Chord Electronics Ltd, world-leading manufacturer of high-end audio has recently entered the Philippine market much to the delight of Filipino audiophiles. The company’s first product is a DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) called the Mojo which was recently unveiled in a special event in Taguig.

Designed and built in England, Mojo is actually a contraction of two words – Mobile Joy, which happens to be the core selling proposition of the product. It basically provides high-fidelity audio to consumers in a compact and portable solution.

Mojo is built around the multi-award winning Hugo platform that is supposed to deliver studio-like audio performance to smartphones other mobile devices. Inside the Mojo is a powerful headphone amplifier that delivers crystal clear audio to in-ear buds or large studio cans.

John Frank: Managing director of Chord Electronics 

The device is meant to further improve the sound quality of your existing headphones using its powerful amplifier. The device is compatible to Android, iOS and Windows devices and supports three major digital inputs – USB, coaxial and optical.

The Mojo is compatible with any pair of headphones though there are compatibility issues when it comes to either the cable used or the music player app used on a phone during our brief experience with it.

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If you’ve got the right software and hardware to make it work, the Mojo should deliver up to 10 hours of high-quality audio up to two users, with its two 3.5mm analogue outputs. The device will also play a wide range of audio files including DSD 256 and Apple’s FLAC format.

FULL SPECIFICATIONS   

• Output Power @ 1kHz
• 600 ohms 35mW
• 8 ohms 720mW
• Output Impedance: 0.075 ohms
• Dynamic Range: 125dB
• THD @ 3v - 0.00017%                                   

Those interested in getting the Mojo should also be prepared for its quite hefty price tag of Php31,000. The Chord Mojo is available for testing and of course for purchase at the following stores:

• JBL Digital Dreams- 3rd Floor SM North EDSA Annex
• JBL Acoustical Space – 4th Floor Cyberzone SM Megamall Bldg B
• JBL Sound Gallery – B3 Bonifacio High Street
• JBL Kiosk – 3rd Floor Trinoma
• A. Refinery UP Town Center
• A. Refinery Ayala Center Cebu
• Egg Head Robinsons Galleria

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Erica manages a few business web pages including The Girl with the Muji Hat travel blog. Coffee, rain & soul music are three things that let her conquer sporadic blog apathy. Aside from being a supermom, she is a beginner pole dance student, a bathroom singer and a tree advocate.
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Danish consumer electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen has always been known for making high quality and high-end audio products. This week, the company has unveiled a new Bluetooth headphones that provides premium style and performance.

The H7 headphones were designed by Jakob Wagner and uses exquisite materials including aluminum, lambskin and cowhide leather. The device uses Bluetooth 4.1 to connect to media players and features 40mm electro-dynamic audio drivers with 20-22,000Hz frequency range.

There’s also an integrated omni-directional microphone installed on the H7 that allows the headphones to double as a headset. A 3.5mm audio jack is also available for use in case you want to connect the headphones to a non-Bluetooth device.

In the battery department, the H7 comes equipped with a 770mAh Li-ion battery, which according to Bang & Olufsen can last up to 20 hours wirelessly and can be replaced.

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H7 is now available from the company’s website for $449 in either black or natural (it’s like beige if you ask us).

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If you’re one of those who bought an expensive audio system but you can’t use it to play your music collection since you store them in a tablet or smartphone, then Logitech’s Bluetooth Audio adaptor might be the gadget for you, especially if you’re not into buying those expensive docks.

The Logitech Bluetooth Audio adapter is a no brainer device that instantly transforms your existing audio system into wireless speakers. It’s incredibly easy to setup and it’s a slightly cheaper alternative to standalone BT speakers. But the question is, should you buy one? We took the device for a spin and here’s what we think about it.
THE GOOD
The winning feature of the Logitech Bluetooth Audio adapter is definitely its very straightforward setup. As we’ve mentioned, the device is a pretty simple and no-brainer device. It comes with its own power adapter, a RCA cable and the usual paper stuff including the warranty and a short manual. 

