20 Best Gifts For Streamers (2022 Updated)

I bought this mainly for the microphone. I have not used the headphones because I already had a pair. But the headphones will eventually make its way into the rotation. But this microphone is great. It allows me to sound very clear on Zoom calls and the boom allows for perfect placement.

Must admit I feel like a real podcaster! People have commented on how good my voice comes through without any echoes or distortions. , I think it is a useful addition to the online presence. No complaints.

This is a multi-functional box, not just for streaming. Buttons can be programmed to do anything your keyboard or mouse can do AND can fire multiple commands in sequence allowing for some pretty complicated actions.

Button faces can be customized with your own graphics and can even include live data. Profiles can be saved and shared with user communities. All of this makes it ideal for the Flight Simulator enthusiast or any other software with a supportive community.

Multiple pages and multiple profiles can be accessed so you aren’t limited to just the 15 buttons you see. You can have pages and pages of pre-programmed buttons. See pictures for examples.

The Hydro Flask bottles are the best! This is my second bottle. I discovered one day these bottles would fit in bottle carriers on my bicycle. When you are riding 50 to 100 a trip you really want and need cold water.

It takes nothing in the insulated bottles I use to carry for your water to warm up. With the Hydro Flask bottles my water stays cold. I put a few ice cubes in the bottle, then I can keep refilling my bottles and I always have ice cold water on my trips.

It is awesome. Several of my friends have begun to follow the lead. Great Job Hydro Flask. I would definitely recommend these bottles to everyone. I also found on their website a sport cap that works extremely well that I would not be without on these bottles.

For the last year I’ve been switching between a 17oz swell and a 32oz but finding issues with both. The swell was too small for a full day but fit in cup holders and was insulated, the nalgene held enough water for a day or a hike but doesn’t fit in literally any cup holder I’ve found and doesn’t stay cold.

Decided to finally get the best of both worlds and meet in the middle. The 24oz hydroflask is perfect, I was tempted by the 32oz but glad I went with the 24, it’s such a nice feeling being able to put it in the cup holder it my car.

Only complaint is I wish it came with the straw lid, my swell had a smaller opening which I liked and I had a straw in my nalgene wide month. With the hydroflask lid I have trouble drinking and walking or driving but this can be fixed by buying a new lid the future.

Overall happy with my purchase.

What more could you want in a water bottle? This keeps your cold drinks cold and your hot drinks hot. If you’re worried about denting your bottle (I drop mine ALL THE TIME), I recommend purchasing a small boot for your bottle.

The rubber boot will help absorb impact, prevent that metallic “clanging” sound when you put the bottle down, and with every color option in the rainbow, you can pick a color scheme that means your bottle won’t be getting mixed up with your friend’s anymore! I bought the clementime bottle (which is more of a true orange in color than the photos make it seem, photos look like a yellow-orange color) and a yellow boot, and they look fantastic together.

All buttons and sticks are easily programmable and they immediately update in real time, no restart needed (must first install the stick’s driver and software). 12 buttons, two joysticks and a switch tab.

The base platform is wide and heavy enough to keep it firmly planted on a flat surface so the entire device does not tip over when doing aggressive moves with the stick. Product weight says 2 pounds, but to me it feels more like 4 to 6 pounds.

Moving the stick feels firm, which is good so you don’t over shoot your movements and frantically move back to align. The plastic material feels solid as steel. USB cable is long enough, about 6ft. Can’t beat the price! The corner holes make it easy to set on a DIY side table if you build your own gaming seat simulator, you can use the holes as channel locks or run straps through them.

I honestly can’t think of any cons with this thing. It’s perfect.

I looked everywhere for this stick at MSRP. Finally found it at Micro Center, whom seem to be the only ones out there not willing to sell multiple things to a bot. 1 per house hold. Thank you Micro Center! Anyhow, I use this in a dual stick setup for my games, like Elite: Dangerous.

The stick has an unbelievable amount of buttons for the price, and most games allow you to use them as macros (I think that’s the correct term) so if you press and hold button 1, for example, and then press button 2, it could be assigned to an entirely different action.

This makes your usage increase beyond the simple 12 button scheme. The stick itself moves smoothly and without resistance. Compared to my older Logitech Attack 3, this thing is leagues ahead of it. The build quality is superior, though there is an uncomfortable plastic seam on the handle, but you get a much needed change in the palm rest at the base of the stick, a curved button for your thumb, a HAT joystick and an easy to reach “dial”, which can be used for thrust.

The software you can download for it is a must have. Seriously. I couldn’t even get it to work in games without it, despite the sticks appear. Within the software, you can adjust all sorts of things for the sticks to fine tune it further.

Overall, I am quite pleased by the product and would completely recommend it, especially if you have a tight budget!.

I got this to use for Elite Dangerous. It was on sale and at the time of my purchase $20. I been using it for several weeks already, it feels good in the hand, the buttons and the directional input at the top feels fine, nothing feels like it’s going to suddenly break on it, I’ve had some intense events happen in the game and I was yanking on it hard during that.

