Price : $24.99
Slinky Science Bionic Ear Info - Spies on secret missions won't miss a sound with Bionic Ear. Listen to even the most faint and faraway sounds within a range of up to 300 feet. Bionic Ear includes background noise reduction that makes your hearing amazingly clear. Requires 9V battery, not included. Ready to wear right out of the box.
This review is from : Slinky Science Bionic Ear
The Best Bang for the Buck . I had been researching various parabolic microphones online for awhile. I noticed the striking similarity in construction and design of this "toy" and the higher-priced ($50-$80) units sold under the Orbitor and Pro-Orbitor models. Well, you guessed right (if you guessed as I did), this <$20 "toy" is the very same device, just marketed to a different audience. The only difference is that instead of having a low-power spotting-scope for aiming, there's just an empty tube in this one. And on opening this one up, I found out that the chip to do the 10-second recording and playback (in the Orbitor models) are missing from the circuit board. That's all fine and well, because if you read the reviews both of those features in the higher-priced models that include them they are fairly useless or badly implemented.
I bought this to "tinker" with it for nature recordings. There have been reviews of the same device under other brand names claiming that directionality is lacking. This is not true. I find that for high-frequency sounds the aiming must be within about 2-5 degrees to the source. People also erroneously mistake the true frequency filter for a "volume" control. It is a variable cut-off filter to adjust how much "base" you want to listen to. There's good reason for this. Low-frequency sounds travel less distance with the same amplitude (energy) as high-frequencies, and lower frequencies refract and reflect much more easily around other objects. This is where this perceived non-directional problem comes from. If you filter out the low-frequencies using the tunable filter you can obtain rather good directionality and clarity on distant voices and sounds.
However, there is a bit of design flaw in this (and I presume all the high-priced Orbitor models), where the microphone pickup is situated. Unfortunately the access ports to allow the sound through the central microphone support column are cut too small. My Dremmel-tool and X-acto blades to the rescue. I enlarge the entry ports to the microphone and was able to greatly increase the amount of sound being focused by the parabolic dish. You can prove this to yourself by momentarily pointing the dish toward the sun and watching where the light is focused equally around the central support. The designers missed the mark on where to cut the access holes to let the sound through. If you're a tinkerer, go ahead and enlarge those ports to let more sound though. As it is designed I doubt more than 20% of the parabolic dish's surface is being put to use. You can increase this to a good 80% or more with careful modification. Just be very careful to not nick or cut the wire leading the the microphone.
If you hunt around on the net you can find this available for under $20 with shipping included. And with a little modification, you'll have a highly directional parabolic microphone that is better than the $50-$80 models (made by the same company, same components, targeted to adult prices).
One more thing, the lower price also means lower-quality headphones. No problem. We all have dozens of higher quality ear-buds laying around from our MP3 players and other things by now. Use a set of those instead. The sound quality and useful gain will vastly improve if you do.
The Best Bang for the Buck . I had been researching various parabolic microphones online for awhile. I noticed the striking similarity in construction and design of this "toy" and the higher-priced ($50-$80) units sold under the Orbitor and Pro-Orbitor models. Well, you guessed right (if you guessed as I did), this <$20 "toy" is the very same device, just marketed to a different audience. The only difference is that instead of having a low-power spotting-scope for aiming, there's just an empty tube in this one. And on opening this one up, I found out that the chip to do the 10-second recording and playback (in the Orbitor models) are missing from the circuit board. That's all fine and well, because if you read the reviews both of those features in the higher-priced models that include them they are fairly useless or badly implemented.
I bought this to "tinker" with it for nature recordings. There have been reviews of the same device under other brand names claiming that directionality is lacking. This is not true. I find that for high-frequency sounds the aiming must be within about 2-5 degrees to the source. People also erroneously mistake the true frequency filter for a "volume" control. It is a variable cut-off filter to adjust how much "base" you want to listen to. There's good reason for this. Low-frequency sounds travel less distance with the same amplitude (energy) as high-frequencies, and lower frequencies refract and reflect much more easily around other objects. This is where this perceived non-directional problem comes from. If you filter out the low-frequencies using the tunable filter you can obtain rather good directionality and clarity on distant voices and sounds.