There are three ports at the back of the device – the RCA ports, the AUX port and the A/C port where the power adapter is plugged into. You can use your audio system’s RCA connection or a 3.5mm cable to hook up the device.
It is very easy to setup. There’s a blue indicator light at the front of the device that signals its connection status: blinking if it’s trying to look for a device to sync with and solid if it has paired successfully.

The adapter can only sync with one device so you don’t have to worry about someone hijacking your listening experience. In case you want to pair it with another device, you simple press the Bluetooth logo at the top and pair with the new device. 
THE NOT SO GOOD
There are only a few things not to like about the Logitech Bluetooth Audio adapter. First is that it can only stream from one device at a time so in case you have multiple gadgets where you store your music library or where you install your music apps, you’d have to manually reconnect the adapter every time you want to stream from a different device.

Also, we observed that the device had a bit of difficulty working with audio streaming apps like Spotify. We used a device with Bluetooth v3.0 on board and there were numerous instances of stuttering, which is actually weird because this was not the case when we were watching videos on YouTube. So, this issue might be related to the app and not the device itself. But in case you’re planning to buy this gadget, do check it in the store if it has an issue with audio streaming apps.
THE VERDICT
At just 2000PHP or just a little less than $45, the Logitech Bluetooth Audio adapter does what it’s supposed to be – it turns ordinary speakers into Bluetooth speakers. And it does this in a very simple manner that even an 8 year old will be able to figure it out.

However, it’s a bit conservative especially with the number of devices you can connect to it, so it’s not something we would recommend for family use. The device also has problems connecting to some audio streaming apps including Spotify, which is quite unfortunate since the audio streaming service has recently gained a huge following after its launch in the country.
With that being said, the Logitech Bluetooth Audio adapter is still a very lovable device and we’ll definitely recommend it to those who want a more affordable alternative to Android or iOS audio docks, or standalone Bluetooth speakers. 
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We were all quite overwhelmed with the numerous announcements from Computex, WWDC and E3 that we kind of overlooked a few minor news. One of which is Motorola’s Moto Stream – a wireless audio adapter that can turn ordinary speakers into wireless speakers for your smart devices.

The Moto Stream sports a Icosahedron form factor (multi-faceted) with complementary lights and connects to your smartphone or tablet either via Bluetooth 3.0 or NFC. Users simply need to tap a phone with the Moto Stream using NFC or connect via Bluetooth (up to 300 feet) in order to wirelessly stream music from any compatible device.

On the speaker side, the device connects to ordinary speakers using a 3.5mm jack. Motorola has added a 3.5mm to RCA connector in the package to make it easy for those with audio systems that have RCA connections.

The Moto Stream is capable of connection up to 5 devices and features a “heist” mode that gives all 5 devices control over the speaker - users can either dropping a track or heisting it when they don’t like it.If you’re interested in getting the device, the Motorola Moto Stream is now available on the company’s website for $50.

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Razer, a popular gaming hardware and software manufacturer recently announced the Razer Surround, an audio engine that provides 7.1 virtual surround sound to any stereo headphones.

The patent-pending Razer Surround audio engine gives users the option to calibrate their personal surround sound settings through a series of listening tests to match their preferences. This enables the engine to give each user superior positional sound over traditional virtual solutions. Moreover, the system gives gamers a truly individualized 7.1 surround sound and attuned 3D audio experience that allow them to acoustically pinpoint exact locations of opponents in the game, providing that “unfair advantage” in gameplay.

The Razer Surround engine is available as a complementary software add-on, integrated within the company’s Synapse 2.0 application, offering virtual 7.1 suroound sound and storing individual audio signatures in the cloud. Users can access these settings anytime and will automatically update new systems to previous calibrated settings.

Other features of the system include pre-configured calibrations for all Razer audio products, bass boost, sound normalization, voice clarity, voice level adjustments, custom equalizer settings and 11 pre-set equalizer settings.

The system works with any stereo headset or headphone and Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. The software is now available worldwide for free until December 31^st. Signups beyond December 2013 will be charged US$19.99.

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