If a game doesn’t pick it up then you’ll have to download their software and then you can map everything on it. I’d say this is a pretty good entry level joystick to get, the price is pretty good. The one thing that would make this better is some way to add weights to it as it is pretty light, the base of it does have a rubberized pad at each corner, but in my experience thus far, if all 4 aren’t making contact with the surface it can start to tip over.

This is one of my favourite refills for the mist diffuser. It has a lovely orange blossom & lime scent that feels natural and importantly it also isn’t overpowering. I like to use my on a medium setting, I’ve had it for nearly a month now and it’s still going strong, these refills really do last a long time.

I love the inclusion of essential oils inside the product, it definitely makes the mist diffuser a much more premium option compared to a traditional air freshener while still being great value. Highly recommend for any room in the house, remember you can always experiment with the different intensity settings on the diffuser if you’d like to increase or decrease how much the scent fills the room and thanks to the timer it won’t go off during the night.

I’m so sad about this item. I was so happy when I first got it, it worked so good for like 5 months in my bedroom. I moved it to the bathroom and it worked for a week and finally gave up just like everyone says in the comments.

It started making a loud whistle noise. I also noticed the little oil bottle would be so oily. So it was wasting product and nothing was coming out I no longer smelled anything mind you my whole bedroom would smell for days.

It would let out mist every few hours but yeah it stopped and it’s not the batteries. I really wanted to love it especially because it’s nice and small. Plus the oils smell great but… guess not.

I’ve owned mine for 3 yrs now, no problems no glitches. We buy the Lavender Almond blossom, it’s a scent that both myself & my hubby really like. THANK YOU Airwick for not cancelling this scent. I’ve been discouraged in the past by investing in a unit & introduction scent only to have the scent(s) discontinued.

So thanks!!! I have 1 major suggestion, could you do a unit that can be recharged via USB? It would be a much greener approach and a “Thanks” to mother nature for providing such awesome essential scents!!! YAY!!! Beat the competition and be the 1st to do it.

Also, could you do a simple cherry scent? Love this and highly recommend!.

Bought to replace my lost 26 oz. with the “original” cap. The metal band at the top gets cold when ice is inside the bottle. This suggests that there is heat transfer happening which did not occur with the 26 oz.

It matters less that the ice melts quicker since 18 oz. will be consumed quicker. Still, you expect a YETI to be a YETI and if I wanted to pack it for later this would be an issue. The narrow circumference of the 18 oz.

makes the chug cap seem superfluous and it adds considerable overall weight. Seems like it is more than twice the weight of the original cap. When empty it feels top heavy. I wish the chug cap were optional.

I didn’t look at the pictures closely enough to realize that the cap cannot be screwed in WITHOUT the chug portion attached. And (I’m speculating here), maybe the thin clear plastic of the chug cap that screws in to the bottle is less insulating than the original thick black plastic which is why the metal is cool to the touch and ice melts faster.

I also purchased a 64 oz. with chug cap at the same time but am withholding my review until I see if it has the same heat transfer issue. If it does, I would still use the chug cap, but again wish it were optional and that an original cap were available for purchase or we had the option to choose at time of purchase.

I don’t even see the original cap as a purchase option. Hopefully this isn’t the case. Why fix something that isn’t broken?.

This is an absolute life saver! I have 2 pc’s for streaming and getting audio between the 2 is a headache. With this it’s just a total of 2 aux cords going between the pc’s and connecting the the mixer and your done.

I did have a little bit of static between the sources so I just bought a few ground loop isolators and now it’s perfect. I very very highly recommend getting this if you are going to take streaming/content creation to the next level.

Purchased my first GoXLR in May 2019. This device is a game changer for any streamer looking to put control at their fingertips. I highly recommend both the GoXLR and the GoXLR mini. I recently picked up a second unit (GoXLR Mini) for my streaming PC to expand and provide just a bit more flexibility.

The only issues I have had are not related to the product but to the manufactures ability to provide service only due to high demand. If they can get their feet under them and up the service and support game I would move my review from 5 starts to 5+.

Again that has nothing to do with the actual product.

I bought this 5 days ago after researching for 2 weeks how to travel with frozen breast milk. We drove to North Carolina with our infant so it took 13hours instead of the usual 9 hours. I heard this cooler was the best at keeping liquids frozen so I followed all of the recommendations plus a bit extra.

First I lined the inside with aluminum foil, then I placed a frozen gel pack at the bottom of the yeti hopper 8 and filled it with as many frozen breast milk bags that I could. I placed another frozen gel pack on the top of the milk bags.

Any gaps were filled with aluminum foil to reduce air. I then closed zipper and taped the zipper to protect from any air flow. After taping the zipper I placed the packed yeti in my freezer for 32 hours prior to driving.

