Marshall Monitor Headphones: A Legacy of Sound

I almost fainted when I held this pair in my hands. It was such a magical box, this little brown cube. It was unassuming enough, especially to those who didn’t know exactly what they were looking at. The big, bold, script letters at the top labeled this pair of headphones as a step above the rest, as a pair that deserved to be held high in esteem. The name has to be said softly, as if a whisper: Marshall. I couldn’t believe I was actually about to review the Marshall Monitor headphones.

If you are an audiophile of any sort, or if you have bothered looking at speaker brands, you will inevitably have heard of Marshall. Started in 1962 by Jim Marshall, the brand set out to create cheaper alternatives to the Fender amplifiers that were well known during the time, but were very expensive. They soon became well-known as a quality manufacturer of amplifiers and speakers, and have remained so ever since. An interesting note about the headphones line though: the brand Marshall is licensed to Zound Industries, the Sweden-based manufacturer who also brings us other brands featured in this blog. Even so, that doesn’t diminish the superior sound and construction quality of this pair.

I felt like a child opening his first gift from Santa Claus on Christmas morning when I unboxed this beauty. The folded Marshall Monitor headphones rested on a bed of foam, reminding me of engagement rings, and are just as luxurious. There was no one element that grabbed your attention when you first pull out the pair. It was a multitude of little design elements that made it so elegant: the gold coating on the labels which told you left from right, the reptile-like leather covering the headband, the little curl of wire connecting headband and ear cup, the embossed white on black logo on each side.

Aside from its outstanding good looks, the Marshall Monitor headphones come with a microphone and remote to give you the ease of taking calls and listening to music without interruption. This cable plugs into either ear cup, which in itself provides a neat little feature: have a friend plug in their earphone jack into the empty 3.5MM socket and have them share your music.

The Monitors collapse into a neat little ball which makes it very convenient to bring around, and they also come with a carrying pouch printed with the logo in the signature script style, finished with a shiny black gloss that just adds to the elegance.

The design itself was enough for me to call this an excellent pair and end the review. Apparently, this was just the tip of the iceberg that is the Marshall experience. Being on-ear, they don’t give the full isolation experience as with active noise cancellation headphones, but the good coverage and fit of the ear cups remove about 70% - 80% of ambient sound.

The custom-made 40MM dynamic driver provides a good coverage of the entire audible spectrum and delivers power on demand. Something unique to the Monitors is what the manufacturers call an F.T.F system, which allows you to customize your listening experience. It basically comes down to a specialized filter hidden behind the ear cushions which you can remove. Keeping the filters in blocks out some of the higher treble sounds, which makes the listening experience more comfortable and warm over-all. Removing the filters allows for the full range of sounds to come through, resulting in a clearer listening experience. Wearing these headphones feel like nothing at all, so you’ll have more lengthy listening sessions without the pain or discomfort.

The Marshall Monitor headphones live up to its heritage, despite being manufactured and styled outside of its home country. This is easily a pair that I would not have second doubts picking up when out shopping for headphones. Be it in a professional studio or for personal use at home, these headphones are certainly top of the line, and are at the top of my list.

Suggested Retails Price: Php8,950

Available at the following stores:

• Beyond the Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Egghead

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant in one of the biggest global IT companies. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker too. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Portable Madness - Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers

I'm actually old enough to remember when boomboxes were a thing -- those bulky radio sets that required six size D batteries. Yes, people those days would put up with lugging a thirty-or-so pound just to listen to their music with their friends, and they were actually considered the cool ones. Nowadays, everything is about being portable. From desktops turning into tablets, to mobile phones getting smaller, lighter and thinner, the emphasis of our generation is to do away with chains that hold us down and allowing us the freedom to do anything we want, anywhere. Little gems like the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers make it easier for us to accomplish just that.

The first thing that you'll notice about this speaker is that it's absolutely gorgeous. Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, this lightweight speaker only weighs 12 oz. (340g) - about as much, if not lighter than, a water bottle. The ash grey matte finish on the speakers allow it to blend in to the background or stand out as a centerpiece, depending on your preference. It has no frills, no distracting elements to take away the essence of what it truly is -- a high-definition speaker.

For such a small object, the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers deliver the punch of a full 3.1 audio system with lots of bass to spare. It delivers a full range of sound without losses between levels. There's no lack of power here, as it can easily fill a medium-sized room with its sound. I was very pleasantly surprised to have a near audiophile-quality experience from an unexpected source.

This speaker can also do what maybe four or five other gadgets would separately; the best part is, it's extremely easy to use. It connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth with a simple press of a button, thus allowing you to be mobile with your music player while having your speakers in one place. The range is pretty limited, but it removes the inconvenience of being tied up and tangled with wires. If your device is not Bluetooth-ready, the speakers come with a 24" 3.5mm audio cable to connect into your headphone jack and act as any regular speaker. What's even better is that you can daisy chain several of these speakers to just pump up the volume.

The Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers act as a Bluetooth speakerphone as well, with a built-in noise-cancelling microphone to provide good sound quality both to you and whoever you're speaking with. If you're like me and often are part of a conference call, I can see how convenient it would be to have your phone's speaker magnified so that you can be on the line anywhere throughout your room.

