Simple Living

List of Apple Watch - Activity Achievement Challenge Badges for 2017.   These are usually available for One (1) Day only. April 22 -- Earth Day May 14 -- Mother's Day July 15 -- National Park November 11 -- Veteran's Day November 23 -- Thanksgiving

Over a year ago in 2016 I invested in a pair of Klipsch R6i Earbuds .  They've proven quite useful on short transit and plane trips.  While not true 'noise isolation' they perform much better than the stock Apple Earbuds or A KG EO-IG955's that come with Samsung's Flagship Galaxy S8's. After scoring a free pair of AKG IG955's and spending some time burning them in I've been able to both appreciate the AKG's and compare them to my Klipsch R6's.  I actually like them both, but for different purposes & reasons. First the specs for each: Klipsch R6i Specs: 6.5mm Drivers 10 ~ 19,000 Hz 110 db/mW 18 Ohms -22 Noise Isolation 3.5mm Plug (Gold) Flat Cable (Tangle Free)  Microphone In-Line Control (Volume Up/Down, Start/Pause) $60 @ Amazon AKG EO-IG955 Specs*: Driver Size? 20 ~ 20,000 Hz* 93.2 db/mW 32 Ohms 3.5 mm Plug (Non-Gold) Partial Braided Cable (Sorta Tangle Free) Microphone In-Line Control (Volume Up/Down, Start/P

I own both the Audio Technica ATH-M50x and ATH-MSR7's and wanted to wait a few months before doing a proper comparison between the two models of headphones. In many ways the MSR7 are the successor to the M50x; rather than the M70x.  The M50's became a legendary headphone in their own right because of the amount of value they offered relative to price.  While it's too early to know if the MSR7's can take that place, they are a worthy contender. Price (M50 wins) M50's MSRP around $169 USD (Amazon usually has them for $130 ~ $150) MSR7's MSRP for $249 USD (but have seen them for about $200) Sound Quality (MSR7 wins) Both use 45 mm drivers.    MSR7 5 ~ 40,000 Hz 35 Ohm 2,000 mW M50x 15 ~ 28,000 Hz 38 Ohm 1,600 mW The MSR7's do sound better in terms of tighter response, definition and overall clarity of sound.  Switching back to the M50's things sound muddled and it's quite surprising as when I first bought the M50's it was

Gave the Seiko Orange Monster a try on the Bonetto Cinturini 285 Strap.  Wasn't a fan of the stock Metal Bracelet and it looks pretty good on a Black Rubber Strap. I particularly like the Bonetto Strap as it retains that faint Vanilla smell, even after all these years.

By happenstance I own several Sony ZX Series Headphones: ZX-100 ZX-110 ZX-310 Build Quality (ZX-310 Wins) They use mostly a Plastic Build that is quite durable; the ZX-100 I've had for over 2 1/2 years and been thrown about in my Backpack & Car.  The ONLY issue with the lower model ZX-100 & ZX-110 Series are the crappy Earpads that disintegrate and create a flaky vinyl mess.  Those flakes then get stuck to your ears & hair.  The ZX-310 wins in that regard with much better quality Earpads. Cost (ZX-100/110 Wins) ZX-310's cost about twice that of the ZX-100/110 and I've been able to find several 310's for about $18 at Discount Retailers.  ZX-110's should go for about $10. Specs They are all 30mm Drivers.  The ZX-310 has a wider Frequency Range of 10 ~ 24,000 Hz and a Gold 1/8" Plug.  The ZX-100/110 are roughly identical going 12 ~ 22,000 Hz. Sound (ZX-100 Wins) Surprisingly, I prefer the ZX-100's Sound Signature vs. the 110 and 31

The Seiko SKX007 is one of the best deals out there for a Real Diver's Watch. I got mine for about $179 from Amazon and was quite happy with it, except it was a bit too big for my taste with 22mm Bands and a 45mm Watch Face. My preference is max 20mm Bands and 39-41mm Watch Faces. It's hard to say anything negative towards the SKX007.  A 7s26/36 Automatic Movement and good for up to 200mm Water Resistance for a fraction of the price of comparable Luxury Diver Watches like the Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster, etc. Alas, sold it as it was too large for my taste.  Picked up instead the Orange Monster SKX781 that has 20mm Bands. Model - SKX781 Movement - Automatic 7s26/36 Size - 45mm Band - 22mm 

