(Credit:
James Martin/CBS Interactive)
CNET would need an army of headphone reviewers to be able to get to every set available on the market today, but despite this saturation, we never tire of newcomers trying their best to break into the public awareness. Phitek Systems isn't a newcomer in the strictest sense--the company is responsible for the technology behind other companies' designs (Audio-Technica's ATH-ANC7, for example)--but the OEM is now trying its hand at its own brand with the Blackbox line of noise cancellation headphones.
It's clear that Phitek knows what it's doing. The compact C18 earphones certainly don't fail to impress, and we're not disappointed with the company's full-size model, either. The M10 Noise Cancellation Headphones ($179) are a comfy set with solid audio quality and a fair smattering of extras. That said, they still come off as a slightly pared-down version of the ATH-ANC7 when it comes to looks and features, so pay attention to retail price when comparison shopping.
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)
It's not difficult to get your hands on a good pair of full-size noise-canceling headphones, but if you prefer earbud-style 'phones, finding this technology built in is a bit more of a challenge.
Such sets do exist, though. One example is Phitek Systems' Blackbox C18 Noise Cancellation Earphones, a $129 pair that combines passive sound isolation with active noise canceling. The headphones offer very good sound quality and superior noise-hushing capability, but the lanyard-style design may not appeal to all users.
(Credit:
Gear4)
The cubist period for speakers seems to be alive and well, whether we like it or not. As a reflection of its widening influence, the latest example comes from the U.K. with Gear4's "BlackBox Micro."
As the second half of its name implies, it's the little brother of Gear4's larger wireless BlackBox system. As the first half implies, it's a black box.
The smaller sibling isn't wireless, unfortunately, which is one reason the traveling speaker goes for about $40, as quoted by Electronista. Gear4 claims that the USB device has unusual quality for its size, thanks to an "SFX gel base driver" along with a standard one that improves its bass and high notes, respectively. Either way, it could be a perfect addition to a geometrically inspired decor, along with the "Audio Cube" ottoman.
No, I am not talking about something that's for or from an airplane. It's simply a network attached storage device from VOX. The full name--don't hold your breath, you've already read the creative part--is BlackBox Dual Bay Gigabit RAID Shared Network Storage. As if the naming it BlackBox were not sensational enough, VOX decided to paint the device silver.
The Vox BlackBox can accommodate two 3.5-inch SATA hard drives of any capacity.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)Other than the confusing, yet very telling name, the device is actually straightforward. It's a dual bay NAS device that supports RAID 0 and RAID 1. It's always nice to have the option of using either a high-performance or a data redundancy RAID setup. The BlackBox can also work without RAID and show the hard drives as separate volumes. The BlackBox ships with two 500GB hard drives, making it the best deal in the NAS community with the price tag of only $310. That's about $0.31 per gigabyte. For now, you probably can't find another NAS device that offers better value.
The BlackBox boasts an interesting design. It's made entirely of aluminum and is very rugged and heavier than it looks, though it is still compact. On the front, its drive bays are locked and you can't open them with the provided keys. However, looking at the keys, you will soon realize that they are not necessary. You can open the case with a paper clip. You just need a pointed object to poke the little hole on the front of the drive bay and the latch will swing open.
The BlackBox also is the first dual bay, compact NAS device I've seen that doesn't have a power adapter but comes with just a regular power cable (found in most desktop computers). This means one less thing to clutter your work space. However, you might not want to leave the BlackBox on your desk since it's very noisy. The BlackBox requires a decent amount of ventilation since the power supply is in the box. It has two fans on the back and--when the device is turned on--these fans are noisy enough to be heard from across the room.
Overall, this seems to be a simple and interesting NAS device with a very appealing price tag. It's available for purchase now unless, but you might want to wait and check CNET.com for our review, which is coming soon.
(Credit:
Crave UK)
Wires and wired connections are for old people, the mentally challenged and the Amish--all the cool people are using wireless stuff. Wireless technology is the connectivity of choice in today's prisons since, unlike Ethernet, it's virtually impossible to kill yourself using Wi-Fi.
OK, fine, wires are actually better than wireless for most things until 802.11n and WiMax (or similar) become mainstream. But Bluetooth has a high adoption rate and Gear4 is exploiting this ubiquity to the max. Its most recent Bluetooth speaker system, the Blackbox, is a rectangular, touch-controlled, 24W, glossy black speaker system.
Along with having A2DP stereo Bluetooth compatibility to stream choons from your phone, it's got a 3.5mm line-in socket and a little bass reflex port for that added oomph. Although best powered with the mains adaptor, the system can be run from four size C batteries. For some reason, Gear4 requires you to use a screwdriver or coin to unscrew the fastener locking the battery compartment. Someone, somewhere, got paid to make this decision. The mind boggles.
Anyway, it's a solid, well-built set of portable speakers, though it's hella prone to fingerprints and smudges. Sound quality's not too bad, though generally slightly muddy. Each speaker driver is mounted on either end of the Blackbox, producing quite a wide sound, but it does seem to somewhat negatively impact the overall quality of audio reproduction.
Pairing a device over Bluetooth was easy and must be done within 3 minutes of being switched on. The trippy LED visualisation on the front of the system looks pretty neat in our opinion.
The Blackbox is set to retail at 100 pounds (about $204) when it goes in sale later this week and you can check out our full review very soon. In the meantime, click through for some snazzy photos of this quaint little chap.
(Source: Crave UK)
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