Reviews
-
Swiss Picks
By Victor Oshiro | Posted June 12, 2013 at 10:40PMSometimes we get to do an in depth review of a product that requires tons of explanation. Other times we find that the product is so simple yet does exactly what it claims to do. Today I present the Swiss Pick. Not named for a country of birth but more for its resemblance to something that... -
Quilter Aviator 2x10 Combo Amp
By Victor Oshiro | Posted June 5, 2013 at 09:04AMIf you suffered through my recent amplifier tech articles you know I'm looking for the ultimate tone machine in a combo design. I need tone and I'm not willing to compromise on that. You'd think I'm willing to compromise on volume and projection to get the smaller form factor but here's where... -
Vox Delaylab Pedal
By Victor Oshiro | Posted May 29, 2013 at 10:51AMMy son has a forbidden love that dare not speak its name: the love the delay pedal. I like delay effects but I find them often overused and this is one sound that can definitely get tiring when used a lot. Previously my son was using a Boss delay pedal that worked very well but lacked one... -
Instrument Speakers
By Victor Oshiro | Posted May 21, 2013 at 10:58AMWe're approaching the end of this series of articles. I know that it seems very tedious - musicians tend to be the type of people who want to plug in and get a perfect sound. Sadly, it takes a lot of work to get the exact sound you are looking for. That's what this series was meant to do -... -
Solid State and Hybrid Amps
By Victor Oshiro | Posted May 18, 2013 at 10:23AMI hope you've read the previous solid state vs tube amp article and the amplifier tubes article where I covered tube characteristics as well as some tricks to get better tone. There are some situations where solid state amps really shine through. Towards the end of the article I'll give you a... -
Amplifier Tubes
By Victor Oshiro | Posted May 13, 2013 at 10:09AMIn my last article we covered the solid state vs. tube amp argument. My view on this is that you have to use the right tool for the job at hand. If you picked a solid state amp there is still some info in this article you might find interesting. If you picked a tube amp then lets help you get to... -
Solid State vs Tube Amps
By Victor Oshiro | Posted May 8, 2013 at 10:03AMEvery so often I'd post one of my 'rants' here but I've tended to stay away from that format. Basically I give you my 2 cents worth but not in a review of a particular product. Lately all the mail I've been getting are "why don't you test this amp" or "you seem to have a bent against solid state... -
BBE Sonic Stomp Sonic Maximizer
By Victor Oshiro | Posted May 1, 2013 at 10:05AMA pedal I got recently after my son's praise was this BBE Sonic Stomp. I've heard BBE's rack mount sonic maximizers so I wondered if this pedal could capture what one of those does.
How does it work?
What's a sonic maximizer? I'll let this quote from BBE's website try to explain it:
-
Kobo Arc 16 GB Tablet
By Victor Oshiro | Posted April 29, 2013 at 10:14AMA good friend of mine Chuck was an early adopter of the original Kindle Fire. After I played with it at work I bought one for my wife after carefully debating the Fire vs. iPad. Of course the iPad has gone through many changes since then but so did the Fire. I had thought it was definitely time... -
ISP Decimator Noise Suppression Pedal
By Victor Oshiro | Posted April 26, 2013 at 09:24AMAs my son's pedal board kept growing it became painfully obvious he needed a noise suppressor. Without it there was always the noise that is a byproduct of many effects pedals - whooshing sounds, hum, even feedback. The standby pedals I've always used are made by Boss (Roland). One problem I've... -
Actiontec ScreenBeam Wireless Display Adapter
By Victor Oshiro | Posted April 22, 2013 at 09:51AMRecently I reviewed an Actiontec device that allowed you to use the wiring in your home to broadcast your network. I found it a very clever solution for getting network access from one area of the house or office to another without running new cables. What if you wanted to show everyone in your... -
Vox Ice 9 Overdrive Pedal
By Victor Oshiro | Posted April 11, 2013 at 09:07AMI've been using the same Boss overdrive pedal for almost 25 years. When you find something that works for you that's how it goes. I also have an Ibanez distortion pedal on my board that I've had for even longer. While my son was using the Boss overdrive for a performance recently the pedal went... -
D-Link Shareport Go
By Victor Oshiro | Posted April 9, 2013 at 10:02AMIn a world where data and media seem to be everywhere you can run into the peculiar problem that you create files on your computer but need to access them on your i or Android device. I've always just emailed these files to myself which could be a little tedious but that also created the problem... -
Hartke A70 Bass Combo
By Victor Oshiro | Posted March 25, 2013 at 09:59AMNormally the words bass and combo together means a small amplifier used for practice without many of the features professional musicians desire for their needs. Today we are looking at a possible solution from Hartke. Combos offer a lot of convenience - the speakers and amplifier are housed in a... -
