Ultra Cool Gadgets

More than just a wireless music system, Xmod Wireless features X-Fi technology that makes your MP3’s and other compressed music files sound better than the original CD. It plays all of the music from your PC wirelessly throughout your house and since it doesn’t rely on your home network, there are no delays, dropouts or interference to deal with, and no IP addresses to configure. Simple to setup with no software, or drivers to install and works right out of the box.

Features
X-Fi Wireless Music System
Connect the Xmod Wireless transmitter to your PC and desktop speakers to enjoy Xtreme Fidelity music.

Play music from your PC wirelessly in any room
Make your MP3s sound better than CDs
Connect in seconds–no configuration needed
More than just a wireless music system… way more.
Upgrade your PC sound system to Xtreme Fidelity audio

Restore the detail and vibrance to compressed music such as MP3s and iTunes
Expand stereo music and videos into virtual surround sound

Customer Feedback:

1. The Xmod Wireless comes in 2 parts, a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter connects very simply to your PC via USB and it functions as a USB soundcard, applying X-Fi sound enhancement to any sound or music that is passed through it. Compressed audio like AAC, WMA and MP3 files are upscaled to 24 bit quality and surround sound effects can be added.
You have to experience this to appreciate it. It really does make your music sound better. Sometimes the improvement is more subtle than at other times, but the quality X-Fi provides really shines when you connect the receiver end of the Xmod Wireless to a good set of speakers that you might have in your theater or family room.
So, on to part 2 of the package. The wireless receiver. This enables you to control and listen to your music anywhere you place the receiver in your house. Your PC music collection is streamed around the house with top notch quality and fidelity. I have my receiver connected to my theater setup and the sound is fantastic. You can purchase additional receivers if you’d like to play your music in multiple rooms.

2. First off, this product is incredibly easy to setup. Everything just worked right off the bat. About the only hitch was I had my transmitter placed to close to my lap top which caused interference, but Creative did a great job of communicating this limitation. Sound is crystal clear and the device is attractive and compact. I plan on buying additional receivers for the bedroom, the kitchen and den. BTW I plan on using 2.1 computer speakers since they give great sound and are very affordable. I strongly recommend Logitech speakers since they always have great sound and build quality.

The Philips SBA1500/37 is both a portable and powerful speaker system to boost your music. Play extra powerful, rich sound to thrill your friends. These speakers come with their own power pack to amplify the music, which also neatly clips together with the speakers for true compact portability . Take them anywhere.

Technical Details:
- Powerful Speaker drivers produce realistic sound
- Acoustically-tuned air channel that turbo charges bass notes
- Wide stereo soundstage
- Compact and lightweight
- Plug and Play Speakers

Customer feedback:

1. I’m not an audiophile, so I can’t really comment on the quality of these speakers, but they sound fine to me. However, they do NOT have a “wall plug for extra power” as stated in the product description. The only power comes from three AAA batteries. I was looking for something that wouldn’t require me to carry batteries around, so this was disappointing. The speakers and power pod do pack together into an ostrich-egg sized unit, so the whole thing can tuck into an odd corner of my duffle bag.

2. Despite the fact that no AC power cord comes attached, I was stunned by the sound output of these tiny speakers. They’re superb. My only quibble would be that I’d prefer them in black, but that matters very little once you hear these titans. I’ve bought other mini-speakers within this price range and basically junked them… but Phillips comes through again and exceeds expectations. Don’t judge them by their size.

Bring your media with you wherever you roam with the Creative Zen 8GB player. Watch 32 hours of videos, enjoy up to 2,000 of your favorite songs or share hundreds of photos with your friends. And do it all on a device that’s about the width of a credit card.
The Zen sports a 2.5-inch TFT color display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution and support for up to 16.7 million colors. This razor sharp display is packaged in a device that weighs just 2.1 ounces and measures 3.26 x 2.16 x .44 inches (W x H x D). The internal battery powers the Zen for up to 25 hours of continuous audio playback and up to five hours of continuous video playback. Use the Zen’s SD slot to expand your portable media library with music, photos and videos stored on your SD card. There’s also a handy built-in microphone for capturing notes on the go.

