These are my recommended keyboards for serious typists:

• The Best Non-Clicky Mechanical Keyboard: Topre Type Heaven
• The Best Clicky Mechanical Keyboard: Filco Majestouch 2 (Brown Switch)
• The Best Wireless Mechanical Keyboard: Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 (Brown Switch)
• The Best Mac-Compatible Mechanical Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S

The Best Non-Clicky Keyboard: Topre Type Heaven

The Topre Type Heaven is a solid, heavy keyboard made in Japan. People describe typing on this keyboard as “luxurious” and pleasurable. After testing this keyboard, I have to agree with these assessments, and I can feel a significant difference when I switch back to a regular keyboard.

The $140 Type Heaven is the only keyboard that uses the expensive Torpe switch. Most keyboards that use this switch are priced over $300.

The Topre switch combines a thick rubber dome with a conical spring, a design which provides the reliability and tactile feedback of other mechanical switches, but retains the smooth feel of a rubber dome design. It also makes Topre keyboard quieter than most other mechanical keyboards.

The Type Heaven is available on Amazon.

The Best Clicky Keyboard: Filco Majestouch 2

If you like your keys to have a satisfying click when you press them, you’ll probably enjoy the Filco Majestouch 2 more than the Topre Type Heaven keyboard.

Filco keyboards are also made in Japan, and they have a simple but very durable design. They incorporate the popular “Cherry MX” mechanism in their keys. When people refer to a “mechanical keyboard” they are generally referring to a keyboard with Cherry MX switches.

The keys on this keyboard have a mechanical and tactile feel. They are also fairly noisy — some people really appreciate this audio feedback and other do not.

Cherry MX keyboards come in a variety of types, the most popular for typists are the Brown and Red types. Here’s a quick comparison:

Cherry MX Red:

• No tactile feedback and it’s lighter so as to improve your double tapping motion
• You don’t have to bottom out the key to have it registered but since there’s no feedback, you don’t know when the key press is registered
• Some typists may have to re-read their output to check that they’ve made no mistakes

Cherry MX Brown:

• These have tactile feedback and they are heavier
• Improves typing experience as you do not need to bottom out a key to know that it has registered on the screen
• Heavier key means you need more force to press

The Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 (Brown Switch) is available on Amazon for about $230.

The Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 (Red Switch) is available on Amazon for about $160.

The Best Wireless Mechanical Keyboard: Filco Majestouch Convertible 2

The Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 is basically a wireless Bluetooth version of Filco’s Majestouch keyboard. It one of the few wireless mechanical keyboards on the market.

The Filco Majestouch is available on Amazon for about $230.

The post The Best Clicky and Non-Clicky Mechanical Keyboards appeared first on Reactual.

Update September 2016: The SVS SB-1000 is now our top recommended subwoofer under $500.

Polk Audio PSW505 ($200)

Pros:

• Powerful enough to fill a large room
• Flexible input options
• Impeccable build quality

Cons:

• Too much bass for small spaces

Top Review Sources:

• Amazon 5.0/5.0 (200+ reviews)
• Newegg.com: 5.0/5.0 (225+ reviews)
• AudioEnz: “A fine sense of extension, tactile impact and all round bass weight and authority”

The Polk Audio PSW505 is an established and respected player in the large-room subwoofer game. Its performance is class-leading, with deep reserves of thundering bass and incredible precision. The PSW505 is a 12-inch woofer with a frequency range of 23 to 160Hz. It is solidly-built, measures 16-1/8″ H x 15-1/8″ W x 18-3/16″ D, weights 43 pounds, and is wrapped in black, real wood veneer. Features include an adjustable low-pass crossover, volume control, and a phase switch. This sub is magnetically shielded against interference and has an auto on/off switch to conserve power. Inputs are 5-way binding posts, line level (filtered), and LFE (unfiltered); output is a pair of 5-way binding posts. The PSW505’s 300 watts of power and big volume potential make it best suited for large spaces.

Amazon sells the Polk Audio PSW505.