The Zodiac SeaDragon was one of my first foray's into Watch Collecting and was my 3rd or 4th Watch since my venerable '1st Watch' a Guess Waterpro.  Back then I was attracted to Diver Style Watches. It was a very good watch and I enjoyed it.  Alas, since parting with it learned that Zodiac has abandoned Quartz Watches and gone upmarket with Automatics Only.  Making these older Quartz Versions increasingly Uncommon and someday Rare.  If I can recall I got maybe $40 for it and now see them selling for close to $100 on eBay.  Retail, paid about $119~129 from what I recall.  I wouldn't be surprised in a decade from now it'll sell for more than MSRP, but not much more above that as it's still just a Quartz. One thing that did 'suck' about this watch was the Bezel is NOT unidirectional and very easily gets jammed so it's just for looks.  Also the case design makes it tough to thread a NATO strap. Model# ZO2219 Size - 39 mm Dial Band - 20mm Movemen

My Headphone Collection has grown in leaps & bounds.  I've since dumped my Skullcandies & Beats in favor of Audio Technica & Grado.  Hindsight is 20/20 and had I known then what I know now...I would have straight away purchased a pair of M50's many years ago... Anyway...here in all their glory [From Left to Right]: Audio Technica -- M50x [Purchased 2014] Audio Technica -- MSR7 [Purchased 2017] Grado -- SR80e [Purchased 2016] Future Plans? Not sure...I have the Closed & Open Reference Cans covered...I'll either go upmarket to say the $1k Range of Fostex & Ultrasone or the tier below that with the ATH M70x , Sony MDR1a or some other brand (Beyerdynamics, Sennheisers, AKG, etc). By all seriousness it'll likely be another pair of Audio Technica's and either the M70's or an Open Reference (R70 or AD700)...

I picked up a pair of Sony Earbuds model MDR-EX15ap over a year ago.  They were on sale for about $5 and couldn't resist.  These are not great, but not terrible either and I leave them in the car as an emergency backup pair of headphones when I'm outside the house and in a Study Session Mood. From what I could research there are two (2) sub-models of EX15's with designation 'AP' being for Android Compatible and 'LP' is Standard.  I think this is reference to the single push button on the in-line Microphone that is likely for On/Off functionality during phone calls or during music playback. Basic Specs 9mm Drivers 8 - 22,000 Hz 100 dB/mW 16 ohms 3.94 ft Cable w/ inLine Microphone

I scored a pair of AKG Headphones Model EO-IG955 that come with the Samsung Galaxy S8+ Phone.  A friend bought the phone, knew I love headphones and gave them to me, very generous! Basic Features It's a fairly nice pair of 'free' headphones and while Specs are hard to find online the best I could gather: In-Line Microphone Volume UP/DOWN PAUSE/RESUME The cabling is also braided cloth up until where the Earbuds split and that portion is all rubber.  The braiding is a nice touch as it reduces chance for a tight tangle, although it would have been better if they made it 100% braided. Sound They are about par with the Apple Earbuds with a slight edge in possibly Upper-Mids and Bass.  They are certainly more secure as they have flex tips you insert into your ear, but not so intrusive like on my Klipsch R6i's. The R6i's are more Bass Heavy tuned and beat the AKG's, but I did notice a slightly wider soundstage with the AKG's so certain music felt a bi

I took the plunge and picked up the 42mm size Apple Watch Series 2 in Space Gray for $399.  The Apple Watch looks and feels a lot better than I had thought and it was worth the wait to get the basic improvements like GPS and 50M Water Resistance in the 2nd Generation release vs. the 1st Generation. Initial Reaction -- Positive I've only worn it for a few hours and haven't really tried much beyond the basic functions of Email, Text Messages, Phone Calls, Music, etc.  It'll take me at least a week or more to really get a better understanding of how useful this watch will be, but I do like the utility of being able to control & access some features of my iPhone without having to access it.  Sounds silly to say, but makes more sense when you have the Apple Watch and your iPhone jammed inside your pants pocket. Overall, the Apple Watch is very well designed and has an appealing look & feel.  The build quality is good and like most Apple Products they focus on form m

Brand:   Audio Technica Model:  MSR7 One of my objectives on my visit to Japan was to sample some headphones and by chance the airport had a decent selection from Sony and Audio Technica.   Unfortunately they didn't have the M70x or MDR1a,  but had the ATH SR5, MSR7 and new SR9!  I was hesitant to try the $449 SR9 and truthfully they did sound better than the MSR7, but felt like they required an amp to bring out its full potential.  The MSR7 was my main audition and after sampling tracks for 15 minutes purchased a pair.   True, Amazon sells them for the same price, but I felt it makes more sense to support the airport stores so they continue stocking cool stuff to check out on future layovers. Specs Speakers :    45mm closed back drivers Sensitivity:   100db/mW  Frequency:   5 - 40,000 Hz Max Input Power:   2,000 mW  Impedance:    35 ohms Weight (w/o cable):   290g It has similar specs to the ATH M50x with just greater frequency range and input power capacity.