Christmas Gifts 2011: Headphones
Smartphones mean always having a soundtrack in your pocket, but their out-of-the-box headphones are generally pretty mediocre. And there isn’t much point in having an HDTV when you can’t enjoy the full aural glory of explosions, witty one-liners and the crunch of bodies on a 20 yard line without bugging your significant other. Audiophile or not, it’s always nice to have a good pair of headphones kicking around, so here, to help you sort through the hundreds of options available, is a list of the best units you’ll see on store shelves this holiday season.
Bose Quietcomfort 15 acoustic noise cancelling headphones
Price – $349.99 On the Street
Six or less – Wow
I did not know sound could sound this good. Solos wail. Drums pound. Explosions are like slap to the face. These are excellent headphones that create a kind of cone of silence shutting out the world, making music sound like its originating inside your brain.
The 15s are also very comfortable to wear, but large, and a rigid design means they aren’t particularly travel-friendly. They also have a forceful built-in springiness—I got a painful smack to the head once when I lost my grip while putting them on.
The unit also irritatingly reqires a single AAA battery, and music stops when it dies. Despite a 35-hour charge, the 15s have no auto-off feature that I could discern, making it easy to drain their juice by forgetting to flip the power switch. But still, you won’t find anything sounding better for lsess than $400.
Filed under Journalism, Print, Tech reviews, Toronto Star
The rising cost of rising gas prices
Whether you own a jingle-spouting ice cream truck or a velour-draped women’s clothing boutique, nothing is more important for the success of a small business than location.
“The fundamental thing is,” says Joseph Paradi, a management and entrepreneurship professor at the University of Toronto, “can you get the customers who need your goods?”
He says smart entrepreneurs know their products and who wants to buy them.
“A store that caters to retired people isn’t going to be a good idea in the suburbs. If you’re a Halal meat store and open in Rosedale you’re not going to get much uptake.”
Filed under Business, Journalism, Print, Toronto Business Times