Apart from being a speaker and a phone accessory, it is also a battery charger -- that's right, you can plug in your mobile phone via the built-in powerbank without interrupting your listening experience. While the Braven 600 comes with a modest 1400mAh battery, it still gives you 12 hours of play time or 2 - 3 full charges on an iPhone 4S. Its limitation here is that it wasn't designed to charge anything more than your smartphone, so you can't use this to charge higher capacity gadgets such as tablets. Given the low capacity, it's best used for the rare occasions you desperately need to charge your phone, but hey, I challenge you to find another speaker that can do just that.

In summary, I think it's pretty plain to see that the Braven 600 HD Wireless Speakers delivers an extremely enticing package. It is extremely lightweight, enabling you to bring a full high-quality audio system without having to bring a ton of equipment. It can link up to other Braven speakers to generate even more power, it can act as a speaker for your calls, and it can even power your phone while it's at it. This isn't just another accessory to add to your collection; this is an essential necessity to have with you to complement your mobile lifestyle.

Standard Retail Price of Braven 600 HS Wireless Speaker: Php6,450.00

Available at the following resellers:

• Beyond the Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• iStudio
• Astrovision
• Astroplus
• iCenter - Cebu
• Powerhub - Cebu 

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant in one of the biggest global IT companies. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker too. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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AIAIAI Tracks: Subtle Becomes Too Simple

When using open-ear headphones, you have to remember that they do not provide sound quality as deep and rich as their full ear counterparts. That being said, I proceeded to approach reviewing AIAIAI’s basic headphone offering, the AIAIAI Tracks, with a little reservation.

This Denmark-based company is certainly no short-comer to the market, as Copenhagen is known for producing some of the best audio equipment in the world. I wanted to see how they could improve an intrinsically flawed design and deliver excellent sound quality while building on a simplistic design.

First Impressions

The packaging of a product always sets the tone for what to expect. While I was accustomed to headphones that came with all the little bells and whistles, such as sticker logos and flashy product line cards, AIAIAI Tracks took the less distracting route and brought in only an instruction card with how to assemble your product. Yup, that’s right – the headphones actually require some assembly.

The over-all theme here is simplicity, and they do this very well. The bright colors of the headphones stand out against the contrast of the box's white color. The headphones themselves look decent enough to stand out, but don’t hold up enough against most of what’s available in the market. I understand they went for simple in this design, but in my personal opinion they made it a little too simplistic on this one, bordering on not getting enough for what you pay for.

Construction

The headphones feel pretty durable, with the headband being solid enough to withstand a lot of punishment but lightweight enough to not be a bother to transport. The ear cup foams are comfortable to wear, even on long listening sessions. They don’t look like they won’t rip easily too, so that’s another plus.

The cables feel good to the touch and don’t tangle, even when you carelessly throw them in your bag. Over-all, the headphones are light, strong and well-made as well as look good to boot.

Accessories

What you get in the box are: the headphones with remote and microphone, the steel headband, two pairs of different color headband connectors and an instruction manual.

The controller was a pain though. The buttons were hard to press and would not respond unless you gave them a firm push with the thumb. Having a built-in controller should make your headphones easier to use, but that little annoyance made it frustrating to deal with. No bells and whistles to be found here – just straight-to-goodness earphones.

Sound Quality

As I mentioned earlier in this article, open-ear earphones come with the intrinsic problem of not being able to deliver rich sound quality due to the lack of noise isolation. Headphones of this class normally make up for this by delivering better sound at louder volumes, and the AIAIAI Tracks headphones are a bit disappointing in this aspect.

As always, I used Far East Movement’s track Like a G6 to test sound quality. Right off the bat, I noticed that there was a big gap in the bass department. It was there, but not strong enough. Even boosting up the EQ to higher levels didn’t improve the sound much, and for acclaimed “award-winning” headphones, it was surprising that the pair didn’t deliver.

The other sound levels were just okay – for an expensive pair of headphones, I was expecting to be blown away, but was left disappointed. It’s not that the sound was bad, mind you. It was just not enough.

Final Rating

As before, here are my final scores of the headphones:

• Construction: 4 / 5
• Sound quality: 2.5 / 5
• Aesthetics: 3 / 5

Over-all, I was left disappointed by this pair. Without considering the price point, the pair was just an okay pair. It was well-built, sure, but both sound quality and aesthetics were mediocre at best.

Bringing back the price factor, there are a lot of other headphones available in the market that are cheaper and can deliver better performance. If you’re looking for a basic pair of headphones for everyday use that will last though, you could pick up this pair and not be disappointed.

Suggested Retail Price of AIAIAI Tracks: Php3,250.00

AIAIAI Tracks is available in the following stores:

• Astrovision
• Beyond the Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Egghead
• Futureworld
• PC Hub
• Technoholics

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant in one of the biggest global IT companies. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker too. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Oishi Marty's Invites YOU to Rock 'en Roll!

Oishi's very own Marty's Vegetarian Chicharon is calling all Filipino college students, 16-25 years old, living in Metro Manila within school year 2012-2013 to showcase your talents in a different kind of rock 'en roll! Drop your notes, textbooks and energy drinks; school's still in but The Marty's are coming!

In it's very O, Wow! fashion, Oishi is giving fresh music talents a new reason to rock this semester, with a battle to make it big in the music scene as The Marty’s. 

Hold your horses, because this is a different kind of inter-college band face off! Instead of sending bands into battle, The Marty’s will bring aspiring musicians from various universities together, so they can heat up the stage and rock as one band.