Polk Audio PSW10 ($94)

Pros:

• Solid construction
• High value
• Clean and clear sound

Cons:

• No LFE input
• Might be insufficient for large rooms

Top Review Sources:

• Amazon: 4.5/5.0 (375+ reviews)
• CNET: 3.5/5.0 “It pounds out home-theater thrills and musical bass with equal prowess”
• Newegg.com: 5.0/5.0 (225+ reviews)

The low-price, high-performance Polk PSW10 makes it difficult to justify building a home theater without a powered sub. For $100, this subwoofer delivers 50 watts of continuous power through a 10-inch composite polymer speaker, producing rich bass with plenty of punch. Equally skilled at enhancing music, movies, or television, the PSW10 does its job without becoming boomy or muddled at high volumes. Its solid construction contributes to its great sound: 26 pounds of medium-density fiberboard measuring 14-3/8″ H x 14″ W x 16-1/8″ D. Included are speaker-level and line-level inputs, plus a speaker-level output. Frequency response is 35 to 200Hz. You also get on-speaker volume, crossover, and phase controls as well as an auto on/off switch. The PSW10 is built for small- to medium-size spaces. It is available in black or cherry finishes.

The Polk Audio PSW10 is currently available on Amazon.

Definitive Technology SuperCube III ($379)

Pros:

• Small package; huge bass
• Great range
• Solidly built

Cons:

• Will distort at extreme volume

Top Review Sources:

• Crutchfield: Staff Pick “True, accurate, and extremely deep bass in any room”
• Best Buy Customer Reviews: 4.5/5.0 (15+ reviews)
• Home Theater Magazine: “other SuperCube subs…have had amazingly low but very musical bass output—and lots of it. The SuperCube III is no exception”

Definitive Technology’s SuperCube III produces unbelievable bass despite its compact footprint. Its sound profile is defined by its extreme depth—all the way down to 16Hz. The SuperCube III produces an authoritative 650 watts of power, capable of handling the bass duties in small or large rooms. Listeners appreciate the SuperCube III’s versatility; it performs as well when asked to provide a steady, undistorted rumble as it does when the soundtrack demands rapid, staccato bursts of bass. Though this gloss black cube weights a substantial 25 pounds, it only measures 10-1/4 inches in any dimension. It has a signal-sensing auto on/off switch, low-pass crossover, volume control, 5-way binding post outputs, and line level, LFE, and 5-way binding post inputs. Its woofer is 7-1/2 inches in diameter.

You can buy the Definitive Technology SuperCube III on Amazon

The post The Best Subwoofers Under $500 appeared first on Reactual.

The Toughest Camera: Olympus TG-4

The Olympus TG-4 is a shockproof and freeze-resistant camera that will capture beautiful images in extreme environmental conditions. It works underwater, and can snap pictures in RAW with a wide-angle lens. See our full review.

The Toughest Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 8.0

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active 8.0 is a rugged water and dust resistant tablet that can survive in rough-and-tumble workplaces. Enjoy the vibrant colors and ultra-high resolution of Samsung’s flagship line of portable electronic secured in a MIL STD 810G rated anti-shock case. See our full review.

The Toughest Laptop: Panasonic Toughbook 31

The Toughbook 31 combines military quality drop-shock protection and best-in-class performance to create the world’s best ruggedized Windows notebook. A full magnesium alloy case safe-guards a powerful touch-screen notebook from hazardous environmental conditions and accidental drops and blows. See our full review.

The Toughest Smart Phone: Droid Turbo 2

Frequent phone droppers rejoice — Motorola has created the world’s first truly shatterproof smartphone, the Droid Turbo 2. An innovative five layer plastic AMOLED screen and aluminum chassis keep the Droid Turbo functioning even after drops of over 900 feet. See our full review.

The Toughest Audio Player: Cowon Plenue 1

Audiophiles in search of a portable audio player with high-fidelity sound and durable construction need to check out the Cowon Plenue 1. This tough device forgoes cheap plastics for a diamond-cut aluminum chassis. The solid-metal frame makes this MP3 player the toughest in the field, and a Burr-Brown DAC gifts the discerning listener with great sound quality and diverse file support. See our full review.

The Toughest Headphones: V-MODA XS

Listen to music with the peace-of-mind that your headphones can survive the use and abuse of daily transit. The V-MODA XS offer hi-fi sound in a solidly constructed shell. It has a steel frame, detachable cloth braided cords and a headband that bends but doesn’t break. See our full review.

