Thursday, September 24, 2009
AudioBahn ADD51T - AV receiver
Pioneer CD-BTB200
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
6FT HDMI Male/Male Premium Cable for HDTV LCD DVD 30-MI1101-06
Customer Review: HDMI at great price.
Great price on HDMI cables. Worked great, picture and sound are top notch. Compared with $60 cable I own on the same blu ray and TV - no difference.
Customer Review: Don't buy these
These cables work well with 720P or below, but they don't work at all with cable boxes with true 1080P or with Blu-Ray at full resolution. Sorry, price and quality do matter. I bought 3 of these and none worked, but one $39 name brand cable from Target cured all of my Blu-Ray problems.
Surround Sound Systems
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Sony AVD-C70ES - DVD changer / AV receiver - radio / 5xDVD - 5.1 channel - silver
For enhanced video performance, the AVD-C70ES employs progressive-scan technology, which displays all the scan lines of a video image in a single pass (as opposed to the odd-numbered lines first and the even-numbered lines second, as with interlaced scanning). This feature works best, however, when paired with an HDTV television. The system also offers Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding for spacious and realistic digital surround sound, along with Sony's exclusive Digital Cinema Sound modes, which provide customized audio for everything from dialogue-driven films to big-budget action spectacles.
The AVD-C70ES is compatible with a host of components through its component, S-video, A/V, and optical digital outputs, in addition to its three A/V inputs, three digital inputs (two optical and one coaxial), and component and S-video inputs. Rounding out the receiver is a digital tuner with 20 FM and 10 AM presets and a preprogrammed remote control.
What's in the Box
AVD-C70ES main unit, AM loop antenna, FM wire antenna, S-video cord, remote control, three AA batteries, user's manual.
Garmin 885T
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH - AV receiver - 7.1 channel
Customer Review: This is what music is supposed to sound like!!!
With a stereo receiver, you can't go cheap. You'll find that out right off the bat after upgrading to a piece of quality equipment. I consider the Pioneer VSX-01TXH a piece of quality equipment. My dad's old Pioneer receivers power source eventually failed after like 25 years. So to replace it I bought a Sony. Well the first Sony broke after six months, so I bought a more expensive Sony with DTS capabilities. That one worked ok for movies, but I remembered the old Pioneer having a crisp, clear, encompassing 2ch sound from the vintage Klipsch Heresy IIs. The Sony couldn't deliver that, even after spending $500. Well I'm not a Best Buy shopper anymore and I stopped drinking the Sony KoolAid, so decided it was time to upgrade but I wanted something a little better this time. I was looking for that lost sound I had with the old 80s Pioneer. I checked out online ratings and found the Pioneer brand has sort of built a great reputation lately, after making some cheaper stuff geared towards the Best Buy bargain shopper. I sold the old Sony and got the Pioneer VSX-01TXH. It was the base Elite Series model, has 7.1 capabilities, and more than adequate power for my setup. The moment I plugged it in I put in a concert DVD and as I plugged in each additional speaker, I was more and more pleasntly surprised. With the factory default settings, this complemented my speakers perfectly. There was no muffled or drowned out echoey noise. There was no unbalanced sound where I had adjust volume levels for each speaker. Well I found out that this is only the beginning. The receiver comes with a microphone that you can use to optimize the sound acoustics of your room. I placed the microphone where my fat head usually is positioned while watching a movie or listening to an album. The result is a perfectly set speaker system with each speaker being absolutely right. I'm not one to pay hundreds on having some professional survey my room, but I don't think they could do much better of a job than this microphone and receiver/thinking computer. The screen display from the receiver to the TV looks old but who cares. It's simple and only on there for what, the fraction of time you spend setting it up compared to listening time. I stream music from my laptop to my XBOX. Sound is 50x better than the Sony. I thought there was a problem with my XBOX before, but now I realized I just had a inferior stereo. I'm sorry did I mention it plays directly from a USB port? Yes you can play IPODs and even Flash Drives right from the front panel. The remote control controls the songs so you don't even have to get up off your backside to change the song. The features of this thing are abundant and it has 4 HDMI ports. It has basically everything you need. There are so many different listening modes and I've still not managed changing Bass or Treble. But I don't really feel the need to, it sounds just the way I want. I had no idea what I was missing out on. The sound is indescribable, it's like what the songs were supposed to sound like. The only thing I can compare it to are listening to my Koss PortaPro headphones. You really hear the subtleties that don't show up on your typical equipment. You have options for direct sound with no processing, or the amazingly better procesed sound. I thought tube amps were only capable of 'warm' sound like this. If you are in the market an upgrade, or are just starting with a system, get your act together and buy this! I understand this is very subjective, and I don't spout off specs, but I know good sound when I hear it. This gets a 10/10.
