Beats by Dr. Dre Pro High-Performance Studio Headphones (Black) BUNDLE with Custom Designed Zorro S

Beats by Dr. Dre Pro High-Performance Studio Headphones BUNDLE with Custom Designed Zorro Sounds Instrument Cloth
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $399.99
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

These headphones do NOT contain noise suppression their best application is for listening in a quiet place.

I just happen to have a studio/office/man cave which is silent: no phone, no TV, no internet, no outside noise just me and my music, now heard through these outstanding headphones.

I feel like these headphones are a high-quality product, delivering high-quality sound reproduction for my very particular ears.

Thank you Dr. Dre.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

IDANCE CRAZY301 - Watt - Channel Recording Studio Equipment , Orange

IDANCE CRAZY301 - Watt  - Channel Recording Studio Equipment , Orange
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $29.00
Sale Price: $27.25
Today's Bonus: 6% Off
Buy Now

  • Super Aticulated Headband,Extra Bass with Open Ear CUP,Foldable for EZ transport,Stereo headphone for iphone,with inline microphone,Light weight for outdoor digital audio,Customized Comfortable soft ear pad and headband
  • Driver Unit: 44mm, Driver Type: Neodymium, Impedance: 32, Sensitivity: 108dB+/-3dB
  • Frequency Response: 15Hz~20KHz, Cord Length: Approx.1.5m, Cable Type: PVC, Plug: 3.5mm ,gold chrome

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I purchased this for my tween. Earbuds hurt her tiny ears and seem to break alot. This item provided wonderful sound quality and amazing comfort! I recommend these for any one who finds comfort and quality an issue with earbuds!

Buy Fom Amazon Now

CablesFrLess (TM) Purple 3ft 3.5mm Auxiliary (AUX) Audio Jack cable

CablesFrLess Purple 3ft 3.5mm Auxiliary Audio Jack cable
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $5.99
Today's Bonus: 60% Off
Buy Now

Awesomeeeee!!! And to top it off, is my favorite color too. The delivery wasn't that quick but it's ok. Will buy from them again.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

i have an awesome pc speaker set up but i was missing this cord in order to run it. i had checked everywhere in town before i came here and fouhd 1 so thank you seller you dont even know how badly my neighbors now hate me

Buy CablesFrLess (TM) Purple 3ft 3.5mm Auxiliary (AUX) Audio Jack cable Now

Had it for a week and it quit working.. Wasn't satisfied with it all!! Next time I will just spend more money on one at a store than ordering cheap on here.

Read Best Reviews of CablesFrLess (TM) Purple 3ft 3.5mm Auxiliary (AUX) Audio Jack cable Here

Plantronics Blackwire C435-M Stereo or Mono UC Headset, Microsoft Lync Compatible - Non-Retail Pack

Plantronics Blackwire C435-M Stereo or Mono UC Headset, Microsoft Lync Compatible - Non-Retail Packaging - Black
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $103.99
Sale Price: $56.24
Today's Bonus: 46% Off
Buy Now

I bought these a bit ago and was very impressed at first. the sound quality was great and they were just plug and play with the Lync client. However, after a week or so it started disconnecting and reconnecting for no apparent reason. After messing with it, it appears the connection into the volume module is of poor quality and fiddling with it will caused the usb to disconnect and reconnect. This can be duplicated by simply moving your head from side to side. I enjoy the sound quality of the Plantronics headsets and generally have had good luck with them but I had a cheaper stereo headset that also had a similar problem where the microphone started cutting out sporadically which also turned out to be a poor wiring issue.

I am beginning to wounder if Jabra might be a better option.

UPDATE: 01/29/2013 I ended up getting a replacement C435-M headset in the hope that it was a one time issue. I see now that there must be a design flaw. The headset is very sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). The ear-buds have a metal ring around them and when touching them to remove or adjust a light shock causes the USB to disconnect. This also has happened when touching the in-line control. If you live in a low electrostatic climate you may not have issues. However, winter time in MN creates a high electrostatic environment, either that or I am developing super powers.

It really is too bad, these are comfortable, great sounding headsets, but unfortunately I cannot recommend them.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Anyone who is on the Lync call with me always comments on how clear my voice is. Integrated well with the application, comfortable to wear and easy to use. Great headset. I recommend this to my entire company.

Buy Plantronics Blackwire C435-M Stereo or Mono UC Headset, Microsoft Lync Compatible - Non-Retail Pack Now

By all means, I recommend this earphones to anyone who uses VOIP on the road! But they hurts my ears when worn for more than one hour. I've replaced the clear rubber cover but still fits tight. Performance is excellent

Read Best Reviews of Plantronics Blackwire C435-M Stereo or Mono UC Headset, Microsoft Lync Compatible - Non-Retail Pack Here

Great sound no issues when talking. I would recommend this headset to anyone who is an avid gamer and uses Skype alot

Want Plantronics Blackwire C435-M Stereo or Mono UC Headset, Microsoft Lync Compatible - Non-Retail Pack Discount?

After trying a number of similar headsets, this one is vastly superior. It picks up the speaker great, but doesn't pick up all the background noise.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line

AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $229.00
Sale Price: $94.91
Today's Bonus: 59% Off
Buy Now

I am not what you would consider a professional musician by any means. However, I have spent my fair share of time in the studio and have a degree in electronic media. After 2 weeks with these, my memory cannot recollect having heard headphones this good in...well, ever.

I was in the market for new headphones and when I heard that Quincy Jones was releasing a pair, I had to check em out. Then when I heard they were better than the Dre Beats, I definitely knew I had to get a pair. The only thing is that I was debating whether to purchase the Q460's or the 701's. Having purchased the 460's, I dont know if I will go forward with the 701's or not. These are that good. And as was mentioned in an earlier review, the sound quality seems to be getting better the more I listen to them. I went back and listened to some Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and whatever else I could find from that timeframe. Man, I heard things I've never noticed in those recordings before, both good and bad. It felt like the music was being played to me live from my ipod, and that is about the best compliment I can give. I dont know how the Q701's can possibly be better than these, but I intend to purchase them as well, although they may not be needed. The base thumps, but doesnt pound (although I havent run any old-school Miami bass through them yet). The snares are crisp, high hats ping and resonate accurately. Just a fantastic soundstage. I plan to watch a movie on my iMac soon through these to see how the surround sound plays out. They are really comfortable to wear and shut out most outside sound. I couldnt hear myself singing and I only had my volume up halfway. I actually had to pull one headphone away from my ear to make sure I wasnt just lip-syncing!!

The unique foldup design and the case are well designed. My only gripe is that the chord is really short. The default chord is like 2 feet and the iPhone-specific chord is maybe 4 feet. Coming out the back of my computer, I cant even lean back in the chair without running out of cable. I dont know if they make an extender specifically for these or if a regular extender will compromise the sound quality is some way, but its definitely something to think about if your sound is computer-based. These headphones I think are obviously made for use with portable devices but would not be frowned on in any studio in the world.

This is the first review I've ever written on Amazon, but these headphones spoke to me. Its awesome getting lost in music again like I havent really been able to do since I was a teenager.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I love these headphones.