Participating in the The Marty's rock competition is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Simply go to The Marty's website and click on 'Apply.' Choose whether you're applying as a Vocalist, Guitarist, Drummer or Bassist.
2. Upload a 2 - 3 minute audition video of yourself singing, playing the guitar, bass or drums to the song of your choice. Videos with offensive content will automatically be disqualified so don't be a punk.
3. Get your family, friends and schoolmates to vote for you by sharing, liking and viewing your audition video.
   

You should impress the judges - actor rapper Ramon Bautista, rock advocate Gang Badoy, actress Saab Magalona and rocker-director RA Rivera. Eight finalists will be chosen, but only four will make The Marty’s. The final four gets to tour as a band, win P100,000, and might just be well on their way to be part of Manila’s band scene!

Which spotlight are you are you taking - vocalist, drummer, bassist or guitarist? Get ready, The Marty’s are here! Deadline for submission is until November 16, 2012, 11:59PM.

For more information, log on to www.themartys.com.ph.

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Coloud Headphones: Putting the Boom to Your Boring Day

Over the years, headphones have shifted from merely just being a best friend during long plane rides or at DJ show-offs in clubs. Today, they now sport bright colors that are meant to be shown off if you want to stand out from the crowd. Needless to say, it has become part of an audiophile's fashion statement. With Coloud Headphones, the looks in itself already puts a boom into one's boring day.

First Impressions

Today I get the chance to review a pair dubbed "The Boom" from Swedish-based company Coloud. I think the name Coloud is very fitting of the brand they convey, which brings me to a possible equation: Coloud = COlor LOUD. 

Just by holding the packaging, I already know that I was getting a pair of headphones that had a lot of aesthetic value in mind. This made me worry a little, as the focus might have been put too much on how it looks, rather than how it should sound. The design and color scheme here reminded me a lot of a fellow Swedish-based Urbanears Zinken. The major difference though is their color palette of subtle pastels versus Coloud's screaming neon colors.

The pair I'm holding has a black / cyan / blue combination that just exudes eye candy. Personally, I prefer subtlety over the loud combinations (bright yellow and tangerine orange is hard to pull off), but Coloud's colors certainly make a statement. Case in point: I couldn't even walk four feet in the office without people turning heads and asking about the pair I was wearing. This can be both a good and bad thing, depending on your personality.

Construction

Coloud makes it a point to showcase that they believe in minimalism. As quoted from their website, "Our headphones are crafted with minimal parts and feature a mechanical construction, making them super durable and built to withstand the pressures of everyday listening. What we do add to our headphones, however, are useful features." And minimalist, this pair is. No frills, no bells and whistles. Just everything essential to have your basic headphones with a microphone and remote, but made to look nice.

That's not to say they overlooked quality though -- the materials Coloud used for The Boom both look and feel expensive. From the headband to the foam pads and down to the plug, I couldn't find a flaw with the pair to say that it looked cheap in any way, considering that these are relatively cheap compared to the class it competes in. I was impressed with how solid this pair was, as it not only looked good, but it also felt very durable and well-made.

Accessories

Similar to other Coloud Headphones, The Boom features a standard microphone and push remote, a tangle-free flat cord, and the Zound Lasso, or basically a flexible plug that doubles as a lock to keep your cables in place when the pair is not in use. Useful features in its own right, but not something that would make me pick the brand exclusively.

The box also comes with a Coloud logo sticker, a one-pager that shows the technical specifications of the headphones, and a warranty card. I should also mention that the package is actually made of fully recyclable materials, and while this usually means cheaper looking containers, they actually went ahead and made sure those look good too. Man, these guys know how to make their products look outstanding. You really get your money's worth here.

Sound Quality

Unlike most headphones that go for a more bass-rich sound, The Boom focuses more on sound clarity. I got to appreciate the artist's words more and was able to hear the mids and highs, which normally get drowned out by the bass. However, I find the bass response a little too shy for my taste. The voice-biased quality makes this pair good for calls and acoustic performances, but might be under-appreciated by most people who use headphones for R&B and hip-hop genres. Even at full volume, the sound really held up and didn't show signs of cracking.

Noise cancellation was also an issue for me as it only blocked about 60% of ambient noise without music. The ear cups didn't provide enough coverage to provide a full isolation to outside noise. On the upside, the 3D ergonomic design of the pair really shown through and made the pair very comfortable to wear. They were not displaced easily, even during rigorous movement. I wouldn't say the sound quality was bad; I just think it could have been better.

Final Rating

To make it easier to summarize the over-all experience, I'll rate the Coloud Boom headphones based on three categories: construction, sound quality and aesthetics.

• Construction: 4.5 / 5
• Sound quality: 3.5 / 5
• Aesthetics: 5 / 5

Over-all, the construction of the headphones was impressive. Not only from the pair itself, but the packaging doesn't disappoint either. Some parts of the headphones felt a little too plastic-like, but it did little to cheapen the pair.

Sound quality was a bit of a letdown, but it wasn't terrible. I think this came down to preference on my end. But the sound just wasn't full enough to let me appreciate my music. Nevertheless, the cool design and unique color combinations really make this a stand-out pair from the others out in the market.

The biggest factor for me here is the price point. At Php1,850 a pair, I certainly wouldn't mind shelling out that much for a set that would rival headphones at the Php5,000 and above categories, which perform almost the same.