However, there is a bit of design flaw in this (and I presume all the high-priced Orbitor models), where the microphone pickup is situated. Unfortunately the access ports to allow the sound through the central microphone support column are cut too small. My Dremmel-tool and X-acto blades to the rescue. I enlarge the entry ports to the microphone and was able to greatly increase the amount of sound being focused by the parabolic dish. You can prove this to yourself by momentarily pointing the dish toward the sun and watching where the light is focused equally around the central support. The designers missed the mark on where to cut the access holes to let the sound through. If you're a tinkerer, go ahead and enlarge those ports to let more sound though. As it is designed I doubt more than 20% of the parabolic dish's surface is being put to use. You can increase this to a good 80% or more with careful modification. Just be very careful to not nick or cut the wire leading the the microphone.
If you hunt around on the net you can find this available for under $20 with shipping included. And with a little modification, you'll have a highly directional parabolic microphone that is better than the $50-$80 models (made by the same company, same components, targeted to adult prices).
One more thing, the lower price also means lower-quality headphones. No problem. We all have dozens of higher quality ear-buds laying around from our MP3 players and other things by now. Use a set of those instead. The sound quality and useful gain will vastly improve if you do.
Slinky Science Bionic Ear Reviews
Fun to Use . I got this for my son who is into "spy toys". This Bionic Ear works really well! You really can spy on conversations from a distance. The toy even picks up soft sounds such as whispers. Be careful on what you talk about when your kid is using this toy!
Fun to Use . I got this for my son who is into "spy toys". This Bionic Ear works really well! You really can spy on conversations from a distance. The toy even picks up soft sounds such as whispers. Be careful on what you talk about when your kid is using this toy!
Slinky Science Bionic Ear Opinions
Not bad . Works pretty well for an assembly of cheap plastic pieces. The box says it has a "scope" for pinpoint aiming. This is actually a large hole in the base that you look through, and is totally unnecessary. The unit just isn't directional enough to require careful aiming.
The box also points out the "sensitivity control" for adjusting the "sensitivity/volume." The instruction sheet says this is a frequency control to help eliminate background noises, and that is how it seems to work. There is no volume control. Oddly, turning towards "low" makes it more sensitive to high frequencies, and vise-versa. It is pretty sensitive to wind noise, and has a fair amount of hiss at all times, due I presume to the inexpensive electronics.
Suggestion: use better headphones. The ones supplied do not fit flat to the ears, and are not adjustable for that. They will never fit a child well, seemingly being designed for "fat heads."
I am going to use it for listening to bird sounds.
Not bad . Works pretty well for an assembly of cheap plastic pieces. The box says it has a "scope" for pinpoint aiming. This is actually a large hole in the base that you look through, and is totally unnecessary. The unit just isn't directional enough to require careful aiming.
The box also points out the "sensitivity control" for adjusting the "sensitivity/volume." The instruction sheet says this is a frequency control to help eliminate background noises, and that is how it seems to work. There is no volume control. Oddly, turning towards "low" makes it more sensitive to high frequencies, and vise-versa. It is pretty sensitive to wind noise, and has a fair amount of hiss at all times, due I presume to the inexpensive electronics.
Suggestion: use better headphones. The ones supplied do not fit flat to the ears, and are not adjustable for that. They will never fit a child well, seemingly being designed for "fat heads."
I am going to use it for listening to bird sounds.
Can easily be modified for better performance . Think about how a parabolic dish receiver is supposed to work, whether it's for collecting a satellite signal or for sound waves like this one.
The radio or sound waves are collected and focused by the dish which acts like a lens.
The focal point will be above the center of the dish, which where you see the LNB located on every TV satellite dish.
On this product the little tower protruding from the center of the dish is for decoration only, and the microphone is actually located at its base.
If you point the dish at the sun you will see a ring of light focused near the top of the tower, which is where the sound waves will be focused too, and that's where the microphone needs to be.
The toy need to be disassembled, the microphone leads lengthened by about three inches or so and the microphone relocated to the top of the tower.
The improvement is phenomenal and changes a toy into semi-professional tool.
The radio or sound waves are collected and focused by the dish which acts like a lens.
The focal point will be above the center of the dish, which where you see the LNB located on every TV satellite dish.
On this product the little tower protruding from the center of the dish is for decoration only, and the microphone is actually located at its base.
If you point the dish at the sun you will see a ring of light focused near the top of the tower, which is where the sound waves will be focused too, and that's where the microphone needs to be.
The toy need to be disassembled, the microphone leads lengthened by about three inches or so and the microphone relocated to the top of the tower.
The improvement is phenomenal and changes a toy into semi-professional tool.