I'm not an expert on high-end audio/headphones, but I think I know good sound when I hear it, and these seem to be really good phones. Within the first 24 hours I had them, I was running around plugging them into anything that had a headphone jack -I tried them with my iPod Shuffle, my stereo, my computer, my portable DVD player, and I gave them over to a friend who had a smartphone (and yes, the volume and play/pause functions worked) and the sound they put out was great to his ears (and he's a working musician). I tried them with 70's soul, 80's new wave, current hits, old classic rock etc and for the most part, the sound was sharp and in some cases, nearly revelatory -I was hearing nice detail in songs I'd heard a million times, and very good bass. One thing I did notice was that these headphones seemed to pull back the curtain on whether a track was even well-produced/mixed or not in the first place some old stuff sounded a bit flat/muddy and unbalanced, and I suspect it's the production and not the headphones. I tested these with various test-songs/discs I usually use to check speakers, etc: Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms" (full digital, well engineered), the Cars' "Since You're Gone" (for the left-right clicking and drum track), some Gamble & Huff Philly stuff (great percussion, strings & warmth), Garbage and Lady Gaga (which are all very well produced). And Dio's "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow in the Dark" (heavy, man) kicked both sounded really, really good. Actually, everything i've mentioned here sounded great. If bass/low-end is what you want, these might very well be your headphones; if not, and you have an equalizer, don't let that stop you: you can tweak your sound to your liking.

As far as style, these are very well designed nice cushion on the top piece (which rests on your head); the phones themselves are cushioned and feel quite comfortable on the ears while I wouldn't say they're noise-cancelling, they fit so snugly that you won't have to worry about too much outside noise (I plan to take these on my next plane ride); the phones fold-flat and fit into a nice small rigid case (which can accommodate the extra cables & jack adaptors that come with the headphones). My iPod touch even fit in the same case. My only complaint: I wish the cables were a bit longer, as I needed an extension cable to plug into my home stereo, but that's a minor complaint: these phones are likely geared toward the iPod/smartphone/computer user (there are a lot of specs/suggestions on the packaging as to their use, but they'll work with computers/dvd, etc too), in which case, the cables that are included will be more than adequate to the task. You'll never go back to your earbuds after using these phones. Great product, very impressive.

Buy AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line Now

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I love the portability of these headphones! They come with a nice little pouch that is easy to tote aroundmaybe not as easy to carry around as earbuds but frankly I can't stand the tiny earbuds. The portability does mean that the actual ear piece is smaller than the larger headphones and thus both less comfortable and not as well equipped to block out other sounds (but again, FAR superior to earbuds!).

The wire connecting the earphones to whatever device you are using is rather short unless you use the one designed primarily for the iphone. While the longer wire does contain controls for volume control, play, and pause, sadly only the play and pause work when connecting to my Droid phone.

Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising aspect of the AKG Q460s is the actual quality of the sound. The sound quality is exceptional for such small headphones. We have a Sennheiser HD280 and the AKG Q460s compare quite nicely. The bass is better than in my Sennheiser headphones although the sound is more open on the Sennheisers. I actually didn't expect to enjoy using the AKG Q460s as much as I do but intend to use these for when I'm on the go and need something portable but with a nice sound (again, unlike those dreadful earbuds).

Edited to add: I have now tried these earphones with an ipod Touch and I have to say the sound is even more awesome when used with the ipod Touch. All of the controls work when using an ipod Touch. I still prefer headphones that block out other sounds (like my Sennheisers) but these little headphones could almost convince me to change my mind about that!

Read Best Reviews of AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line Here

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program These little headphones deliver powerful sound, plenty of volume and a good strong bass in a compact package. I played a variety of music from rock to classical and while I was pleased with their initial performance, I had some minor reservations. The notes were not quite as clear and distinct as I would have liked and I detected some muddiness. Believing that the headphones would benefit from an extended break-in period, I began the process. They're several hours into it at this point and already the balance has improved and the sound is cleaner than before. I have no doubt that they will only continue to get better.

Although the sound is of paramount consideration, another reason to love these AKG mini headphones is their comfort. Because they're small and light (4.2 oz.), you barely know you're wearing them and unlike earbuds, even after hours of wear, they never become annoying.

They're presented in an attractive molded case designed to keep everything in one place and protect the headphones from damage when not in use. They come with two detachable cords of different lengths, nice because they're easily replaceable if they should fray or break.

I'm very happy with these headphones and am officially retiring my earbuds.

Want AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line Discount?

If you are someone that doesn't sweat the small stuff then you will love this headphone. The overall look and quality of the materials seem very good. They come with a nice case and choice of cabling as well as a few adapters for phones and larger amplifiers. The sound is very "consumer" and bass friendly... but i will talk about that in a bit.

My biggest problem OUT OF THE BOX is that one of the circular Q symbols is misaligned, off-center, and peeling off!!! As i said, the rest of the build is great but this one piece really annoys, concerns, and angers me. So much so that I will be retuning this set :( I really don't want to though. Another small gripe is that the cable is stiff to pull out but locks fairly well... I don't have to discuss how awesome the lime green cable looks and feels so that is all good. Strain reliefs are well made but the hole to insert the cable is a bit too small or oddly shaped. The cable issue i can look past though.

Finally on to the consumer sound... I have owned many a pair of headphones in the past and currently own the (excellent) AKG k240 and Shure se215. Both are great sounding products. I have also tried many sennhieser and akg products, as well as the Vmoda M80 and phiaton ms400. Overall, i would say the sound is very similar to the Phiatons and Sennheiser HD 239. It has a heavy emphasis on bass to the point that it mess up the vocals considerably. However it performs great with hip hop, some dubstep, and house music, It fails considerably with any rock or alternative (a large part of my library). Granted, much of "todays" music will play fine on this set but expect no sparkle in the highs at all. I can, however, live with the sound signature as I tend to opt for rap or electronic music while on the go. Not very recommended for home use at all. Furthermore, the headphones play LOUD and distort with an amp so it is better straight out of an iPod or laptop rather than my FiiO E7.

This may all sound negative but there are many positives to this set of headphones. The bass heavy sound appeals to many people (me included) and makes music a bit more engaging. Soundstage is less than average for this type of headphone but i will let that slide as they do not leak terribly. They are very portable and the case included is simply amazing. The look and overall portability may convince me to keep this set but i cannot look past the broken panel OUT OF THE BOX! Another great last benefit is that they clamp the perfect amount. Great for staying on the head while walking or working out. The pads are comfortable and fit decently well for the size of the headphone itself. They are a headphone I'd be proud to own... that little defect makes me very mad though. I would like to note that the broken panel does not in any way affect the sound of the cans.

All things considered, I would recommend this headphone for any type of portable application. if you are going for neutral or Hi-Fi, steer clear, but if you want a fun sounding and cool headphone, you got your match here.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

RiteAV 6 Feet 3.5mm to Stereo RCA Male Cable

RiteAV 6 Feet 3.5mm to Stereo RCA Male Cable
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $9.99
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

not really much you can say in a review for a cheap cable cheaper than going to radio shack or wal-mart for the cable and it does the job it is supposed to

i saw the review where someone got a reverse wired cable so i tested and mine is properly wired the left channel comes from the left speaker and the right channel from the right speaker

the cable feels cheaply made and i do have my doubts about the durability but this cable isn't going to be tugged and yanked so it will do for my needs

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Best product for the price and had a very fast delivery. I used it to plug my ipod into the head unit in my car. A homemade ipod adapter of sorts.