I still don't believe in using headphones as fashion accessories, but for this pair I would be forgiving. Instead of a scoff, I'll just give a smile and a nod, because I know the person has good taste (in good design, at least).

Standard Retail Price for Coloud The Boom: Php1,850

Coloud Headphones are available at the following locations:

• Astrovision
• Automatic Center
• Avant
• Beyond The Box
• Bratpack
• Buzz
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Electroworld
• iCenter
• iGig
• iStore
• iStudio
• iStudio
• Mobile 1
• Power Hub
• Technoholics
• Urbanathletics

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant in one of the biggest global IT companies. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker too. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Gear4 Portable, Wireless Speakers Now in the Philippines

Gear4, a re-branded name from Disruptive Limited in 2006, is a UK-based company known for its docking audio and MP3 accessories. This 2012, Gear4 has tasked Iontech, Inc. to be the distributor of their speaker systems here in the Philippines. Not only do they specialize in iPod docking speakers, but wireless Bluetooth speakers as well.

Starting off with the most affordable speaker called StreetParty Size 0, music enthusiasts will love it for its 16 mm-only thickness and under ¾ lbs weight. This ultra slim and ultra portable speaker dock only costs Php3,690.

The AlarmDock Halo 2 at Php4,490 is the best friend of sleepy heads. It has a sleek design, featuring rich and great sounding dock that will complement any bedside table. Features include full alarm clock functionality, FM radio with preset saving, animated weather display on dimmable LCD, and long and short range wireless remote control.

On the contrary, those who love throwing parties whether at the living room or at the beach will like the  HouseParty Portable Wireless. It's a great tool for dancing the night away with awesome music. Known to hold out 16 hours of uninterrupted sound, purchasing it at Php6,690 ain't bad.

Talking about the man of the hour, Gear4's flagship model is the AirZone Series 1 selling at Php11,590. Its high performance stereo speaker enclosed in a high gloss metal finish brings outstanding sound and unbeatable value. It is indeed beautifully designed to complement any room.

Not to forget the kids and young-at-heart, Gear4 is also offering officially licensed Angry Birds speakers in big and small sizes. With the big ones ranging from Php3,390 to Php4,990 and small sized speakers at Php1,390, these speaker docks do pack a punch. It features 30w amplifier, dedicated sub-woofer and bass control, iPod/iPhone compatible dock, and comes with a remote control.

Among all the speakers that I've mentioned, one of them truly stood out.

The Renew SleepClock is probably the most innovative alarm clock dock in the market today. With the help of the Gear4 Renew SleepClock app, it is able to monitor our sleep and wake up cycle. It senses our breathing pattern, lowers down the volume when it know we're already asleep, and wakes us up at the lightest moment of our sleep. At an SRP of Php10,190, this alarm clock aims to help everyone sleep better.

Gear4 speaker docks and accessories are available at major consumer electronics and IT retailers nationwide. Check out the other cool items at www.Gear4.com and like their Facebook page.

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First Urbanears Concept Store in PH Now Open

The popular music brand Urbanears has just opened its first ever concept store in the Philippines today. Located at the 3rd floor of the Podium in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, the Urbanears concept store was brought into our shores by our friends at Digits Trading Corporation.

Urbanears is known not only for the functionality it brings to music enthusiasts, but also its stylish colors combined together. As such, the Urbanears concept store has a very neat structure with white on the walls, mirrors as accents, and the very colorful Urbanears headphone collections as main highlights.

Urbanears was graced by the presence of former Pinoy Big Brother housemate turned actor Robi Domingo, who hosted the concept store's opening. Similarly, the franchisees -- Charlie, Howard, Hans -- were also there to officially welcome the people to the first Urbanears concept store in the Philippines. They even took the time to introduce the different collections that are under Urbanears' belt.

Urbanears is a Swedish brand. Its products are named after places and districts in its hometown, Stockholm.  As a matter of fact, the coordinates on its packaging actually refer to the location of the places. These towns have been considered by the makers as important building blocks of what an urban environment is made up of.

As color is a major part of the identity of Urbanears, they have given consumers a number of options to choose from. For example, pictured above are the Urbanears Plattan headphones and below are the Urbanears Medis earphones. 

What they actually do is produce ten colors in each collection -- five of which are permanent and the rest of the colors are interchangeable depending on the season. Aside from that, Urbanears also produces the editions line, which features the use of different fabrics and textile, and released only twice a year.

Look, here are all the colors of the Urbanears Tanto headphones, which we actually reviewed and gave away a couple of months ago.

If you're interested to try out the Urbanears headphones and earphones, head on to the Podium mall and be drawn to all the color options that will suit your personality and fashion philosophy.

For more information about the product, visit www.facebook.com/digitstrading or follow them at @digitstrading.

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Urbanears Zinken: Zen to the Ears, Light on the Pocket

If you read my previous article, I made it no secret that I wasn’t a fan of the Urbanears brand until I had a taste of the Tanto. While I can’t say I’m now a big fan of the brand, I'd say it is certainly something to consider for its unique color palette and the sleek, simple designs, as well as good sound quality to boot. 

The size of the headphones really matter to me, especially that I'm a big guy (so I have a big head). Gladly, Urbanears has come up with the Zinken line.