The Toughest Portable Charger: Unifun Waterproof Battery

Keep your portable electronics fully charged in harsh environments with this dustproof and waterproof external battery by Unifun. The lithium-polymer battery is water-resistant and protected by a hard plastic case and shock-absorbing rubber edges. Plastic cover seals the Unifun’s two micro-USB charging ports from water. See our full review.

The Toughest USB Drive: Survivor Stealth USB 3.0

Transport your files in aircraft-grade aluminum with the Survivor Stealth USB 3.0, a military-style data transport that can endure extreme environments. An EPDM waterproof seal keeps water out and a molded shock damping collar protects this USB drive from drops and crushing. See our full review.

The Toughest External Hard Drive: U32 Shadow

Edit HD video and store your files on the U32 Shadow, a compact Solid State Drive housed in a stylish and durable aluminum case. Store up to 256 GB of files and run them through USB 3.0 at a speed of up to 400 MB/s. See our full review.

The Toughest Keyboard: Topre Type Heaven

Discover the joy of typing on this luxurious Japanese keyboard, the Topre Type Heaven. The solid, heavy design features electrostatic capacitive key switches at an affordable price point. The Topre Type Heaven will win over any typist with its satisfying tactile feedback and silent stroke. See our full review.

The Toughest Mouse: G602 Wireless Gaming Mouse

Get over 20 million clicks with the G602, a wireless mouse with 11 programmable buttons and a crazy long battery life. The G602 is outfitted with mechanical switches to increase lifespan and uses Delta Zero Sensor Technology for ultra-accurate cursor control. See our full review.

The Toughest Compact Flashlight: Titan Plus

The brightest and strongest ultra-compact flashlight is the SureFire Titan Plus. This flashlight that shines with 300 lumens at its highest setting — more than enough light to illuminate a forest trail. A nickel-plated brass body gives rugged protection that brushes off scratches and prevents corrosion. See our full review.

The post The Toughest Electronics appeared first on Reactual.

Anker’s Ultra Protective Case is currently the best dustproof iPhone 6 case. It features a built-in screen protector and raised edges to prevent phone damage, and port protectors to keep out dust.  It fits the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6s.

The Details

This ultra-protective case is Anker’s answer to the wildly popular Otterbox smartphone cases. For half the price you get a case that is just as durable as the Otterbox, but is also much slimmer. The Anker Ultra Protective Case adds just .15 inches and 1.6 ounces to your phone, while the Otterbox Defender is 1.7 inches thick and weighs 1.92 ounces. The Anker also has an 18 month warranty, which is six months longer than Otterbox’s 12 month warranty.

Attaching the case to your phone is incredibly easy. Anker’s precision cutouts are engineered to just snap on to the iPhone 6 / 6s. It is a two-part case with a built in glass screen protector. The back of the case has a tactile grip that feels secure in your hand. The front has raised edges to prevent drops, though Anker claims the phone is drop tested 6 times from 3 feet. Customer reviews confirm that the phone does survive drop tests.

Button and port guards ensure that dust does not enter the phone via the charging and headphone openings. They are a bit of a pain to latch back up, but open easy enough. Unfortunately, the case is not rated to be completely waterproof, although the port guards do prevent water from entering.

Currently, Anker only offers three color options, so it they are lagging behind the competition in terms of variety. The case does not have a circular cutout to display the Apple logo, which is either a good or bad thing, depending on your preference.

Another Option

If you want a dustproof iPhone 6 case that is also completely waterproof, check out the LifeProof Fre case. The FRE meets IP68 standards, which means it is completely dustproof and is fully submersible to 2 meters of water for 1 hour. The Fre also has a MIL STD 810F-519 rated, which means it can withstand drops of 6.6 meters.

Expect a trade-off in functionality for the waterproof rating. The Fre requires an extension cord to use most headphones, and reviewers note that the mute button often fails.

The post The Best Dustproof iPhone 6 Case appeared first on Reactual.

The speakers that produce the lowest bass are tactile transducers — they typically produce frequencies in the 0.5 – 20 Hz range. Tactile sound is not perceived through the ears — it perceived through the body. Most subwoofers are incapable of producing audio in this range.