Features:
- Product Type - MP3 Player
- Connectivity - USB 2.0
- Memory - 8 GB
- Voice recorder
- Clock and alarm function

Customer feedback:

1. Overall, great player with a very large display. The firmware needs some work. Audiobooks show up in the music list so shuffled playback selects random chapters for your listening pleasure. And a game or two wouldn’t hurt. In my humble opinion this is the best player for the money.

2. I have had this MP3 player for 3 months and I love it. It is extremely user friendly. I can easily import anything I want in seconds. No errors , no fighting. I also have an ipod touch that is an uphill battle the way. I love this thing.

Macally IceTune is a stereo speaker&charger featuring a space saving stackable design, easy access volume and power on/off controls. Cool blue mood lights enhance your listening experience. A stereo line-in jack connection allows you to enjoy high quality audio from a variety of MP3 and CD players, desktop computers and laptops.

Technical Details
- Stereo speakers with built-in iPod charging dock
- Compatible with all versions of the iPod, including the iPod mini
- Stereo line-in jack connection also allows you to enjoy high quality audio from other devices such as MP3 and CD players, desktop computers and laptops
- Space saving stackable design
- Easy access volume and power on/off controls

Customer feedback:

1. I had been looking for a docking station to put on a window sill in my kitchen and could not find one that would be small enough to feel safe. I finally saw the IceTune and it fits perfectly. Not only does it have a tiny footprint but the sound quality is great. In addition, because the speakers can be stacked or separated, you can actually get some separation between the left and right signal. Most of the other docking stations I have seen are built as a single block. As if these attributes were not enough, this just happens to be one of the least expensive docking options out there.

2. These speakers are awesome for the price. They charge your ipod even when the unit is off. The sound quality is great for around 50 bucks. I bought these for traveling and they are small enough to fit in a suitcase without taking up too much room. They also stack so they don’t take up much counter space. I can’t say enough about the sound quality. They are great!

Experience your MP3 music as the artist originally intended with the Creative Zen X-Fi–the first player to restore the quality of compressed music with award-winning X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology. Indulge in rich, crystal-clear audio when you listen to your music, as the detail that’s lost during file compression is now beautifully restored and played through premium-quality, noise-isolating EP-830 earphones.
A pocket-sized player that weighs a mere 2.4 ounces, the Zen X-Fi sports attractive curves with a graceful finish. Immerse yourself in the brilliant 2.5-inch TFT screen with 16.7 million colors as you watch your movies and view your pictures. Build with X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology, the player lets you experience the very essence of music perfection as you listen to audio in crystal clear clarity. Hear your music the way it was always meant to be heard. Plus, the included EP-830 earphones provide optimum comfort with excellent noise-isolation capability. Or, be the life of the party as you share your music out loud with the powerful built-in speaker.

Technical Details:
- Capacity: 16 GB (4,000 songs or 60 hours of video)
- Up to 30 hours of continuous audio playback or 5 hours of continuous video playback on one charge
- 2.5-inch TFT LCD with 320 x 240 pixel resolution: 16.7 million colors
- Supports MP3, WMA, AAC5, WAV (ADPCM), Audible 2,3,4 audio formats; MJPEG, WMV, MPEG-4 video (including DivX and XviD); and JPEG photo formats

Customer feedback:

1. So far here’s what I love:
*) The new iPhoney sleek look is very nice, an improvement I think.
*) The buttons have a nice tactile feel. With very little practice I can easily find the play button and volume adjustment without looking. Visually its a little harder to figure out which button is where.
*) Even better, the buttons never get pressed unintentionally. This is a big plus since I use it for working out and yard work where I’m often bending over; my clix was constantly getting paused or fast forwarded unintentionally which has been a constant source of annoyance!
*) I found it virtually effortless to hook this up to my PC, connect to my existing MediaMonkey library and download all of my songs and playlists.
*) Great sound for bass lovers. X-fi crystallizer makes for a crisper quality if thats what you like.
*) Wi-fi connection, hooked up to my network easily and I was browsing the Creative Media Center in minutes.
*) Very lightweight compared to most of my other players.
*) User Interface: If you are familiar with Creative players then you will find the buttons easy to understand and use. I find the basic menu system easy to understand and navigate. Lots of nice background images to choose from.
*) Easy firmware update, I downloaded the latest firmware from Creative website and easily installed it.
*) Decent headphones included — possibly the best I’ve ever seen packaged with an MP3 player.
*) Lightweight, easy to carry, seems to be pretty rugged construction, fits nicely in a pocket.
*) Nice battery life: compared to my Clix 2 (4 ish hours) or my iPod Touch (about same!) this thing lasts forever at about 10ish hours.
*) Big bold colorful screen, which I find easy to read even in daylight.
*) I love the way it pops right back to where I left off even after a power off, it comes right back to the Now Playing screen and resumes my playlist. Most of my other players don’t do this very well so its a plus when it works the way I think it should.

