Apple's Beats Powerbeats Pro

I reviewed the Apple AirPods 2. I love it. The fact that it fits my ears well is a very big bonus. Actually, if they didn’t fit my ears, then, really, there is no reason for me to get one. But, since the EarPods fit my ears well, then that was a good indicator that the AirPods will fit my ears too!

And I love them. I love the sound, I love the fit and I love the comfort of wearing them for extended periods. The link to my review can be found here.

However, not everyone is lucky enough to have the AirPods fit their ears properly. For some, even if they only move slightly, the AirPods drop every time.

For those people, Apple has a solution: The Powerbeats Pro.

The Powerbeats Pro is the natural evolution of the Powerbeats 3. For those who are not familiar, Powerbeats has hooks that go around your ear so that they don’t fall off when you do athletic activities. The two ear pieces are connected by a cord that can go behind the back of your neck. I love the Powerbeats 3. It has been my constant companion whenever I do long runs. The battery lasts for 12 hours so I only had to recharge the device once a week. I love its sound, though, as Beats go, it can get a bit bass-heavy.

The Powerbeats Pro is essentially the Powerbeats 3 without the cord. Each earpiece has a hook that can go around the ear so they won’t fall off. Each earpiece has a battery which lasts for 9 hours. This is significantly shorter than the Powerbeats 3. However, the charging case can give the unit 15 hours more for a total of 24 hours. (For perspective, the fastest Iron Man done in Kona, Hawaii is less than eight hours.) Also, if the battery of each piece runs out, you can quick-charge them and get one hour and a half of use for 5 minutes of charging!

The Powerbeats Pro is comfortable to wear for extended period. I just needed to adjust the ear hooks a little and it was good to go. The unit feels well-made as all beats go and it is rated to be sweat and splash resistant. This means the earphones will keep on going even if you get caught in the rain. Or if simply you sweat a lot. Just don’t swim with it… The case also is well made but it is not water resistant. So, if you think that there is a big chance that you will get wet, then make sure you leave the case/charger in the water resistant part of your bag or in a zip lock container.

Yes, I said “bag” because the case is big and there is no way you can put it inside your jeans pocket. It “can” fit in the pocket of your running shorts or running jacket but the case is heavy enough to not feel comfortable when you go on a run. Yeah, I personally will not go on a run with the case on my person…

Now, I am not an audiophile so I really cannot tell you if you would like the sound of these pair of Beats or not. Quality of sound is, in my opinion, highly subjective anyway. What I can say is that I love the sound of the Powerbeats Pro. And, surprisingly, this pair is not bass-heavy the way Beats usually sound. Bass is still there but it is not as heavy as the Powerbeats 3 that I still use. The lows and mids are also clear and I appreciate the sound it produces whether it be Hip Hop, Rock or Classical music. And the sound is very good even for watching movies and videos. The sound is well-balanced whether you are listening to dialogues or to the soundtrack of whatever you are watching.

The Powerbeats Pro has a bit of passive noise cancellation, which means it does mute the sound of your environment via the seal of the earpieces. However, it is not sealed enough to completely block out the outside world, which is the way I like it - I still wish to be able to hear my environment especially when I am walking or running outdoors.

To illustrate this passive noise cancellation, you will be able to hear that people are talking on the table next to yours but you won’t be able to tell what they are saying nor what language they are speaking in...

So, all-in-all, using the Powerbeats Pro is a really positive experience.

However, one negative thing about the Powerbeats Pro is the price. It is really expensive and a lot of people will balk at the idea of spending $250 pre-tax for this headset (about 13,000 pesos in Philippine money - not including the extra amount that importing this may incur). The AirPods with wireless charging case is actually $50 less expensive than the Powerbeats Pro. And, there are a lot of other brands that are cheaper but sounds as good, or some may even say better, than the Powerbeats Pro!

So, why would you spend more money for the Powerbeats Pro than a different brand?

