The Real Spin Class

(Credit: Judyth Ramirez-Carvey, Chris Carvey - streetflystudio.com)

There are two kinds of people when it comes to music. Those that listen and those that create. Those that create, listen as well, but their desire to forge sounds is inherent. Bring out your inner DJ or Electronic Music Producer by taking a class at DubSpot, located in New York City (as any good school like this should).

DubSpot’s insanely cool facilities are one of only a few Ableton certified training centers in the world. Better yet, their gear is teeming with what qualifies as a DJ’s wet dream - DJ workstations equipped with: Apple MacBook Pros, Technics SL- 1210 MK 5 Turntables, Shure M44-7 Cartridges, Pioneer CDJ 1000 MK 3 CD Turntables, ECLER DJ EVO5 Mixer, KORG KAOSS Pad KP3 Effects Unit, Ultrasone DJ1 Pro Headphones, Rane Serato Scratch Live, Traktor Scratch DJ, Ableton Live 7.0, Reason 4.0. Logic Pro 8, and ProTools.

Main DJ Station And Student Workstations at DubSpot [courtesy: DubSpot]

With courses ranging from quick intro sessions to a full-on DJ/Producer course package, DubSpot might just get you one step closer to showing Timbaland just how your shit is done.

Cost: $295-$4,750 @ DubSpot

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Recently, Gear Patrol procured a B&W Zeppelin for testing. We wanted to know what all the hulabaloo was about and why all the critics were raving about what amounts to a $600 iPod dock and speaker system. Why, you might ask, would I ever spend that much on an periperhal for my iPod. Well, lets sum it up in one sentence:

The B&W Zeppelin does for your iPod sonic experience what your first HDTV did to your old Magnavox tube TV - you feel like you’re hearing your iPod for the very first time.

Now read on to find and see just what that is.

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Let’s face it, in today’s modern age having a pile of remotes is no longer acceptable. Frankly, it can also cause terrible entertainment meltdowns after a couple of brews (long story). Luckily for us, while we were off mashing buttons in the dark, the designers over at Logitech were tinkering away trying to create the perfect universal remote.

Have no doubts fellas, their latest creation is by far the best crack at remote nirvana to date and hence the righteously dubbed title of Harmony One (no relation to Keanu Reeves).

Featuring a sharp looking touch screen with menus that cater to the functions you use most often, this is without a doubt the missing link to your perfect home theater. Plus if you’re of the misplacing breed, the One’s convenient charging cradle should help to curb that pesky sofa digging habit. Cheers to simplicity.

Cost: $200 @ Amazon

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Tempted as you may be to associate the Klipsch Image headphones with the tattered original headphones currently strangling to your ipod; one listen to these copper beauties and you’ll know these are a class apart.

Touted as the smallest and lightest headphones in production, we put these miniscule tubes through their paces to settle for certain if they met the standards we’ve come to expect from a company like Klipsch. Read on to see why.

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There are some things in this world we just can’t be without. An iPod is one of them. Here in New York, I find being without my iPod actually makes me irritable. Want to make sure that it’s got juice wherever your adventure takes you? Well, so do the guys at Brunton. Their Solaris i6 Foldable iPod Charger is a great way to keep those tunes playing. Aside from featuring a direct-connect power cable for the iPod, this portable solar power charger also comes with a multi-linking cable that lets you charge cameras, cell phones and other devices. When not in use, the charger folds away neatly for easy and efficient storage.

What this means to you: Just don’t tell the lady you dropped a couple bills to power your $50 Shuffle.

Cost: $119 @ Amazon

Good things can come in small packages. Right? Right.

The Velodyne MiniVee 8 is a hard-hitting subwoofer that will round out any man’s home theater. Built with an 8″ woofer made of Kevlar, mounted to a diec-ast aluminum basket and powered by 1000 watts of amplification, the MiniVee 8 emits exceptionally tight, deep and resonant bass that will turn any movie or song into a full-on experience. The Dynamic Driver Control System ensures linear sound and the MiniVee 8’s output level can be controlled through its remote control.

Cost: $900 @ Crutchfield