2. I have had at least 15 different mp3 players and this one is by far the best one, the sound is great and the ear buds are good. I use around the ear head phones whit a headphone amp but the X-FI technology on this player is just incredible. I also love that you can expand its storage whit sd cards. I’m now leaving my Ipod at home and taking this one every where I go. The one thing I would change is that I would like it to have a replaceable battery.

The Creative X-Fi Wireless Music system allows you to play the music from your Xdock or Xmod wireless transmitter anywhere you have speakers, up to 100 feet away. Great for parties or making everyday activities in your home more enjoyable, this system lets you keep your player in one room, while listening to your favorite songs in another. With the X-Fi, you never have to worry about delays or dropouts, and you don’t need a home network or special drivers. This system is also incredibly easy to use: Simply plug it into your powered speakers or home theater receivers and the X-Fi automatically connects and receives music. Then you’re free to play, pause, and skip through the songs on your iPod, ZEN, or PC.
The X-Fi uses innovative technology to deliver crystal clear sound with all the highs and lows intelligently enhanced. It also expands your stereo MP3s and digital movies into virtual surround sound. Voices are centered in front of you and ambient sounds are moved all around you. For added convenience, the included remote controls iPod or ZEN playback when connected to an Xdock or PC music playback that connects to an Xmod Wireless. The best part of this system is that it’s expandable, which means you can add as many X-Fi Wireless Receivers as you like within the 100-foot range.

Technical Details:
- X-Fi Wireless Receivers play the music from your Xdock or Xmod Wireless transmitter wirelessly in another room. Add as many as you like to enjoy Xtreme Fidelity music throughout your home.
- Enjoy a wireless system that’s made for music–no delays, no dropouts and no home network needed.
- Adding an X-Fi Wireless Receiver is simple–just plug it into your powered speakers or home theater receiver. The X-Fi Wireless Receiver automatically connects and receives music–it’s that easy.
- Play, pause and skip through the music on your iPod, ZEN or PC. The included remote controls iPod or ZEN playback when connected to an Xdock or PC music playback when connected to an Xmod Wireless.

Customer feedback:

1. If you are like me and enjoy listening to online videos — for me it’s news, history, etc. — then this product is for you. It is a tremendous step over the older technology I had. Last I looked on Amazon, it was for sale for about 50 percent off, so I bought an additional unit. I would have paid twice the price; that’s how highly I think of this product.

2. The product itself is awesome. It really is. I was so impressed, that in addition to the dock being setup in the living room, I have 2 receivers. One in our bedroom, one in the office. SLICK!!! I was working in the garage all day, and took my wife’s iPod bucket out there, and connected the receiver from my office to the line in of the iPod bucket. My wife loves it, because on laundry day, she can run the wash on the first floor, and fold her wash on the second floor without missing a single song. AWESOME!!!

Like its smaller cousins, the Roku M1000 and M500 network music players, Roku’s SoundBridge Radio is designed liberate your digital music from your computer and let you crank up Internet radio stations and your unprotected digital music files in the room of your choice. But unlike those products, the SoundBridge Radio doesn’t require a hi-fi system because the SoundBridge Radio is the hi-fi system. And not a bad one at that.
Featuring two linear magnetic drive full-range speakers and a linear magnetic drive subwoofer — each powered by built-in amplifiers — the SoundBridge puts most table-top radios to shame. If you have a lot of space to fill with your music, you’ll want to think twice before replacing your stereo system with it. But for a unit this size, the SoundBridge offers excellent sound performance, and its many ground-breaking Wi-Fi features make it worth the price.