Ahh, the Zinken. Where do I begin? You already know about the many colors that Urbanears offers, so I won’t dwell on that anymore. Let’s focus on the other features this new baby has to present.

The Urbanears Zinken headphones is a first for the Swedish-based company, “developed with professional DJs in mind, with respect to the wallet of the unpaid amateur” – which means they are promising great sound quality without the cost of its bigger name competitors in the market. That certainly sounds like something to get excited about. A promise like that makes me expect nothing but the best from this pair. So let’s get started.

Construction

The Zinken is surprisingly durable, yet I still wouldn’t recommend tossing them around. You do NOT want to get a scratch on the surface of these phones, especially if you’re obsessive-compulsive like me. They’re built to last though, as can be seen in the quality of every detail. From the odor- and sweat-resistant ear cushions, to the swivel joints in each ear cup, and even down to the fabric they used to print the logo on – you can really see and feel that you are getting top-of-the-line earphones.

Wearing the pair feels very natural. Describing it as "comfortable" is a perfect word to describe the Urbanears Zinken. Over-all, the headphones take the shape of your head and stay on without the need for fiddling or adjusting them.

Accessories

Accessories here are pretty straightforward – you get something they call the TurnCable and a neutral stereo plug. So we know the neutral stereo plug is just to make sure your pair fit into whatever sockets the world may throw at you. Okay, but what exactly is this “TurnCable”? It’s basically a cable with two different plugs – one end is a 3.5mm stereo plug, and the other end is a 6.3mm plug for the more sophisticated sound equipment. 

Urbanears is definitely not the first to come up with the idea, but they are certainly the first to have built this feature directly into their headphones. The Zinken features two sockets on either side of the earcups where you can plug in the cable and connect it to your music source. This is particularly useful for DJs who work with professional sound equipment and may need to change between iPod and a turntable in an instant. 

As with the Urbanears Tanto as well, this pair comes with a microphone. Who says you can’t enjoy excellent sound quality while talking to your special other (even if that “special other” is your nagging mother)?

While I’m on the subject, the two sockets on the headphones themselves enable a neat little feature for Urbanears: it’s called ZoundPlug, and plugging another pair into the headphones will let another friend listen to your tunes.

Given this, here’s a challenge to you, dear readers: I’d like to see a group of ten friends all in a circle wearing Zinkens, plugged into each other’s headsets and plugged in to one music player. First group who sends this picture to my twitter account gets 10,000 Internetz.

Sound Quality

We have finally come to the cut of the meat that everyone wants a taste of, and boy did was I hungry to know how this pair would sound like. So I put them on, chose “Like a G6” by Far East Movement and kicked back, anticipating the quality that the pair had promised to deliver.

The Tantos surprised me by delivering superb sound quality from such a flimsy-looking design – I had my expectations set low. I think the opposite happened here. I had set my expectations too high for what the headphones could really do. Not to say that the pair didn’t sound great – they are of the same if not slightly better than the Tantos, but I can’t say it’s at par with the bigger brands out in the market.

The Zinken delivers a clear definition of the full sound spectrum, from the deep bass to the highs, so I got a good distribution there. However, I found that the sound quality was not as whole or as full as I have expected it for professional DJ headphones. I was disappointed at its lack of power. 

Noise isolation was surprisingly good though. Without the music, it filtered out about 70% of ambient noise; with the music, I hear very little of the outside world, so this was something I was happy with.

Over-all Experience

Over-all, I’m going to grade the Urbanears Zinken at 4 stars out of 5. The comfort of wearing them, the sound quality it delivers and its trademark Urbanears design makes it a great pair to own. The TurnCable and the ZoundPlug are also certainly nifty features to have. It just falls short to say that it can run with the big boys such as Sennheiser or Bose in terms of sound quality.

The Zinken is an interesting pair, because it captures a market for those who demand more than the normal headphones but don’t want to go all the way to the expensive professional DJ-level headphones. 

Standard Retail Price: Php7,950

Urbanears Zinken is available at the following:

• Urbanears Concept Store, Podium
• Beyond The Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Listening Room – SM MegaMall
• 8 Telcom - Davao
• GUI - Davao
• Banana Telecom - Davao
• iCenter – Cebu
• Urban Athletics - Greenbelt 3
• Complex
• Toby’s Arena – Shangri-La Plaza Mall
• Astrovision
• Egghead – Robinsons Galleria
• Bratpack
• Odyssey
• R.O.X.
• Technoholics – BF Homes Paranaque
• PowerMac Center
• iStudio
• Mobile 1
• Gadgets In Style
• Switch

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant and Project Manager in one of the biggest IT companies of the world. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Is Sing Something as popular as Draw Something?

If you are fond of drawing, play ‘Draw Something’ and doodle away. But if you’re into singing, or at least just wanting to belt out even if you don’t have the right tunes, download the newest game in town called ‘Sing Something’ – yes, playing mobile games has gotten melodic, loud, and vocal.

While the title and the type of application are almost similar, ‘Draw Something’ is by OMGPOP while ‘Sing Something’ is developed by Cuteko. If you’re still a bit clueless, ‘Sing Something’ is very similar to ‘Draw Something’ in several ways. The difference lies on the activity, which is, instead of drawing, you need to sing a phrase of a song and get your friend to guess the song title and its artist.

