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There are a lot of scintillating shelves that are meant to charge and play Apple iPods. The Panasonic SC-HC3 is one such player that can be described as a shelf system which is very sleek and slim. The device can be said to be the epitome of technology and the output of sound has been reported to be remarkably clear and pure. The Panasonic micro system comes with Bamboo Cone speakers that offer tremendous range with the construction being such that the sound comes out uninterrupted. All unnecessary vibration is eliminated and the noise comes out in a very emphatic manner. There is a CD player that comes with the shelf system and offers various play modes like MP3 and MP33. The AM/FM tuner gives the user the option to store at least 45 stations. The wireless remote control helps the user to effortlessly operate the Panasonic Corp. device.

The Panasonic SC-HC3 is a good buy for all those who want the sound to echo all over. Sound and audio are at their best when played on this shelf system which exemplifies the superiority of quality sound. The apparatus can be kept at the shelf of your home and it will radiate a very positive look. The pricing of the Panasonic SC-HC3 has been done very economically making it one of the most effective and viable shelf systems in the market. Efficacy is very high in the case of the Panasonic SC-HC3. The kind of music radiated by the shelf will make you go weak in your knees.

Do you like to make music of your own? If yes then the Magix Music Maker 15 is the best option for you. It’s a professional music making software programme that can serve anybody. From pro music editors to those who don’t have any degree in acoustic science can use this awesome software to get the nerves of the different beats. The Magix Music Maker 15 offers performance, ease of use and great functionality, all in one package.

Despite the fact that this software lacks some advanced music editing options such as tempo changes and automated mixer settings it can be used to create impressive CD quality music. It not only allows creating a new track but can also be used to cut the blocks from existing tracks and club them together to make a grand non-stop remix album. The programme has got a new sound library of 1269 music samples and 516 short MIDI phrases. With this amount of MIDI phrases it is practically as effective as a real MIDI controller like the M-AUDIO Keystation Pro 88. You can also play the MIDI phrases with the Vita software synthesizer programme bundled with the Music Maker 15.

Apart from this you will also get five more synthesizers including BeatBox 2 that offers a great collection of drum samples. The Music Maker 15 has got an easy to use interface. In fact that’s the best feature of this software because most of the other music making programs are well equipped but feature a confusing UI. The Music Maker 15 graduates the user from a basic level to the advanced one. Once you are familiar with all the functions you can use them at various levels to create professional music.

The OSMPX music manager is the ultimate PC application for organising audio files. Just like Apple iTunes, this one also offer lots of professional tools to manage different file formats including MPEG-1 Layer III (MP3), MPEG-4 AAC (MP4/M4A), Musepack (MPC), Windows Media Audio (WMA), Ogg Vorbis (OGG), Monkey’s Audio (APE), FLAC, WavPack (WV), PCM WAV (WAV, PCM), m3u playlists and cue sheets. The OSMPX stands for OrlSoft Music Manager and supports different operations such as audio file encoding, decoding and re-encoding.

The UI of OSMPX is very intuitive and easy to use. Its window looks like a normal window explorer and supports drag n drop function. You can view the file list in different formats. For instance you can only have the file names or full details. Operating OSMPX is easy as there is a full fledged tool bar provided on the top. Besides, it also sports fully functional context menus that give instant access to all the functions related to the selected file.

OSMPX main attractions

• Great Microsoft Windows XP style looks and loads of themes for customisation
• Eight audio compression formats supported
• Local, removable and network devices support
• Great command line interface
• Express tag editor
• Batch processing supported
• Lots of usable functions such as filters, cue, compression and updates

If you are looking for PC based 2.1. Channel speakers, with the ability to offer tough competition to high end home cinema loudspeakers, then your search ends at the Razer/THX Mako system. Co-launched by Razer, the highly acclaimed producer of superior quality audio hardware, and THX, a Company which is famous for setting performance standards in the area of audio-visual systems, this product is sure to provide its moneys’ worth. THX also functions as a certifier for Audio/ Video components and THX certified products / components come with the guaranty that they will meet and exceed expectations.

On receiving the box of Razer/THX Mako speakers you will be pleasantly surprised by the classy packing of the two satellite speakers, one subwoofer along with neatly packed cabling and accessories.

