The Philips Activa fitness MP3 player wants you to get moving.
(Credit: Philips)LAS VEGAS--Wishing that your MP3 player would act more like a personal trainer? Me neither, but Philips is banking on finding an audience of motivation-starved fitness types for its newly announced Activa MP3 player ($129), available worldwide in April.
To put a new spin on working out with your MP3 player, the Activa gives gym rats real-time voice feedback on their performance. Only time will tell if the voice is more in step with the Wii Fit style of chipper encouragement, or with the Tony Little brand of aggressive shouting.
Assuming that the voice can be switched off for those who prefer not to be nagged, the Activa includes the subtler (and arguable more useful) capability to play music that matches the tempo of your workout. If your music collection tends to run a little on the easy listening end of things, Activa comes preloaded with a collection of uptempo music.
The cynic in me feels compelled to point out that Yamaha ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
On this week's episode, Donald and Jasmine discuss at length whether brick-and-mortar record shops are worth saving...or at least, Donald does, while Jasmine wonders whether he will ever get sick of talking about it. Also, Jasmine expounds upon the virtues of subscription music, or more specifically, Rhapsody. Plus, find out the deets on an excellent audiobook player for the visual impaired and the latest blah MP3 player to come out of Philips' warehouse.
Listen now:
Download today's podcast | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe in RSS
... Read More
Jasmine's back and Donald wrangles her away from vacation reflection and back into a digital music frame of mind. Discussion topics include a new Philips GoGear review, why you should never trust a headphone review, and what would happen if Apple stopped supporting FairPlay.
Listen now:
Download today's podcast
 |
Episode 108 |
Yamaha Pocketrak 2G Voice Recorder
Never trust a headphone review
What if Apple stopped issuing DRM keys?
Band-themed MP3 players: Yay or Nay?
How many tips does it take? Shure includes all these.
Not too long ago, we did our first ever headphone prizefight, and it got me thinking about how headphones might be the most difficult product to be objective about during a review.
This observation was compounded by the recent parade of Ultimate Ears earphones that came across my desk. Although audio professionals, previous CNET reviewers, and many consumers have posted plenty of glowing praise for the company's products, I had a helluva time with all three sets of the headphones. They just did not fit me properly, ranging from mild discomfort with the Metro.fi 2 to supreme irritation with the Triple.fi 10.
During the review process, this issue of fit is worked out by letting several different people try them out and gathering their observations to add to my own. The review will still be colored somewhat by my own experience--as well it should be in deference to others who also have "uniquely sized" ears--but the input from others helps to keep the final outcome balanced. But consider that not all reviewers get the opinions of others, either because they don't have the luxury or because their process is not as diligent. (And of course I refer to non-CNET reviewers here.) Especially if the headphones are comfortable to this person: what's to make he or she doubt that they are anything but for anyone else?
No, Donald Bell doesn't have a severe ear wax problem--he's getting fitted for custom ear molds.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Now, add to that the fact that sound quality can be highly subjective as well. Sure, there are headphones that sound exceptional to pretty much everyone, but many people prefer certain variances in their music. Some listeners prefer a heavier, more booming low-end, while others like brighter sound, and purists want the most balanced audio possible.
Plus, people actually hear differently based on personal experiences, age, and, I suspect, ear shape. (I wasn't able to find any evidence of this. I welcome feedback below.) The issue of sound quality in a review is also helped somewhat by having others listen to the headphones, but sometimes we can only get two test subjects, and that is by no means a representative cross-section of listening tastes and idiosyncrasies.
Ah...the perfect fit.
For the moment, I've become personally attached to the Philips SHE-9850 In-Ear Headphones, a noise-isolating ear-plug-style set that goes for just under 100 bucks. The earbuds are sleek and compact, the aperture is small, Philips includes compressible foam sleeves (a must for me), and the sound quality is nice and balanced, but could use a bit more bass to be perfect for me. Of course, plenty of people don't want headphones that they have to stick in their ears and still others would abhor the SHE-9850's lack of "oomph" on the low-end.
So, what's attached to your sound system or MP3 player right now? And what headphones have been sent back in disgust?
Donald and Jasmine discuss the very first headphone Prizefight. Also: a really cheap wearable MP3 player, more headphones for kids, and a sweet Bluetooth speaker.
Listen now:
Download today's podcast
|
Episode 104 |
Prizefight: Bose QuietComfort 3 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7
Listen now: Download today's podcast
|
EPISODE 101 |
Amazon "Daily Deals" and "Friday Fives" - no link yet
Audiophile MP3 Insider:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6490_7-6623443.html?tag=feat.1
Philips GoGear SA6185:
http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/philips-gogear-sa6185-8gb/4505-6499_7-32626866.html?tag=prod.txt.1
Colorful MP3 players:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6490_7-6546135.html?tag=feat.3
Radius Atomic Bass earbuds:
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/radius-atomic-bass-earphones/4505-7877_7-33070258.html?tag=links;review
AOL streaming radio for iPhone:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6490_7-9968909-49.html
Listen now: Download today's podcast
|
EPISODE 99 |
More TV shows for your Zune: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9953767-1.html
Iriver Mplayer: http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/iriver-mplayer-1gb-pink/4505-6490_7-32858127.html?tag=prod.txt.3%20?tag=img
JayBird JB-200i: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/jaybird-jb-200i-bluetooth/4505-7877_7-33056080.html?tag=links;review
Sony MDR-AS30G Active Headphones: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/sony-mdr-as30g-active/4505-7877_7-32912122.html?tag=links;review
Philips SHE-9850: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/philips-she-9850-in/4505-7877_7-32815655.html?tag=prod.txt.1
Workout-worthy music gear: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9950742-1.html
- prev
- 1
- next
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