For extra measure I placed the yeti in an igloo cooler and added ice. I placed the yeti cooler in a plastic bag so that it wouldn’t get wet. Let me tell you, we were delayed due to inclement weather but when we arrived at our destination my breast milk was still frozen solid! I highly recommend this cooler for any traveling mother who exclusively feeds their baby breast milk and is afraid to spoil milk.

My only regret is not buying the 12 for more storage. I’m absolutely satisfied.

Pros: We live in the southwest, so immediately tested this out in 100-120 degree temps over summer and it held up great. We take it paddleboarding/kayaking and put in the hard and/or soft ice packs with drinks, food and it keeps cold all day.

We’ve also used regular (loose) ice in it which works okay, but the hard/soft packs are more functional and in general keep things colder longer in combination with the cooler itself, plus gives you more room.

Mind you, our use on the water has all been day trips, not multi-day trips. The strap is really handy to secure on a paddleboard, and obviously the cooler is lighterweight than a hard-sided cooler for such water trips.

We’ve also used this just for shopping/keeping leftovers cold/whatever during the southwest summer and sometimes for long-periods of time in our (very hot) vehicle. It has held up well for that purpose too.

It also works great (although it is a bit big) for work lunches if you don’t have access to a fridge. Most of our use with this cooler is for day trips/use. That said, we have also used it for car camping trips and road trips.

The one car camping trip was quite hot, and we put our most-necessary-to-keep-cold items in the Yeti and it kept fine (again, with the solid blue ice packs). Cons: Yes, the zipper is kind of a hassle and that is the biggest con as others have mentioned.

We are careful with the zipper, and that is really my biggest concern re: zipping breaking but no sign of that so far. Of course it is very pricey, so recommend waiting for a REI member coupon or sale (if it goes on sale that is!) As mentioned above, I think this cooler works better w/ice packs versus loose ice, although we’ve also combined the two which works.

All in all, this is our most functional cooler/high-quality. Took us a while to decide to purchase due to the high price, but so far it is holding up well and getting used all the time, so worth the money.

True to Yeti form, this little cooler is built like a ton of bricks and does a great job of making sure that the contents stay cold and isolated from external conditions. The shoulder strap and handle make it very easy to carry.

There are 2 things to keep in mind: 1) Just like any Yeti soft cooler, the zipper is quite stiff. It will loosen up a bit over time, but this just takes some getting used to if you’re not familiar with their products.

2) The lid will close on its own if you let go of it. This may be slightly inconvenient when loading, but it does ensure that you don’t inadvertently forget to close it and let everything get warm. With those caveats aside, this is definitely the best performing small soft cooler I’ve ever used.

And it’s just the perfect size for a 6-pack or hearty lunch.

I am a professional fiber optic cable splicer, the fiber is made of glass and is very fine. Communications fiber is typically found with coatings applied which protects and allows quick identification.

These coatings must be removed from the glass to fusion splice two fibers together. Hair, like fiber, is very thin and can become a splinter causing pain and infection. Fiber is 250microns, or 250 onethousands of a millimeter, when prepared to splice, it is half again that size, and without its coating.

Now clear and only 125microns across the Glass is small enough to slip into skin between nerve endings! Don’t worry, you will feel it later! When you do, Tweezerman is the go to tool with magnifying loupe, camera/video or a very good eye to remove fiber shards from anywhere.

The professional does not need to work in a salon to know that when a splinter gets under your skin and finds that nerve now causing pain, it needs to come out. Now! There is no better tool I’ve found in over 25 years to remove fiber splinters.

Sure, were tough guys, but we are babies when we get splinters. So we perform surgery on ourselves to get that glass out (and not look like a baby). The fine point is precise and allows delicate work as well as digging into and under skin where fiber will continue to move deeper.

Fiber optic glass will remain in your body, never disolved and invisible to xray. When you need a good pair of tweezers, use those other guys tweezers. When you need the best tweezers that grip exactly where they are supposed to, Tweezerman.

No exception.

I have many tweezers because I’m always looking for the perfect pair. I’ve never purchased Tweezerman because they seemed very expensive and I’ve been hurt before. Well, let me say, I was wrong about that.

The tweezers are a good size to fit comfortably in my hand, they’re sturdy and they come in a little storage tube, which will be much better than the open ended cover I have for other tweezers. I knocked out a bushy underbrow in just a few swipes and the tweezers made it much easier.

Imagine my surprise when I felt extra resistance on my first tweeze only to come away with THREE eyebrow hairs! That’s some holding power. I didn’t have to squeeze them to death to get a good grip, great to reduce fatigue when there’s a lot of tweezing to be done.

The angle had some leeway too, I hate when you have to align the tweezer juuuusssstttt right to avoid breaking a hair or missing it completely.

The mic quality is pretty nice, and I like the ring light a lot. But when I tried to stream with it, my viewers and people I would play with mentioned they heard a lot of crackling, and when I would play the videos back I heard it.

Looked it up and that tends to happen when a chord is either damaged or not fully plugged in. I unplugged everything countless times, come to find out one of the chords had internal damage. Pretty disappointing for something I paid so much money for.

