It seems that more and more of my work colleagues are getting “intoxicated” for a search of good sound quality, either through better headphones and headphones, or music player.

The new gadgets I get my hands to is Samsung M1 Music Player. It looks like a competitor of Apple’s iPod Touch, because it is a full multimedia gadgets that not only capable of playing music files, but also playing videos, games, and other applications.

Look sleek, and I’m more than ready to review this cool gadget.

Physical Form and User Interface

It really looks like an iPod Touch with just a bit smaller screen size (3.3″ vs 3.5″) and smaller overall size too, but it’s a bit thicker (99mm vs 85 mm).

In terms of user interface, I think it copied much of iPod Touch feel, so I don’t have much trouble figuring out how to go around the applications. It lack a single cancel button like iPod Touch has though.

It’s touch sensor is also a bit unresponsive compared to iPod Touch.

Sound

I’ve heard that Samsung phone sound quality is one of the best out there, and I hope it’s true for their music player too. After copying a lots of standard songs I always use to review cans and music player, I immediately put it to the test.

It has myDNSe settings (don’t ask me what is the DNS stands for..) and you can set the equalizer, 3D effect, Bass, Concert Hall settings (Echo), and sound clarity effect.

Cool!

All the settings are true to their name. Bass settings improve bass very well, and the sound clarity effect really increase detail sounds.

In short, I like it sound quality, and it certainly beat my iPod Touch and I believe even the other iPods as well.

Video

I’ve got to say that M1 handles video wonderfully. With a 3.2″ screen it surely got something to give. The resolution is also great enough to give pleasure to the watchers’ eyes. Nice and vibrant colors. This probably is due to its nVidia graphic chip it uses.

etc

I’m telling you this little gadget has a lot to offer. It has bluetooth, FM radio, and out of the box it’s loaded with a lot of applications too. It also has Text reader and several cool pre-installed games.

The built-in memory is 8GB but it has a micro-SD slot so it is extensible. Sweet! It means more music and movies.

Price

My friend bought it for $130 here in Indonesia.

vs Meizu M3

It’s normal if I immediately compare it with Meizu M3 because they both sounds better than average music player.

However cool is the SQ of Samsung M1, unfortunately it still fall short to Meizu M3. The M3 definitely touch down on this criteria. Though if you need a more versatile entertainment gadget, Samsung M1 is definitely a winner here.

vs iPod Touch

Allright, it is really a tough decision here. iPod Touch certainly won the coolness look and applications (by hundreds of thousands of them), but I prefer the M1 for its sound and video quality.

But if I got to decide, I will still choose my iPod Touch over M1.

Why? Because I like to read ebooks and play endless possibilities of games whenever I want to.

Conclusion

Samsung Yepp M1 is truly an entertainment gadget, you just can’t get bored with this cool toy. In terms of sound quality, it definitely beat iPods family, I love it!

Videos are also played flawlessly, I watched the whole episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ on it and I still feel want to watch some more movies if I was not reminded that it’s not mine. :p

In conclusion, if your ear can only be satisfied with more than average sound quality it is really a cool gadget that can accompany you around and make you happy.. really happy!

*Test environment

Earphone – Sennheiser PX 100
Music files
- The Very Best of MTV Unplugged – MP3 320kbps
- Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey & The Groo Grux King – Flac
- OST City of Angels – MP3 192kbps
- Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Flac

My friend just bought the earphone last week after several weeks of reading reviews from various headphone and audiophiles sources in the internet.

So let’s see what a $100 plus earphone sounds like…

Physical Form

What are truly unique to this earphone are probably the foam tips and the earphone shape that pretty much dictates how you should wear the earphone.

Unlike other IEM I tested before, Westone 1 tips are different. dbE and MylarOne tips are interchangable, but not this one.

From a quick google, the tips are made by Comply.

Sound

As in all other IEM, the bud is the key factor to the sound quality we hear. I’m not saying that the bud is the one that  makes the sound good. But however great is the sound produced by the driver, it is useless if you don’t get the proper seal.

My friend said that what makes the Westone 1 sound great is the foam bud. The foam bud is really a foam (spongy rubber) that I never saw before.

However during the test I still prefer the medium rubber tips. The sound quality did not significantly change anyway.