Buy RiteAV 6 Feet 3.5mm to Stereo RCA Male Cable Now

left speaker wire did not send output, waiting for seller to discuss an exchange. fast shipping on a broken product.

Read Best Reviews of RiteAV 6 Feet 3.5mm to Stereo RCA Male Cable Here

Broken the first day that i got it delivered. The plastic shield for the tip broke off, not that it matters but its really hard to pull it out of anything!

Want RiteAV 6 Feet 3.5mm to Stereo RCA Male Cable Discount?

I bought a bunch of these cables a while back (different connections, so they show up as different products, but they are all mostly the same). I echo my other reviews for them when I say that the quality of these wires and connections is great and the price makes them a 5 star product. Recommended.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Alesis DM6 USB Kit Five-Piece Electronic Drum Set

Alesis DM6 USB Kit Five-Piece Electronic Drum Set
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $699.00
Sale Price: $389.00
Today's Bonus: 44% Off
Buy Now

  • Five-piece electronic drumset with DM6 drum module; 5 realistic-feeling drum and cymbal pads translate hits into message data translate hits into message data, which is played back as a drum sound by the DM6 drum module
  • DM6 module contains 108 top-notch drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds
  • Includes kick, snare, (3) tom, (2) cymbals and a hi-hat pad and a hi-hat pad, kick pedal & hi-hat controller
  • Dual-zone 8-Inch snare pad expands expressive playing freedom with multiple sounds per pad
  • USB-MIDI output for sending MIDI data to virtual instruments & software on your computer
  • DM6 drum module features an aux input for practicing with an external audio source
  • 15 programmable drum sets

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I've had my Alesis DM6 drumset up and running for a couple days and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. Up until now any electronic drumset in the $500 range was nothing more than a toy. Because I know that Alesis knows how to make great electronic drumsets I was hoping that their experience making higher end kits would trickle down to this brand new DM6 line. It did. This drumset is fabulous when you consider the price point and, in fact, has no real competition that I could find.

Pros:

Everything is included. I've looked at a lot of drumsets and many don't include everything you need like bass drum pedals and more. This has everything you need to play right our of the box, even a pair of drum sticks. OK, a couple things not included you will need and that's a set of headphones and a throne (chair) to sit on.

Sturdy, well made components. The natural rubber drum heads are quiet but have a very good feel and rebound to them. The rubber cymbals are not as quiet as the drum heads but do what they are supposed to do very nicely. All metal hi-hat and bass pedals. Wide diameter aluminum frame rails and compoents.

Very realistic sounding drum samples.

Dual zone snare. You can make the snare sound like a rimshot when you hit the rim. Or program it for a cowbell when you play "Don't Fear the Reaper". Or make it sound like any of the other drum sounds included.

Ability to interface with your computer via USB. This opens up a world of options including MIDI and recording your performances on your favorite recording software. I don't know of any sub $500 kit of this quality that does that.

MY FAVORITE THING is I just plug in my iPod into the DM6 module and I can play right along to my favorite songs.

You can buy an ION Drum Rocker module (I was able to get one on eBay, not sold by Alesis) and use this kit for your Rockband drumset. You'll need 8 new cables too, so while there is extra expense, it's possible

Cons:

Some kits, including mine, were delivered with firmware that was less than perfect. I, and others I have heard, would sometimes have problems with the snare drum triggering properly. I had to hit it harder than I thought I should to get it to trigger. A quick and easy firmware update totally fixed this problem but I know some people have problems updating thgings like this.

The Botton Line:

Everything I've said in this review is under the caviat, "...for the price." If you are new to drumming this would be a great first set. But if you are and experienced drummer on a tight budget you will not be disappointed as long as you aren't expecting the DM6 to be a Roland Pro high end drum kit. The bottom line is this is the best $500 (street price) electronic drumset ever made.

Buy Alesis DM6 USB Kit Five-Piece Electronic Drum Set Now

I recently bought this set and I LOVE IT. In the past I've had a full-size Tama set and another set as well. I also had a Roland TDK-7 that I could never get adjusted to suit me.

This kit, however, is so much better and more responsive than the Roland set. The rack was very easy to setup, and my only gripe would be that it would have been nice if the connecting cables had been a bit longer. I was nervous with the standard setup that had the control module between the toms. Even though it sets back a bit, I had visions of whomping on it and decided to make some adjustments. I put the clamp for the crash symbol on the back bar instead of the left side bar, and moved the clamp for the module to the left side bar. That put it totally out of harm's way, however, it was a stretch for the 'floor tom' cable to reach the pad, but with a little adjustment it got there.

Everything you need is in the box except for a seat. The rack is there, all the electronics and cables are there, and even the drum sticks are included. Updates to the module can be done from your computer after downloading them from Alesis; you will need a USB cable to do that (not included, but a standard easily found cable).

The pads have a strange 'sticky' feel to them but they have a nice natural-feeling bounce and are fun to play. The symbols look and react like metal cymbals and the sound is very realistic. The pad used for the snare is a dual function pad, with the rim of the pad being slightly raised and producing a different sound. In the standard kit it sounds like the 'rim shot' that you would expect.

Others have made observations about the pedals creeping, but I'm not having that issue. I have an area rug with a rubber back that is on a laminate floor with the drums on the rug; no creeping so far. The pedals are very responsive and the adjustments for the pads are great. I was up and running very quickly. I do agree that several of the pre-programmed kits sound a whole lot alike and it would have been nice to get more variety.

I read about some issues with the snare missing some hits and the ride cymbal going to the bell a little too quickly and downloaded the recommended software update. Although that went well, the instructions had a few omissions and a couple of errors that I reported to Alesis. For your average computer-savvy person, it would not be a huge problem and I was able to figure it out.

I've seen this set for as low as $399, and it's totally worth it. I paid well over $1,000 for the Roland TDK-7 and I like this one just as much. Relatively small investment for big fun.

Read Best Reviews of Alesis DM6 USB Kit Five-Piece Electronic Drum Set Here

My 8-year-old daughter told me she wanted a set of drums for Christmas. I instantly knew that they had to be electronic to maintain the peace. I also knew that I couldn't justify spending more than $500 on a kit. So, the search began. I came away with the understanding that the DM6 is the best value out there, but that Alesis was still working out some bugs. I also read that a firmware upgrade purportedly fixes the known bugs.

I decided to go with the DM6, and I am very pleased that I did. The build quality is great. Like other reviewers, I noticed some quirks (like missed hits). I already knew that I might need to update the firmware, so I did and the quirks went away. All you need is a computer (Windows) with a USB cable. The instructions for upgrading the firmware are not as clear as I would like, but it was fairly straight forward. You might want some help from a friend if you have never done this before.

The sound is incredibly realistic. There are certainly better drum kits out there, but none come close to the value of the DM6! If you or a child want to explore the world of percussion, then get the DM6. It should have a decent resale value should your interest wane, or if you outgrow it. When my daughter plays it with headphones on, all I hear is the pitter-patter of the rubber pads---SUCCESS!

