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Connected Home, Music

How To: Sonos Amp Review & Configuration

Having found an ideal whole home audio solution in Sonos, the missing link in our home was how to power our passive in-wall and ceiling speakers as well as our patio speakers. While it was possible to use the Sonos Connect:Amp for this, the Connect:Amp design was almost a decade-old (a rebranded ZP120), relatively low-powered, and not suited for a centralized, rack-mounted installation. Sonos now brands itself as “the easy-to-use wireless home sound system.” But, clearly there is still a need to connect passive, wired speakers to that whole home system. Continue reading How To: Sonos Amp Review & Configuration

Mike Connelly
Guitars

Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III Guitar Review Updated

Like its predecessor Ultra models, the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III is a hybrid electric+acoustic guitar. It preserves the look of a traditional Les Paul guitar. It possesses a rosewood fingerboard and mahogany neck. The back of the neck has a satin finish. The Ultra-III has a chambered body, which makes it much lighter and gives it more acoustic overtones. Like the Ultra-II, it has Grover tuners and a Tune-o-matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece. The Midnight Ebony version of the Epiphone Ultra-III has nickel hardware, which I prefer over the gold hardware on the Ultra-II. Continue reading Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III Guitar Review Updated

Mike Connelly
Guitars

Line 6 Amplifi 150 Guitar Amplifier Review Updated

The number one selling point for me is the ease of selecting different guitar tones on the Amplifi. Before the Amplifi, I owned a Line 6 Spider IV amplifier. Although my old Line 6 Spider IV amp also supported a variety of tones, it forced the guitarist to memorize obscure memory banks and read a very small LCD screen. With the Amplifi, I use my iPad as my user interface. I can quickly select over 70+ guitar amps, 100+ effects and 20+ speaker cabinets from the Amplifi Remote app. Additionally, I can layer up to eight simultaneous effects. Continue reading Line 6 Amplifi 150 Guitar Amplifier Review Updated

Mike Connelly
Guitars

Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-II Guitar Review Updated

The Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-II is a hybrid electric+acoustic guitar. It preserves the look of a traditional Les Paul guitar. It possesses the traditional Les Paul sound, captured by a pair of Alnico Classic humbucker pickups. But, it can also generate a clean, shimmering, “acoustic-like” tone. The acoustic sound is captured by the Nanomag pickup, designed by German acoustic pickup maker Shadow. The Nanomag is embedded in the fingerboard after the 22nd fret. The inside of the Ulltra-II is chambered both to reduce weight and enhance the acoustic overtones. Continue reading Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-II Guitar Review Updated

Mike Connelly