Ripple Tech - Bassbuds Earbuds Review and Special Offer

Another look into some cool tech that might appeal to waveriders of all types.

Recently, I’d been invited to try a set of Bassbuds earbuds/earphones.  If you’ve not heard of them before, Bassbuds are in-ear buds with a focus on fashion as well as sound. Rather than just being plain black (or plastic), Bassbuds have a Swarovski crystal on the outside and come in litany of different color choices.  For what it's worth, mine were deep gray, and in truth, a fine looking set of buds.  But let's be honest, I'm hardly a fashion plate, and I really don't care what my ear buds look like, just how they sound.  Which is where these tasty little devices really impressed.

Popping these babies into my ears, I thought for a moment what would be the perfect music to test the quality of the sound, the range, and yes, the bass.  I wanted something dynamic, with soaring epic moments, bass heavy valleys, heavy and loud, yet soft at times, and acoustic.  Scrolling through my iPhone, Fen's "Trails Out of Gloom" came up.  Not only is it one of my favorite albums that we've released so far on Ripple Music, but it's an album I've heard a thousand times, so I'm intimately familiar with every nook and cranny.

And let me say, it's never sounded better!  I have a nice over ear set of plugs that I usually wear.  They cost me about $150, which I sacrificed willingly.  Since I travel a ton and own a record label and a music review site, you could say hearing music with crispness and clarity is extremely important to me.  Whether examining a newly turned in master recording of one of our bands, or listening for a Ripple review, the music has to sound real and dynamic.  With the Bassbuds it definitely did.

The sound was incredibly warm for the acoustic passages.  The bass response was heavy and full and brought the meat to the metallic passages.  Nothing was too tinny or piercing.  It actually may have been the best the album has ever sounded to me.

On top of that, the Bassbuds are amazingly comfortable for in-ear devices.  Considering I'm on long flights and listen to music non-stop, I'm very sensitive to this.  Standard iPhone buds dig into my ear canals like dentists drills after awhile.  Nothing like having your ears hurt listening to music; not from the raging volume but from the damn buds!  Not here.  I wore these several hours straight with no discomfort whatsoever.  Even more comfortable than my over-ear buds.   Plus they come with earpieces of three sizes (and two colors of each size.)

The Bassbuds seem to be well built too. I've broken and/or worn out more earbuds than I can count.  But these feel solid and sturdy.  The cable also seems durable and strong.

Reading about the buds suggests that the crystals play some role in the delivery of a better quality audio experience.  Maybe I'm just too dense to understand this, but I can't refute it.  These buds sound good.  Also, outside noise is nearly completely reduced (which is another big thing for plane flight) and just as importantly, there's almost no sound leakage.  Holding these about 14" from my ears, I can barely hear the music playing.  That's a plus for those around me on those long flights. 

So over all, I'm sold and have found my newest set of buds.  And in the spirit of giving, Ripple is gonna help you try them out yourself.  Below, find a special voucher code to buy your own Bassbuds and save $30.

That's $30 off a killer set of earbuds.  Just in time for the holidays.

BB59772  and the link is: www.bassbuds.net/usa

Enjoy!

















Features:

6 pairs of silicone (small, med., large) earbuds in both black and white colors
3 pairs of black memory foam comfort earbuds
Compatible with all Smartphones
MP3 Controller w/ play/pause and next/prev track
Answer/end calls as well as voice control
Anti-tangle, durable, double wrapped cable
High-quality, light weight aluminum housing
Crystaltonics high performance sound technology
Gold Plated 3.5mm jack
BassBag; protective phone/MP3 & bassbuds carrying case
Made with Swarovski elements

Ripple Library - Chips & Beer Metal Fanzine

Reality has been preventing me from exploring a lot of the new music that the Ripple editors have been sending my way lately. There's a ton of cool stuff awaiting my judgement and I don't want to form opinions based on half-assed listening sessions. Something that has really caught 100% of my attention this week is the brand new issue of the metal fanzine Chips & Beer. That's right, an actual printed fanzine full of killer articles about obscure and semi-obscure metal bands that I didn't have to write myself. This is the third issue of Chips & Beer and I plan on tracking down the first two pronto.

What really caught my attention is the headline "New Yawk Street Metal Special." Anyone who's ever been around me for more than about 30 seconds knows how much I love obscure NY metal trivia and I am glad to report I learned some new tidbits to bore my friends and bandmates with. If this issue had come out a month earlier the article I wrote about Frigid Bich for the TheObelisk.net would have been much better. There's a lengthy interview with Frigid frontman Joe Leonard that answered everything I wanted to know about these ultra-obscure Long Island metal merchants. I discovered them through the almighty Kick*Ass magazine but had no idea that they were actually managed by KAM mastermind Bob Muldowney. He didn't want the band to do interviews so the image and myth would grow. He was certainly right about that!

There's a great interview with Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister that was also very informative. He gives a good synopsis of the cover band bar scene surrounding NYC (mainly Long Island/Westchester and New Jersey) and how it had absolutely no interaction with what was going on in the city with the New York Dolls, The Ramones, etc. I also did not know that Jay Jay was a Dead head in his younger days. So was Handsome Dick Manitoba, aka China Cat, of The Dictators, incidentally. Go figures. Speaking of The Dictators, guitarist Ross The Boss also gives a great interview about his heavy metal daze with Manowar. Danny Lilker of Anthrax, Nuclear Assault and S.O.D. also weighs in. Mike Schutzman, owner of the much missed metal mecca Slipped Disc Records, talks about the incredible in-store appearances he used to host for Motorhead, Slayer, Wendy O. Williams among many others. A bonus in the section of the zine are reviews of NY metal classics from the early days of Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Oyster Cult and Kiss through Riot, The Rods, Blacklace and Overkill.