A good tactile transducer to start with is $150, entry-level Clark Synthesis Silver Edition (TST239) — it provides ample sub-frequency bass for the home user.

The Details

Tactile sound is the sensation of sound transmitted directly to the human body by contact, rather than by sound waves through the ears (tympanic sensation).

More specifically, it is sound perceived through bone conduction, through muscles and deep tissue, and via skin sensation. We perceive the vibrations through our haptic senses which include both kinesthetic (muscle) and touch (cutaneous) senses. We feel both inaudible (infrasonic frequencies) and audible frequencies. Thus, tactile sound is not just brute rumbles and shock waves.

Tactile sound can be perceived in high fidelity up to the mid-range frequencies. According to NASA research we perceive 0 to 1 kHz through the sense of touch, 0 to 3 kHz through kinesthesia (the sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body), and 0.20 kHz to 20 kHz through our ears. Note there’s an overlap — we can hear the range of 0.20 kHz to 3 kHz both with our ears and through other parts of our body. Also, some hearing-impaired individual can hear sounds up to 5 kHz through their skin.

Tactile sound is a sensation that many seek out. People often buy expensive subwoofers to achieve deep bass effects. In this pursuit, subwoofers are often pushed past recommend levels, resulting in damaged equipment, muddied sound fields, and disturbed neighbors. Typically, subwoofers not produce tactile sound very well. They are designed to transmit low frequency sound through the air, and they don’t usually produce bass below 25 – 30Hz. Correctly installed and enclosed subwoofers can producer lower and louder deep bass, but they will not produce the same level of tactile vibrations.

So what kind of device produces tactile sound? Tactile transducers, or electro-mechanical devices that are built specifically to vibrate objects. They are very similar to a loudspeaker woofer driver minus the cone.

There are two basic flavors of transducer: inertial shakers and linear actuators. Let’s take a look at the differences between the two:

Inertial Shakers

Inertial Shakers operate by shaking a mass in an enclosed housing. The resulting vibrations are transferred to an attached object, like the wooden crossbeam of a couch, for example. Usually, shakers are bolted directed to an object.

Companies that make Inertial Shakers include: Clark Synthesis, Aura Sound, Earthquake Audio, Buttkicker and Sonic Immersion Technologies. These devices vary widely in price — some produce a simple shaking effect, some produce high-fidelity sounds that compliment to a stereo system or home theater (such as those offered by Clark Synthesis, my personal favorites).

A good tactile transducer to start with is $150, entry-level Clark Synthesis Silver Edition (TST239). It will produce solid definition to drum hits, or shake your fillings loose if you so desire. The transducer can be installed in less than an hour. It took me about 45 minutes to bolt it to the bottom of my couch, using the parts provided with the transducer. In my test installation, I removed the fabric from the button of a couch, and bolted the transducer to a crossbeam underneath. Once installed, the entire couch functions as a bass speaker.

But wait, we need to power the tactile transducer! Clark Synthesis sells a $350 customized tactile amplifier to do this, but you can actually use any amplifier that outputs at least 100 watts (check the Clark Synthesis documentation for more info). Well, Cambridge Audio makes good amplifiers, but their entry-level models start at $330. We can instead use an AudioSource amplifier. This is a 2-channel 100-watt (50 watts x 2) power amplifier, which can be purchased for under $100. This amplifier is well-reviewed —  111 reviewers on Amazon gave it an average of 4 out of 5 stars. You attach your amplifier to the tactile transducer using standard speaker cables. You then connect the amplifier to the Sub Out connector on your receiver.

Linear Actuators

Linear Actuators are transducers that push against a hard surface. They apply a force directly to an object, in contrast to Inertial Shakers which vibrate themselves, and then transmit that vibration into another object. Commercially available Linear Actuators usually replace the feet of a chair. They operate by pushing against the floor, and directly lifting and dropping a chair. They tend to be more expensive that Inertial Shakers, and they can be only installed under chairs — they can’t be installed under a floor or in a swimming pool like the shakers above.

Companies that offer Linear Actuator include: Crowson Technology and d-Box Technologies.

See also: The Tactile Transducer FAQ

The post The Speakers With The Deepest Bass: Tactile Transducers appeared first on Reactual.