For me, it is the H1 chip that Apple has developed in-house. With this chip, pairing the device for the first time seems like magic. When you open up the lid, the Powerbeats Pro will appear on any device you have with you that has an active screen (either an iOS, iPadOS or MacOS device). The chip also makes it much quicker to re-pair the Powerbeats Pro to whatever bluetooth device it is registered to. Also, the H1 chip makes the connection between the earpiece and, say an iPhone, much more stable: music does not easily cut off over an extended distance, call quality sounds better for both parties, though i noticed that I need to pump the volume up for voice calls, and there is no lag between the left and the right units. Trust me, if there is a lag between the left and the right earpiece, it can get really, really disconcerting… (Have you ever watched something where the movement of the mouth of the actors is not in sync to the sound you are hearing? It “is” that annoying!)

So, if you have ears that seem to hate AirPods, if you have the extra cash, and if you don’t mind carrying a huge charging case, then the Powerbeats Pro might be for you!

The Powerbeats Pro is Highly Recommended!

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Apple AirPods 2 Review

I have been fortunate to have my ears fit the earphones that come with iPods and iPhones. Actually, if the environment I am in is not that noisy, then, my default earphone of choice is actually the EarPods. I like the sound, I like the balance between the lows, highs and mids, and the fit in both my ears are perfect.

So, when the AirPods came out, I was greatly interested.

However, for one reason or another, I wasn’t able to get the first generation ones. But with a trip to the US, I made it a point to visit an Apple Store and get the second generation ones.

As to be expected, the AirPods fit my ears nicely, I love the sound, and I love the battery life. I love that my music, from the built-in music app, or from Spotify, and even videos from YouTube, automatically pauses when I pull out one, or both, of the buds. The buds are so comfortable in my ears that I barely notice that they are there - I don’t feel any pain nor any discomfort even if I wear the buds for an extended time. And with a battery life of up to five hours, the AirPods stay in my ears for a long time.

But, yes, the AirPods are not noise-isolating buds so, if the environment gets loud, like on the streets (where I don’t usually wear earphones nor headphones) or in cafes, the noise can leak into your ear and you would have to pump out the volume of the sound you are listening to. That is the only way to overcome outside noise.

But, all-in-all, the AirPods sound way better than the EarPods!

To pair the earphones to your iPhone, just open up the lid and, after some time, a display on your iPhone (or any Apple devices) appears and asks you to pair the earphones. It is that easy! If you are on an android phone, then you pair the AirPods the same way you pair any other pair of bluetooth headsets.

So, I am sold to the AirPods. I love them, and, now that I have them, I can’t live without them.

However, when I bought the AirPods from the Apple Store, the Apple employee actually gave me a case that charges solely via a lightning cable without me noticing. I would have wanted to get the one with the wireless case. So, when we came back home to the Philippines, I gave my not-so-old pair to the wife and I bought a pair with the wireless case.

The wife, also is comfortable with wearing EarPods so the AirPods fit her ear like a glove also! She was blown away by the AirPods and now she also considers it one of her most favorite accessory! For listening to music, for web calls and online meetings, she uses the AirPods solely now!. She loves the AirPods and she can’t live without it now also.

Just like me!

But what can I say about the wireless case? It is a love-hate relationship, to put it mildly…

I have an iPhone XS Max and I rarely charge it via the lightning port now. I use a wireless charger and I just leave it on the charger overnight. So, I was expecting the same kind of convenience when it comes to the AirPods with a wireless charging case. Well…

First of all, the light that tells you that the case is charging turns off after a few seconds. So, you really don’t know if your case is charging or not. I would have wished that Apple designed it so that the amber light is switched on the whole time while the case is charging! The only way for you to know if the case, and AirPods themselves, are fully charged is if you check on your iOS device or on any device the AirPods are paired with. (Unfortunately, I can’t check how it is done on an android device.)

Secondly, I feel that the induction coil in the AirPods case is so small that a slight misalignment from the coil in the charger can cause the charging process to stop. This happened to me a lot of times already - I thought that I have placed the case on my charger properly and, after some time, when I got back, the charger is blinking, signifying that the case was improperly placed. This also meant that, instead of charging the case, it actually had less charge than when I put it on the charger.

Oh, the blinking light can also mean that the metallic hinge of the case has interfered with the induction coil in the charger.

