of different sizes for comfortable wearing by different people, cable fixing clip and user’s guide. All in all, taking into account lack of technical information ( frequencies range, drivers diameter, magnets, impedance, sensitivity and maximal input power ) and very hight price ( 199 USD at the end of Autumn 2015 – for half of this sum there is ability to buy profession studio monitor headphones and for much smaller money amount there is ability to buy very good in-ear headphones with known technical details ), these headphones are not recommended for purchase.
Lets meet with external sound card ESI U24 XL, which is designed for recording, playback and transmitting of completed signal ( because it has no specialized microphone and instrumental Hi-Z inputs and MIDI connectors ). Its frontal panel has : analogue TRS ( 1/4″ jack ) inputs and outputs for left and right channels with gold-plated contacts and their work indicators, one of outputs can be used for monitor headphones. Its rear panel has : coaxial digital RCA input and output with gold-plated contacts, USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer, and optical Toslink digital input and output.
External sound card ESI U24 XL ( rear view )
Card supports 96 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits precision of digital to analogue and analogue to digital conversions. For it drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer with support of ASIO 2.0 interface and for Mac OS X 10.4 and newer with support of Core Audio interface, via which it tightly integrates with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Card sizes are 10 x 9 cm, package contains : ESI U24 XL external sound card itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide. It is good sound card for recording, playback and transmitting of already completed audio signal with optimal price; but if card will be used for wider spectrum of tasks, then it is better to buy device with wider amount of connectors and functions.
Lets review audio novelty SOL RELAYS SPORT – in-ear headphones for sports exercises. Manufacturer tells almost nothing about their technical characteristics, this points thoughts in suspicious direction. Judging by their view, 8 or 10 mm drivers are built into them, they are protected from sweat and moisture and has small mass and low-profile. Their volume control unit has built-in buttons for phones control, they are supplied with changeable tips for comfortable wearing by different people and are subject to 1-year manufacturer warranty. Package contains : SOL RELAYS SPORT headphones themselves, storage pouch and user’s guide. Overall, with lack of technical details from manufacturer and high price ( 50 USD at the end of Autumn 2015 ) it seems, that these headphones are simply marketing money pumping from customers, so, if there are no special sympathy to their design, then it is better to look on devices of other manufacturers with known technical details and more acceptable price.
Lets meet with external audio interface Roland QUAD-CAPTURE, which has full spectrum of connectors and functions for use in small studio. It can process and transmit sound with sampling rates up to 192 kHz with 24 bits precision, internal processing is performed with 40 bits per sample precision; digital signal through specialized connectors is accepted and transmitted with sampling rates up to 96 kHz. Its frontal panel has : instrumental Hi-Z and microphone combined balanced XLR/TRS ( 6.3 mm jack ) inputs ( phantom power +48 V can be connected to microphone input, instrumental input can be switched into linear mode ); amplification control knobs for these inputs with automatic control switch and clip indicator; TRS ( 6.3 mm jack ) output for monitor headphones with Direct Monitor switch, playback volume control, card work mode switch and USB connection indicator. Its back panel has : USB port, through which it powers and communicates with computer; MIDI input and output; coaxial digital RCA input and output; main balanced TRS ( 6.3 mm jack ) outputs; and following switches Ground Lift, phantom power and Hi-Z/linear mode of instrumental input.
External sound card Roland QUAD-CAPTURE ( rear view )
Card’s noise level is -95 dB, dynamical range of analogue to digital conversion is 104 dB and of digital to analogue : 109 dB. For analogue inputs it uses quality VS Preamps, its power unit has low noise level, body is made of aluminum and it supports Direct-Box ( DI ) function for electro-magnetic interference protection on live concerts. Card supports Roland VS Streaming technology and ASIO 2.0 and WDM ( in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer ) and Core Audio ( in Mac OS X ) interfaces for tight integration with modern DAWs : Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio and others. Its sizes are 185 ( width ) x 134 ( depth ) x 44 ( height ) mm, and mass is 570 g. Package contains : Roland QUAD-CAPTURE external sound card itself, USB cable, optical disk with drivers and software and user’s guide. Roland CAPTURE sound cards in functionality and set hardware are superior to cards of Behringer and other manufacturers, and are on approximately the same level as Steinberg cards and, in reality, together with Steinberg cards has no competitors among these devices at these days. So, if there is need to buy external sound card, then cards of these manufacturers are first candidates for this task.
Compact in-ear headphones MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports
Lets review new compact sportive headphones MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports, designed for in-ear use. Their drivers size is 8 mm, they can reproduce sounds in 20 – 20000 Hz frequency range, impedance on 1 kHz equals to 16 Ohms, sensitivity is 98 dB and maximal power input is 5 mW. They are supplied with 1.3 detachable cable with 3.5 mm mini-jack connector. To its volume control unit microphone ( with 100 – 5000 Hz perceived frequencies range and -40 dB sensitivity ) and phone remote control are attached. Cable additionally has over-ear parts to distribute its weight evenly; pads, cable and its volume control module are protected from sweat and moisture. Headphones are released in 4 color variants : gray, red, blue and green. Package contains : MEE audio M7P Secure-Fit Sports headphones themselves, detachable cable, pouch of according color, 4 pairs of silicon ear-tips of different sizes, clothes clip and user’s guide. Characteristics of these headphones are mainly similar to those ones of other devices of such type, so, this model should be preferred for purchase only in case of sympathy to their design, reliability and convenience of their construction and adequate price.