The satellite speakers with the unique UFO style design combined with the glossy curves and mirror finish flat surface immediately catch your attention. The Razer Mako 2.1 Advanced Desktop Audio unit’s control pad is also aesthetically designed. The state of the art touch sensitive membranes are used for controls instead of the mechanical buttons. The attention to detail on the input panel is clearly visible which features both the text labels and the images for smooth setting of the system.

These speakers literally redefine Loudspeaker systems technologies by using the “Slot Speaker” and “Ground Plane” technology which eliminates the extra sound radiations caused by the surface of the desk on which the speakers are placed also called the “desk bounce effect” besides providing an extra ordinary broad dispersion. As a result you can enjoy every detail of musical beats in these small sized speakers to provide for superb listening experience. With a frequency response of 25 - 20,000 hz you get a fantastic full range sound, depth in bass and a spacious sonic imaging to provide you with quality sound effects.

In short these Mako Speakers make their own style statement by packing quality performance in catchy stylish teacup-sized satellite speakers.

The Altair A381 HTPC is the latest high end home theatre system to come from GlacialTech. The HTPC can be described as that special type of home cinema system which has been integrated with the PC. HTPC is mainly used for playing DVD, storing music, playing games and recording videos. Most of the HTPC users try seeking elegant and stylish HTPC chassis which is capable of incorporating all the HTPC components and blend in perfectly with the style, size and capacity; besides this a special care should be taken it should not clash with the existing home theatre system and also there should be enough room for air circulation and expansion.

Altair A381 has a specially designed stylish aluminium chassis, which significantly helps in reducing the onboard component temperature by maximizing the internal system airflow. There is an all function IR remote control available in two colours of black and white which supports iMON or Microsoft Windows Vista software. This IR technology is compatible with both the wireless mouse as well as the keyboard. This remote control based on the IR technology is provided along with the entire GlacialTech Altair A381 package as it is capable of easily managing the all the existing components of a Home theatre system such as MP3 player, TV, DVD player etc.

This Altair A381 HTPC features USB based I/O ports on the front panel for an easy access, IR receiver, card reader and card and audio reader. This stands in contrast to the connections found on most ordinary home cinemas, like the Sony DAV-DZ260. The GlacialTech Altair HTPC also has the option of a 4.3 inch LCD and the system information display with VFD. This system has an inbuilt Bluetooth and wireless board along with the Bluetooth and wireless antenna. Altair A381 is available in two colours of rock black and glacier silver.

If you are looking for a professional DJ mixer then Atomix MP3 is the right choice. It’s the ancestor of the famous DJ mixing software known as VirtualDJ. Although further development on Atomix has been stopped, it’s still one of the most preferred DJ software programmes because of its core design and architecture.

Atomix was designed to run on PCs that have low end configuration. It puts minimum load on the system’s RAM and processor. Thus, you can use it on any machine, even minimalist netbooks like the Asus Eee PC 701. However, feature wise the Atomix is not as versatile as VirtualDJ but if you can compromise on features for a stable performance, Atomix is good. Atomix offers two decks in which you can load tracks and play them simultaneously. Besides this there are play, pause, stop, cue buttons, pitch control, mixer, 3 band equalizers, kills, volume control, gain and crossfader.

To make the mixing easy, Atomix processes the BMP automatically. You will also get lots of special functions which can be used to add extra effects to the songs. Such functions include audio effects, smart loops, mater tempo, recording and visual effects. Atomix supports two sound cards and multi-output sound cards. So you can easily split the stereo if you want. Atomix is backed by a vast library of special effects files which can be downloaded from the Internet.

The AW1 is a hi-fi wireless audio music system to come from the Audio Engine brand. After having delivered various high end audio solutions for desktops, Audio Engine focused on the major problems encountered during the wireless transmission of high quality audio signals to any audio system across a room or a couple of rooms. For developing this kind of system, the most appropriate solution would be to transmit a digital audio signal wirelessly and process it in the analogue waveform at the other end, which is the receiver’s side.