To use the app, simply sign in using your email or Facebook account, pick a competitor from among your contacts, choose a song, record a clip, and then hit send. Playing the ‘Sing Something’ game may be challenging if you are not that familiar with multiple music genres. It doesn’t give the lyrics of the song as you sing your way through it, but it does provide a Youtube link for possible reference.

Once a friend sends you a song, you need to guess what hit your friend likely belted out by selecting letters from a virtual keyboard of the entire alphabet in order to solve the puzzle. Using the hangman style, you need to fill in the blanks of both the song and the artist.

Having similarity with ‘Draw Something’ again, you and your friend earn coins upon the correct guess of the title and artist. In addition, you can also use up the bombs as your “help line” to get a different song or eliminate some of the available letters to make the guessing easier.

At present, there are over 1000 songs in the library of the ‘Sing Something’ app, which mostly came from the programmers’ favorites as well as Youtube hits. Vlado Hrincar, one of the developers of the app said, “Currently we have four categories (80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010-2012), covering the overall history of the modern music. We are planning to add at least 10 more categories, focusing on specific genres or artists — Madonna, Jackson, and yes, Justin Bieber too and Rebecca Black if we’re really evil.”

The recent finale of “American Idol” and the rise of other singing competitions like “X Factor” and “The Voice” will surely have an influence in attracting gamers to use the app. Unlike ‘Draw Something’ that can be played in silence, this app is both a good and bad one. Good, because great singers might get discovered (who knows?); and bad, since other commuters might get angry when hearing you or your friend’s out-of-tune melodies.

The app can be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes for free, but requires iOS 5 to function. Will ‘Sing Something’ receive the same fire as that of ‘Draw Something’? Let me know what you think via @GlennOng on Twitter.

This article is my 64^th contribution to Manila Bulletin -- one of the Philippines' leading broadsheets -- published on June 18, 2012 (Monday) in the TechNews Section. You can view the PDF version here (lower left portion).

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Giveaway: Urbanears Tanto Headphones

In this time and age when most people are getting crazy with so much things to do, the only way that can help calm the soul is by listening to good music. Paring heart thumping songs or smooth sailing R&B music  with the Urbanearts Tanto might be a good idea.

Urbanears Tanto headphones delivers good sound quality in an ultra-light weight, comfortable and sleek design – simple enough to be subtle, yet bold enough to get noticed. (Review Link)

We’re so glad that Digits Trading was willing to hook Glich's Life up with 1 lucky reader by giving away the brand new (only opened for review) Urbanears Tanto. 

Mechanics:

• Follow GlennOng on Twitter and 'Like' Glich's Life Facebook page
• 'Like' Digits Trading’s Facebook page
• Share the Urbanears Tanto review found on this link and NOT this post on Facebook and Twitter.
• Answer this question in the comments section: “What's your favorite feel good music?”
• Comment with your full name and direct links to your shared posts.
• This giveaway runs from May 30, 2012 to June12, 2012. Winners will be announced here thereafter.

Note: The winner will have to meet up with us to claim the prize. As such, only residents of Metro Manila are qualified to join. Non-Metro Manila residents may still join, provided that you agree to shoulder the shipping cost if you win.

Winner Announcement

Thanks for everyone who joined the Urbanears Tanto giveaway! Thanks too to Digits Trading for the prize.

Randomizer.org has chosen the winner, and the Urbanears Tanto headphones goes to Shirley Mae Tabora! Please send me an email at glichslife(at)glennong(dot)com to know how to claim your prize. I'll be waiting until June 20. If no email is received, the next name in the list will automatically get the prize. Congratulations!

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Urbanears Tanto: Tantalizing Enough, A Review

I’ll be honest with you – I’ve never really been a fan of the Urbanears brand. Ever since they came out on the market, I have always seen them as a colorful waste of money. I have gone through many a new product line of the same class and have been disappointed by the sound quality for the price I paid.

I won’t bother mentioning those brands here, but just to give you an idea of my biggest disappointment: I spent Php1,899 on a pair of headphones and used them exactly once. The sound quality was terrible – very little bass, no mid-tones to speak of, no highs to get me excited listening to my songs. It was like listening to a pair of headphones I could’ve easily purchased for PHP 500 or less. To this day, that pair is just rotting away in my room somewhere.

**BREAKING NEWS: Want to win this Urbanears Tanto headphones? Head on to the mechanics page.**

Coming into this review, I approached the package before me with an understandable apprehension. I wanted to challenge the brand to break my prejudice and make me believe they weren’t just another pretty face with an indulgent price tag. This is where the story of my experience with the Urbanears Tanto officially begins.

Design, Make and Package

Let me start with the main focus of the product – it’s simple yet eye-catching design. To be fair, the Urbanears line did pique my interest because of its colors. The bold range of colors they have is unheard of compared to the traditional blacks and whites that dominate the market.

Pictured below is the Urbanears Tanto with a color dubbed as Sage (sort of a greenish hue not too different from moss). The package stays consistent with the color of the headphones and feels like a lot of thought was put into it.

The Tanto line boasts to be “constructed for maximum mobility without the compromise of performance, adorned with a sleek and minimalistic look.” Maximum mobility here means that they tore away everything except the thin metal band that connects the two small ear cups on either side of your head.