To balance things out there's a big article and interview with West Coast weirdos Cirith Ungol, a truly cult band deserving of more recognition. Below the radar current metal bands like Krypts, Ares Kingdom and Cauldron Black Ram were a complete mystery to me but they all have the right attitude and I look forward to checking out their jams. This is the best 7 bucks I've spent in a long time and with the change left over from my ten dollar bill I can go cop a tre bag at Valley Park in the Bronx! Thanks, bros!!


--Woody

http://chipsandbeermag.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/chipsandbeermag

NAPALM DEATH streams new album, "Utilitarian", online

In anticipation of the release of their new album, Utilitarian , on February 27th in Europe and February 28th in North America, the legendary NAPALM DEATH is now giving fans the chance to listen to their grindcore masterpiece online in its entirety! To join the album listening party, head here:

http://www.cmdistro.de/

Alice Cooper - Old School box set

It was hard not to think of my dear, departed mother when this box set arrived. Man, she HATED Alice Cooper! It was probably a sentiment shared by many who grew up poor during the depression and listened to Bing Crosby on the radio. As a pre-teen I subjected the poor woman to a steady barrage of Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent and Frank Zappa oozing out from my eternally shut bedroom door. And if she knew how much this box set cost she would rant about what a waste of money it is and that I need a haircut.

The Alice Cooper Old School box is what freaks like me have been dreaming of for years. Two CD’s full of shit you’ve never heard before, an interview CD with all 4 surviving original members (Alice, Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Michael Bruce), a DVD that includes rare live footage and interviews, an insanely great live show from 1971 on CD and LP, a 7” single from their pre-Alice Cooper band the Nazz, a fancy hardcover book and a folder full of reproductions of posters, tour programs, etc. It’s all housed in a massive school desk that revives the School’s Out album cover. FUCK YEAH!!!! That’s what I call totally mint deluxe.

The sound quality on the 2 discs of rarities is pretty rough but that’s cool if you’re a big fan. Ever wonder what they sounded like before they recorded their first album Pretties For You? Not only do you get some demos but also some raw live versions of songs from Easy Action. Did you know that “Desperado” from Killer started off as a song called “Tornado Warning?” You also get an inside listen to what it was like when producer Bob Ezrin was recording the kids on “School’s Out.” Fascinating stuff, but again, only for the hardcore.

Without a doubt, the musical highlight is the live CD/LP called Killer In St.Louis from 1971. Killer is my favorite Alice Cooper album and I’ve always wanted to hear a concert from that tour. It does not disappoint. The sound is good for a bootleg, probably a soundboard or maybe from a radio broadcast and the performance is outstanding. It captures the band as they were really becoming a huge phenomenon and the crowd goes nuts when they open up with “Be My Lover.” Alice’s vocals are great and the band is beyond tight. These guys really picked up a lot of pointers from hanging around Frank Zappa and The Doors in L.A. and even more when they moved to Detroit and started playing to crowds weaned on the MC5, The Stooges, Amboy Dukes, Grand Funk Railroad, etc. High energy, weird, offensive and entertaining all at the same time; truly one of the best bands ever to emerge from the USA. Heavy rock songs like “You Drive Me Nervous,” “I’m Eighteen,” and “Long Way To Go” are faster and more intense than the recorded versions. The real treat is hearing a live version of the incredible “Halo Of Flies.” There are no other rock songs like this. Songs like this, “Dead Babies” and “Killer” must have REALLY freaked out the cops and any parents in the building. Alice Cooper was obviously a very visual band but the music holds up completely on it’s own.

Once again, this is not for lightweights or normal people. It’s expensive but if you’re a weirdo you have no choice. Sorry, Ma, I just had to do it.

 --Woody

www.alicecooper.com

Ripple News - New Free DVD Out Now, Loaded with rare Video Footage, Interviews and More

Bringing forth a mighty brand of blues-rock in the early 1970s, Free was a critical piece of foundation in hard rock’s roots. Just released on March 23, Eagle Rock Entertainment celebrated their career with the release of the Free Forever 2DVD set.

One of the most heralded bands of the 1970s, Free Forever amasses archival video footage, interviews, audio, memorabilia, and other bits of the band’s history to create the ultimate fan package. Featuring the powerhouse combination of a young Paul Rodgers’ gravelly vocals, Simon Kirke’s solid drums, Paul Kossoff’s infamous guitar leads, and Andy Fraser’s groove-infused bass lines, Free laid the foundation for a blues-rock revolution.

This set features live performances from the Beat Club in Germany and UK’s Granada TV. The second disc boasts full audio from their set at the legendary 1970 Isle of Wight festival (which also featured Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and The Doors), littered with a collection of band photos, posters, artwork, and unearthed video footage of tracks “Be My Friend,” “Mr. Big,” and “All Right Now.” Bonus features include original and brand new edits of these Isle of Wight videos with split-screen views. Interviews and special feature “The Freelist,” which contains a Top of the Pops appearance, Australian interviews, and other bits, is also included.



Buy here: Forever