JBL Tune 500 Wired ON Ear Headphones Black

I wanted to replace my old broken laptop headset with something affordable and wired as it is mostly to use plugged to my laptop. Besides, I've had other JBL products in the past and this is a brand that I trust.

GOOD
> I bought this almost half the original price on a lightning deal and that is a bargain, something that always makes me happy.
> Good looking. The set looks expensive.
> Good materials.
> Head band soft padding.
> Integrated cable with volume micro-button.
> Plug and play, no drivers or set up needed.
> Good quality sound with my computer. I haven' tried them with my mobile.
> Flat folding, which makes the set great for storage in drawers and for carrying in a medium sized bag.

SO SO
 > I agree with other reviewers say on the tight grip of the headband. I have a small head and this is nothing that I honestly feel is too much, unpleasant or uncomfortable. At the same time, I don't use these for long periods of  time.
 
NOT SO GOOD
> The leather-like sleeve covering the ear padding is paper thin. What's the point of making the rest really good quality and the most important part really subpar? I don't get the thinking behind this, to be honest.
> Length of the cable it's a bit short for my needs as I tend to twist and move a bit away from my desk/laptop and it unplugs itself.
 
OVERALL
A great wired headset at a very affordable price made of good quality materials. The only downsides are the headband being a bit tight on the head if worn for long periods of time, the ear-pod padding sleeve quality being not good, and the cable being not long enough for my needs. I will update this review in the future, if needed.

Read More

JBL Endurance Run Sweatproof Sports in-Ear Headphones

I've had a pair of these for a couple of months and I'm most happy with the purchase and the quality of the product.

I work out very often, so I find that the normal earbuds are too big for my ears, so I cannot use them while exercising; others are too small, so they slip out; and others, are bad quality so they break down after a couple of weeks. I bought this pair because I find JBL a reliable brand with good quality sound products, and a bass that I love.

These earbuds are ergonomically designed, so they fit in perfectly in my ears, as they have a sort of hooked curve that sits perfectly inside the earlobe and they don't slip out. I also love that they seem not to get wet when I'm sweaty working out at the gym.

One of the things I love the most about these headphones is that the the buds themselves are magnetic, so they tend to stick to each other automatically. This is one of the main reasons why, unlike normal earphones, they don't get easily entangled.

The speaker pod is very good. I've used it to do voice recordings over the phone (for instant messaging) and for some simple podcasting. Of course, the pod is not a a recording microphone, but it channels the voice in a very neat and powerful way, and the sound quality is really good.

The main letdown is the awesome packaging. These headphones are wonderfully packaged with a deluxe-feel packaging box. Yet, is it necessary to waste so much material to pack a simple pair of earphones? To me the answer is no.

I wish they did the same with bluetooth capability, because I'd buy them without hesitation.

Read More

"Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sound (2008)

Walking on a Dream is the first Album by the duo Empire of the Sound (Luke Steele & Nick Littlemore), published in year 2008. 

Pop electronic music is rarely a hit with critics, who always feel guilty giving more than three stars to pop albums that are successful at the Radio. This is especially evident in the case of Walking on a Dream, which although well-received, received a meagre three-star rating in most reviews. However, the album ended winning seven out of the eleven ARIA awards to which was nominated, including the Best Album of the Year.

Walking on a Dream is not only a good album title, it is a good album that has proven to stand the pass of time and age with grace. The album still sounds fresh and fashionable - a rare quality in contemporary pop albums, which have a couple of good songs, are aggressively promoted through Radio stations, and, once the hype wanes, the album doesn't speak to the listener any more. The music is not only upbeat and danceable, but the lyrics are excellent, and the energy and sound of the whole album very good and unique. One of the things I like the most is how smooth and kinetic the transition between the songs is, so the whole thing flows. The Pacing of the album is also excellent, with the songs combined and organised in a very organic way. This is one of the reasons why the album has become one of my favourite companions for walking and exercising.  

"I don't want to talk, All I hear is noise"

Read More

"James Blake" by James Blake (2011)

James Blake
Universal, 2011
http://jamesblakemusic.com/

"James Blake" is the acclaimed debut album by English electronic musician and song-writer James Blake. The album has been listed in most compilations of album of the year for 2011, and has excellent reviews. That was, precisely, what made me get it.  

If I had to define the album in three words I would say: Chaos is beautiful.  Indeed, the sound that Blake has created is a blissful retro-futuristic chaos, like a  cohesive mix of the electronic experimentation of the 1980s, modern jazz improvisation, classic blues, and contemporary Indie sounds. Blake's sound sounds like the music of the humans of the 22nd century or the sound that mermaids and mermen listen to when dancing in their oceanic realms  - enveloping, intimate, and wonderfully odd. It is not just the music. Blake's voice is very colourful and textured, very intimate, broken and masculine.  An explosive mix.

Unfortunately, ignoring the lyrics of the album would be unfair in a review, as a song is, well, both music and lyrics. Simple, no? Read or listen to the lyrics of "Unlock", "The Wilhelms Scream", or "I Never Learnt To Share" (lyrics: "My brother and my sister don't speak to me, But I don't blame them" that is all), just to give you three examples. Can you ignore them when hearing the album? I cannot. In a way they help you to keep in trance. Blake has turned himself into a modern chanteur for disco-dance dervishes that need little wordiness and the melody to keep them dancing around entranced. He could have brought us there by just using his music and voice and emitting guttural lah-lah-lahs or oh-oh-ohs. It is the sound and colour of his voice what will captivate you, not his lyrics, as they lack not just in words, but also in emotion. In other words, Blake's wonderful sound doesn't transcend itself. In a way, it is a bit narcissistic and even onanistic (with all my respects!), deeply beautiful, empty at times, with glimpses of a depth and lyricism that I would have liked developed and dug in.

Still this is a very good album that sets a foundation-stone for modern musicians and sound-makers. The sort of music that the future is waiting for. 

Read More