GoGroove RCV HD Bluetooth Receiver review

In the past, we reviewed a neat little accessory by GoGroove – the RCV Bluetooth Receiver. It is essentially a solution to Bluetooth-enable an audio setup (i.e. wirelessly stream music to your car or home speakers).

Well, GoGroove didn’t quite feel like it should stop there. To address the questionability over audio fidelity using HiFi speakers, it produced an HD version of the RCV receiver.

The device didn’t just get chunkier for the HD playback, it also brings NFC and some important connectivity options on the back. Let’s check out if the RCV HD is a good solution for your home sound system.

Design

For obvious reasons, the RCV HD is a pretty basic device. It’s just meant to sit on your media console. Therefore, it is merely rectangular block.

The build is plastic with a glossy finish all over. I would’ve recommended GoGroove to use a sturdier material. The plastic is really light and feels flimsy. Although, keep in mind that you won’t be handling it on a frequent basis. It will just sit in the same place. So from that respect, it’s fine.

There a small LED light front and center. When the device is on and playing, you’ll see it solidly lit. When it wants to pair, it will strobe.

The bottom of the device has two inserts that serve as feet. However, I would’ve thought GoGroove would use that opportunity for rubbery pads (for friction to keep the device in place). But the inserts are just as smooth as the rest of the device, so it’s vulnerable to sliding around if that’s a concern for you.

On the back, you’ll find the different means by which to output audio. From left to right, we have optical, coaxial, and auxiliary ports. Power goes into the most-right port. The RCV HD isn’t meant to be mobile, so it doesn’t have a battery.

GoGroove was nice enough to include all the relevant cables for the RCV HD.

Functionality

The RCV HD was created with a more streamlined purpose – a dedicated medium for wirelessly getting music to your beloved audio system. Therefore, unlike the vanilla RCV, it is designed to be a stationary unit. The audio output options on the back of the device portray this, as the unit will compliment your home media equipment.

You may remember a similar, more-known device that was recently launched – The Chromecast Audio. The core purpose of both devices are the same, but the RCV HD ups it in a couple ways. The Chromecast Audio only has an auxiliary port. Google says it can do RCA and optical, but with special cables (not included in the box).

Also, there is a NFC tagger on the top of the RCV HD to pair with your source effortlessly. GoGroove tends to keep its accessories up with mobile trends, so we are glad that these details are thought of. As soon as you tap, your Bluetooth setting automatically turns on and the system pairs. Easy.

The RCV HD uses the Bluetooth v4.0 standard, which isn’t the latest but close. Also on board is the higher quality Bluetooth audio codec, aptX (16-bit detail and 44kHz sample rate).

A nice thing to know is that if you are streaming music from your phone and a call comes in, it won’t automatically transmit the audio through the device. The transmission is suspended while you’re on the call, and it reconnects when the call ends.

The advertised Bluetooth range is 33 feet and I found that to be accurate. Just keep in mind that if your phone is in your pocket and you turn away from the RCV HD, the range can be impacted. But that’s not an uncommon concern with Bluetooth connections.

But everything I’ve said so far doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t sound good.

Fortunately, that’s not an issue. The RCV HD does what it promises, and does it well. I connected the device to my media center receiver (which outputs to a 5.1-channel speaker setup) via optical. It sounds great, no complaints at all. Music is full and rich as I’ve ever heard out of the speakers. Sending the signal over Bluetooth doesn’t adversely affect the sound from what I can tell.

Final Thoughts

I was unsure at first, but the RCV HD ended up being a really nice addition to my media center. The NFC tap feature is so nice. Just tap on it when you want to play music. And the audio quality backs the claims about high fidelity output.

GoGroove’s devices can be found on Amazon. As of the time of this writing, the RCV HD goes for $39.99. In my opinion, that price is a little steep. But considering that it offers a bit more than Chromecast Audio (at $35), that’s reasonable. My only wish is that the build backed the price a little better.

The post GoGroove RCV HD Bluetooth Receiver review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

by Josh Noriega via AndroidGuys » AndroidGuys | GoGroove RCV HD Bluetooth Receiver review

Get the most out of Nova Launcher: Changing Icon Sizes

Nova Launcher is an app that millions of people use and it’s full of tons of features and options that allow the user to do so much customization to their devices when it comes to their homescreens, docks at the bottom of the screen, gestures and even icons. The list is nearly endless and while a lot of people know about these features and options and how to use them, there are still a lot of folks out there that don’t know. That’s why we’re starting a new series on how to get the best out of Nova Launcher so we can show you some stuff that you might not know that the launcher can do.