Sound is astounding with clear staging. I don’t need to say much, it’s just perfect, better than all IEM I tested.

Price

In Indonesia, its price is $139.

Conclusion

The brand and the price says it all, there is no sound compromise whatsoever.

But the final question really is does it worth the price?

Honestly, it’s a bit complicated than just saying yes or no. I think if you already have a great sounding DAP, then go  ahead buy this earphone.

However for most other DAP, I don’t think this earphone can help much. Great sound? Of course! But only as far as your DAP supports.

So probably the appropriate bottom line is, unless you already have a great DAP such as iPod (classic or nano) and
Meizu M3 (even better), I don’t really think that the extra $100 can pay you back.

Allright, that’s all I’ve got to say about this Westone 1, and excuse me, I have some more songs to enjoy with this  wonderful IEM.

“My friend once asked me,

‘you saved so much, what are you gonna do with all the money you save anyway?’

i should have answered her,

‘it’s not what i’m gonna do with my money that matters, rather it’s what my money gonna do for me…’”

-djitz!

Then, I thought, why there is no chord book for the songs that we Seventh-Day Adventist always sing every Sabbath?

So I decided to write down all chords for the whole Lagu Sion (SDA Hymnal in Bahasa Indonesia). I didn’t able to find the chords for all the song because there are few songs that I really don’t know how they sound.

One time, there was a young boy in my church who saw my Lagu Sion that was full of chord scratches and he said he wanted to borrow it. He photocopied the whole Lagu Sion and enlarge it. I then encouraged him to play guitar with the pianist in the church every Sabbath. At first, he was hesitant because he was shy. But I kept pushing him, telling him that he just need to play the chords from the Lagu Sion anyway, most of the songs are already covered. He agreed and now I think he is a better guitar player than I am.

This experience inspired me to publish the chords here in my blog, hoping that there are many guitarist, new and experienced, old and young, who will be benefited from it. If you find that the chords are inaccurate, you can tell me and probably give me the correct chords as well, and I will fix it immediately.

*if a song is not clickable, it means I haven’t have the chords yet

Lagu Sion

1. DI HADAPAN HADIRAT HU
2. KEPADA ALLAH BRI PUJI
3. TUHAN ADA DALAM KAABAH
4. SEMBAHLAH ALLAH YANG MAHA MULIA
5. SEMBAHLAH ALLAH

6. PIMPIN AKU YA GEMBALA
7. PERHUBUNGAN KITA
8. YA YESUS, YANG AKU KASIH
9. MARI MAHARAJA
10. KAMI DATANG PADAMU

11. ANGKAT DIA HINGGA NYATA
12. KAMI SEMBAH SUJUD ALLAH
13. TEGUHLAH ALASAN
14. JIKA KIRANYA LIDAHKU
15. YA ALLAH KOTA YANG TEGUH

16. SUKALAH KITA CRITAKAN
17. TUHAN SLALU PIMPIN AKU
18. TEGUHLAH ALASAN
19. JIKA KIRANYA LIDAHKU
20. YA ALLAH KOTA YANG TEGUH

21. SUCI, SUCI, SUCI
22. BANGUN, JIWAKU DAN SEDIA
23. BETAPA INDAH RUMAH-MU
24. IMAN ORANG SALEH KEKAL
25. JIKA KU KENANGKAN TUHAN

26. KAMI MAU LIHAT YESUS JURUSELAMAT
27. SEMBAH SUJUDLAH UMAT-NYA
28. HATI YESUS PENUH
29. BRIKANLAH, YA TUHAN
30. RAJA KEKAL, PIMPINLAH

31. KASIH SURGA YANG TERINDAH
32. SEPERTI BAPA KASIH ANAK-NYA
33. HAI PUJILAH NAMA YESUS
34. KU PUJI TUHAN YANG JADIKAN
35. ADA TEMPAT DIAM TEDUH

36. TUNTUN AKU AGAR KAKIKU, TUHAN
37. APABILA DAMAI PERJALANANKU
38. TUHAN, PIMPINLAH AKU
39. LEBIH BESAR DARI KASIH IBU
40. TIADA LAIN PELINDUNG SPERTI YESUS

…. (to be updated)

My friend told me that Koss KSC75 is the best ear-clip earphone in class. Well, I’m not sure where he got the grading, but I’m just the person who cannot be convinced easily unless I heard the sound myself.