So, when you place you wireless charging case on your wireless charger, make sure that you observe the set up first before you leave. You don’t want to have a depleted case when you go out of the door. You can also use a lightning cable exclusively. This is a more reliable way of charging the case anyway.

So, if you want to save on some cash, just get the case that is charged via a lightning cable. It is more reliable and it charges the case faster. But, if you just want to plunk the case down on a wireless charger that you already have, like myself, then I suggest you get the one with the wireless charging case. Just make sure that the case is properly set first before you leave it for an extended time.

Overall, the wife and I are happy with our AirPods. If you are happy with the way the EarPods fit your ears, then you will be happy with the AirPods.

The Apple AirPods are Highly Recommended!

Get your AirPods accessories from Amazon here!!!

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The Sony HT-ST5000 7.1.2ch 800W Review

When using a dedicated surround sound system is not feasible in your home, then a sound bar is the next best choice. There are a lot of brands out there but the Sony HT-ST5000 7.1.2ch 800W can stand out from the rest.

Find out why in the link below:

Make Your Home a Mini Theater With This Sound Bar

The photo was made with the Canon G7x Mark II. You can find my review of that camera here!

The JBL Charge 3 Review

I am happy to be of a certain... Age.

You see I am old enough to know about the existence of those large boom boxes, the thing that John Cusack carried above his head in the movie Say Anything. But, I am also young enough to know of the existence of small bluetooth speakers that can rival, or even best, those boom boxes of yore.

When I received the JBL Charge 3, I was immediately impressed by the device. And it endeared itself more to me when I saw that the accessories that came with the Charge 3 were colored orange. The build quality of the speaker was really good and it really felt good in the hand. There were no squeaking sounds and all the ports were sealed under a rubber door.

There are are 6 buttons on the Charge 3: the power button, the play/pause button, the two volume controls, the bluetooth pairing button and JBL Connect button. Setting up the speaker to pair with your device is really easy: just press that Bluetooth button so that your smartphone, tablet or any device that has a Bluetooth antenna can find it. Then, once found by your device, just select it and you’re all set.

The rubber door that I mentioned above is absolutely important. This device is actually rated as a waterproof speaker and that rubber door completes the water proofing! Yes, you can swim with it, surf with it, run in the rain with it (huh?). Anyway, my point is, you can take this speaker places and you won’t have to worry about it.

Now, I did not dunk this speaker under water for I cannot imagine anyone listening to anything when they go, say, scuba diving. But, to test out the waterproofing of this device, when it rained really hard in our place, I placed the speaker under torrential rain. I had a big umbrella, went to the pool area of the apartment complex, and placed the Charge 3 under the rain. And yes, I got some weird looks from some of the residents. :)

The speaker continued playing even when it got completely soaked. I even stood it on one end and one of the radiators actually accumulated water! And it was so nice to see the accumulated water bouncing up and down as the sound continued to play.

But of course, before I did this water-related experiment, I made sure that the rubber door is tightly sealed. And also, I also made sure that I rinsed the speaker under running tap water so that any salt in the rain, or whatever impurities that came with it, was washed off.

And to round off the capabilities of this speaker, the reason why this speaker is called the Charge 3 is because the speaker itself can serve as a power bank for your many other electronic devices. So, with this speaker, you can charge an iPhone 6s+ almost twice from a completely depleted state. So, if you are expecting a power interruption, like when there’s a typhoon coming, you can charge this device (no pun intended) the night before, and have it ready for the possible brown out.

The JBL Charge 3 is rated to last for 20 hours of continuous use and I was able to get about 15 to 18 hours of playtime. But of course, the battery life of the speaker will be reduced if you use it to charge your smartphone, say. There are 5 LCDs that can tell you the charge level of the battery.

But of course, the main purpose of the Charge 3’s existence is to be a speaker! And in this regard, the speaker performed really, really well.

The sound produced by this speaker is really good and really loud! The sound easily filled our apartment and it even leaked to the hallway of our floor even if the door was closed. I tested the speaker with different kinds of music, like Iron Man by Black Sabbath, Around the Bend by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Bad Blood by Taylor Swift, Skyfall by Adele, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral", among others. No matter the type of music I played, the Charge 3 performed admirably! From the highs to the mids to the lows, the details in the music sounded really clear.

