Tech Review

I just wanted to bring these headphones to your attention. They sound great and are probably the most comfortable ones I've tried. Their flatness comes from the fact that you can fold the ear cups and makes them a better choice for travel since you can put them in a pocket-type bag.

They come in a variety of colors, including a very feminine pink for the ladies. I bought my wife the red one to match her new Dell. Red also makes it sharable.

I liked this radio. It's small, but puts out a large sound with well-defined bass and crisp, bright highs. Hip-hop music escapes the speaker sounding close to studio perfect with only the most bass-heavy songs giving it some trouble.

It's small enough to carry comfortably and, unlike larger models, may be placed securely on a stool or, as in the video below, beside you on a couch.

Tape operation is smooth and the Dolby does a good job of suppressing tape noise. Repeated button presses didn't result in any failures. It doesn't play wmas or DRM protected tracks (or mp3s or cds), but for those who prefer cassettes, other formats are overkill. Demonstration:

In almost everything, I'm a man of moderation. I wouldn't buy the cheapo RCA home theater bundle, but you'll never see me springing for the Denon deluxe either. I replace the standard cables, but I don't buy the super triple-wrapped gold plated ones. For every product, there's a sweet spot, beyond which there's a diminishing return.

Headphones are one of those products that come in a huge variety of prices, from 99 cents to hundreds, even thousands of dollars a pair. The most expensive I've tried are some $150ish Sennheisers- over-the-ear style. Although they're better at isolating sound, the problems with large headphones are that portable listening devices don't have the power to drive them properly and they're uncomfortable over extended periods because of ear sweat (sorry for the unpleasant details). $150.00 is, to me, the point of less buck bang for headphones as well.

I don't understand wrap-around style headphones: I don't see an advantage to them, and you can't lie down.

In ear headphones often have good sound, but they can be uncomfortable- they give me a sense of being in a compression chamber sometimes.

Sennheiser PX200 Collapsible High-Performance Closed Headphones (Black)

Sennheiser HD 202 Headphones by Howard Ferstler

Sennheiser CX 400-B - Headphones ( in-ear ear-bud ) - black

Enter the Sennheiser PX 100 headphones- near perfection, in my opinion.

1. They're very sturdy. I've had two in four years. The first one was deployed to Iraq and came back in good shape. I did have to replace the pads.
2. The folding feature is very good and the case is convenient and of good quality.
3. They sound great. The double crown of head phones- good base and clear highs.
4. They're perfect for iPods and other portable devices.

Sennheiser PX 100 Collapsible Headphones

So, there you have it.

SanDisk Sansa View 8 GB MP3 Player

Once my wife found out how to make playlists in Windows Media Player (much harder than it should be), she was mostly happy with her Sandisk Sansa e280. Then, one day I introduced my wife to Audible.com and discovered that she was an auditory learner. I told her that I could put all of the books she liked on her Sandisk and could listen to them as she cooked or exercised. Unfortunately, unlike every other non-cheap mp3 player made in the last 4 years, the e280 didn't play Audible.com files (version 2 of the e280 does).

SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB MP3 Player

So, off I went to Best Buy for a replacement. I could have gotten her the hard drive based 80GB iPod, but she doesn't have that much music and she uses mp3 players while working out, a task to which flash-based players are more suited. Eventually, after much gnashing of teeth, I narrowed the choice to the Best Buy e280 which might also be the version 2 one capable of playing Audible files, the iPod Nano 8GB (pink), the iPod touch, and the new Sandisk View which, as it says on the box, is Audible capable. My thinking:

1. The e280 is old news. The only advantage it has over the View is its ability to function as an 8GB flash drive. This also means that you can fill it with music without using Media Player. My wife isn't tech-inclined and would never use it that way.
2. The Nano is the best-designed and probably the highest quality unit, but it costs $50.00 more than the Sansa and doesn't have a radio.
3. The iPod Touch is over-the-top. If you only want to listen to music, the Touch is an unnecessary expense.

**update: If you use Vista, you cannot use your Media Center TV Tuner with Sandisk Media Converter installed. You have to uninstall the media converter or learn to live without your TV tuner. Not a pleasant choice, but I'm sure it'll be fixed soon.

The e280 is on the left. The view is on the right.

I chose the View.

