Turntables

I had a long fascination with high-end audio before I owned any of the good stuff. I suppose the same allure applies to exotic cars; millions read reviews of cars they never drive, and watch Food Network shows about food they'll never taste. Folks are interested in excellence, but compared to $200,000 cars or celebrity chefs' handiwork high-end audio is more accessible and practical. Two products covered in today's blog -- used high-end Grado headphones and the Oracle Delphi turntable -- sometimes sell for less than $1,000 on eBay. That's still expensive, but more within … Read more

Fan favorite music-streaming and discovery service Turntable.fm is available on Android, and it does a great job of packing its full desktop experience into your mobile device.

The first thing you notice about Turntable.fm for Android is its absolutely stunning interface. The listening rooms look slick, with the DJ booth and speakers up top and the familiar rating controls on bottom. And of course, the hypnotic little avatars bumping their heads in rhythm fill out the rest. Tap an avatar to view that listener's vitals or hit the speech bubble to see what listeners in the room … Read more

Audiophiliac readers have strong opinions about the gear I cover in this blog, so last month I asked for Readers' Choice nominations in a variety of categories, including headphones, speakers, receivers, etc.. I've sorted through all the comments, and here's what I found: there's a wide range of gear you love, but it was in the headphone category where the clearest winners stood out.

The Klipsch Image S4 in-ear headphones were the single most popular product in the survey, you people really love 'em! Grado SR60, SR80, and SR225 full-size headphones also drew raves, and Koss' PortaPro … Read more

After rocking the eardrums of countless listeners on the Web and iOS, fan-favorite music-streaming app Turntable.fm has made its way onto the Android platform.

So far, Turntable.fm for Android appears very much like its iOS counterpart, with its hypnotic, head-bobbing avatars, slick buttons, and familiar interface. It makes it easy to listen to tunes in one room while simultaneously browsing through other rooms. And of course, it also lets you share rooms via Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail. Different from the iOS version, though, the Android app lets you log in with Twitter. Also, the Lame/Awesome buttons are … Read more

Virtual DJ for Mac is a virtual music-mixing program, the capabilities of which vary greatly depending on what version you're paying for -- from the free "Home" edition on up to the $299 "Virtual DJ Pro Full."

That is to say that Virtual DJ for Mac is serious software, and experienced turntablists and club DJs will almost certainly want to check out one of the more full-featured packages, which offer extras like practically unlimited decks (up to 99), full-screen video output, and support for MIDI/HID controllers. For DJing neophytes, being plunged into the overwhelming … Read more

For their final episode, the Crave team does... well, exactly what they always do. Donald goes nuts for a free toy adapter that can create an unholy union between Legos and Tinker Toys. Bonnie recounts her dramatic day of technology detox. And in Geek News, Eric gives his 2 cents on "The Hunger Games" movie.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

Robert Howsare, a student from Ohio University, has built a rudimentary yet interesting drawing machine out of two old turntables and some wooden planks.

The home project, which cost a mere $50 to put together, is simply known as the "drawing apparatus." The drawings produced by the machine are surprisingly attractive, with random asymmetrical lines and patterns as shown in the below video. In fact, I personally found watching the rotating turntables and planks entertaining, and even therapeutic to some extent.

So before you throw out any outdated but still functional hi-fi components, you may want to consider the ways they could be repurposed first. … Read more

The iPhone and iPad are truly elegant designs, but they are the rare exceptions in the rather drab world of consumer electronics. Most cameras, printers, computers, home theater receivers, and speakers are pretty sedate, but there is one product category that stands out: turntables. I've picked a choice selection that represents remarkable achievements in industrial design, and they're highly functional, exquisitely engineered products.

The Redpoint Model A turntable has an aluminum and composite Teflon platter, damped by silicone oil, and the turntable features a battery-powered 12-volt DC motor with precious metal brushes. The turntable weighs 90 pounds.… Read more

Turntable.fm, the music-sharing service that took music fans by storm last summer, has signed licensing agreements with all four of the top recording companies.

Last week, CNET reported that the company was very near to becoming a licensed operation. Turntable.fm is a little bit Napster and a little bit online radio. Users can become DJs and share music within virtual "rooms."

Billy Chasen, the company's founder, made the announcement at the South by Southwest conference. According to a report in Billboard, Chasen gave some credit to the labels for making the deals.

"Our model … Read more