However, the one thing where I wasn’t so impressed was when I used the speaker to watch some movies. The dialogues in the movie sounded soft, so I increased the volume of the speaker. However, when the action came in, like when the good guys and the bad guys started shooting each other, the volume of all those mayhem got so loud that I was forced to significantly reduce the volume of the speaker. And when there was a dialogue within the action, you essentially can’t hear the dialogue anymore because, at that point, the voices are way, way muted compared to the rest of the sound in the movie.

Note however, that this is true for all speakers of the same structure. If you really want a more immersive movie watching experience sound-wise, then you would have to invest in some 3.1 or 5.1-surround sound system. The JBL Charge 3, as in all bluetooth speakers of the same clout, is good for music but passable for movie watching.

However, for all its capabilities, the JBL Charge 3 is still something worth considering. Compared to the boombox I alluded to above, the Charge 3 is much, much better!

With the boombox, you need to have about a hundred size-D batteries for it. And the batteries will only last about two hours. Despite the smaller size, I believe that the Charge 3 is still louder and sounds much better than a boombox. And when you are outdoors, you and your friends need not worry about people spilling their drinks on the Charge 3. And you have to be really physically fit to lift a boombox above your head!

Although, lifting the Charge 3 above your head won’t be as cool… :)

The JBL Charge 3 speaker is Highly Recommended!

Quick Review of the MBQuart Speaker QUBOne - Loud, Quality Sound, BadBattery

The MBQuart QUBOne is a neat speaker. It is small, has Bluetooth connectivity and has an aux port for those devices that do not have Bluetooth. The sound is great and loud for such a small speaker. The design is very nice and, from the outside, the speaker is well-built.

Connecting to the speaker is very easy: just turn on the speaker, go to the Setting app of your device, whether a smartphone, tablet, or computer, and select the QUBOne as your output. To increase the volume of your music, you push the jog dial all the way to the right and hold it. If you just push to the right, then you will go to the next song...

The only other control is the power switch. There isn't even a switch for pairing devices. 

My only criticism of this speaker is the battery. Supposedly you can get use get 5 hours out of the battery. However, the battery of the speaker that I got cannot even hold a charge. I thought that, out of the box, the battery was simply flat, but after charging the thing overnight, the speaker simply has no life when I disconnected the USB charger. It is such a pity for I consider this speaker as a nice thing to have when you are out and about. It is so small that putting it in your bag won't add much weight. But, again, this battery issue is a big downer.

So, when you decide to get one of these, make sure you keep the receipt for you might need it to exchange the one you bought for a different unit. Better yet, test the speaker right away before you leave the store...

The MBQuart QUBOne is Recommended with Reservations.

Jaybird X2 Bluetooth Headset Review

The first time I owned a pair of bluetooth earphones, the device was big, battery life was nothing to shout about (I think it was 3 hours at best), and connection to my device kept disconnecting. My device back then was an iPod 5.5Gen, the first one that can play video, and the bluetooth earphone came with a dongle that you can plug into the stereo port of the iPod.

I think that was a 1.1 version of bluetooth...

But times have changed. So much miniaturization has happened and people can put more and more electronics into smaller and smaller devices.

The Jaybird X2 is the third pair of bluetooth earphones I have owned. (I still have to write about the second one...) This is an in-ear style that has great noise isolation and is designed for sporty activities. Though this wireless earphone will be primarily used for day-to-day listening and not when I'm in the gym, I decided to get this pair anyway for several reasons.

First, the original Jaybird, the Bluebuds X Sports, got really great reviews and people said that the X2 is a great improvement to the first one. Some even suggested that, since the X2 is now out, the original X Sports will be a great, great bargain!

Second, I like that this pair has great noise isolation. Again, I will not be using this for athletic activities, but the noise isolation is a great boon for those times when I want to mute the sounds of my surroundings.