Good:

1. The View's a little bigger than the Nano and the e280, but its thinner than the e280. The View isn't metal, but the plastic is of a high quality.
2. The View's main design improvement is its navigation wheel. Unlike the Nano, the View's wheel is an actual wheel. It really turns and has the four-way selection buttons underneath. I think it's a big improvement over the e280's ring like navigation wheel. I'm not sure if it's better than the iPod's touch wheel. I'm inclined to think that it is. Sometimes the iPod's wheel doesn't pick up my finger brushes right away.
3. The View's "home" button makes navigation easier. It takes you to the welcome screen directly instead of having to touch "up" multiple times like on the Nano.
4. Unlike the iPod, the View divides Audible books into chapters.
5. The View has a radio and is cheaper.
6. Performance is fine.

The back of the View.

Not good:

1. No matter the source format, I have to use Sandisk Media Converter to play videos on the Sansa. You can't just download Media Converter, either (what if I lose the disk?). Apple is also picky about video, but most media programs, like Nero, can make videos iPod-readable.
2. My wife hasn't complained, but the headphone connector is on the bottom. I don't know why. If there's a good reason, let me know.
3. The screen is OK, but the Nano's is a little sharper.

Ao, the View is a good device. If you're not going to use the radio, I like the Nano a little better, but this one is fine.

Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Blue (3rd Generation)

Apple 8 GB iPod Touch

Marshmallow Headphone Black

Marshmallow Headphone Pink

Having tried about seven different brands including the Sennheiser Perfect Ear and the Shure E2, I can say with some authority that the JVC Marshmallow are great low-cost earphones.

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The Apple iPod classic is a wonderful joy apparatus that's made this Mac-disliker a believer. Unfortunately, it also seems like a delicate device with a back especially prone to scratches. It makes sense to buy a jacket. If you think about it, a case may not only save an iPod's life, but it may also pay for itself when you upgrade to the new 320GB iPod touch in a couple of years; "well taken care of and scratch-free" will fetch you a couple of dollars at least.

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The Sansa e200 series.

It's hard not to fall for the new iPods. They're the best-looking mp3 players and function well. But, a cold heart picks good tech. After a careful analysis of mp3 players, I decided to replace my wife's workout companion, the Creative Labs Zen Micro Photo, with a Sandisk Sansa e280. After a couple of weeks, I think I made a good decision.

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I've been an anti-iPod guy for some time now. My Apple antipathy started years ago when I was turned off by what I felt was Mac zealotry at my school. The annoying iMac I tolerated in my class made it worse. So, whenever I "needed" a mp3 player, I exclusively purchased iPod alternatives like the Creative Labs Zen Vision M . It wasn't only sheer bigotry. Apple's proprietary nature also turned me off. I didn't want to use iTunes, convert my music to AAC, or deal with encumbering restrictions like not being able to have my music on my three computers simultaneously.

My iPod-less days may be over. As I was enjoying my stroll through Best Buy, I encountered the iPod 80GB. Wow! What a beauty. It's much thinner than the Zen, looks better, has that sweet wheel, and comes with a whopping twenty extra gigabytes (80GB- just enough for my Michael Bolton mp3s; I only listen to Michael on WAV files as mp3s sap some of the power from his voice). Not only that, but the unusually useful salesman told me that there's a 160GB version. Heck, I might just throw on my Brittney Spears too. And the best part is that it costs less. Only $249 dollars for the 80GB and J&R has the 160GB one for $349.00. I don't like being a conformist, but I just might get one. At least I won't have to explain to people "It's like an iPod, but it's not- like not all diapers are Pampers."

Apple 80 GB iPod AAC/MP3 Video Player Black (5.5 Generation)

Every day I try to find a way to help the little guy. I also try to treat my Cubanocast listeners with fine Cuban and Caribbean music. It so happened that I needed a song to complete a post on Cuban Pete and I felt I could kill both birds with one stone by downloading the song from that little boutique store, Walmart.

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My daughter is eight years old and into Hannah Montana so that means it was time for an mp3 player. Any parent knows you don't give expensive electronics to kids so I decided to buy a low-cost flash based player. Toys R Us had this Nextar MA933A-5P on sale for $19.99 and it met one of my daughter's criteria: it came in pink, so I decided to give it a shot. Shot given. It will now ricochet back to Toys R Us.*

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