I should also note that the pedals are designed to be used on carpet. Velcro lets the pedals stick to the carpet. The pedals will scratch wood floors unless you place a mat (like I did) underneath. It needs to be big enough so the throne (stool) is also on top the mat, so the pedals (and mat) do not walk away as you play.

Want Alesis DM6 USB Kit Five-Piece Electronic Drum Set Discount?

Let me start by saying that if this kit functioned perfectly, then it would have been a fantastic value for the money. In fact, when it's not malfunctioning, I have a lot of fun with it. The hardware is durable, the kits are fun, and it looks nice. However, buyers should know that not only are there several problems that people tend to experience, but Alesis customer service is horrendous. Their wait times on the phone are long, and they basically did nothing to help solve my issues.

The first problem I had was with the snare not registering properly. This was easily resolved by downloading the new firmware on Alesis's site. Next I experienced a problem that is detailed in several forums if you do a google search:

Basically, when playing faster beats that incorporate lots of hi-hat and snare, the hi-hat won't register for most hits. This renders the kit useless for heavier forms of rock such as metal, hardcore, and punk. If the module had "crosstalk" settings, then perhaps the issue could be resolved.

I wish I could say positive things about this kit, but it tends to be defective for many of its users. Also, the module is rather limited; I get the sense that Alesis intentionally made it this way so as to incentivize people to buy more expensive models. In other words, I don't think it would have been much more expensive to provide more a more comprehensive module system.

I wish I would have done a more thorough internet search before having bought it, because I'm not the only person to have experienced these problems.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

I used to play on an acoustic set, however, I'm living in an appt now, so I got an electric set to keep the noise down. My experience with electric drums is basically limited to trying out a few in the store. I would highly recommend that you try out a few sets before you buy. Overall, I was very impressed by these. The best thing I can say about them is that when I'm playing it sometimes feels like I'm playing an acoustic set.

Good things:

-Sample quality is greatthe sound is very realistic.

-Handy metronome.

-Hardy build quality.

-Great quality-for-the-price.

-Easy assembly.

-Real bass drum hammer.

-Surprisingly good high hatalthough the pedal isn't connected to the cymbal, it feels connected (you can splash it and everything).

-Decent software configuration options (for example, you can change the snare pad to a piccolo snare pad).

Bad things:

-Rim shots on the snare pad don't really work correctly. They trigger when you hit the plastic casing for the snare, not the raised rubber edge of the pad.

-The ride cymbal has an odd "feature" where when you hit it hard, it sounds like your playing on the bell, and will only sound normal when you hit it softly. I can't find a way to make it stop doing this. Although if you pay attention, it's pretty easy to control.

-You can't do rim clicks (unless you change the sample that the snare pad makes to the click sample, but then it will activate even when you strike the center of the pad).

-Crash cymbal doesn't sound right if you hit it softly.

-Snare drum sounds the same all over. It should sound quieter and more echo-y towards the sides. Although this is probably asking too much for such a cheap electric set.

-The triggers on the cymbals generally only trigger at a minimum impact, so its very hard to hit them very softly.

Also, I've heard some rumblings about a firmware update. However, I haven't tried loading it, so I can't attest to it solving any of these problems.

Sentry Industries Inc. HM323 Metal Talk-Buds Ear Buds with Mic, Pink

Sentry Industries Inc. HM323 Metal Talk-Buds Ear Buds with Mic, Pink
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $9.99
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

Sentry Metal Talk Buds with built-in microphone are fine to use for listening to music or videos quietly without disturbing those around you. I used these for my iPad mini & they worked just fine. actually watched a lot of Bleach episodes with these & listened to Pandora while doing housework. never got the chance to use them for FaceTime as i foolishly left them in my pocket when washing my jeans. :( I will say that the silicone earbuds are ultra comfortable, there was an extra set as well. my cords didn't really tangle either.

The ad states that you can use these while working out. I have to disagree. When I had these in while doing dishes, I couldn't move too much or it would interrupt the music playing. Had to also fiddle with the input jack & find a sweet spot so that the buds would work. So these are not for use while you are in motion.

All-in-all, they're fine but not spectacular.

Three stars.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Numark DJ 2 Go Ultra-Portable USB DJ Controller for Mac or PC

Numark DJ 2 Go Ultra-Portable USB DJ Controller for Mac or PC
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $42.75
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

  • Ultra-portable USB DJ controller lets you DJ and perform with the music on your computer
  • Compatible with virtually any MIDI-capable DJ application
  • Mouseless navigation keeps your attention on the mix, not the mouse
  • Single USB cable provides easy integration with your PC or Mac
  • Familiar A/B deck and crossfader make using DJ2GO a snap
  • Includes VirtualDJ LE Lite Software
  • Also works with VirtualDJ Pro, Traktor, djay and PCDJ (each sold separately); no drivers required...just play and play

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

If you are new to the digital DJ scene or if you are an experienced DJ that needs a quick fix controller, the Numark DJ2GO MIDI controller is one excellent solution! For the price, it doesn't get any better than this!

PROS:

1) New Digital DJ:

Do you want to try digital DJ'ing out but don't want to invest in a big ticket controller? The Numark DJ2GO is just the perfect controller! It comes with an LE version of Virtual DJ, one of the most downloaded music programs out there! This version perfectly matches the DJ2GO controller in layout and functionality, while still giving you enough flexibility to learn the ropes. It allows you to go beyond the mouse n' click method and helps develop the true fashion of mixing on the 1's & 2's. The built in fader, jog wheels and pitch & pitch bends allow any budding DJ to learn the basics of beat matching, mixing and allows you to get the feel of fading between songs. The DJ2GO allows for a cue point, which is enough for the basics. The pitch controls are great and allow any DJ to learn the proper way to match beats. There are even built in sync buttons, which today is great (even though the hardcore may call this cheating!). But in the digital age, it helps and there are all kinds of new methods to develop (mash-ups, quick mix, double beats, etc.). The DJ2Go gives you that touch/feel interface that helps develop your skills to become better DJ!

2) Experienced DJ:

Hey, even the experienced DJ will appreciate having the DJ2GO in their arsenal. I have a Numark NS7FX, which is considered by many to be one of the top controllers available. However, there are times that I want to listen and mix new songs without hooking up. That's where the DJ2GO steps in. It has enough controlability to allow you to experiment and mix songs, testing proper cue points, listening for beats and vocal breaks all this while sitting outside on the patio enjoying the sun or anywhere you'd like! Since the DJ2GO is USB powered, you can plug it into your laptop and just mix away! Don't get me wrong I LOVE my NS7FX but if you own one you know full well it's "portability" is outweighed by its 75 lb. girth (Deck & Flight Case combined, also available at Amazon!)!!!! The DJ2GO is lightweight and tough enough to do any mini-gig, house party, or backyard bash you happen to do and with ease!

Being a full MIDI controller, the DJ2GO can be used with almost any program! As long as you can map it, it will work (I only use it with the supplied Virtual DJ, but I've read forums where people use it with Virtual DJ Pro, Traktor, and other DJ programs. I'll update you when I try it with ITCH). The DJ2GO will help you with your music arsenal, giving you a great tool for listening and learning your music library! Again, it beats the old mouse n' click approach any day!