Very poor video quality with virtually no dynamic range. The microphone is okay, but not stellar. The light works, more or less. One major fail: There is no height adjustment of for the mike or camera! You can change the angle, but not the height.

For the price of this thing, I expect much better video quality.

I love everything about Marantz. I was apprehensive about being savy enough to connect it to my computer but it was so simple. No assembly required just take it out the box and simply plug it in. The camera has amazing quality.

I’m very impressed.

I saw one of these being used and reviewed on a YouTube camping channel and decided to get one. I shopped around and found this one on eBay at about half the average price. I checked out the EAN number to make sure it was a genuine Zippo product.

It’s a typical Zippo, well made and just the right size to fit in a pocket. It comes with a pouch that you place the warmer inside once you’ve added lighter fuel and lit it. With full reservoirs it gives about 10 hours of warmth.

Don’t expect blazing heat; it provides a nice warmth that will take the chill off your hands or pop it into your sleeping bag to keep your feet toastie. It is also ideal for keeping batteries warm so that they don’t lose charge as quickly in cold conditions.

Auto-asked to write a review for the ATH M50x headphones I’ve just bought from Studio DJ. Decided to do so. Normally, it would be far too soon to write a review for a newly-purchased product. But this is the second pair of ATH M50x headphones that I’ve bought, so I have a lot of experience with them.

Must point out that I DON’T use them for music! I hardly ever listen to any music; only, sometimes, to Bach’s Klavier works on the car CD while driving. So, for music listeners, this review may be totally irrelevant.

I specifically chose the M50xs for field recording, especially for nature field recording: I mean, taking the headphones out with me in the field, in all kinds of weather and terrain conditions. For the quality, the price is reasonable, affordable, replaceable.

And, from my perspective, the quality is very good. You can find many technical reviews for the M50xs, with frequency response graphs, on the web, and it would be worth your while doing some research.

I did, and that’s why I chose, and was very happy with, these headphones, for my specific purposes. I typically also use them for listening to and editing field recordings, back at home, but I always use them comparatively, in conjunction with other headphones that I wouldn’t want to risk taking out into the field.

What I’ve found, from this experience, is that the M50xs work very well, both for in situ recording and for at-home listening/editing: they are very reliable up against other more expensive headphones.

From the listening perspective, for me, the most important point is that the M50xs present a significant bass boost (for frequencies below 200 Hz, and still very clearly for frequencies below 100 Hz).

For the purposes of nature field recording, this ‘bass emphasis’ is not a problem, for me, at all; to the contrary, it is a very great advantage, because it alerts me immediately to the presence of low frequency anthropogenic noise, such as distant traffic and machinery noise, which a much ‘flatter’ headphone frequency response would effectively gloss over.

I can then make a choice whether to continue recording, or try to get farther away (usually, it’s the latter). The other thing that should be mentioned about the M50xs is that they have a design weakness, which especially affects field recordists.

On the one hand, it’s wonderful that these headphones can be folded up for neat, convenient packing into a draw-string vinyl bag. But constant wear and tear takes its toll. There is a small plastic pin inside the hinge of the headphones which effectively holds them tight against your ears.

With much use, and perhaps especially with much folding and unfolding out in the field, that pin will break off. Then, the headphones no longer have any grip: they can’t be used. Fortunately, a quick search on the web for how to repair MKH50xs with this problem, reveals that there are several people who have produced 3D-printed little clamps that can be screwed over the hinge, to fix the problem – because it’s a very common and very well-known problem! The result makes the headphones quite usable; although, I found, not with quite the same strength of grip and tight seal around the ears as in the original.

Still, much better than ditching a pair of otherwise perfectly good headphones. So, that’s basically why I bought this second pair of ATH M50x headphones. I continue to use the repaired pair out in the field, and the new pair at my desk, in conjunction with other headphones.

It will be very interesting to see whether not needing to fold away, pack, and carry the new pair will lengthen their hinge lifespan. As for well-known deterioration of the earpads and interior lining of the headband (again, check the web): well, I had already replaced one pair of ear pads on the first pair, so when I bought this pair, I also added a pair of replacement ear pads to the purchase.

My feeling is that I’m glad that Audio Technica put the real use value into the important parts of the headphones: the listening parts! If the peripherals have much less longevity, well, at least there are replacements and fixes out there – and for a good reason: because the headphones are very good, and people want to keep using them!.

After a lot of research, it came down to this or Beyerdynamics dt770 pro. And I chose this over that as it had detachable cable, swivel earcups which I really need as I often have to remove my headphones.

Now I do have to say, the leather materials and the tight headband maynot be ideal for long usage, you may have some discomfort in wearing it continuously for hours. But other than that, The audio quality is definietly so good that I am now listening to my playlist with a very different perspective (idk if it makes sense but yes).