Koss, I suppose is quite a known name in the world of earphone lovers, though I myself haven’t heard much about it. Koss KSC75 is the second ear-clip earphone I reviewed, after the Sennheiser OMX 52 I tried several months ago.

Let’s bring this ear-clip to test, shall we?

Sound

First, I tested the KSC75 using my laptop, my standard DAP to review earphones.

However, I might as well tried using Meizu M3 of my friend to give the KSC75 help a bit.

I thought of using Meizu M3 because it has a great bass boost sound effect that can force the bass sound of KSC75 to its maximum ability. So does it help?

Honestly, I think it’s a bit lacking capability to produce deep bass sound. Forcing it with the bass boost doesn’t help either, it even sounds worse. Well, maybe this ear-clip is good at producing crystal clear treble. So let’s try playing some acoustic songs from Dave Matthews Band.

Treble is too prominent in some cases. When the Meizu M3’s treble boost was set to level 3, playing the DMB’s Gravedigger hurted my ear (the same setting sounds perfectly fine with my Sennheiser PX100). After I set the treble boost to zero then I can continue listening to the song.

Staging is ok, nothing impressive though, probably because of its ear-clip design.

Physical Form

I never been a fan of ear-clip form earphone, and that’s because of a good reason, it lack of isolation.

But I should say that ear-clip probably is the best form when it comes to portability, because it has a headphone size driver with the portability of earphone, and without the uncomfortability of IEM in long duration listening.

Price

In Indonesia, Koss Ear Clip KSC75 is priced at $28. Interestingly quite a lot of price difference from what I found from Koss website, which is $19.99

The Verdict

At the price level I think I should say that Koss KSC75 is one of the good option. However, when we talk about sound quality, I cannot recommend it because it simply lacking.

Even when I already used one of the best MP3 player in the world, the Meizu M3 that is, I still cannot say that I like the sound produced by this ear-clip.

Having said that, I would probably still buy Koss KSC75 if I’m looking for an affordable portable headphone to accompany me in a travel (as long as the MP3 player is Meizu M3).

*Review Notes

DAP: Meizu M3
Songs:
Dave Matthews Band – Gravedigger [Acoustic] – Flac
Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Flac
Ecoutez – Tunjuk 1 Bintang – MP3 128 kbps
Jazzyfatnastees – Let It Go – MP3 128 kbps
Linkin Park – Meteora – Flac

Another small music player I review this week after Meizu M3. My work colleague just bought it last week and he kindly let me borrow it and let me test it. It is the first Creative portable music player I tried so far.

Physical Form

I’m not sure if it is to be a rival of iPod Nano cause they have similar physical form, though Zen Mozaic is a bit shorter yet thicker.

Sound

When I first tried to listen to it, I’m not really disappointed. I can hear some bass punching. Then I tried to check it’s sound settings, and this is where I felt a bit disappointed. There is only one significant sound setting, which is the EQ settings, and it didn’t help much.

Another thing that disappoint me is when I cannot tried my playlist of songs in FLAC and WAV formats I always use to review music player and earphone or headphone.

Display

With 1.8″ screen, I think it’s big enough to show all the informations needed. It’s definitely better size than the Meizu M3 that only has 1.5″ screen.

The resolution however is a bit low, makes it look like an old Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone. I’m not saying that it’s bad, I’m just not saying that it’s cool also.

Extra Features

Probably this player has a lot of plusses when it comes to extra features.

First, it’s able to play video files (although you need to convert it to its format first (.cmv))

Second, it’s a small player with an external speaker. I love external speaker, and I haven’t see any small portable music player with external speaker before this one.

Third, it has microphone so you can record important conversations as a solid evidence (like when your boss said he will double your salary).

Price

In Indonesia it’s tagged at $67. A bit expensive I should say.

Conclusion

I don’t wanna sound mean, but I’m not impressed with this Creative Zen Mozaic 4 GB. Having listened to Meizu M3 earlier this week probably skewed my judgment this time, makes me expect something more from Zen Mozaic to impress me.