Other Pros: super portable, compact, great build quality (it's soooo deceiving when it's in the packaging), solid controls, RUBBERIZED BUTTONS (feels like my NS7FX), headphone cue-ability (read on), master and individual track volume controls, +/pitch bends (though you can use the platters as well), scratch-ability (basic with the platters), and most important an affordable PRICE!!!

CONS:

1) No built in sound card: this means you'll need a USB compatible headphone (or adapter, many available here on Amazon) to properly CUE your songs while using headphones. This is important for budding DJ's to develop that skill, but for more experienced DJ's it's a minor point (I find that most experienced DJ's don't even use headphones they KNOW their music and KNOW all the cue points). You can also use a better built plug in sound card if you have one.

2) Only one CUE button: your standard CUE button is there, but if you are like me, those 5 CUEs on the NS7FX really spoil you!

3) No bells or whistles: okay, no loop features, no FX controls, but hey, if you are looking for those features, then the DJ2GO isn't really for you (note: if you use Virtual DJ Pro, those are all available to you with a simple click of your mouse, so all is not lost).

Overall, the Numark DJ2GO is an excellent controller for any new or experienced DJ. Giving you hands-on control, the DJ2GO will provide you with the power to get the party started! I recommend this controller to everyone!

UPDATE (07/20/2011): just tried it with Serato ITCH the program does not recognize the DJ2GO. That's probably because ITCH is propriatory to the controllers it is sold with (my Numark NS7FX for example). Well, I tried... would have been nice though...

Buy Numark DJ 2 Go Ultra-Portable USB DJ Controller for Mac or PC Now

Who am II'm a pro, I made a living off of making people dance for several years before moving on to other things (that don't involve divorce and poverty). My old rig was a pair of Stanton STR8-150's, a crap Behringer 7-channel that wouldn't die, and final scratch. I know my ish. I sold all my gear after a divorce and major career/life/everything change, and I've been dying to get back into some tables to blow off stress for really, really cheap. So I spent many hours researching this little guy, and all of the other USB MIDI controllers in the neighborhood of $0-$100, and wound up with this one.

Ok. The good: It's a sturdy device with rubber feet that fits the width of my laptop perfectly (though I'm currently running it on a desktop in my evil man cave lair). Install was cake. I'm running XP Pro on a Pentium 4 (x86) 3GHz, with 2Gb RAM. I strongly recommend getting a stronger sound card than what comes stock in your machine for thisit will really tax your processor. Loading songs, and scanning them for BPM, etc. puts my proc at 100% for 10+ seconds. But, even only with the stock sound card (my Asus Xonar DG is still in the mail, I'll make an update when it arrives....) it doesn't lag, pop or glitch when the proc is running at full blast/overrunning, which is awesome. The screen directly mirrors the controller, so you'll be very hard pressed to mess it up. I think the install took 3 minutes, and I was into my second bass drop in under 5.

Another feature not seen in this price range generally is that you don't need to use the keyboard on your computer at all. There's a rotary switch top center of the controller, and back/enter buttons that take you one level into or out of a folder. It's very quick, and behaves appropriately. You will probably need the mouse though, for fun things like jumping quickly to the drop of a song, for instance. Because bass drops are proof that God loves us.

The pitch bendwhen you click on it, it goes from 6%-8%-10%-12%-20%-25%-33%-50%-100%, which means you can do limited vinyl emulation like motor on/off, etc., by setting it to 100% and sliding it from the middle to the end of the fader/potentiometer. When you change the pitch bend factor on either deck, it changes for both decks, so you can't have 100% on A and 6% on B. The jog wheels also pitch up/down per this setting. So. Here's what you CAN do. You can set your 12% BPM on A, adjust it, get it playing, and then adjust your pitch bend factor to 100%, get B in sync, and so long as you don't cross from to + on A, it will hold the original value of 12%, fully adjustable within 12%, again, so long as you don't cross the threshold from slow to fast. At 0% it adopts the current setting. It doesn't jump to 100% like what you're running on side B.

The settings for outputs are a little wonky, but you'll figure them out quick. You can either select everything to go out a stereo headphone jack (for instance, though any output on your selected sound card) and have the left be headphone and right be mains, but then of course you lose stereo. You can also select multiple sound cards (I strongly recommend) and pick sound card 1 from the drop down, and then pick headphones from the next drop down, and repeat for the mains with sound card 2. Just get one (or several, safety first!!) of the cheap USB sound cards and you're set.

There are no inputs or outputs on this device, just a USB cable in, just like a camera (USB-Mini USB???). It's just a controller. It doesn't have ANYTHING else. Numark also makes a pair of USB headphones with an internal soundcard, for something like $50. You could go that route too. Keep in mind that for the price of this thing, and still how indestructible it feels, you're not going to get a software-rich controller that you're going to take to your next club gig. Although you probably could....

If you're a sync-dj, the sync buttons work great to get you very close, but you'll still have to massage it just a bit to get it right. As you should.

The jog wheels on mine spin freely (there were other complaints of them sticking in some of the other posts), and the buttons are standard issue Numark rubber. And the rubber lights up, which I wasn't necessarily expecting for this price. The jog wheels are light, but solid, and very responsive. They don't wobble free or self-adjust forward/backward if you go for a scratch and go back and forth really fast. They do stay true, although without touch sensitivity, in scratch mode the wheels grab whenever they sense movement, and release when the wheel stops moving. So if you're going to scratch, pause the music, do your scratching, hit play>cue really quick to catch your groove wherever you want. Slightly clunky, but I had it running seamlessly after just a few tries.

Now the bad:

I almost subtracted a star for two reasons-

1: There are no instructions that come with this unit, and there are shortcuts like, "push and hold the load track button to toggle scratching/jogging on the wheel" that aren't documented anywhere. And that's pretty effing important. Also, the left and right mouse buttons do not behave the same, or as expected across the interface. The version that ships with the controller is a one-off version of VDJ, and no amount of searching the intarwebs rendered any help with the scratch/jog issue. I spent an hour trying to figure out if my unit had gone TU when it randomly started scratching in the middle of my first set. It turns out I'd just pressed the load button too long, but it wasn't anywhere in the docs. The supplied instructions are generic instructions for the Pro version of VDJ, not this _very_ customized version.

2: You cannot remap the buttons in the version that comes with the hardware, nor can you reskin it. To me those are cosmetic things, but still, it isn't mentioned much of anywhere. I did find an XML file that appears to have the color layouts, and if I get cocky I might tweak it a little and see what happens (and if I succeed, I'll post it here). I'm about to map this controller in Fruity Loops 9, however, and when I do, I'll supply my commentary on that. I'm pretty excited about having a device I can DJ off of, and use for tactile feedback on my knob tweaks. More to follow.....

Also the provided layout is a bit buggy, but it's all in the minutia, not the bones. For instance, when you mouse-over the controls, there's the actual name of the XML control tag along with the text that was supposed to show. Not sure if that was intentional, but geeks will find it sloppy. Though I certainly can't take a star for that.

But yeah. I left it at 5-stars because this is the most rock-solid device you can buy, IMHO. Bang-for-buck wise, this thing is absolutely the best. Get one, if you hate itthrow it out, or donate it to a lonely, starving child in Africa or something. But it's cheap enough that you can use it as a vehicle chock, or watch it get thrown from a jet and not cry. I sure hope this helps you guys.

