A sound decision

Madhur Daga, executive director, Orient Ceramics and Industries Limited, is thrilled with his latest gadget purchase, a virtual surround speaker system from Sound Matters called Mainstage HD. The system works wonders in his home. He also recommends the Squeezebox wireless player for music buffs.

What’s your current favourite?
I love music and I enjoy using the Squeezebox Wireless Network Music Player, manufactured by a company called Slim Devices (now owned by Logitech).

Which gizmo has turned out to be better than its competitors?
The Squeezebox Wireless Network Music Player is a beautiful implementation of a wireless music player which allows streaming of music into a home audio system from either a digital music source (laptop, iPod, et cetera) or directly from various online music repositories (Rhapsody, Shoutcast, Yahoo! Music). However, the real value of this gizmo from a music lover’s point of view is that the audio inputs and outputs do not compromise on sound quality and music sounds incredible.

Is there a particular brand you are hooked on to?
I’m not hooked on to any particular brand. However, I do like Apple products and admire them for their innovation.

Which gadget magazine or website do you read?
I read online content from Wired, Engadget and Gizmodo.

Is there a gizmo you found overpriced for its features?
Ultimate Ears in-ear headphones priced at $ 1,150. Incredible sound but very low spouse acceptance factor! These tiny in-ear headphones cost more than some speakers.

One gadget that still puzzles you and why?
The Kindle e-book reader. In my opinion, books are best read in their original form. We are already inundated with screens, do we really need another one?

A gadget you are planning to buy and why?
I am planning to buy an advanced Bushnell Laser Finder which will give me the exact distance from a golf ball to various objects (a pin, hazards, et cetera). Then I won’t have to blame the caddy for giving me incorrect distances when I hit a poor shot.

What was the last gadget you bought, and how do you like its features?
The last gadget I bought was a virtual surround speaker system from Sound Matters called Mainstage HD. It’s a wonderful product which emulates surround sound in a room without the hassle of actually installing five or seven speakers and dealing with wires. A value-for-money, simple problem-solving gadget with a very high spouse acceptance factor!