If you are looking for a small music player with a video playing capability, probably this is a good player for you.

If you also need a microphone, then I think you might like this player also.

However, if you are a sound afficionado and can be only satisfied with nothing less than a high definition sounds, then this player is not for you.

One day, a work colleague of mine asked me for songs in flac format. I wondered why? Not so many people I know know about flac format.

Later I found out that he just bought Meizu M3 music player. Hearing the brand Meizu, it seems that I’ve heard the brand somewhere, though I’m not sure where.

Then he let me hear the Linkin Park Meteora album in flac format that he copied from me played in the M3. And whoaa… I immediately need to listen some more to this tiny music player.

And this is the result:

Physical Form and Controls

I think M3 is really Meizu product to rival iPod Nano. It is about the same size and look, though Meizu M3’s screen is smaller. The player combine both buttons and soft touch controls, similar to iPod Nano once again.

It took me some time to get used to the control, but it’s quite easy after a while.

Display and Interface

Meizu M3 screen size is 1.5 inch with 176 x 132 resolution. Though the resolution is good enough to watch videos, I feel the screen size is too small for me.

Interface is ok, nothing much special. One particular feature I like is it’s ability to browse all the folders. It’s really helpful when you copied the music files by folders and without artist or album informations. In short, it makes my life easier.

Sound

Ever heard the sayings, “Never underestimate the music player by its size”?

Don’t worry if you never heard that, cause I just made it up few seconds ago, right after I listened to this little Meizu M3. It’s a bit smaller than the iPod nano 4th generation several months ago. But its sound quality impressed me so much the way iPod nano did, though somehow I think Meizu M3 sounds superior then nano.

One Meizu M3 unique feature worth mentioning here is the “spatializer”. When I saw it, I think “What on Earth is spatializer???”

But trust me, you don’t need to know what it is, not even how to properly spell it to hear the difference it makes to the sound quality.

The sound settings didn’t stop there. There are Bass Boost, Treble Boost, and EQ (Equalizer) settings. Properly choose these settings and you give your ears delightful treat.

Price

My friend bought the Meizu M3 in Indonesia for $75.

Buy It or Not?

Although with all the goodness I mentioned above, I’m very sorry to say that this product is… A MUST BUY!!!!

Hahaha! Never before I heard a music player that sounds this good. Meizu M3 with its Spatializer, Bass Boost, and EQ definitely kicks iPod Nano off when it comes to sound quality. (Apple lover, please don’t
hurt me…)

Did I mention that it’s half the price of iPod Nano?

In terms of hi-fi audio files, I like it’s capability to play FLAC, though not m4a files. One note though, though it says that it can play WAV files, during this review none of the WAV files I copied can be played.

So it is fellas, if you really looking for sound quality, nothing beat Meizu M3. But if you are looking for coolness, I still give all Apple products straight A+.

Review Notes

Earphones/Headphones:
dBE Acoustic PR-20 IEM
Sennheiser PX100

Songs tested:
Linkin Park – Meteora – Flac
Dave Matthews – Some Devil – Flac
Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Flac

Just last night I was thinking if anyone has created a PDF of Lagu Sion (Indonesian Seventh-Day Adventist Hymnal book). I didn’t see any in the first and second page of Google results for “Lagu Sion PDF” so I assumed that it is not available yet.

Thank God, there are so many Powerpoint version of Lagu Sion available already. Because to create this Lagu Sion PDF, I use one of the Powerpoint version and copy the lyrics to a text file, then I create the PDF version with Microsoft Word. It really speed up the process, because I don’t need to type all the lyrics.

So here it is, the Lagu Sion in PDF format:

Download Lagu Sion PDF Version 1.0

This morning my friend brought this earphone to me and asked me to review it. He borrowed it from my another work colleague who just have bought it.

Honestly, it’s the first time someone offered me to review an earphone rather than me politely asking to borrow one. So I guess I’m now known as an earphone reviewer eh?

Enough with narcissistic talk, let’s get straight to the review.

Physical Form

I’ve got to admit that it has not so interesting look, just a straight tube earpiece. Nothing more, but we’re here to judge the sound quality, not the looks anyway right?