Read Best Reviews of Numark DJ 2 Go Ultra-Portable USB DJ Controller for Mac or PC Here

This midi controller is really a great piece of equip for the price. While its not loaded with features and the jog wheels are a lil too touchy for my liking, what it does it does very well. I actually just dj'd a wedding with this lil bad boy and it went off with out a hitch. its nice because you can throw it in your bag with a laptop, headphones and the numark dj i/o (which is basically a must if you want to actually listen to the music you're queuing up) and as long as you have an amp and some speakers to tap into you're a fully functioning dj.

Comes with "Virtual dj lite" which works perfectly with the controller. I would also suggest anybody new to dj'ing grab this set up which is just over $100 (again with the DJ I/O) before you go nuts and dump a ton of cash into tt's and a mixer, to make sure this is something you want to keep doing and not just a brief fling.

Want Numark DJ 2 Go Ultra-Portable USB DJ Controller for Mac or PC Discount?

This controller is fantastic for starters.

Within 2 days I was spinning and getting creative with these decks. I'll share with you some of the features that make this thing so great:

1. The pitch bend buttons and switch always baffled me but after trial-and-error I learned that the bend buttons are used to minutely speed or slow the track down. I mix EDM and you can hear it clearly when the kicks are off time.

2. The slider is very smooth and sensitive but will only move when you will it to. You've got to learn to keep your hands above these decks and not level like you would a laptop.

3. The "cue" button is used to set a cue point for songs that VirtualDJ SAVES so you have it later! You have to get to know each of your tracks.

4. "Sync" button is a no-brainer, but when pressed with the play button simultaneously, syncs the tracks on beat if you mess it up.

Only downsides:

1. There is no headphone jack, the only wire in this thing is the USB.

2. Load buttons need to be pressed twice, or once unnaturally firmly.

3. The tiny "plates" are inaccurate but good for quick spinning forward or back if you really boned up the last change

Basically,

5/5

Buy it and get cracking

Buy Fom Amazon Now

the Good :

it's very portable, easy to use, plug-n-play and perfect for a beginner or experienced DJ wanting to do basic blends.

the Bad:

So small that sometimes my finger would accidentally hit the jog wheel causing my beat to throw off. The biggest downside was the software. VirtualDj LE lite is about as basic as you can get. There are more features on the free Home version, so this was about the only real dissapointment. Since I only paid $35 for it, I would still say it's worth the money and I'm having fun with it.

Shure SE310A-k Sound Isolating Earphones (Black)

Shure SE310A-k Sound Isolating Earphones
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

  • Sound isolation technology blocks background noise for an ultimate listening experience
  • Sound signature provides a unique acoustic sound to address specific listening preferences using Hi-Definition MicroSpeakers plus Tuned BassPorts
  • Deluxe fit kit includes multiple sleeves to choose from for the most comfortable in-ear fit
  • Modular design allows for the use of variable cable lengths and the ability to add optional in-line accessories such as the Push-To-Hear accessory
  • Frequency range of 22Hz-19kHz

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

The Shure se310's are far and away the best in ear headphones I've ever owned. All the high's mid's and low's of pretty much every music genre come through as if I'm sitting in on a recording session or hearing the music live all around me, which is exactly the music experience I wanted and expected. If you have never owned a pair of Shure in ears and are standing on the fence, then now is probably the best time to jump on the bandwagon. If you are updating an old pair of ec4's or lower grade Shure's than this is what you are looking for. Shure in ears are for those music buffs and audiophiles who want to have the most pure experience with their tunes as possible without actually hearing it live. Experiencing this level of quality with earphones for the first time is quite the experience as the difference between the high end phones and the basic consumer phones is quite substantial. I'm not a paid advertiser or anything like that. I just graduated from college and am taking advantage of my graduation money, hehe. Lucky for me, I managed to find these on Amazon while TigerDirect was having a huge sell and nabbed them for 138 bucks instead of the normal 250. Great deal! If money is an issue at 250 then I suggest going with the se210's or go even cheaper with the v-moda vibe in ears. Both of those sets are great as well in the 100 150 dollar range, and these were the sets I was originally looking at until I ran into these babies as an even lower price than the se210's because of the sale. Couldn't believe my eyes! And now my ears are rejoicing! If you can afford it these are still a great buy at $250. You really can't go wrong with Shure. They consistently put out a high quality line of products. As you might have already noticed I'm a fan of my recent purchase.

I've read some professional reviews about this set and a couple of them have mentioned how they were dissapointed with the bass response, but with my experience I can't help but question their professional reviewer status. The bass response is perfect for me. You just have to get the right fit, which shouldn't be a problem with the many different types and sizes of in ear fixtures that come with the set. For me, the foam fixtures already on the phones out of the package were the right fit.

I used to play in a nationally renowned touring and recording rock band so music is 'kind of a big deal' to me. This is as close as you'll get to having a live music experience in your home, at the gym, or jogging in the park.

The sound isolation is also a huge plus, and it works like a dream. I live in an apartment right across the street from an industrial zone with tons of noise coming into my place at all times of the day and night. It is right next to a busy road, and my wife is a dancer. She plays her own music on her stereo quite loud to choreograph and practice routines all the time. Suffice it to say I don't have a very peaceful environment at home. So to get away sometimes I like to put on some headphones and just zone out. All that noise is completely gone with these bad boys on, and the volume level does not need to be loud at all to drown all that outside clutter out, so you save your hearing from being damaged by not having to turn the volume way up to drown out all that exterior mess.

Hope this review has been helpful to you.

Buy Shure SE310A-k Sound Isolating Earphones (Black) Now

I ordered these for my husband because he travels a lot for business. He loves them. I have used them a few times and they are wonderful. The sound is superb. On airlines, you can't even hear any noise at all. It's like having a symphony inside your head.

Read Best Reviews of Shure SE310A-k Sound Isolating Earphones (Black) Here

Pros:

Balanced sound without too much bass. If you like that sort of listening experience. If you want more bass, go with a different brand because Shure is notorious for its balance, not bass.

Cons:

I only saw one other review with this complaint, and frankly I'm surprised. The issue here is that the thin cable leading up to the headphones, contours around your ears, and eventually this bending causes the frail wire cover to peal off thus exposing the bare wire.

I gave these to my brother, a 27-year-old working in NYC, who uses these earbuds for no more than 3 hours a week during his commute. He takes care of them, but after 9 months, they had to be replaced under Shure's 2-year warranty (which they have recently reduced from 3 to 2 years...I wonder why?)

For 200 bones, I would expect more durability.

Want Shure SE310A-k Sound Isolating Earphones (Black) Discount?

Within 9 months of using them in mixed weather, e.g. cycling and hiking in winter conditions the cords on these headphones started to crack ultimately ruining the headphones.

The headphones themselves are good and I'm considering getting new ones, but the cords themselves can't be directly exposed to bad weather over a prolonged period or they'll crack and peel off.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

OK, so I really wanted to upgrade these to a 4 1/2. They are great in everyway. I just feel that the company implied greater bass response than the earphones deliver. Don't get me wrong, they are great, they just don't live up to the hype.

