Gear Patrol

Now that the riding season is under way in many parts of the country, it’s time to sign up for riding lessons and start thinking about the machine that’s best suited for your needs. You could jump right into researching bikes for months online, but we’d recommend starting with our roundup of the 5 best starter motorcycles first.

We’ve never been big fans of packaged home theater setups. They tend to be a mishmash of clunky, subpar components that do little to warrant their price points — no matter how low. The Yamaha YHT-697 ($750) does its best to shake the HTIB stereotype thanks to some serious future proof features, normally reserved for…

Let’s make this clear. Gas is expensive and mopeds are emasculating. Tiny wheels the size of a cookie do not a man make, but filling up your car for $80 a week isn’t exactly the best option, either. Introducing the Yamaha Y125 Moegi Concept. We can’t tell you how to pronounce it, but we can…

Most TV speakers have the acoustical chops of a cowbell orchestra. We put up with them simply because alternatives are pricey, bulky, and a pain in the ass to install in a clean and proper manner. The Yamaha YAS-101BL Front Surround System improves on these common drawbacks in several ways. It’s relatively easy on the…

If you watch any TV, you’ve probably seen some commercial touting how 3D technology will revolutionize the way you live. Most likely it also involved Dolphins or some other funny sea creature. When you put all of the marketing-laced messaging and cliché imagery aside, though, it is true that 3D can provide a captivating home…

The Yamaha MCR 140 ($399) has two major things going for it. The first is that outside of performing the functions of your typical micro-audio system, thanks to Yamaha’s proprietary yAired technology, it can play uncompressed audio wirelessly from your iPod/iPhone using a simple dongle that eliminates the syncing hassles associated with other tech like…

Because not everyone has the space for elaborate home theater systems, Yamaha created the YHT-S400 to save room while still providing an immersive audio experience. Comprised of a 31 inch sound bar and a unique receiver which features an integrated subwoofer, it definitely represents one of the better solutions out there for those with small…

Where do you listen to your music? We here at GP are all about quality sound systems but we also recognize that every occasion may not be the right one for a six-piece, $6,000 sound system. If you find yourself moving around frequently and want a speaker that’s compact but still kicks out room-filling sound,…

Make Music, One Light At a Time Despite what you think, Tenori-on has nothing to do with Battleship Plenty of people dream of being musicians. However, most lack the classical training to ever produce anything noteworthy. Over the last couple of decades though, a slew of products have emerged (MPCs, synthesizers, drum machines, Rockband? etc…)…

This Yamaha receiver will keep your next movie night, party or music juiced with 7.1 channels of 130 watts per channel sound. It’s myriad of surround sound options are supplemented by it’s high definition technologies. Oh, and it’ll hook right up with your iPod too. What this means to you: So many audiophiles have fallen…