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Reviews Posted by lexein
Displaying reviews posted by certified DX gadget owners first, followed by all other posted reviews.
Stereo VOIP Headset with Mic (CD610)
Stereo VOIP Headset with Mic (CD610)
DX Price: $3.83

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Ownership verified by DX Pretty good sound quality for the price
Posted by lexein on 4/27/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar

Pros: Pretty comfortable. Volume in earphones and microphone output is good. Distortion is low. Mic works very well for VOIP (not too much bass). Short cord is excellent for laptops with front jacks.

Cons: As with most headset+mic combinations, this one needs a foam windscreen. Short cord will be a problem for laptops or desktop machines with rear jacks. Cord could be beefier, but works well enough.

Other Thoughts: DX should sell foam pads and windscreens. I bent the headset to fit my head using a heatgun.

Bottomline: Good deal, especially for travelling.


 
3-LED USB Light
3-LED USB Light
DX Price: $3.72

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Ownership verified by DX Almost great - needs shroud, black color
Posted by lexein on 4/6/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar

Pros: Lightweight enough not to damage USB ports, flexible, very bright, and cool to the touch. Works best when the head is aimed away from you, illuminating papers or books to the side. Or provides decent "color light" for a webcam. Rather annoyingly bright point source, though.

Cons: The LEDs emit a lot of light to the side, which is not useful for laptop keyboards in dark control rooms (why I bought it). Puts glare on the screen or my eyeballs. The unit needs a snap-on shroud, and a snap on diffuser for that.

Other Thoughts:

Bottomline: Not great for laptop keyboards, but pretty good for papers and webcams. If DX sells the black version again, with a snap-on shroud, and a diffuser, I'll buy that.


 
USB to MIDI Cable with 16 MIDI Input/Output Channels (1.8-Meter)
USB to MIDI Cable with 16 MIDI Input/Output Channels (1.8-Meter)
DX Price: $13.78

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Ownership verified by DX Works so nice, I bought it twice
Posted by lexein on 4/6/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar

Pros: No mechanical problems. Connectors fit very well and don't slip. MIDI status LEDs bright enough to be usable, but not distracting. Lag is managable - I expect by adjusting priorities it can be minimized. Installs easily. I didn't have any device conflicts like the Logitech user, although I might have, since I planned at some point to install the QuickCam. So far, no crashes - no forced USB plug/unplugs; this is an improvement over my "old unstable" Mark of the Unicorn Fastlane 2x2.

Cons: Inconsistent in-out lag after several USB plug/unplugs. Restart solved this with no lag issues as long as USB stays in. All my testing was on XP SP2 all updated.

Other Thoughts: There has to be a catch. Maybe it will die after it gets hit with ESD, or corrodes due to too much solder flux residue. Doesn't matter - it works for now, and beats my other USB-MIDI converters hands down. I hope it will become available with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, and in a 2x2 configuration.

Bottomline: Not a bad deal at the price I paid ($17.02). I would def buy another as I need them.


 
Premium Stereo Hi-Fi Replacement Earphones for iPod (3.5mm Jack)
Premium Stereo Hi-Fi Replacement Earphones for iPod (3.5mm Jack)
DX Price: $1.98

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Ownership verified by DX Very good iPod replacement earphones
Posted by lexein on 4/5/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar

Pros: Pleasantly comparable to original iPod earphones. Good appearance, decent build quality, good fit, good sensitivity, consistent frequency response, decent bass. Fine for office and home use.

Cons: At this price, no serious deficiencies. The strain reliefs slide out of place (easily fixed). Distortion appears too soon, at only moderately high volumes. This makes them less attractive for use on public transit or walking around in noisy urban environments.

Other Thoughts: These aren't identical to iPod 'phones, but it doesn't matter. The slight differences are easily adapted too, and not fatiguing.
My earphones typically fail after about a year due to corrosion of wires in the earpiece or mechanical wear at the "Y" junction. I won't mind at all if that happens to these.

Bottomline: At this price, I never have to be without good-sounding spare earphones again. I definitely plan to buy these again.


 
For iPod Noise Isolation Earbuds
For iPod Noise Isolation Earbuds
DX Price: $1.90

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Ownership verified by DX Okay, but not great
Posted by lexein on 4/5/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstar

Pros: Good appearance: Nice form-fitting strain relief at earbuds and at plug. Good colors, matching iPod white and grey. Earseals are attached firmly. Efficiency is high.

Cons: Strain reliefs slide down the cables too easily. Earseals don't "lock" into the ear canal, and tend to work themselves out of the ears unless your ear canals are exactly the right size. Although efficiency is high, distortion at loud volumes is too high for comfortable listening outdoors in the city. Frequency response is uneven: peaky in the midrange, and extremely sensitive to positioning in the ear canal. Bass response is not strong, but can be compensated for by EQ. Worse, the bass fades rapidly as the buds slip out of your ears. External sounds are attentuated only at high and low frequencies, leaving the midrange.

Other Thoughts: I found using these earbuds for long periods to be fatiguing. I prefer the sku.11599 for all my listening - they stay in better, feel better and sound consistently better overall.

