apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

There are a lot of ways to skin a cat and you probably would like to hear: “We plugged this thing into our turntable and out popped our whole analog collection directly onto our iPod while we were sleeping." Alas, things are not always so simple, especially when the goal is to preserve the inherent warm audio quality of a beloved vinyl collection. But all hope is not lost! Below is a detailed instruction of how to convert your records into high quality digital files.

Unplggd is a veritable hotbed of modding activity. We love to hack, build and otherwise appropriate technology for our own unique needs. I recently realized that my headphone cable was just never NOT going to snag on the corners of my desk as I popped and locked my way through my day. I needed an IKEA solution…

Product: RCA Small Wonder EZ209HD
Price: $89.96
Rating: Recommend*

We here at Unplggd love to video”tape” everything. From home security to leaked s3x tapes, we cover it all. We recently got our greedy little mitts on the RCA Small Wonder EZ 209 HD video camera and ran it through its paces.

Desks are a lot like cars- very personal and built for very specific needs. The desk I've built is not meant to hold anything other than what I am doing at any given time. I have no interest in pencil holders and staplers and other stuff being in my field of view while I work… the internet is distracting enough. See the continuation from last time after the jump.

When setting up a new office, you want everything to be right. Whatever you do, you need to plan it out so that you are not just slowly adding clutter to your space with mismatched tchotchke. Recently, I built another desk to put in my office and I wanted it to be just right.

Name: iBuypower
Price: $varies- approx $1500
Rating: Weak Recommend*

So you are looking for a new computer and you have very special needs. Maybe you are a gamer, designer, filmmaker, dandy, or serious YouTuber (a type of potato). I am a designer/dandy and I needed a powerful computer. What follows is my story.

Name: Janome Memory Craft 11000 Special Edition
Price: $7999
Rating: Recommend*

Embroidery is a fun sport, but it is often inaccessible because it has traditionally been a commercial process. Over the past few years a few companies have come up with home machines that bring the creativity to your doorstep. We recently received an interesting machine from Janome to run through its paces.

When we were kids, we had a pair of Jamo speakers that were probably the worst we have ever owned. Maybe just a notch above some speakers that came shrink-wrapped to a magazine bought in Spain a few years ago. These kinds of early impressions are hard to overcome but always eager to feed our readers with new tech info, we accepted a recent halloween audition invitation from Jamo. My, how things change.

Oh headphones, how we love thee! To listen to music in one's own little world on one's own little terms is pure auditory bliss... if done correctly. We here at Unplggd Audio Labs are on a constant search for the perfect tools for listening and today we have another candidate for evaluation.

Let's talk a bit about Panasonic. They have been in the biz for a long time without any icons of note. Sure, they have their Lumix cameras, as any lummox will tell you, but what have they invented or pioneered? (feel free to chime in in the comments if you feel there is something we missed...)

Earbuds are often painful in both the way they deliver sound and the way they fit your ears. Most of us just deal because they are small and they come with the player. If they get lost or broken, we don't feel as bad because we can just replace them with another pair that we steal from a friend or small child. What happens when you want to take a step up, though? Where do you start?

If not for the $4 licensing fee that all 3rd party manufacturers must pay to Apple to use their connectors, iPod docks would actually be a dime a dozen. There are so many to choose from at such low quality levels, that one would think these companies would just give up. It takes a sound, good company to put together a dock that delivers good sound. Vers has erupted onto the scene with their unique and conscientious apporoach to building a brand.

We have a little design fetish here at Unplggd.com. We love all things bright and beautiful, as long as they do something that enriches our lives. We've noticed a trend recently in design that we think is one of the most exciting things to happen since Carrot Top got his own show in Vegas. Though admittedly not directly home design related, we recently got an unusual, but welcome invitation to get a behind the scenes look, ride and lesson about how even the realm of automotive design pulls from architecture and furniture design for inspiration. How could we say "no" to that?

An out-of the-gate success, Vers Audio has come onto the market at a time when docks are a dime a dozen, and sound quality is subverted by cheap manufacturing processes. A company that takes true sustainability seriously even when they can’t, Vers is going beyond sustainability to giving back more than they take. Today we speak with founder and partner, David Laituri…

It seems there is no end to the fabulous, tiny products from Firestone. We have talked a lot about them over the past few months and this week we audition the Fubar 3 DAC and headphone amp (which isn't f.u.b.a.r. at all...)