Mpowerd Luci Solar Light
By Victor Oshiro | Posted March 14, 2013 at 03:16PMGuess what the most practical device out of this last CES was? 'The little solar lantern with a big impact.' Think about this. Until millions were left without power after recent disasters how many were aware of the disproportionate amount of electrical power we have available to us? People in... -
Bowers & Wilkins P3 Headphones
By Victor Oshiro | Posted March 7, 2013 at 09:04AMToday we have a rare treat for a review product. I've been using the Bowers & Wilkins P3 headphones for some time now. These headphones aren't the type you use for unrealistically high bass but rather for natural pure sound. Let me explain:
Although we interpret sound as merely what we hear... -
Obihai VoIP
By Victor Oshiro | Posted March 5, 2013 at 10:15AMObihai Technology just sent in a bunch of neat products to demonstrate their VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. With VoIP a user can make phone calls to other users using data over the internet rather than through a conventional phone line. Why would anyone want to do this? Cost.... -
EnerPlex Surfr Solar Phone Chargers
By Victor Oshiro | Posted March 3, 2013 at 10:38AMThis last CES was a boon for us with great products to work with. Today we are going to look at one product that may be the most useful product of the entire show. EnerPlex was kind enough to send both an iPhone 4s and Samsung Galaxy S III Surfr for review. What's a Surfr? How about an external... -
Blue Mikey Digital Microphone
By Victor Oshiro | Posted February 18, 2013 at 10:54AMBlue Microphones Tiki really blew me away a couple of weeks ago. Today I bring you the Blue Mikey which promises to make recording with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod a whole new experience. This time Blue sent in the Mikey Digital mic. The Mikey Digital is compatible with iPhones and iPads. For... -
LifeProof iPhone cases
By Victor Oshiro | Posted February 17, 2013 at 05:34PMLifeProof recently sent in two of their iPhone cases for evaluation. One for iPhone 4S and one for iPhone 5. Previously with my iPhone I've been using an Otter Box case. I liked that it had a rigid case that was surrounded by a soft rubber case. Sadly, after about of a year of use my Otter Box... -
Addonics HDMU3 Mini HDD Duplicator Station
By Victor Oshiro | Posted February 14, 2013 at 10:06AMOleg came in contact with Addonics at this year's CES. When I Googleed Addonics I got Addonics: Making Data Storage Simple. To me that's a huge claim for any company to make. Why? We've seen so many types of removable media come and go and various formats that OEM manufacturers have adopted and... -
Blue Tiki USB Microphone
By Victor Oshiro | Posted February 10, 2013 at 03:14PMBlue Microphones just sent their in their Tiki USB microphone for testing. At first look I was kind of wondering what this interesting little mic could be used for. Then I started to read up on it and come to find out this tiny mic has noise cancelling technology, auto mutes for conference... -
Mionix Ensis 320 Mousepad
By Victor Oshiro, Quincy Oshiro | Posted February 5, 2013 at 08:28AMRecently we reviewed the Mionix 8200 Mouse. Mionix was kind enough to also send their Ensis 320 Mousepad at the same time. At first a mouse pad may seem like a throwback but after using this unit I was surprised how well it works with gaming and everyday work.
Some History
Lets set the way... -
Mionix Naos 8200
By Quincy Oshiro | Posted January 29, 2013 at 10:55AMGamers are always looking for an advantage. Optical mice were the first products to give us a leg up over the guys with regular mice. Since then more and more improvements have been made to mice. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the Mionix Naos 8200!
First Impressions and Game... -
Actiontec Powerline Network Adapter Kit
By Victor Oshiro | Posted January 28, 2013 at 10:47AMI just ran into a little situation with my home network. In my older home I can't get good wireless performance throughout the home. Luckily, Actiontec just sent in their Powerline Network Adapter Kit. I know most people are wondering why anyone would need this. I’m going to point out some...
Latest news
-
The Xbox One Might Let Sony's PS4 Win By Default
By Victor Oshiro
Posted June 7, 2013 at 10:22AM -
Conflicting news about Xbox 1 playing used games
By Victor Oshiro
Posted May 22, 2013 at 11:43AM -
New Xbox to be unveiled tomorrow
By Victor Oshiro
Posted May 20, 2013 at 10:15AM -
Microsoft reportedly prepping smaller second-gen Surface tablets for June debut
By Victor Oshiro
Posted May 2, 2013 at 11:17AM
Latest reviews
-
Swiss Picks
By Victor Oshiro
Posted June 12, 2013 at 10:40PM -
Quilter Aviator 2x10 Combo Amp
By Victor Oshiro
Posted June 5, 2013 at 09:04AM -
Vox Delaylab Pedal
By Victor Oshiro
Posted May 29, 2013 at 10:51AM -
Instrument Speakers
By Victor Oshiro
Posted May 21, 2013 at 10:58AM