We’re going to start the series talking about icon sizes and how you change them in a couple of different places and in various ways that gives you quite a few choices of how they might look on your device(s).

Icon Sizes on the Homescreen

Most everyone uses icons on their homescreens in some form or fashion. There are many that change their entire homescreen setup around daily, or even several times per day. So something that might be useful would be different sized icons on the homescreen. Some people aren’t aware that this is something that is very easily accomplished thanks to Nova Launcher.

To get started, once you have Nova Launcher and Nova Launcher Prime installed (Prime costs $4.99 currently, but it’s a must have app for everyone in my opinion) then go to Nova Settings -> Desktop -> Icon Layout and let’s take a look at what we have waiting for us there.

Now, as you see in the screenshot above, there are several options for you to choose from and all of them make your icons display slightly different on the homescreen depending on which you have enabled or disabled. We’re going to start at the top and work our way down.

Icon Size: As you see above, my Icon Size is currently set to 100%. What this means is that they are displayed on the homescreen in regular size. They aren’t reduced or enlarged in any way. I keep it this nearly all the time as I really have no use for making my icons larger or smaller.

You’ll also notice that to the bar with the red slider on it is filled in half way, then the rest of it has dashes. What this is telling me is that I have the possibility of making my icons larger than what that solid bar shows, which if I slid it all the way to the end of the solid line would be 124%. You’ll see in the next screenshot that it tells me “Further increase icon size by reducing grid size or disabling labels”. Grid sizing will be another post all together, but I currently have mine set to 10 x 9, so that’s why I’m limited to 124% icon size.

If I change my grid size to something like 5 x 4 for example, I can then increase my icon size up to 150%. Again, just not something I have a need or use for, but others might.

Labels: In the screenshot above you see I’ve now turned on the Labels feature. What this does is allow you to show the app name of each icon such as you see above with the Calendar, Clock and so on. This is very helpful if you have icons that are somewhat close or similar in looks to each other and you aren’t sure which icon belongs to which app.

Again, you see quite a few options that we’re able to change once we turn the Labels feature on such as the weight of the font that’s used, color of the font, if the fonts have shadows and if the text is on a single line or multiple lines.

Font: Here you have 4 choices: Normal, Medium, Condensed and Light. What these represent are the font weight that’s being used. Normal is just as it states, normal font with nothing added to it. Medium is a bold font, Condensed is slightly thinner than Normal and Light is even thinner.

Once you have your desired font weight set, then you can change the size of that font using the slider under where it says Size. The further you slide that bar to the right, the larger the text gets. So if you have a problem reading small text, then chances are you’ll want to slide it pretty far to the right.

Also note that the larger you make the text, the smaller your icons will get. This is important to note if you’re focusing on icon size itself for various reasons.

Color: This is where you can select any color you desire for the color of the font itself. When you first tap on the circle to the right where you see mine as white, it will come with a screen that has 19 pre-selected colors. Then there is one circle that has 3 dots on it. If you click that one, that’s where you can select any color you want by sliding the circle around to the color you want or by simply entering a color code of your choice.

Shadow: This option allows you to have a shadow on the label text or to not have a shadow on the text of the labels. It’s one of those either on or off settings. I know some folks have requested that there be a choice of how much shadow you can use here, but currently that’s not a feature, though could be in an upcoming update possibly.

Single-Line: This option tells the label to either be placed all on a single-line, or to use multiple lines. Of course depending on the name of the app will depend on how many lines the text takes up. Another thing to note here is that if you deselect the Single-Line option then your icons will reduce in size.

I would recommend you play around with the combination of all of these settings to see what works best and looks best for you. I prefer to not have labels showing because I have my apps arranged in an order that I know exactly what they are just by looking at them and by where they are located.

There are other places in which you can change icon size as well, such as on the dock which is at the bottom of your homescreen as well as in the App Drawer. The options are all the same for all three places which makes it very simple to make them all uniform across the board if you are like me and like to see your icons the same size every place they appear.

There is so much more that you can do with Nova Launcher, but this was just the first little tip and how-to of many to come. Stay tuned next time as we dive into the Dock and show you what all you can do to it to make it look different. You’ll be shocked at the awesome things you’ll see in the follow-up post to this one.

If anyone out there has any issues, questions or suggestions, please feel free to email Nova Launcher support via support@teslacoilsw.com at any time. You would actually be getting a response from me personally as I handle support for Nova Launcher as I just recently joined the team working directly with Kevin Barry, the creator and developer behind Nova Launcher.