They weren’t exaggerating about the pair being super lightweight, but I’m afraid that stripping the headphones down to its bare essentials makes it look very fragile. I’m a big guy and holding them in my hands makes me feel like I’d snap them if I moved the wrong way. The minimalist design is appealing though – there’s no screaming brand logo, no fancy design details or loud prints to distract you from the eye-catching simplicity it offers, but some may complain that it’s too minimalist.

The headphones come with a microphone and push-button control, which allows me to use them for calls or control the music. It also comes with a 120cm tangle-resistant fabric cord, which is of a fair length between my ears and the music player in my pocket.

The package also comes with a converter for larger audio ports and will allow you to plug in your headset to any music source. To round it off, the product comes with a warranty booklet, a full catalog of the Urbanears products, and a complimentary sticker that bears the company’s logo in the same color as the headphones, of course.

Sound Quality

At this point I’m thinking to myself, these are still your run-of-the-mill headphones. There’s nothing really special about the Urbanears Tanto to justify its price tag. It isn’t looking good for this pair – seems like my prejudice will still hold up after all. There was nothing left to do but to plug it in to my iPhone, scroll down to my staple test song “Drumming” by Florence and the Machine, hit play, and wear the thing. This is where I found myself eating my words.

I was literally not expecting this much sound to come from such a flimsy-looking pair. I don’t want to get too technical with you, but I could hear a full range of sounds in clear detail. The bass power wasn’t overwhelming, but you wouldn’t find it lacking either. The lows and mids were easily distinguishable and the artist’s words came across very clearly.

At only 70% volume, it was loud enough to drown out most ambient noise. Pushing the volume to 100% still made the sound comfortable enough to listen to with the same clear sound and no crackling whatsoever. It wasn’t noise-cancelling in any way as it still let the surrounding noise in, but I suppose this wasn’t really part of the product’s specifications.

The lightweight design really does come through once you wear them. I had them on for about 30 minutes and I hardly felt that they were there. The Urbanears Tanto is a pair you could wear for hours on end without feeling any discomfort.

Overall Experience

I was pleasantly surprised to hear such good quality from such a small pair of headphones, but I wouldn’t say the experience was perfect. My main complaint is that the earphones don’t fit snugly over my ears. The product boasts that the ear cups were made with a pivoting ball joint construction for optimized ergonomics, but it took me quite some time to adjust them to a comfortable position where I could hear the music clearly. I wasn’t allowed to do any vigorous movement either, because moving my head would offset the headphones and I’d have to adjust them again.

Overall, I would certainly say that the Urbanears Tanto headphones exceeded my initial expectations. It delivers good sound quality in an ultra-light weight, comfortable and sleek design – simple enough to be subtle, yet bold enough to get noticed. Has this changed my mind on the Ubranears brand? Yes, it certainly has.

The company lives up to its promise of quality without compromise and it certainly justifies its price tag. Would I recommend you to go out and buy it? In a nutshell: using them while studying in your room / working at your office desk / walking in the park? Yes, these headphones are for you. Exercising in the gym / running around a lot / a big guy like me? Perhaps you should consider its bigger brother, the Urbanears Plattan. No matter the case, Urbanears is definitely a brand I have added to my favorites list.

Standard Retail Price of Urbanears Tanto:

• Cream - Php1,950
• Grape - Php1,950
• Sage - Php1,950

Urbanears is available at the following stores:

• Beyond The Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Listening Room – SM MegaMall
• 8 Telcom - Davao
• GUI - Davao
• Banana Telecom - Davao
• iCenter – Cebu
• Urban Athletics - Greenbelt 3
• Complex
• Toby’s Arena – Shangri-La Plaza Mall
• Astrovision
• Egghead – Robinsons Galleria
• Astrovision
• Egghead – Robinsons Galleria

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant and Project Manager in one of the biggest IT companies of the world. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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Catch Cirque Mother Africa this April 19-22 at Resorts World Manila

Be dazzled by 40 amazing artists from nine African countries -  Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Benin, Zimbabwe, and Guinea - as they perform in Cirque Mother (Circus Mama) Africa this April 19 to 22, 2012 at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre in Resorts World Manila.

Presented by Establish Events in cooperation with Media Central, Cirque Mother Africa has a similar concept as with Cirque Du Soleil, but with its own unique, different vibe. The innovative two hour show combines African music, dance and performance, and pulsates with the heartbeat of Africa.

All artists of Cirque Mother Africa are dancers, singers or musicians and quite often a combination of all three. They have toured and performed sold out shows in Germany, Italy, Romania, Russia, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Spain, and will be visiting Singapore before trouping to Manila. 

Most of our perception of the word “circus” illustrates images of a big top, a ringmaster in a black top hat and tumbling clowns with white painted faces and round red noses. However, Cirque Mother Africa brings in a new-millennium meaning to it. The show will ultimately delight the senses with items spinning through the air, human contortionists who form mind-boggling shapes with their bodies, while percussionists beat African rhythms on drums. Masks, drums, beads, and amazing costumes all add to the authentic African atmosphere. Some of the highlights of the show include foot juggling, magic and illusions, bounce juggling and contortionists.

Aside from the entertainment that the audience will get from watching Cirque Mother Africa, Mama Africa's team wants to help in a more lasting way. Part of the income from the tickets sold during the forthcoming Mama Africa Tour will go towards development projects in Africa, for example, Karl-Heinz Böhm's Ethiopian aid project People for People which has been in existence for thirty years. 

