Grace Notes

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Decibullz Custom-Molded High-Fidelity Earplugs Can Protect Your Hearing
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 20, 2018  |  0 comments
Next time you’re at a concert, look around. Want to know how to spot the audiophiles? They’re the ones with cotton balls and Kleenex sticking out of their ears. Anyone concerned with protecting their hearing knows how dangerous loud concerts and even movie theaters can be. Usually, the only options were earplugs that blocked frequencies unevenly, making it hard to understand lyrics and dialogue. Want to be a cool audiophile? Check out Decibullz Professional Filters, Earplugs, and Earphones.

Continue Reading »
Grace NotesAudio Video NewsNew Products
Dirac Research Releases Dirac 3D Audio Solution for Headphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jun 03, 2019  |  0 comments
When Dirac Research releases a new product, it always causes our ears to perk up. The company that made great strides in reference room-correction software has just released Dirac 3D Audio, an software solution that delivers 360-degree surround sound via any standard headphone or gaming headset.

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
DirecTV's Nomad: Where Will You Wander?
Leslie Shapiro  |  Oct 17, 2011  |  0 comments

Streaming from a DVR is a great way to watch whatever you want, wherever you want. Some even say that streaming might be the future of video.

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
Don't Rain on My Parade: Thanksgiving Day Parade Fallout
Leslie Shapiro  |  Nov 26, 2018  |  0 comments
Who doesn’t love waking up on Thanksgiving morning and turning on the Macy’s Day Parade? It’s a tradition in our house, even as adults. The clowns, the floats, the marching bands, the performers, and of course, Santa. What could possibly go wrong with an almost 3-mile long moving performance that goes on live, with most of the nation tuned in to watch? Well, plenty.

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jun 09, 2014  |  First Published: Jun 08, 2014  |  1 comments
In a new 416-page coffee-table book, part-time DJ and photographer Eilon Paz takes an intimate look at over 130 vinyl collections and collectors , exploring the beauty and passion behind each treasured trove. The book is a glorious celebration of vinyl records, and showcases the wide variety of collections along with the people and stories behind them.

Continue Reading »
Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Ears On Test: Do Custom Tips Make a Difference?
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 06, 2017  |  0 comments
Nothing steps up your game like a pair of custom earphones. They’re usually priced so high that customs were reserved for only the most devoted audiophiles. Snugs, a company out of London, England is making them accessible to the masses by creating custom ear tips, and partnering with Echobox to match them to the Nomad Titanium Earphones(MSRP $399).

Continue Reading »
Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker ReviewsGrace Notes
Ears On: JLab Audio Party Series Wireless Speakers
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 20, 2017  |  0 comments
When JLab Audio launched their new Party Series wireless Bluetooth speakers last month, they quickly created quite a stir. After they won a 2017 CES Innovations award and a 2017 Dealerscope IMPACT! Award, I knew I had to check them out in person. I’m certainly glad I did.

Continue Reading »
CES 2017Grace Notes
Echobox Releases World’s Sexiest Hi-Res Audio Portable Player
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 07, 2017  |  0 comments
The Explorer audio player from Echobox, crafted from solid blocks of luxurious wood, is easily the most attractive player on the CES show floor. While most companies are making blocky (or triangularly - looking at you, Mr. Young) plastic players, the Explorer looks more like a flask of aged whiskey than a piece of high-end audio gear.

Continue Reading »
Grace NotesAudio Video News
Enthusiast Perspective — Captain America: Civil War
Leslie Shapiro, Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 05, 2016  |  1 comments
Marvel is unleashing its latest Captain America saga, hoping that the recent disappointing Superman/Batman outing by DC Comics has not diminished the public’s enthusiasm for comic-book mayhem. Last night, resplendent in my superhero costume and not pulling any punches, I heroically battled supervillain Ken Pohlmann at the press screening of Civil War....

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
Epic, or Epic Fail?
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 09, 2014  |  1 comments
Live TV is one of the most anxiety-inducing tasks facing artists, producers, and engineers, not to mention corporate and political types. In the past two weeks, the NFL’s cash cow, the Super Bowl on Fox and Russia’s pride and joy, the Olympic’s Opening Ceremonies on NBC tried their darndest to impress the world. Both the NFL and Russia took extreme precautions to ensure a flawless show. But in the end, the best way to wow the crowd is to fake it.

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
Everything Big is Small Again: Nyne's New Docks
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 24, 2012  |  0 comments

For years, TV manufacturers have been striving to make the biggest and best TV displays. Every year in Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show has been a competition to see who could show off the most ridiculously humongous TV screen.

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
Fair Use Ain’t As Fair As It Used To Be
Leslie Shapiro  |  Nov 05, 2012  |  0 comments

While it’s easy to imagine that the federal government (in this case, the Copyright Office) is a bunch of Luddites, sticking to making laws about ancient or obsolete technologies and ignoring the new, the opposite is actually true. 

Continue Reading »
Grace NotesAudio Video News
First Listen: Tidal Hi-Fi Music Streaming Service
Leslie Shapiro  |  Nov 10, 2014  |  6 comments
A few months ago, we reported that Tidal High Fidelity music streaming was going to be launched in the US. It’s now up and running, and we had a chance to check it out. It’s the first full-resolution music streaming service available to US consumers. (Deezer is also full resolution, but only available for Sonos users.) Blah, blah, yet another music streaming service. Is it really that much better than Beats, Spotify, Slacker, or Pandora? Is it worth the $19.99 monthly fee? After some intensive listening, I say without hesitation, enthusiastically “YES” on all accounts.

Continue Reading »
Grace Notes
Ford and the CD player: Heading to Divorce Court
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 04, 2011  |  0 comments

It's a tragic end to a lengthy love story: Ford Motors and the CD player are breaking up after years of happy matrimony. Ford just announced that, moving forward, they will not be installing CD players in the new Ford Focus, with the rest of their models following suit over the next few years.

Continue Reading »
CES 2016Grace Notes
From CES 2016: A Happier, Healthier New Year Sounds Good
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 11, 2016  |  1 comments
It’s a few days after CES and I’m finally winding down from the relentless press events, press releases, and my feet have forgiven me for the miles of hiking the floors of the Convention Center. My waistline, however, may take a while to recover from the receptions and cocktail parties that manufacturers love to host during CES.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X