Audio Hardware

30Mar

By StuartNo Comments

iFi iDSD Phantom Review

With what could possibly be the most expensive piece of tech we've ever reviewed here at Thumb Culture. The iFi iDSD Phantom is not only priced at £4,499, it is also an incredible piece of engineering. Now I'm not an audiophile, but I've been around sound equipment for years, so I know what sounds good. From being in numerous bands, through to running a sound desk for other artists playing music. My life is always accompanied by music of some sort. So I hope that I've got the credentials to bring my thoughts to you. Phantom Power, or Powerful Phantom? So having released earlier this year, we've been testing this out for a couple of months. Just to make sure that we got the most out of it, we paired it with a set of bookshelf speakers from Edifier, the R1280DB that we have covered here. F...

3Feb

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

ifi GO blu Air Review

If you are the kind of person who still carries a dedicated wired setup because "Bluetooth just doesn't hit the same," prepare to have your world gently shaken. We have all seen those bulky portable stacks that make your pocket look like it is carrying a vintage scientific calculator. But what if you could shrink that fidelity down to the size of a matchbox and clip it to your lapel? Going Wireless with Your Favourite Wired Device The ifi GO blu Air is the slimmed-down, ultra-portable sequel to the legendary GO blu. It is designed for the audiophile who wants to cut the tether to their phone but refuses to sacrifice the soul of their music. At £129, it is a lighter, more affordable gateway to high-resolution wireless audio that manages to be both a tool and a toy in the best possible way...

2Feb

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

ifi GO pod Air Review

If you are an audiophile, you know the struggle. You have spent more money than you care to admit on a pair of high-end in-ear monitors that sound like an angel whispering secrets into your brain. But then, you step outside. Suddenly, that glorious one-metre braided copper cable becomes a liability. It snags on door handles, tangles on the zip og your clothes, and makes you look like a human telephone switchboard from 1922. You want the freedom of wireless, but you refuse to settle for the compressed, muddy sound of standard Bluetooth buds. ifi Lets Go! Enter the ifi GO pod Air. This is the younger, leaner, and more affordable sibling of the original GO pod. It promises to turn your favourite wired IEMs into a pair of true wireless powerhouses without murdering the sound quality in the p...

10Apr

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

iFi Zen DAC V3 Review

Few products in the world of desktop audio gear have made as much noise in the budget audiophile space as iFi's Zen series. Known for delivering excellent sound quality at a price that doesn’t scare off newcomers, the Zen DAC line has steadily evolved. Now, with the third iteration—the iFi Zen DAC V3—the company brings modern updates while keeping the spirit of the original intact. But does this compact DAC/amp combo still deliver enough value to justify the upgrade? Let’s dive in. Design & Features At first glance, the Zen DAC V3 doesn’t stray far from the now-familiar silhouette of its predecessors. The curved metal chassis still sports that premium, sturdy feel and fits neatly on any desktop without hogging space. It’s stylish enough to blend in with minimalist setups, yet distinc...

2Apr

By CharlotteNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

NZXT Capsule Elite Microphone Review

My NZXT Elite collection is complete with the addition of the NZXT Capsule Elite. Just as with the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless and the Function Elite MINITKL I got sent the wonderfully sleek white edition of this new microphone. There is also a black edition if you prefer a moodier colour set up. For those based in the UK the NZXT Capsule Elite can be purchased from the official NZXT Amazon store for £85. Hear Me Now Having previously used the Streamplify Mic Pro I was excited to try this latest NZXT offering out. So let's get into it. Design As with the rest of the NZXT Elite collection, the NZXT Capsule Elite looks beautiful. There's no denying the design team know what they're doing. I loved the square design as it visually pairs really well with the Function Elite MINITKL. Again t...

Razer Seiren V3 Chroma Microphone Review

27Mar

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Seiren V3 Chroma Microphone Review

It's always difficult to review a microphone. After all, it doesn't really do much. Aside being one of the most important pieces of equipment that you might need. Here comes Razer to the rescue, with the Seiren V3 Chroma microphone. This retails at around £129.99, that is unless you want the white or quartz colourway. That will set you back an extra £10. Is it all worth it though? Seiren Song Let's get this all set up, and we can give this microphone a really good test. Design The setup of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma was easy, it really is plug-and-play. Just screw the main microphone onto the base, or boom arm if you are using one. Then plug in the USB-C cable and away you go. You know you have done it correctly, mostly because there is only one port on the back. But you get greeted wi...

1Nov

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

iFi GO Link Audio DAC Review

As the world moves onto all things wireless, sound quality can be sacrificed by doing so. Depending on how much of an audiophile you are, wired is still the best way to listen to music. It is strange to think that an analogue signal can carry more data than its wireless digital counterpart. This is due to the analogue data being uncompressed rather than being sent through Bluetooth codecs. These will compress the audio data before sending it to your wireless listening device and it has a big effect on sound quality for certain audio formats such as ALAC/FLAC & WAV. Cost-Effective Audio Enhancements Ok, so you want to listen to some high-quality lossless music via Tidal or Amazon Music. You don't want to use your wireless headset or buds. But your device doesn't have a 3.5mm stereo ja...

The Latest Streamplify Products Are Here! – Mega Review

30Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

The Latest Streamplify Products Are Here! – Mega Review

Here at Thumb Culture we absolutely love products that are budget-friendly as well as functional. That is exactly what the Streamplify products aim to achieve. Achieve they do! Keep it Streamplify Have you checked out the Steamplify range? If so what's your favourite? Don't forget to let us know at the bottom of the review. Streamplify have recently released a few new products, and they reached out and asked if we wanted to check them out. Obviously being the intrepid reporters that we are, we wanted to see whether these products were up to Streamplify code. Now if you weren't aware who Streamplify were, they are part of the Pro Gamers Group. Their brands include noblechairs, Ducky and Nitro Concepts to name a few. The Streamplify brand came about from a mission to inspire young indiv...

16May

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Features

Streamplify Streamer Kit Review

Streamplify is a well-known name in the streaming hardware industry providing budding streamers with an array of affordable and accessible hardware to improve the quality of their streams ten-fold. Their hardware ranges from high-spec webcams, lights, mounts, and microphones to name a few. We had the chance to put some of their gear through a series of tests, and revisit a few we have previously checked out. Hard time growing as a streamer? Streamplify it! We want to hear from all of the streamers out there like myself. What's your setup? Do you think you could benefit from any of these pieces of hardware? Design The Webcam we tested is the only one on offer via their website. It's a cylinder webcam and the matte thick casing of it also doubles as an anti-spy cover. This is easily adj...

Joby Wavo Boom Arm & Wavo Pod Microphone Review

12Apr

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Joby Wavo Boom Arm & Wavo Pod Microphone Review

JOBY are probably more known, at least by myself, for their GuerillaPod Tripods. When I received the email saying they also did podcast microphones and boom arms, I jumped at the opportunity. Getting to check out new hardware from an already-established brand is what we love at Thumb Culture. Movement and adaptability are key Knowing just how good their GuerillaPod Tripods are, I do wonder if the latest offerings from JOBY will live up to their current standards. Let us jump in and take a close look. Wavo Boom Arm When I was setting up the boom arm, I was left with some complications. Not with the setup, that was straightforward. How would you review a boom arm? Well, I decided to do it like this. It's Good. It's like REALLY Good. Over the years of streaming, content creation, and p...