Not even close to worth the money. . I bought this toy for my daughter last Christmas. When we purchased this unit the advertising was a lie. It said there was a recording output where you could record what you hear. There is no such thing incorporated in this unit. I see the advertising has changed since. The overall amplification is not anything to be impressed with. Yes it does slightly amplify sound but it is no more than a mild toy. You can't really go out and listen to birds in the trees. It doesn't isolate sounds as described in the packaged literature. It simply increases volume overall which gives the since it is working. Surely to any adult you know better. There is a knob which is suppose to isolate high and low frequencies which is no more than a tone button. It just deepens the sound or makes it more bright just like a radio. If you look at it like a toy your fine. If you look at it like a science product for teens NO. Compare the price of this toy to any other toy on the shelf and it is an average price of other toys so whats the big deal. IF YOU GO IN thinking it is a YOUNG child toy. I am a firm believer that it should do what is says it will do. In this case it doesn't. It is not for teens or anyone that is looking to get any resemblance of a parabolic directional listening experience. For little kids running around in the house it is GREAT. I give it a single star because it is misrepresented. It is directed to the wrong age group. Since it is NOT for older children and more suited for younger kids the dish is quite fragile. This in my opinion makes it overall unattractive and unappealing. It is no more than a novelty child toy. I have no reason to give a flawed or dishonest review so please if you buy this unit go in thinking it is just novelty and a mere toy for young kids.
crosschecked . I read Nature Guy's review and decided that the toy product would serve nicely. It is very impressive. Since I really did not need the telescope nor recording capabilities, this will work just fine. I did pick up crickets out back that I could not otherwise hear. However, I did not widen the audio slots on the sound tube. My thinking was that this was part of the filtering system. (similar to speaker cabinet reflex holes). There are four distinct patterns. I did, however, place clear packaging tape over both sides of the telescope hole(to aid the parabolic function). The rear side should be covered also, so that dust and dirt cannot accumulate on the sticky exposed surface. This will be used mostly in the woods, especially during moose calling. I am very satisfied and highly support its use by sportsmen. Do not be hesitant to buy it! Oh yes, and my unit was discovered to have "built in" automatic level control (ALC) with quite fast recovery.
Not just for kids... . I know this is a toy, but a science teacher friend recommended it to me for my mother in law whose hearing has decreased since a double ear infection. She's over 80, and this inexpensive device has allowed us to communicate with her. Amazing product that we used beyond its intention, but what a quality of life changer it has been!
Bionic Ear . This product is fun to use. I ordered it for my 11 yr. old. He loves it. He wants to try to use it for hunting. I was really unsure about the products use, but was proven wrong. Works GREAT.
Listen to This! . At first I was a little disappointed, because it's made out of plastic; however, once I put a battery in it and turned it on... my disappointment immediately disappeared. It works great and I love it! I can listen to all of my teenage granddaughter's telephone conversations from three rooms away, without her knowing. Now, she thinks I'm psychic, which is really funny and after listening to several very boring conversations... I think she lives for drama. Of course, she doesn't know I have it... or she'd probably be playing with it. I haven't yet heard any ghosts or spirits sounds, but I'm pretty sure... it's because I don't have any living with me, which is great!
Here's some of the interesting conversations I've heard so far...
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing!"
"Me either!"
"Did you eat anything today?"
"Yeah, if you tell me what you ate, I'll tell you what I ate.... bla bla bla!"
_____________________________
Duh-la-la... please bury me!
Here's some of the interesting conversations I've heard so far...
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing!"
"Me either!"
"Did you eat anything today?"
"Yeah, if you tell me what you ate, I'll tell you what I ate.... bla bla bla!"
_____________________________
Duh-la-la... please bury me!
Money wise great deal . Bought to listen to human traffic that has a tendecy to loiter at loal business close to home....Found some very interesting illegal stuff going on...For the money it is cheap surveillance...
Feature Slinky Science Bionic Ear
- 1 9V battery required, not included
- Headphones included
- Features include a parabolic sound collecting dish and backgroud noise reduction
- Pick up sounds from nearly 300 feet away!
Product Details
EAN : 0071547160007UPC : 071547160007
MPN : 016000
Brand : Slinky
Weight : 2 pounds
Height : 5 inches
Length : 13 inches
Width : 11 inches
Binding : Toy
Department : ToysAndShoes
Manufacturer : Poof Slinky
Manufacturer Maximum Age : 12 years
Manufacturer Minimum Age : 5 years
Model : 016000
Publisher : Poof Slinky
Release Date : 2008-07-23
SKU : SLYX1600
Studio : Poof Slinky
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Where To Buy
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