Sound Quality

I always wear the medium eartips, because this is the size that fits my ear well.
For the sound quality I will discuss it below with the unique screws that the CrossRoads Quattro comes with.

What’s This?

Quattro comes with a detachable screws on the back side of the earpiece. My friend said that they are to control the bass.

“Oh, really..?”, I thought, “Let’s see what these little things can do.”

And boy, they really did. Sweet stuff!

The screws was labeled 1, 2, and 3. Here is their difference:
. the “1″ screws have a little hole
. the “2″ screws have is closed with smooth internal surface
. the “3″ screws have is closed with rough internal surface

I didn’t read the manual so I didn’t know what this difference would do to the sound at first.

First Try – no screw caps

First, I tried to not use any of the screws, so the earpiece has a big hole where you can see a bit of its internal parts. It produce an interesting deep bass sounds, rare to any IEM I reviewed before.

Second Try – “1″ screw caps

Almost no difference with the without screw caps, deep bass sounds.

Third Try – “2″ screw caps

The bass sounds are a bit soften using the “2″ screw caps. I estimate it probably cut the bass sounds by 1/4. The bass is still there, but not as aggressive as before. Still marvelous sound quality though.

Fourth Try – “3″ screw caps

The “3″ screw caps soften the bass further by around 1/2 of the bass sounds using “2″ screw caps.

Probably for those who doesn’t really wants too much bass pumping, this is the best setting. The overall sound quality still very much the same though.

Price

My friend was lucky to bought it for $57 here in Indonesia, it was second hand though. The real price for a new one is $88. Not a cheap product I should say, though it really deliver the goods.

Conclusion

I’m really fascinated with Crossroads Quattro.

Having the screw caps to adjust the bass level is really a plus value, not to mention that it really works unlike some other magic knobs that sometimes give you no different sound quality. Though I should admit that it’s a bit cumbersome to manually unscrew and screw these screw caps.

For it’s sound quality, there is no question about it. It is comparable to its brother the Crossroads MylarOne Bijou2 I tested earlier, if not better. Just expect a great quality of crystal clear sound with great staging as well.

Once again I should mention that IEM is not for everyone, because not everyone can appreciate the detail sounds. Most people will prefer the usual bigger headphones. But if you are like me who wants to hear all the hidden sound details of a song, IEM is the answer and Crossroads Quattro is one of the best options out there.

*Songs tested

Dave Matthews Band – Gravedigger [Acoustic] – Flac
Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Flac
Ecoutez – Tunjuk 1 Bintang – MP3 128 kbps
Jazzyfatnastees – Let It Go – MP3 128 kbps
Linkin Park – Meteora – Flac

I heard my work colleage told me last night that another work colleague of mine has a new earphone that sounds like a headphone, and it cost around $50. I asked him what is the brand and he said that he never heard of it before.

So I looked for the owner and asked him about it. He also never heard of the brand, but he read some reviews in the internet saying that the sound was great.

Well, it should! Because it cost twice of my dbE Acoustic PR-20. Anyway, I immediately asked him if I could borrow it and review it, and this is what I have to say.

Physical Form

Crossroads MylarOne Bijou 2 is an IEM earphone, so my expectations level goes up. It should not make the IEM families down. The earpiece has dark metallic green color, nice and elegant.

Sound

This earphone is immediately put to test with several songs I specially compiled to test earphones.

All low, mid, and high sounds are clean, with not so punchy but great bass.

I listened to Gravedigger (Acoustic version) by Dave Matthews Band and I almost cried (honestly, I almost do). It has a very clear sound stage, and very noticable difference with my dbE Acoustic PR-20 earphone.

Price

In Indonesia the earphone is sold at around $50. Not so cheap for casual listener, but still in entry level compared to other more serious earphones’ price.

Conclusion

I have to admit, I never hear this brand of earphone before till I tried it. Now, I will never forget it. Bijou 2 is definitely one of the great earphones with a great sound stage.

I can’t say that the earphone is a best buy, because, once again, it’s not easy to convince casual listener that this little earphone worth the high price when they can easily find cheaper and better looking earphones anywhere.

For me, if one day I damaged my dbE Acoustic PR20, I will definitely look for this Crossroads MylarOne bijou 2 (unless of course I happened to meet other better IEM).