Musical Instruments

How do you stand out in a crowded Bluetooth wireless speaker market? If you're Roland's BTM-1, you add a guitar input for a serious dose of "look at me!"

The M-Audio Studiophile line attempts to straddles that edge between high-performing computer speakers and entry-level studio monitors. Their size is large when compared to desktop computer speakers, but small when compared to studio monitors. The AV 30’s features go beyond traditional computer speakers and approach those of studio monitors. These speakers have decent sound, can deliver a good punch and, in the end, are something to consider for even the most budget-conscious. If you’re looking for some good sound for your gaming, music or videos on your computer, then the AV 30’s are worth a listen.

The price-performance ratio is hard to beat on this piano—you really can’t go wrong. It is a solid product with a good feature set that will enable the beginner or intermediate player to really enjoy the instrument. If you’ve been wanting to take up piano or you’ve been looking for a reason to buy a piano and cost has been a factor, check out the CDP-130CS at Best Buy Canada.

2015 is a very exciting year in the guitar geek and gear-head musical community: Fender announced at NAMM 2015 that it will be releasing extremely limited editions of unique-looking and unique-sounding electric guitars.  And the “best” news? Best Buy will carry some of those beauties! Let’s take a closer look.

Yamaha has evolved their near-field monitor line through the years—beginning with the “industry standard” NS10’s back in the 1980’s and arriving at the latest HS series today. The HS5’s are small, but they pack a lot of performance and value into their diminutive size. I had the chance to put them through their paces in my studio for a few days and found them to be a small dark horse that defied my expectations.

It’s not actually a black-and-white question. There are many different variations of keyboard action and it gets down to a personal preference question.   Being armed with what to expect is going to get you a good way down the road to a decision.

The Yamaha Piaggero NP-32B The Yamaha NP-32B is a digital piano that gives you everything you need, with great sound and a very portable size and weight. I take a closer look at the unit and detail some of its features

In the crowded market of digital pianos, it’s hard to stand out. The Casio PX-760 seems to accomplish just that feat with a feature-rich package that impresses but at the same time, doesn’t intimidate.

Equally adept as a field recorder or an audio interface, the ZOOM H4n Pro is versatile wherever you might need it.

In the midst of all the blinking lights and touch-screens, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find some really beautiful workmanship. Not just injection molded plastic and brushed metal, but wood and other natural materials crafted into instruments that I’d be extremely pleased to handle and play.   A stop by the Tanglewood booth prooved to be one of those times.