And for anyone who is looking to get their first Studio Monitor headphones will be very much satisfied. It offers a very flat sound which is not bad at all, it only means it replicates the voices and instrument as original as possible.

That is exactly what I needed as I need to mix my instrument and vocal tracks. And for all Audiophiles who would need their songs to sound close to original you would love this too! TLDR: If this is your first studio monitor, definitely go for it!.

This is not a complaint, but rather just my amusing experience. I just noticed that the Yeti website now says that Hopper coolers are NOT compatible with dry ice because they are airtight. I swear that it was previously only advertised as leakproof.

The Hopper 12 cooler was a gift from my kids. fortunately. I don’t think I would have purchased it for myself at that price! But I wouldn’t trade it for anything now. The cooler and zipper are absolutely unbelievable!!! I can’t imagine a cooler with a zipper to be leakproof.

but it is! In fact, my Hopper 12 is AIRTIGHT!!! I once used it to transport ice cream with dry ice. When I picked up my Hopper 12 cooler I noticed that it was bulging on all sides. I quickly cracked opened the zipper and heard/felt a rush of escaping air from the cooler, and the cooler sides returned to normal.

I think either the zipper might have been damaged or the cooler would have exploded if I hadn’t found it in time. Trust what Yeti says! This cooler is also fits under seats and much less space in overhead bins on airplanes – perfect for taking frozen treats on long trips (just leave the zipper cracked if you have dry ice inside).

I personally own two Tundras but had purchased this as a gift for my mom. I was so excited because they had her favorite color and all. I purchased the Yeti Ice to go along with it as well. I went on and on about how much she was going to love it and wow, what a huge let down.

Not only does it not perform as their hard coolers, but it is also hard as hell to zip. My mother can barely open the thing and I even struggle. I contacted Yeti to inquire about returning it and purchasing a Tundra for her and was shocked to learn that I couldn’t.

I offered to pay whatever but they wouldn’t even work with me. I was offered some of the zipper lubricant free of charge. Well that stuff came with it and I informed them I had cakes it on myself and it wasn’t helping.

Then when it came to the fact it doesn’t keep ice frozen anywhere near the Tundra, they have me some pointers of which I had already tried. I even put the thing in a deep freezer prior to adding ice and it still won’t keep it frozen.

I just can’t believe with the price of the product, they aren’t willing to help a disappointed customer and I hope they can see the long list of reviews showing there is obviously a problem. Hell I contacted Ray Ban three years after purchasing a pair of sunglasses asking about where I could have a scratched lens repaired and they immediately offered to send me a new pair of sunglasses which didn’t even cost as much as this cooler if that’s what you would like to call it.

We have a couple of these. One we use for our kids drinks while traveling. Initially it was used for traveling while nursing my baby so I could keep breast milk and bottles cold on road-trips and camping.

Then it was upgraded to kids bottles, juice and milk and … beer in the car or for traveling in general. Keeps things cold forever like all yeti products. Doesn’t leak even though it’s a zipper top. Super handy cross strap that makes carrying it around extremely convenient.

The second one we use for storing fish chum in while fishing on the beach. Again, doesn’t leak and keeps things cool. Extremely easy to clean. Just all around awesome.

I have been listening to streamed music for about four years utilising Amazon streaming service. Equipment I used was a good quality bluetooth/DAC played through a NAIM pre-power amp combo. The sound quality was I must say very good.

Appreciating the benefits in sound quality of a dedicated network streamer I have been watching their development over a number of years. Unfortunately there seems in the past to have been issues with compatibility with numerous streaming services, some problems with the streaming apps, gapless music etc.

Also some of the streamers where eye wateringly expensive. However there are now a number of quality streamers available including the NODE. I bought it after reading numerous good press and customer reviews.

Some reviews also compared the sound to the NAIM CD5 player which I use. Following purchase the Node arrived promptly. I was really impressed by the look and quality of the streamer. Setting it up was very straight forward, downloaded the BLUOS app connected to my network and that was it, took about five minutes.

First music I played was David Crosby album “For Free” both my wife and I were astonished by the quality of the sound, definitely a wow factor. I have now been using the NODE regularly and I am extremely pleased with it.

The app has worked perfectly, simple to use and I have also set the line out volume in settings as fixed and also switched off the tone controls so these are now flat. I have played a wide selection of music including older favourites Al Stewart, Lloyd Cole, Supertramp.

I have also played more subtle recent music including The Weather Station, Faye Webster. Less subtle music would include the Darkness last album. The NODE sounds fantastic irrespective of the type of music played, the sound is extremely clear and detailed.

So in a nutshell yes I love this streamer and will enjoy many more hours of quality listening. Also it sounds much better than the previous Bluetooth/DAC I used.

The user who gave this a bad review must have a bad unit. He should have returned it. There is no on/off switch and this doesn’t bother anyone else who has ever tried the product. It is not distracting or inconvenient.

The idea that it is a waste of electricity is a joke. This is audio equipment. One more moving part is a terrible idea. I have the new Node and a 2i at my summer house. The Node is a great value, sounds super, and is very easy to set up.