Technical Details
- WiFi music system with advanced digital music streaming functionality, pair of stereo speakers, and subwoofer
- Native support for Apple iTunes and Rendezvous, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Player 10, and Rhapsody
- Accesses free Internet radio stations via broadband connection; bright 280 x 32 vacuum fluorescent display
- Patented Linear Magnetic Drive stereo speakers and subwoofer with acoustic enclosures and built-in digital amps
- Ultra-fast 400 MHz Blackfin DSP; measures 11 x 6 x 6.5 inches (W x H x D)

Customer feedback:

1. This is a great appliance, easy to install, and does everything they say it does. BUT…there are no outputs so it can not be connected to external speakers or to a music system. If it had just two RCA jacks, it would be a fiver for sure. There are less expensive devices on the market that will do the same thing however, the R1000 acoustics is excellent.

2. I bought this (from Fry’s $249) after I read a New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/business/09pogue.html). Arrived in 2 days. Opened the box. Popped the batteries into the remote. Plugged the radio to the AC outlet.The display in the front panel asked a few questions so that the radio can get connected to your wifi network. Fairly easy even if you are using WEP security and you know how to hook up a wireless device. But if you are using WPA security, you may have to start up with WEP, upgrade the firmware, then move to WPA. The unit I got had version 2.5 and the current version is 3.0. WPA is supported starting from version 2.7.
Once you have the radio hooked up to wifi, there’s really nothing else much to do but start selecting your stations. I suggest that you go directly to Radioroku.com. This site helps you find internet radio stations and listen to them on your PC or on your Soundbridge with a click of a button. Believe me radioroku will make things a lot easier for you.

Connect with your entire music library, including CDs, MP3s, and Satellite/HD Radio and Internet radio, in any room of your home with this powerful tabletop audio system. Just connect it to your home network, and you can stream your digital music directly from your computer. Or pop your iPod in the built-in dock for exceptional DENON sound right where you want it.

Technical Details

* Built-in CD player, iPod* dock, digital radio and alarm clock (*iPod not included)
* WiFi connectivity lets you stream MP3s and Internet radio from your compute
* LCD readout provides clear artist and source information so you can browse and select music right from the system
* Built-in sound tuned speakers and a mono-out port for the addition of a subwoofer
* Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Spatial EQ & Bass-XT deliver uncompromised bass response and tonal balance

The DRA-697CIHD receiver will shine as the core to your high end Hi-Fi stereo multi-room audio system. Equipped with many new features including HD Radio, it can handle almost any configuration combination. Its two source three zone capability allows you to run multiple sources to multiple areas at the same time with pure clean sound. With the HD tuner as a second tuner source, regular AM/FM can be listened to in one zone and HD Radio can be listened to in another zone. Being 4 ohms stable, it can handle the most demanding speakers, yet deliver smooth fidelity. Custom integration is no problem either as this enhance receiver has all the connections an installer needs to integrate to third party control systems.

Technical Details

* Integrated HD radio tuner
* XM satellite radio ready (requires XM subscription and optional XM mini-tuner package)
* iPod compatibility (requires optional Denon ASD-1R)
* Signal level divided construction chassis
* 100 watts x 2 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD / 4-ohm capability allows use with a wide range of speakers

Start your day right by waking up gently to a gradually escalating alarm volume. Normal alarm sounds with a preset volume are either too low to wake you up or are so uncomfortably loud that you are rudely jolted awake. Choose to wake up to your favorite music, radio station or buzzer alarm. Gentle wake’s alarm volume gradually increases from subtly low to reasonably high in order to gently rouse you.

Technical Details

* 7″ widescreen TFT color display for easy viewing of clock, radio and calendar
* MP3, WMA, JPEG, DivX and MPEG4 file support
* USB and SD /MMC card slot for photos, music and video clips
* Preloaded nature sounds and relaxation music
* FM digital tuning with 20 presets, dual alarm time and gentle wake with increasing alarm volume.

Customer feedback:

1. There is a lot to love about this product. It’s sleek. It’s stylish. It’s bright, bold and clear. (It can be dimmed!) It’s a clock-radio with two independent alarms that also plays audio files (.mp3 and .wma), video (mpeg4 and divx codices) and photo slide shows (.jpg only). It has built-in “relaxation” sounds to help you fall asleep. It has so much going for it! And just when you think it can’t get any better…

2. Just bought this item and wow, great clock and so easy to use. Love the features such as USB and Sd card slot. Highly recommended to all.