Google Play Store: Nova Launcher

Google Play Store: Nova Launcher Prime

The post Get the most out of Nova Launcher: Changing Icon Sizes appeared first on AndroidGuys.

by Cliff Wade via AndroidGuys » AndroidGuys | GoGroove RCV HD Bluetooth Receiver review

AudioFly AF56 in-ear headphones (Review)

I recently got the opportunity to review AudioFly’s complete performance in-ear headphone collection. There are four headphones in this collection that each fit into a consumer’s budget. There is the under $50 pair, the under $75 pair, the around $100 pair, and the around $200 pair. I recently reviewed the AF33 and the AF45 earphones that both keep their prices under $100. This time, I’m taking a look at the AF56 earphones that break into the $100 price range.

Unboxing and Accessories

One notable upgrade from the two less expensive earphones we have looked at is the AF56 earphones come in a pretty cool box that holds closed with a magnet. Inside the box, you will find the headphones plus the normal set of several ear tip sizes and a nice metal tin for the earphones themselves.

While the metal tin a nice addition, I found it to be small. I would have to wrap the earphones tightly to fit into the case, which I am worried might wear on the cables inside resulting in them breaking. Also, there is no room to carry any accessories with you in the case. The fit is so tight that you will not be stuffing the earphones into this case; instead, you will have to carefully wind them in order of them to fit.

The box that all the accessories were packaged in is extremely nice, and has the AudioFly name embossed in silver on the top. I actually took the foam insert out and put my earphones in there when I am not using them because they are easier to fit in there than in the case they came with. Of course, if you are planning on taking these earphones with you everywhere, you will be putting them in the case for portability.

Design and Build Quality

The design of these headphones are quite interesting with the rear of the earphones being large, flat discs. This is to contain the custom 13mm drivers inside. While the design is not typical of normal earphones, I found it to be extremely comfortable. They do not fit too deep into your ears, but the large rear portions hold them there snugly like a pair of earbuds. Combine this with the comfortable ear tips that sit just far enough into your ear, and you have an extremely nice fit that feels strong but is not uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.

The rest of the AF56’s design is fairly similar to the AF45. You have the braided cable that not only looks good but feels strong and well made which will keep these earphones from tearing or breaking easily. Unfortunately, there is still a fair bit of cable noise which can be a problem for some. There is a button where the earphones split that can be used for music control as well as making and answering calls if you have the version with an in-line mic. The mic sits about halfway up the left earphone cable which puts it in the perfect position to talk into.

The AF56 improves on the design of the AF45 with a better, more comfortable fix and keeps the strong braided cable and sleek look.

Sound Quality

AudioFly upgraded their AF56 earphones with a 13mm driver that is supposed to deliver great bass without overpowering the mids and highs. I can definitely say that the bass is extremely nice on these headphones. It is definitely powerful, but it does so without sacrificing quality. The low range is still tight and smooth.

The mids are somewhat of a different story. They are not bad by any means, but they seem to be overshadowed by the bass. The highs are paired much better with the enhanced low range, and I wish the mids were the same. At times, vocals can be lost behind the lower range. The highs, on the other hand, are well matched with the powerful bass, stay clear and crisp, and round out what I would say is a good sounding pair of earphones.

One specific thing that I did really like about the AF56 is how good they are at separation and soundstage. Listening to David Bowie’s Space Oddity is awesome one these earphones with each instrument in a definite space in the music. The separation is great with every instrument and beat resonating clearly.

For their $100, the AF56 earphones provide a great listening experience that should please just about anyone. If you listen to music that is heavy on the bass, you will appreciate AudioFly’s focus on the low end on these earphones, but even those who prefer music that is lighter on the bass will find these earphones provide a good, fun listening experience.

After using these earphones for a while, I continue to be impressed with AudioFly’s earphone collection. The AF56 earphones are well made and come with a nice set of accessories. I do wish the metal case was a bit larger, however. Even with this slightly underpowered mid-range, the earphones provide awesome sound quality that is sure to please anyone who listens to it. You can grab the AF56 earphones from AudioFly’s website or Amazon.

AudioFly currently has the white version of the AF56 with no in-line mic for 40% off with the code “jinglebells” until December 21. Go grab some while you can!

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by Henry Wiygul via AndroidGuys » AndroidGuys | GoGroove RCV HD Bluetooth Receiver review