It does a lot more than just a DAC or a Streamer. I’ve been a Node fan for three years. Their customer support is horrendous, so he is right about that. Thankfully, it is fairly simple and in a week or two you will know much more than their customer service technicians.

This is my summary. The Bluesound Node 2i has a pair of Burr Brown (Texas Instruments) 32 bit multibit PCM 5122 DAC chips and the Node 2021 uses 2 32 bit multibit PCM 5242s DAC chips. They both do the full MQA decode/renderer/unfold/deblurring (24 bit 192kHz Node 2i & 32 bit 384 kHz Node 2021) depending on source).

Since it does so much more (like streaming, multi room, headphone preamp, CD DAC conversion, Roon support, AppleTalk, Alexa integration, bidirectional Bluetooth aptX, digital library management, and internet radio,) and costs less than $500, I don’t think the DAC gets the respect it deserves.

It sounds great (many people prefer the “smooth” Burr Brown multibit sound signature). Plus BlueOS, it’s management/remote control software, is free, well regarded, and easy to use. (I prefer Roon, which I use for my library, but BluOS is free and will manage your USB digital library)! I run TIDAL HIFI/MQA, Qobuz DSD HR, input my Audiolab 6000CDT (CD transport) to the Node DAC (optical in), internet radio, wireless multi-room smart speakers (Pulse Flex 2i), multiple (open and closed back) wired headphones, wireless Bluetooth aptX HD headphones (Sony WF-1000XM4), and a 2 TB USB HD managed by a Roon Server (Headless dedicated Intel Core i7, Windows 10 and a new iPad Air as my Roon/BluOS remote control) to my Node as the Roon endpoint.

Hard wired into my NAD C-725BEE two channel integrated amplifier to ADS L-1530s, and a Paradigm Reference PS-1200 Subwoofer, the music sounds better than I’ve ever heard it before. Not bad for under $500.

I have two Nodes. A 2i is in my summer getaway and a new Node 2021 is at my main home with the hifi system described above. Since they are 2,000 miles apart and are connected to vastly different audio systems, I can’t offer an opinion on the new one versus the old one.

They both sound pretty fabulous. I was able to install and completely configure the new one in less than 15 minutes. I haven’t noticed any difference or used any enhancements yet. Node streamer transport – ANode DAC – B+Node BluOS software – A-Node – ease of use – ANode support – FNode flexibility – A-Node value – A.

Although I have only had the Node a week, I am more than happy with it and really pleased I bought it over the Denon streamer that I had been waiting (and waiting) for to come into stock. The unit is approximately the same size as my Virgin cable box, which it now sits beside unobtrusively.

Set up was easy, the app (I’m using Android) works well. I like very much that the four Radio Paradise stations are available as MQA streams (exclusive to to Bluesound I believe). If you haven’t discovered Radio Paradise yet, then do check it out whether you buy a Node or not.

The Node feeds into my Denon/ Q Acoustics system and sounds wonderful. I’ve subscribed to Amazon Unlimited, which is supported in the Bluesound app. , to check it out. Spotify works seamlessly through Spotify connect and Tidal is also supported, though I haven’t tested that.

The only downside so far is that when I connected to the Node through my Bluetooth earbuds (Galaxy Buds Live), it almost blew my brains out and I still have not found a way to control the volume. I was just testing – I wouldn’t normally use earbuds on the HiFi (but you know, new toy and all that) so it’s not really an issue for me.

I did search for a solution online, but only found that others had also had a similar issue. I haven’t found a solution yet (other than don’t use my earbuds!).

Bought this reel from Amazon in August and have used it several times. Today while fishing with it, the screw that holds the bail on fell out during a cast. I was shore fishing and was able to pull the line in by hand.

The problem was that the screw and all of the other pieces fell into the grass. I found most of the pieces and was able to put it back together when i returned home and could look up the diagram online.

I checked all of the other screws on the reel and found some of them to be loose as well. I have been fishing for a lot of years and have never had this happen, even on cheaper reels. Buyers beware!.

I had ordered a rod/reel combo from another company. I received the rod (which is just what I wanted!) but no reel. The invoice said out of stock and the money refunded. (translation: tough luck). I saw this Pflueger President reel at the Guide, and decided to give it a try.

Got it in just a few days. I mounted it on the rod and it was a perfect balance. Taking it fishing a few days later, I could not believe the smoothness of operation and the ease at which the drag worked.

Lucky for me I DIDN’T get the original reel I wanted.

I’ve been a baitcaster my whole life. I’ve tried spinning setups a few times over the years but they never felt quite right for me and I’d end up returning them. In the last couple months, I got the bug to try it again with all the talk of finesse fishing, so I tried a few Lew’s and Shimano spinning reels in varying price points just because I was more familiar with the brands, but nothing felt quite right again and I came close to deciding AGAIN that spinning setups weren’t for me.