I love the construction of this pair of wireless earphones. The wires are flat, so they will surely not tangle, the control buttons are on the small side but this isn't a big issue for me since I don't wear winter gloves anymore, and the earphones come fully-packed with everything you will need:

• the earphones
• silicone tips (small, medium and large)
• foam tips (small, medium and large; I haven't tried these yet though)
• earfins
• cord management clips
• charging cable (which is on the short end; as in it's just about 8 inches long)
• the silicone case (oh man! this is a great-looking case!)

Jaybird rate the battery life at 8 hours and I get more or less that long. The battery charges quickly and charging the unit for 2 and a half hours will get you back in the game. So to speak.

Jaybird says that you can pair the unit to up to 8 Bluetooth-enabled devices. However, changing from one bluetooth source to another can be a pain - the source doesn't change automatically, say, when you pause your music from your iPad then start playing music on your iPhone... You have to go to the "Settings menu" in your iPhone and select the X2 manually as the output.

Speaking of controls, you can use the in-line control buttons to answer and end calls, play/pause music, increase and decrease volume, and go to the previous or next track. You also use the Play/Pause button to switch the earphones on and off.

Listening to the X2 is a very comfortable experience. Once you have determined the size of the tips you will be using, plus attach the right-sized earfins, you can go on listening with the earphones for as long as the battery lasts and you won't feel any discomfort. And since X2 is built like a tank, you can take it to any activity that you like and expect that the earphones will be able to survive them.

I am not an audiophile and I don't aspire to be, but what I can say is that I love how this pair of earphone sounds. Base is deep, vocals are clearly heard, though the lows are on the, ahem, low side... This is not designed for listening to classical music.

And voice calls sound really, really good also!

People might say that wired earphones are still best, and I won't argue with that. But Bluetooth has come a long way and the X2 earphone has proven that great music can be heard over a wireless connection.

And as long as Nina Simone's Sinnerman sounds good, the earphone is good in my book.

The Jaybird X2 Wireless is Highly Recommended.

Photos shot with a Canon G-series Powershot.

Philips ActionFit Overdrive Review

Of all my earphones, the ones that usually break first are the ones that I use for the gym. It's either the thing gets shorted because of my sweat, or, and this happens more often, the wire inside breaks because the thing gets yanked whenever I workout.

My latest earphones, the Yurbuds, which I reviewed here, broke and I needed to find another pair. I would have gotten another pair of Yurbuds but I wanted a pair that blocks out most of the noise. I mostly workout in a gym anyway so I don't need to be as conscious of my surroundings as compared to if I jogged outdoors.

So, I decided to get the Philips ActionFit Overdrive.

This pair hooks around the ear and you adjust the hooks based on the size of your ear lobes. This pair has an in-ear design so it makes for a more immersive listening experience. Much of the noise is blocked out though you will not be completely isolated: external sounds are muted but are not totally blocked off. This makes the earphones still useable for outdoor activities.

There is a clip along the cord so you can attach it to your clothing. There are two extra pairs of silicon caps and you determine which pair is more compatible with your ear canals.

There is also a small bag for the earphones though I really couldn't see the need for that...

The hook itself does not stay in place when bent. However, there is a plastic slider that you adjust when you put the earphones on. I illustrate the difference on the photo below. The earphone on top has the slider on the default position, while the one at the bottom has the slider set all the way down. You adjust the slider based on the size of your earlobes.

Sound quality of the earphones is great, the mids are clearly heard. The lows are very distinctive and spoken words are clear and highly intelligible. However, the bass of the earphones is on the quiet side, so if you are into rock or hiphop music, you won't be able to feel as much thump. For a sports-oriented pair, this earphone is great for listening to classical music. And also, since some of the outside noise leak in, you will have to increase the volume of your player.

The Philips ActionFit Overdrive is sweat and moisture resistant so I hope this will last longer than my other sports earphones. The Philips website also states that the wires are "Kevlar-reinforced" so I hope that this new pair will survive the tugging and yanking that will definitely happen.

But overall, the sound quality of the Philips Action Fit Overdrive is great. #TheShyPhotographer Highly Recommends it for workouts, for listening outdoors, or if you just want to kick back.

So get yours here:

Photos shot with an iPhone 6+ using the iOS app Hipstamatic