OK, now that things are opening up, you can probably leave your house and get some air! Whew! Do it smart and safe, please!

Part of that is making sure you carry your own power for your phone. I think it’ll be awhile till you can plug in at the local restaurant or pub. And of course of you are on a trail, or beach, you’ll need a solid option as well.

And if you are powering things like a Sound Devices MixPre 3ii, or a Rodecaster Pro mixing deck for your podcast, you’ll want to show up contained, with no need to rely on power outlets. (Yes, pretty specific, but these will be covered in future posts. Best podcasting tools)

Here are some solid options for you from Mophie (big sale right now!) and MyCharge.

This first one is in my bag for all walk around: fast charge, small footprint no extra cables needed, fully contained. The MyCharge Turbo.

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When you’ve done the Zoom calls, binged on all the recco TV shows, perhaps it’s time to take some solace in a good music listen.

I’m not talking about a podcast. Nope. Takes too much of your attention.

Talking about some of your favorite music. Filtered through more than your ear buds. Over ear. Some quality. Luxuriate in that. On the couch, on the porch, by the pool (if you are so lucky!)

There are a few solid choices that fit into the same price range. About $300.

Of course, the Sony WH1000MX3 are a lot of folks go-to blue tooth headphones. To be honest, it does help to get through the clutter of all the brand choices, with a known brand that all of your friends have. Good choice.

As we move through the choices, one of my faves is the Focal Listen. They are a high end company concentrating on the headset category, and while they do make the $3000. headset, these are 1/10 the price, less than $300, and separate the tracks of a high end recording to give you that distinct aural pleasure of hearing a track, like the first time.

And new to this group, is the BeyerDynamic Lagoon ANC Traveller offering. Admittedly, this unit gives a crisper, more defined separation of the tracks, than the Focal Listen BT headset. You will hear the nuance of instruments, and the mix is closer to what the original recording engineers intended. I will say that it was a slightly bit quieter than the Focal.

Bose has always had a solid footing here, and have consistently upped their game. And the price. About $350. Used to be the gold standard. And this new rig has Alexa Voice Control

When I’m home , and wired, the BeyerDynamic dt770 has always been my go to, coupled with a small DAC or amp to boost up the juice, and give a listening experience like no other. Under $200 for the headset, but you will need that external tiny DAC. That will run you about $75.

When we do start flying again, or if you need to connect to a TV, via blue tooth, I’d highly recommend the Twelve South AirFly Pro BT transmitter. It’s my plane travel companion, so it’s getting a bit less use now. Or even if you have 2 people that want to listen to the same thing at once. Also avail through Apple

So there you have it. When you’d like to shut out the rest of the world, enjoy high quality audio, and hear music more the way it was meant to be heard, you win with any of these options. Add Airfly to connect with a friend to watch a movie.

And if you really want to get the best in your listening, check out HD Tracks. From Jazz, Classical, and Billie Eilish (her brother is a good producer) you will no doubt find something to your taste.

On a personal note, Beats are not quite the audiophile headsets you want. Move on.

And one additional note. The better the headset, the more the quality of the recording is revealed. Tried some classic tracks from the 70’s and 80’s . and a lot of the rock then was not done very well.

Stay Healthy!

While we are spending a bit more time in our homes, you may be thinking ” Gee, I’ve looked through all of my photo books, twice, and maybe it’s time to get some fresh perspectives”

Aperture to the rescue with a fantastic 50% sale!

With books broken up into categories:

And if you want an expert to help you redo your photo book collection, they have even curated collections:

Enjoy, have fun looking, get inspired, and treat yourself to some new work!

I’ll be honest, I have just gone through the Larry Fink workshop book, and it has made a change in my photography. It was one concept that makes me look at my own images different. (this one is not 50% off, but still discounted!)

You should be indoors, and perhaps looking at your walls, wondering what you could do to spruce them up!

Magnum has the answer, and signed or estate stamped prints by photographic masters will do just what you need!

I have 3 in my home and love them! Each one strategically placed so I see them as I move through the apt..

Please remember: they are 6″ x6″, so when framed, they fit almost anywhere in your home, without overwhelming the space.

Over 100 international photographers looked over their personal archives in search of images relating to, or capturing events that changed the course of history, society, a life, or a practice.
Their museum-quality signed and estate-stamped 6×6” prints are available for $100 through Sunday, April 12 on www.magnumphotos.com/shop. 
Magnum photographers will be donating 50% of their proceeds from the sale to Médecins Sans Frontières’s COVID-19 emergency response. These donations will be matched by a private charitable donor, up to a figure of $500,000.

And a pluson this is the charitable donation that is made with every sale.

They have joined up with a few other organizations in this, Aperture and The Everyday Projects Org. Plus Aperture has a crazy good book sale right now!

And due to the current world situation, there may be delays in delivery, but they are great communicators. so don’t worry!

They are doing that with a unique proposition:

To start, 20%-40% site wide on their high quality products. All of them!

and then this, from their site:

“By this point, your inbox is littered with well-meaning emails from companies telling you confidently how they will be navigating the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. We considered piling another note on the heap, but it didn’t feel useful or honest.

The truth is we’re scared, too. It’s a frightening time to run a small business.

Instead, we thought we’d share our recent all hands meeting, where we try to figure it out.

With no outside investment, Peak Design’s lifeblood has always been the enthusiasm of our customers. Your support is keeping the lights on and letting us launch Travel Tripod globally on April 7th, giving 100% of profits to coronavirus relief and fighting climate change.

Let’s all keep creating, connecting, and helping.”

this is the latest iteration of the Travel Tripod:

“…giving 100% of profits to coronavirus relief and fighting climate change.” Let that sink in for a moment. Then make a purchase.