I bought them to use when I am mowing my orchard on a loud 27hp zero turn mower. They are amazing. After selecting the best earpieces for me, I can listen to my music the whole time I am mowing and just barely hear the hum of the engine in the background.

Would I recommend them? Heck yes, as I said they are the best sounding and most sound isolating earphones I have ever owned.

Fender Starcaster Strat Pack Electric Guitar with Amp and Accessories (Black)

Fender Starcaster Strat Pack Electric Guitar with Amp and Accessories
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $179.95
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

  • Everything you need to start rocking, including a black Stratocaster guitar and 10-watt Squier amp with 10-foot cord
  • Classic Fender Stratocaster guitar for all styles of music
  • Synchronous tremolo bridge for subtle shimmers or hard-core whammy
  • Three single-coil pickups paired with a 5-way pickup selector switch; volume and 2 tone controls for wide range of tones
  • Package also includes strings, picks, strap, gigbag, and instructional DVD

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

My parents gave me this guitar for christmas, and I've had this guitar for about 5 months now,and I have loved and hated some things about the guitar. let's start with the short list, the hated.

Hated: The strap is garbage, The wammy bar causes the guitar to go insanely out of tune, for about 2 weeks the frets cut your hands to shreds, When using one pickup, the amp makes a really annoying buzzing sound, so use the second to bottom or top setting on the pickup selector switch. The guitar does also go out of tune fairly easy by itself.

Now onto the loved: EXTREMELY STURDY AND STRONG. My guitar was dropped by one of my friends onto a concrete floor and the only damage done was a small chip in the finish by the neck. Amp is fantastic for it's size. Loud enough to fill a gymnasium full of screaming students. The tuner is fantastic, and the picks are incredibly strong. Strings sound good and are strong. Extra strings are a good bonus, just make sure you put them on right.

Overall a great guitar package for about $200, I'd recommend to any beginning guitarist. With a name like Fender, you can't go wrong!

Buy Fender Starcaster Strat Pack Electric Guitar with Amp and Accessories (Black) Now

I got this kit for my birthday because I want to learn guitar. It is totally ridiculous to invest much more than about $200 at the start of a new hobby. At the beginner level, you have no idea what you need, what you want, whether your even going to stick with it, etc. Luckily, Fender is selling this little gem.

I'm not going to lie--in this $200 package, you will not get a $700 guitar with a $150 amp and a Monster cable. What you do get is a guitar that sounds good and that you can learn on, an amp that makes your practice audible, and a DVD that... well, sucks. The DVD is really bad.

I highly recommend this package for the beginner.

(As for the DVD sucking--it says it's for beginners, but it moves much too fast. Get a book and teach yourself or, better yet, get lessons. Don't count on the DVD.)

Read Best Reviews of Fender Starcaster Strat Pack Electric Guitar with Amp and Accessories (Black) Here

I got this for my fifteen yo son (aka "Even After Dinner, Giant Boys Eat"). (Okay, not because I was clever enough to think of it ahead of time, but because I stumbled onto one of Amazon's "lightning deals" at holiday time.) Perfect.

As you suspect from reading the description, this package has everything you need, which was really a blessing from my perspective. As others have suggested, we'll gradually replace things as he wants... strings, of course, the strap, maybe some new picks. I didn't realize there was even a tuner in the set, which is great.

One thing extra I feel we immediately need is a stand for the guitar. This is partly because things can get a little rambunctious in our house (e.g., the dog and the boy chasing each other around) and I want the guitar to be safe. I also don't really want him to put it away; I'd like to leave it out in the living room so that he's more inclined to pick it up and play.

I like the DVD, though I'm writing this just as soon as the gift has been opened, so we've only just started. To me, the lessons seem good, though my son is a trumpet player and played piano when young (so he knows musical things) and I've also played instruments (including acoustic guitar) before. We are far from being musicians, but it's not totally new to us, either. You're going to have to replay them a few times to get it; that's part of the learning.

Tips for beginners:

1. Tune your guitar to the DVD initially and don't mess with the electronic tuner. Everything will sound wrong if you're not tuned the same as the DVD guy, but trying to play along with him. Also, you should learn to tune your guitar to the low E string anyway (as he teaches on the DVD).

2. Make sure your low E and high E are actually the same note after you think you're done tuning (but yeah, in different octaves). My son thought he was tuned, but this test didn't pass so we adjusted.

3. Like everything else, you're learning to tune. But if you don't get this reasonably right, when you go on to chords, they'll sound like cr*p.

4. The first chord you're shown is a minor chord. (I question this choice, but there you have it.) This chord might not sound right to you anyway.

5. I think one strategy is to plow ahead till you get to an easier chord to listen to, maybe the regular E or the A. And then you might want to fiddle around a little bit between adjusting the tuning and trying the chord till the chord sounds right.

6. Note that you can find chord charts online for the "open chords", such as the one at Guitar for Beginners that I just found. Those first five chords should sound right if you're properly tuned (remember not to play all the strings for some of the chords).

7. You should maybe do just a little bit each day at the start (15 minutes or so) till your fingers build up calluses. This can also help pace the frustration factor of getting to the point of those first few chords.

8. Once you get those first few chords, you're on your way! Then it's just practice, practice, practice.

p.s. Some musical friends have confirmed that this is an excellent guitar for a beginner. One points out that what you lose in this line (as compared to other Fenders) is the quality control. This was an interesting observation for me -it's true of so many products, but I didn't apply it here. I think this might explain some of the variation in the reviews. Remember that you're buying from Amazon, and if you notice anything wrong, just Send It Back.

Want Fender Starcaster Strat Pack Electric Guitar with Amp and Accessories (Black) Discount?

Ok, first off, even if you are a beginner, I do not recommend this guitar.

Why?

One, this guitar has highly incremental buzz. Most people will tell you when you ask, that this is because of the amp, but this is because this is essentially quite cheaply constructed, and the parts aren't as good as a lot of others. The strings are too close to the fret, and this is one of the reasons.

Two, cheap materials, as I stated, are troublesome. After owning the guitar for one week, and having to take out and screw in the whammy bar, the screw part of it got stuck in the hole. Not shortly after that, we returned the guitar.

Three, the frets. Many people stated this, and this is a very big problem for anyone. The frets are NOT smooth at ALL and after just one week of use I had scars and a ripped up palm on my hand.

But if you want a good guitar in this price range, for beginners, here's what I recommend. Get a Fender Squier. At most sites, the base Fender Squier costs $119. About $90 less than this does here, and it has much smoother fret board, but it still has some of the buzz found in this guitar. I also recommend a beginner Epiphone Les Paul or SG.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Got this guitar package for Christmas (in midnight blue, but oh well), and I am liking this a lot. As other reviewers have stated, you are not getting a $300 guitar and a $100 amp you are getting a cheapo beginner's guitar with a wimpy amp.

THAT BEING SAID, it is worth much more than the measly $200 you spend! This is a GREAT package to get for a beginner to the electric guitar. The guitar is sturdy enough to handle some rough playing, and it seems to stay in tune somewhat well. The amp, while not loud or sturdy enough to use in a concert, is fun to mess around with and start experimenting with distortion, etc. I'm sure the picks are fine I prefer hard picks, so I didn't even look at the ones in the package. I also didn't look at the DVD included, having known how to play acoustic for a few years prior.

