Leslie Shapiro

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Headphone Reviews
Review: Bell'O Digital BDH650 In-Ear Headphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jun 28, 2012  |  0 comments

When Bell'O announced that they were getting into the audio business, I fully expected them to come out with a line of speakers that matched some of their home theater furniture.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: BlueAnt PUMP HD Wireless Waterproof Sportbud
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 14, 2014  |  0 comments
As someone whose life seems to revolve around the outdoors, I’m all ears whenever I hear about a new “active” piece of electronics gear. The new BlueAnt PUMP HD wireless waterproof sportbud promised to deliver audiophile-grade performance in a rugged, IP67-waterproof rated Bluetooth-compatible package.As soon as it arrived, I charged it up and hit my favorite bike trail.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: Cleer Ally Wireless Earphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jul 01, 2019  |  2 comments
When you’re going truly wireless, your only option is to use Bluetooth, so it has to be the best quality that Bluetooth affords. The new Cleer Ally earphones use Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX, so for the moment, they're pretty much as good as it gets.

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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
Review: Eton Rukus Solar Portable Bluetooth Speaker System
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 07, 2012  |  0 comments

If you’ve ever tried to jazz up a party with the speaker built into your iPhone, you know how pathetic that can sound. These days, everyone is coming out with portable speaker systems (don’t call them boomboxes!) for MP3 players, but they all require one thing: Power. Now, we all love power, but AC power isn’t always available where we want to party (eg. poolside or the beach).

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Portable Player ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: Harman Kardon Esquire Mini Bluetooth Speaker
Leslie Shapiro  |  Oct 13, 2014  |  0 comments
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. True that. However, you usually can assume quite a bit by that cover. When I first saw the Harman Kardon Esquire Mini portable Bluetooth speaker ($150), I knew it was something special. Very few speakers can compete with the looks of this one; and on an executive’s desk, looks do matter.

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Grace Notes
Review: iFrogz Boost
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 05, 2012  |  0 comments

The iFrogz Boost is a small, very portable speaker that claims to magically boost the sound from an iPhone, or any smartphone or other device with an external speaker. I have to be skeptical of any product that uses the word "magical" on their packaging - unless it's a "As Seen on TV" product, which everyone knows are all magical.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: Jaybird's Athlete-Inspired Tarah Pro Bluetooth Headphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Dec 10, 2018  |  0 comments
Go big or stay home is my version of that common saying. If you’re going to go for a hike, make it epic. If it’s a run, make it a marathon. Bike ride? Better be a century. Ultra is in and you need gear that’s up for the challenge. If your legs can take a 14-hour run, why can’t your headphones?

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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
Review: Lyrix Duo Bluetooth 2-in-1 Speaker
Leslie Shapiro  |  Sep 30, 2013  |  0 comments
Every morning, my inbox is filled with press release after press release announcing some new Bluetooth wireless speaker. Everybody seems to be making them, and every company is trying to find an edge—some way to elevate themselves above the fray. Different shapes, multiple colors, small or large, they all do the same thing. But the Lyrix Duo caught my eye as something different, something unique. I needed to find out if different is also good.

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Headphone Reviews
Review: Onkyo ES-HF300 Headphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 13, 2013  |  0 comments
Onkyo is a well-respected, well-established name in the hi-fi industry. When they announced the release of the ES-HF300 headphone, it was surprising to realize that this is their first foray into headphones. While known more for their receivers and hardware, they have produced speakers in the past. It's amazing they shied away from the market for this long. If first impressions mean anything, the ES-HF300 is, well, impressive.
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Portable Player ReviewsGrace NotesNew Products
Review: Outdoor Adventures with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jul 20, 2015  |  0 comments
Face it: life can be hard for our favorite gadgets. I love my gear, but admittedly, I’m not as gentle with it as I should be. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Active was made for people exactly like me. I lead an active life, and my electronics need to be up for the challenge. I ride my bike almost daily, kayak, and hike as often as I can – either along a mountain creek or along the beach. I need my phone (which these days is my camera, music player, and laptop too) to stand up to the rigors of dirt, water, rugged terrain, and less glamorously, sweat. I took the Galaxy S6 Active along this summer to see if it was as active as I needed it to be.

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