As a last ditch effort, I tried the Pflueger President based on the passionate recommendation of another angler. Most of my baitcasters are in the $200+ range, so I was worried I wasn’t spending enough, but I tentatively accepted his advice because he he was just so confident in this reel and had the same experience as I did with other reels.

This reel changed my mind and I am officially, and finally, a spinning rod guy. I love this reel. I’m not experienced enough with them yet to pretend I know the intricate differences between the other reels and this one, I just know this one felt better than the rest and it was much easier to get this reel to do what I wanted it to do.

Less tangles, snappier functions, and better looks to top it all off. I mightsay something like, “the quality is great for the price,” but really its just great quality regardless of price. Maybe one day I’ll figure out why I’d need to spend more money on a “better” reel, but for now I can’t imagine that I’ll ever need anything better than this.

If you’ve had the same experience as I did with other brands, don’t give up before you try this reel. It changed my mind and I’m betting it will change yours too.

This thing is absolute garbage. Why would you even make a mic with a desk stand that cannot be used unless you put your mouth right up to it? I expected I’d be able to maintain some distance and let this sit on my desk and talk in a google meets or whatever video conference.

Nope. They should forget the stand it give you a lapel clip so you can attach it to your shirt collar because even at that distance it would be suspect. It picks up almost no sound when you speak at it, but it picks up every single time you touch the desk, type a key, or whatever.

And this is with it sitting on a rubber foam mouse pad to insulate it some from vibrations. Sadly I bought this and didn’t have time to install it so it’s past the return period. That part is my fault, but the mic itself is worthless.

There’s no controls on it to adjust the input level. Turned all the way up in windows it gets about 15-17% as a max. Nobody can hear you. People in the reviews talk of a mute button but this doesn’t have one of that that I see.

What a disappointment.

I purchased this as a replacement for a Blue Snowball that died on me after 4 good years of daily use and abuse. Physically, the Solocast feels solidly built, and the “tap to mute” button on the top is pretty intuitive.

This mic is good for the price, but don’t expect it to be the “end-all” of USB mics. The Solocast is very “mid-heavy”; lows and highs have noticeable compression to them. This isn’t inherently bad, but it can cause the Solocast to sound flat.

It’s very apparent in voice calls where bitrate is on the lower side of “good” (Discord, Teamspeak, Zoom, etc). I strongly suggest buying a shock mount and pop filter as well as this mic loves to pick up plosives.

The Snowball, while having a lower frequency range, almost sounded better tonally in my opinion. It picked up more “low-end” and gave an almost announcer or podcast feel. I ended up returning this mic and purchasing it’s bigger brother: the HyperX Quadcast.

The price jump for the Quadcast is definitely worth it, but if you only have $60 to spend, the Solocast should suffice. However, I highly recommend looking at the Snowball for comparison before purchasing.

You can’t really go wrong with either for $60, but what kind of sound you want will determine which you should get.

I got this on sale for $39. 99 but even at full price this is a perfect microphone for gaming or business use. I’m a simple person so I love that it’s plug & play without needing to download additional software that use gimmicky voice changers etc.

It also features one big button at the top to mute/unmute. The microphone is solid red when it’s unmuted and blinks red when muted. The mic sits on my desk with the included holder and the included cable is lengthy so there should be no issue putting it in the perfect spot.

I have no issues with voice quality at all my freinds on Discord were impressed when I told them it’s just a cheap HyperX mic because they have +$100 Yeti mics. If you’re on the fence about this mic this is your sign to pull the trigger!.

We have a Chromecast dongle on all of our TVs (or video display devices – like a spare computer monitor – we cast Aquarium Live or Fireplace Live to it ). We have all the smarts in our phone, tablets and computers.

No matter which room in the house or a friends house or office or etc (with a Chromecast enabled device) I am in, I can connect my desired content (YouTube TV, YouTube, Netflix, Pluto, Photos, Documents, Presentation, etc) to that device.

It would be nice if all video display devices had Chromecast built in. When I am traveling, I carry a couple of the Chromecast dongles with me. I can connect to the WiFi and connect (less than 2 minutes) my Chromecast dongle to the video display device and I can cast my presentation, pictures, you name it.

Everyone (most) has different viewing preferences. Your phone allows you have control of your preferences. Most everyone today has a smart phone and most everyone carries it, no matter where they go (bathroom, gym, driving their car, you name it).

By using your phone, tablet, or computer as the content source, you do not have to deal with the differences of all the different smart devices. You know you phone, you know your content. Enjoy you Chromecast.

If one is having problem with Chromecast, it is probably because they do not understand the simplicity of the device. They want to make it more difficult than it is.

I have two smart TV’s from different brands. They already have builtin many of the apps that I use such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney. They even support Chromecast using those apps.

However one of my TV’s does not support generic Chromecast. That is, I cannot stream video to it from a source where the TV doesn’t already have builtin the same app. All that I wanted to do was to add the capability to see my Nest security cameras on my TV.