The bad news: The strings died very quickly for me (both the already string ones and the replacements included). The tuner is finicky at best. The amp will die if you crank the volume and blast away for very long. The strap comes off if you glance at it.

However, for a beginner, this package is perfect. Once you get some practice and feel like moving on, you can get a new tuner, a new amp, and even a new guitar one at a time at your leisure.

TL;DR: This is a great deal for a beginner, well worth the $200.

Yamaha PSR-E403 - Portable Keyboard & Synthesiser w/61 Touch Sensitive Full Size Keys

Yamaha PSR-E403 - Portable Keyboard & Synthesiser w/61 Touch Sensitive Full Size Keys
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:
Buy Now

I don't know much about music, but after tinkering around with "Virtual Piano 2.0" I decided to give the real thing a try.

Browsing online I saw that there were literally dozens of different keyboards out there, many at affordable entry-level prices. So what made me pick this one?

PROS--

EXTRA FEATURES: Sure, you could buy a real basic model for less, but sooner or later you're going to wish you had a few extra sound effects and knobs to tweak. The Yamaha has a nice display with a blue back-light, which makes it easy to see which note you're playing.

SOUND: Plug in some Bose 2 Quiet Comfort headphones (worth every penny, believe me) and you can bang on your keyboard all you want without disturbing whoever is next door to you. The sounds and sound effects that this keyboard produces are really amazing, everything from pianos to church organs to brass, world sounds, guitars, choirs, drums and special effects.

NITPICKINGS--

SIZE: Call me naive, but I thought it would be a little bit smaller, like small enough to fit in a large footlocker. Not quite. Fortunately the box is pretty good if you toss in some extra foam when you ship it. I wouldn't really call this keyboard portable, though. As much as I'd like to bring it to work I'd consider it too much of a hassle and just leave it where it is.

EASE OF USE: The basic actions like playing the keyboard itself and selecting a "voice" to use is really straightforward. However, other actions like transferring data to and from the keyboard to your PC is still a puzzle to me (granted I haven't tinkered with this that much). And as I'm still a beginner, there are lots of functions I have no clue what they do or how to use them, which is good in a way, because that leaves you something to discover later on, giving your keyboard more "replay value".

CONS--

ACCESSORIES: About the only thing that might turn you off is the fact that you need to buy the power adapter, headphones, USB cables to plug into your PC and foot pedal all separately. Or you can just buy a Survival Kit (which comes with a foot pedal that didn't work, cheap Koss headphones, a CD and the all-important power adapter. So whatever the price of this keyboard, make sure you factor in all the accessories you, unfortunately, need to buy separately.

OVERALL--

As this is my first keyboard, I have nothing to compare it to, but I feel like I got my money's worth and I'd definitely say it's worth 4 stars out of 5.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

The Yamaha PSR-E403 keyboard has been replaced by the Yamaha PSR-E413 as of May 2008. The two models look almost the same and are EXTREMELY similar in terms of features, though E413 has a few upgrades (165 vs. 155 styles; 100 arpeggio functions vs 50; etc..). The two are so similar, in fact, that purchasing the PSR-E403 at a respectable discount below the PSR-E413 is something new musicians on a budget should consider. Check around for the best prices and then make up your own mind if the upgrades are worth the additional expense.

Buy Yamaha PSR-E403 - Portable Keyboard & Synthesiser w/61 Touch Sensitive Full Size Keys Now

Bought this for my daughter to start lessons on, and am very happy with it. Sounds great, isn't too large, has volume control and headphones for when we don't want to hear it. Way better, though less romantic perhaps, than having a great big piano in the living room. My daughter loves the pre-recorded music that came with it as well, and now my wife is starting to plunk away and learn it also. Sounds exactly like a real piano, or you can choose many other sound effects. We paid a bit more (around $65.) for a good stand for it, the cheap ones will not hold it effectively, see reviews elsewhere.

Read Best Reviews of Yamaha PSR-E403 - Portable Keyboard & Synthesiser w/61 Touch Sensitive Full Size Keys Here

this is a very impressive product... a small piano with great sound... I am glad that I did not buy it from Amazon however since Sam Ash has it in stock for a third less money $199...it do pay to shop!!

Want Yamaha PSR-E403 - Portable Keyboard & Synthesiser w/61 Touch Sensitive Full Size Keys Discount?

I'm a college kid who has fun playing the keyboard, mostly just teaching myself songs and playing along by ear.

I also write some songs through software arrangers and this keyboard works fine with the midi drivers provided (I'm using windows 7, 64 bit).

Noteable Functions:

*So many great voices and 'styles' (beats)

*synthesizer functions are great, especially when playing along with techno songs!

*Simple to use arpeggio maker and harmony maker

*'Performance Assistant' is the biggest cheat I've come across, only letting you play the notes in the chord being played

*works with any sustain pedal (resets polarity when turning on)

*Good speaker range

Cons:

*menus are a bit difficult to change settings in (you press the function menu, then flip through the 55 categories to find what you want, but it's mostly technical settings)

*Yamaha makes you want to upgrade your keyboard with flaunting the slightly better models

*You have to wait 3 seconds after turning the keyboard on before it allows you to change anything (it turns on to just the piano, displays "YAMAHA" then lets you do whatever you want after 3 seconds)

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Stagg 4/4-Size Silent Electric Violin Set with Case and Accessories - Black

Stagg 4/4-Size Silent Electric Violin Set with Case and Accessories - Black
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $439.99
Sale Price: $226.69
Today's Bonus: 48% Off
Buy Now

  • Solid Body
  • Laquered Maple
  • 2-Band EQ with Volume Control
  • Internal Headphone Preamp
  • Includes case, bow, rosin, straps, and stereo headphones!

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

This violin looks way better than the picture. this violin is awesome but there are somethings that you have to do....

1) i didnt like the bow that came with it at all...so m recommendation is to get a better bow

2) my shoulder rest is small for this violin it scratched my violin :( (my shoulder rest is 4/4) so get a viola shoulder rest...

3) the bridge is kinda big so i used the bridge of my acustic violin

but over all this is a pretty good violin for the money that you have to spend on it

but if you are a professional violinist i'll recommend you to get a better one (expensive one)

anyways so far i love it...btw i use my computer sound system (speakers) instead of the headphones but i'm planning to get an amp anyways this is a pretty awesome instrument..

Buy Stagg 4/4-Size Silent Electric Violin Set with Case and Accessories - Black Now

My daughter loved it for Christmas. Great violin for the money. Still having problems with strings staying in tune. Still great for the price.

Read Best Reviews of Stagg 4/4-Size Silent Electric Violin Set with Case and Accessories - Black Here

I was very excited to play even though I received it a few days late.. Looks very nice but doesn't stay tuned for longer than 30, 45 min. Head phones are garbage!!!

Want Stagg 4/4-Size Silent Electric Violin Set with Case and Accessories - Black Discount?

One of the strings had become bent during transit and the bridge had come loose but it's easily fixable and sounds great! The strings sit a bit higher than I'm used to, maybe because the bridge sits in a holder rather than right on the violin but I can probably have someone sand it down a bit if I need to. This is my first electric violin and I am well pleased with it!

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Sounds great and beautiful instrument. I sounds just lovely. My son loves it. And now plays it all the time