For tickets to Cirque Mama Africa, please visit: www.ticketworld.com.ph or call 891-9999. For Group Bookings, please call Peeya at 0915 9275747.

Show Dates and Time are as follows:

• April 19, 2012 - 8:00PM
• April 20, 2012 - 8:00PM
• April 21, 2012 - 3:00PM
• April 21, 2012 - 8:00PM
• April 22, 2012 - 8:00PM

Cirque Mother (CircusMama) Africa Sections and Prices from the TicketWorld Website:

• Php6,095 - VIP and Premiere Center
• Php5,090 - Premiere Left and Premiere Right
• Php4,065 - Deluxe Left, Deluxe Right and Deluxe Center (first 4 rows in the middle)
• Php3,025 - Balcony Left, Balcony Right, and Balcony Center (last 4 rows in the middle)
• Php1,500 - Upper Balcony (last row)

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Attention to Marshall Headphones: Major and Minor

Admit it – your iPods, mp3 players and music players are your constant companions. Especially during those moments when you are commuting, waiting for your flight or destination, leisurely walking alone or even while working. It’s like when we start blasting our song choices, we begin to be absorbed into a world that we love and nobody’s gonna take that away from us. For a while, it makes us to either forget our problems or break into a concert and freak everyone out.

It is essential to have a good pair of earphones to detach ourselves from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives and achieve that great feeling of being in our own universe. We need to have something that is comfortable to use and most importantly, can make us appreciate music – from the voice of the singer down to the beat of the drums and bass.

So when I received the Marshall Headphones for review, I immediately tested it to see how it fares to all the earphones I’ve tried before.

Marshall Headphones has two versions – the MAJOR and the MINOR.

The Marshall Headphones MAJOR is a full-earcup headphone, like the ones used by DJs, while the Marshall Headphones MINOR is the smaller in-ear version.

Look and Feel

Marshall Headphones Major

Compared to the other headphones I’ve tried before, hands down this is the most ear-friendly. The cushion rests lightly upon your ears making your listening experience comfortable (In fact, the long hours I was using it, it didn’t hurt my ears).

The construction of the MAJOR Headphones is also foldable and collapsible making it easy for users to carry and store it anywhere they go.

Personally, what I don’t really feel about the MAJOR is its cord. I think this is the type of cord that will easily wear out if the product’s been used over and over. Or too much folding of this cord will result in cracks.

Marshall Headphones Minor

I really like Marshall Headphones MINOR because it has an EarClick feature that secures the earphone into position in your ear. It also comes with interchangeable pairs of earpads so you can adjust the earphones based on how it will fit comfortably in your ears. The medium-sized earpad is perfect for me. It is so comfy it feels like I’m not using earphones but hearing music loud and clear.

I think some people might be confused at first on how this is worn (I had to figure it out also initially) but once you find the earpads that suit you, then the experience will be great. I think the MINOR is perfect for running and workout because the earphones, with its EarClick feature, are designed to be locked on your ears so it doesn’t easily fall off.

What I love about the MINOR is that it uses a tangle resistant fabric cord which is definitely up for long-period usage.

Both MAJOR and MINOR look pretty classic with the gold accents. Both also come equipped with microphone and remote which can be used with your mobile phones. This comes in handy when you are in transit and you have to take a call or change songs in your playlist but your cell phone or music player is in the depths of your bag or pocket.

Both are compatible with any music player and mobile phone with 3.5MM earphone jack. MAJOR is also compatible with 6.3MM earphone jack.

While the white MAJOR and MINOR look spiffy, I prefer to have these in black since white is more prone to dirt.

Sound Experience

Both the MAJOR and MINOR are not just eye-candy. They are ear-candy as well!

Marshall Headphones Major

What’s good about the MAJOR is that for its category as full-earcup headphone, its relatively small size did not compromise the quality of the sound you’re listening to. I appreciated the songs on my iPod more than ever when I started using the MAJOR. The bass and vocals were very lucid. I could even hear the back-up vocals clearly which I normally overlook when using other earphones.

I also tried this for watching TV series and movies. For all the long hours I was using the MAJOR, it didn’t hurt my ears. This one really was built for long-viewing or listening sessions.

Marshall Headphones Minor

Surprisingly, for a small, ear-in headphone, the MINOR delivered great sound quality. I tried different tracks from pop to classical to rock and they all sound clear and groovy.

Verdict

Overall, the MAJOR and MINOR deliver the goods – not just on the outside but the inside as well. They both look pretty and sexy but there’s more to them. They give amazing sound quality too.

So if you want to enter and dramatically improve your own universe, get the Marshall Headphones for your music player. Stick it to your ears, blast your song choice, savor in the beat and the music and start your concert.

Suggested Retail Price:

• Marshall Headphones MAJOR - Php4,650.00
• Marshall Headphones MINOR - Php2,950.00

Available at the following stores:

• 8Telcom – Davao
• Astrovision
• Beyond The Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Hub – CDO
• Digital Walker
• ECentral – Cebu
• Gadgets iN Style
• HTC – MOA
• iStore – Cebu
• iStore – Dumaguete
• iStudio
• Listening Room
• PC Hub
• Power Hub – Davao
• Power Mac Center
• Switch
• Technoholics
• Urban Athletics

Editor's Note: This article was written by Sabrina Dar Santos, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Revisions were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow her on Twitter (@mimsicle) - Glenn / Glich

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