For carrying out the initial transmission of the audio signal in the digital form, Audio Engine has made good use of its own production, the AW1, which is the wireless audio transmitter. The AW1 comprises two identical modules, namely transmitter and receiver, and each one has a USB plug hanging from its one end. It is very similar to the Logitech Wireless Music System, in that the AW1 also transmits audio and music from multiple end devices across wide distances. The transmitter module is equipped with a codec chip, which is used for receiving the data in the form of audio files from the PC, and then converting them into corresponding digital signals. Then these digital signals are further streamed to the receiver through the 802.11 protocol. The receiver is equipped with a digital to audio converter which converts these signals into a digital wave.

This Audio Engine AW1 wireless music system features a USB port supported by an AC adaptor and a trio of audio cables. This wireless music system is capable of delivering amazing sound quality and high fidelity effects in no time.

Pinnacle Sound Bridge Home Music is primarily a home music server that is capable of transferring digital music files from your PC to the home audio system, without using any wires. The system looks like a thin tube with an embedded LED display and can be described as resembling a silvery box of Pringles. This Sound Bridge Home Music system has been designed to give an excellent performance, and can support almost all major audio file formats.

The Pinnacle Sound Bridge Music System is an affordable wireless music system that has an excellent user interface and is quite easy to install. The Pinnacle Soundbridge Homemusic Player completely supports Windows Media DRM and WEP encryption. This product is especially directed at consumers who prefer listening to their PC based digital music files on the stereo or through some powered speakers maybe located in another room. This music system not only gives you the convenience of playing music directly from SD cards but also allows you to listen to internet radio stations.

Pinnacle Sound Bridge wireless home music system allows the users to conveniently browse and select tracks from any large collections of music files. Once the music library is set, it then becomes fairly easy to point the connected Home music device to it and then finally start the playback. This music system gives an amazing performance with internet radio, where browsing stations and songs is made quick and painless. There are small connectors provided located on the back for audio, power, headphones and also a single SD card slot.

The Sound Bridge Home Music system is an inexpensive alternative offered by Pinnacle for customers who like to enjoy their wide range of PC music on a home based stereo.

An audio sound card can be described as a computer expansion card. The major feature of these sound cards is that it allows the computer program to control the input and output of audio signals to and from the computer. The sound cards help majorly in providing the audio component for a variety of multimedia applications. Many of the computers are already equipped with in-built sound capabilities, while some of them require additional cards for the audio capabilities.

Sound cards have a digital to audio convertor which helps on converting the recorded or digital data into analogue signals. Then a connector, such as an RCA connector or a TRS connector, is used to connect these output signals to the external devices like amplifier, headphones etc. For example, the Asus Xonar DR, is compatible with multiple sound signals, including Dolby headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker and DTS Connect. Almost all sound cards are equipped with a line in connector for the signals coming from any audio source. The sound card then digitises these signals and stores them under the complete control of appropriate computer software on the hard disk and for editing or any kind of further processing.

Another important feature of a sound card is that they support polyphony, where more than one distinct sound can be played simultaneously and independently at simultaneous channels. All the connectors on the sound card are colour coded and also have certain symbols with arrows, holes and sound waves. All these symbols and colours depict certain details about the product as per the PC System Design Guide.

Logitech, apart from making peripheral devices for the PC, also deals in various audio devices such as speakers, MP3 players and mobile phones. This time the company has released an innovative and cool speaker, the ‘AudioHub’. It is an integrated 2.1 speaker which is brilliantly designed. The speaker is shaped in a horizontal parallelogram with a triangular rib at the centre which also is a chamber for the unit’s circuitry. The subwoofer driver slightly positioned at the back of the centre while the 2 inch tweeters are stationed at the two extremities.

The power input with an adapter is on the left of the back panel and a USB hub with 3 USB ports is on the right. For the Logitech AudioHub to work it has to be connected to a PC and then it needs power because it does not have any batteries. The power output is 15 Watts RMS. The channel on the bottom of the unit can be used as a cable organizer. The right and left speaker arms can be extended. It also has a webcam extension apparatus.

The body of the speaker is done with smooth black finish and cloth grills on the sides for the tweeter grills. The operating switch looks great with a round translucent body that lights up orange when on. This black coloured single piece of equipment is great for the multimedia and PC buffs.