Bottomline: I can mildly recommend these only for the price and appearance. Satisfactory as spares, but for 8 cents more, get sku.11599 instead.


 
N619 Mini Bluetooth V2.0 Handsfree Headset (6-Hour Talk Time/180-Hour Stand By)
N619 Mini Bluetooth V2.0 Handsfree Headset (6-Hour Talk Time/180-Hour Stand By)
DX Price: $15.99

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Ownership verified by DX Functional, lightweight, works with tested phones
Posted by lexein on 3/30/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar

Pros: It was able to pair up with three phones I tried easily. Earphone sound quality was great. Microphone quality was equivalent to most on-cheek mics - not great in noisy environments, but fine in elevators, restaurants, movies (kidding). The range was about 8-14 feet based on the phone.
The pushbutton has a nice click, and the alert tone was a mellow boop.

Cons: Pushbutton requires a firm press directly into the ear. For me, this was uncomfortable. The charging indication is not clear - I have to just guess that 4 hours charging is enough. No audible charge warning - the device just quit after 2 hours - didn't drop call, luckily.

Other Thoughts: I was unable to pair this with my laptop's internal Bluetooth. The pairing was confirmed, but no playback or recording ever occurred.

Bottomline: Worthwhile for phones, but unknown if this will work with laptops. Anyone?


 
Rechargeable Digital Pin-hole Spy Camera + USB Drive Disguised as Working Pen (2GB)
Rechargeable Digital Pin-hole Spy Camera + USB Drive Disguised as Working Pen (2GB)
DX Price: $21.98

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Ownership verified by DX Good value, with some provisos
Posted by lexein on 3/30/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar

Pros: As others have said, it's compact, stealthy, reliable, can last a long time on a charge, good video quality, so-so audio depending on circumstances, and it even writes reasonably well.

Cons: Extremely low bitrate ADPCM recording produces CELP-error burbling effects with some voices, and when there is any background noise. Man, do I wish there was a way to select a higher audio sample rate and width.

Other Thoughts: Suggestions:
1. Tape over the pushbutton with black electrical tape or gaff tape to stop it from rattling.
2. Tape over the status LED with magic tape scribbled over with black permanent marker. The LED will be visible only to you, nobody else.
3. Don't move around while recording - a stable pen gives the best video and sound quality.
4. Don't clip the pen onto thick pockets - it will cover the mic and further muffle the sound.
5. I recommend clamping the pen under a clipboard clip, facing your subject. This helps the sound quality somewhat, by reducing reflected sound coming from behind the clipboard (google PZM).
6. The pen also works well clipped into the water-bottle pocket of a backpack - the mesh doesn't block sound.
7. Don't let other people twist the pen - the top cap is NOT GLUED to the USB mount, and can be twisted too easily, covering the lens. A drop of nail polish around the lip will fix this.

Bottomline: A worthwhile purchase, and very useful, as long as some precautions are taken. Enjoy!


 
Hyundai Dongle Style 3.5mm Mini Microphone (Perfect for Laptops)
Hyundai Dongle Style 3.5mm Mini Microphone (Perfect for Laptops)
DX Price: $3.21

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Ownership verified by DX Solid and worthy
Posted by lexein on 3/30/2009
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: more than 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar

Pros: Solid construction, quiet electronics, good fit and finish. Good sound level, so the mic works well for VOIP and teleconferencing. Some resistance to wind noise, but a small foam wind filter should be used when outdoors. It's short, so it won't put side force on a mic jack like larger gooseneck mics like 21462. It's touted as "noise-cancelling", and it picks up less harddisk and fan noise than a pure omnidirectional mic I tried.

Cons: There's a small audible (recordable) squeek while changing the angle of the mic, so leave it alone while recording.
It picks up a more harddisk and fan noise than my noise cancelling headset mic.

Other Thoughts: This is a fine rugged addition to any laptop travel bag.
I wish it had a cardioid pattern.

Bottomline: If your laptop or netbook is missing a microphone, this is a good choice.


 
USB Sound Adapter
USB Sound Adapter
DX Price: $3.14

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Ownership verified by DX Good value for noncritical applications
Posted by lexein on 9/18/2008
Involvement: Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

Price: starstarstarstarstar
Ease of Use: starstarstarstarstar
Build Quality: starstarstarstar
Usefulness: starstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar

Pros: Very small size, decent quality connectors, mild output hiss, moderate input hiss, mild output distortion, low input distortion, very good headphone volume, mic AGC.

Cons: The input and output jacks may be too close together for oversized plugs.
Output noise floor (hiss) has a tonal component - its pitch depends on Wav and Master ("Speaker") mixer levels.
Input noise is moderate. Mic sensitivity is lower than expected, with either AGC setting. It's a fine line level input, however.
The red status LED(mine had no green LED) is very bright and blinks distractingly during operation (but is easily taped over).

Other Thoughts: I look forward to trying several units simultaneously for multichannel, multizone mid-fi audio output. The built-in mic AGC may interfere with Skype's auto-level, so I always turn both off.

Bottomline: A worthy travelbag addition for Skype on mic-less laptops.


 

 

 

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