I was able to buy this Chromecast device on sale for $19. 98. For that low price, my TV now supports this capability. I have a Google Nest Hub in the same room, so I can speak “Hey Google stream the Driveway Camera to the Master Bedroom TV”, and it works.

I rated the Chromecast 4 out of 5 stars because although the device does what I want, it’s still basically a “dumb” device. One cannot install any apps on it. One must stream from an app installed on another source like a smartphone, or computer.

I purchased this item a year or so ago. It has a great purpose and idea, but in my house it rarely worked as intended. Always had connection issues and required a reset or a factory reset, daily. I’ve had multiple calls to Google tech support for this product but they haven’t been much help in fixing the issue.

My problem is (and I suppose it’s just my own fault), because it wasn’t working as intended initially we stopped using it altogether and it sat on the shelf for about a year. Well, of course the warranty went out but I had a need for using the device again.

When I finally got so frustrated with it not working properly, I’d called support for the device, who directed me to call support for the app(s) I was experiencing issues with. It was a similar issue with all of my streaming apps, so I assume it was a product issue not a service issue.

Still not resolved since February 2021. I didn’t expect much, but am a little letdown there was no discount for upgrade or replacement.

I have been researching power stations for the last year or so. The rapid charging capability of the Ecoflow brand is what sold me on this unit. Initially I charged it by plugging it into a wall outlet and the advertised rapid charging held up.

My second time charging it, I used an Ecoflow 160W solar panel. While two panels would provide the optimal solar charging experience, I was very pleased with how well one panel worked. In less than three hours the battery went from 57% full to 100% full.

I purchased this to primarily power my husband’s C-PAP when we camp. However, it also gives me peace of mind to have it on hand for any power outages. We decided to test the Delta Mini at home before using it in a camping situation.

The first night my husband operated his C-PAP with the heated humidifier going. In that setting he could easily get two full nights out of one charge on the Delta Mini. The next night he turned the humidifier off and based on power consumption could easily get three nights of usage off of one charge.

We are very satisfied with how well this will suit our needs. We also expect to get some usage out of this tailgating or doing other outside activities where having a power outlet will come in handy.

This will easily power a blender, electric cooking appliance, musical devices and any other entertainment necessities. The unit isn’t excessively heavy and the handles on both sides make it fairly easy to carry.

If you buy one of Ecoflow’s solar panels they are also easy to transport. The panel is well constructed and feels more substantial than some other foldable panels I have seen. I highly recommend the Delta Mini for the average person’s power station needs.

I have watched this closely from the original kickstarter concept to retail execution. I now own three of these units and three extra batteries. They’re pretty close to being the perfect power station on the market.

Here are some highlights: The inverter is absolutely top notch. This thing will take your heavy loads from your home, RV, van or outdoor lifestyle and power them without breaking a sweat. The unit is rated for 3600W continuous but I’ve found that I can exceed that by a fair bit for a few minutes before it shuts down.

You can pair two of them with their double voltage hub accessory and connect to your home transfer switch. You can run split phase 240V loads like well pumps, electric dryers, or even smaller central air conditioners (with a soft start kit).

The best part is that you can keep this inside away from the rain, snow, high winds or potential theft and there are no fumes, no fuel and little noise. You can charge this up, often for free, at a level 2 EV charge station.

These are the Chargepoint or similar stations. The cost is like a few bucks for a full charge or free in some cases. You can connect your own solar panels (SOLAR PANELS ARE NOT INCLUDED) any brand and charge up the units with free electricity from the sun.

The battery is Lithium Iron Phosphate which even if you use it every single day will last more than 10 years. You can control the unit from an app on your iPhone or android. Unlike some competitors – these are confirmed safety certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.

This is an absolute game changer for home backup, RV or van life. Ecoflow has won so many awards and accolades for this unit. There are a few things that they could improve on, such as stability of the app.

It’s also pretty heavy but that’s to be expected.

Heavy duty battery, high quality that can be recharged with solar panels (extra, not included) to provide days long power for essentials like a refrigerator and/or freezer and a couple of lamps if you lose power due to a Russian cyber attack on the electric grid or affected by a nuclear strike not directly on you.

I did all the research of competing products available and for something thats portable and relatively affordable this is the best product for you to give much needed peace of mind. It was a Time magazine 100 top invention of last year, so that should give you the confidence.

To charge with sun you will need to do some research and spend an approximate additional $1,000 for solar panels, cords, connectors and stands to produce 800W to 1200W for expedited solar charging. YouTube has videos on how to hook everything up.

Myself I bought HQST 100 watt panels to mount on vertical poles that can be manually rotated throughout the day to follow the sun for maximum charging experience. Don’t let World War III catch you off guard with no power, no lights and rotting food in your refrigerator.

Eating canned food by candlelight is poor way of life. Your neighbors will envy your home with lights and they have none but be careful they may want to visit and take what you have. You will need to make preparations for this too.