Customer Review: Fully featured and great Pioneer quality and value
I replaced a Yamaha unit that was just a few years old with this receiver after purchasing a large Pioneer plasma display. My wife is constantly frustrated with audio-video equipment control and after reading about the synergy between Pioneer components I decided to muster up some faith, sell all of my non-Pioneer components (everything but the plasma I'd just purchased) and hope for the best. I have not been completely disappointed, nor completely wowed. The components do seem to work better together, but I am unsure if that would be true for any HDMI interfaced equipment. The common remotes is nice but I already had a good universal remote that does the trick. The receiver looks nice, has lots of lights that have impressively obscure acronyms for the average owner, and it has large knobs. I'm sure those are great features but I just want it to switch to the right input, have sufficient volume, take advantage of the best sound option from any media I'm using, and generally be easy to operate with a Blu-Ray player and television attached. It is meeting my minimum expectations so far. Could it be better? Absolutely. I'd like to eliminate the input choices that I don't use. I'd like it to remember the volume level for each input. I'd like it to be able to turn on automatically at the same time on weekdays and weekends. But all in all it does the basic job for which it was purchased and I have no major complaints.
Sony KDL-40XBR7
Saturday, August 1, 2009
LN46A950 Samsung 46" Series 9 LCD 1080p HDTV (120Hz) with Local Dimming LED Technology
Samsung LN37B650
Friday, July 31, 2009
Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH - AV receiver - 7.1 channel
Customer Review: This is what music is supposed to sound like!!!
With a stereo receiver, you can't go cheap. You'll find that out right off the bat after upgrading to a piece of quality equipment. I consider the Pioneer VSX-01TXH a piece of quality equipment. My dad's old Pioneer receivers power source eventually failed after like 25 years. So to replace it I bought a Sony. Well the first Sony broke after six months, so I bought a more expensive Sony with DTS capabilities. That one worked ok for movies, but I remembered the old Pioneer having a crisp, clear, encompassing 2ch sound from the vintage Klipsch Heresy IIs. The Sony couldn't deliver that, even after spending $500. Well I'm not a Best Buy shopper anymore and I stopped drinking the Sony KoolAid, so decided it was time to upgrade but I wanted something a little better this time. I was looking for that lost sound I had with the old 80s Pioneer. I checked out online ratings and found the Pioneer brand has sort of built a great reputation lately, after making some cheaper stuff geared towards the Best Buy bargain shopper. I sold the old Sony and got the Pioneer VSX-01TXH. It was the base Elite Series model, has 7.1 capabilities, and more than adequate power for my setup. The moment I plugged it in I put in a concert DVD and as I plugged in each additional speaker, I was more and more pleasntly surprised. With the factory default settings, this complemented my speakers perfectly. There was no muffled or drowned out echoey noise. There was no unbalanced sound where I had adjust volume levels for each speaker. Well I found out that this is only the beginning. The receiver comes with a microphone that you can use to optimize the sound acoustics of your room. I placed the microphone where my fat head usually is positioned while watching a movie or listening to an album. The result is a perfectly set speaker system with each speaker being absolutely right. I'm not one to pay hundreds on having some professional survey my room, but I don't think they could do much better of a job than this microphone and receiver/thinking computer. The screen display from the receiver to the TV looks old but who cares. It's simple and only on there for what, the fraction of time you spend setting it up compared to listening time. I stream music from my laptop to my XBOX. Sound is 50x better than the Sony. I thought there was a problem with my XBOX before, but now I realized I just had a inferior stereo. I'm sorry did I mention it plays directly from a USB port? Yes you can play IPODs and even Flash Drives right from the front panel. The remote control controls the songs so you don't even have to get up off your backside to change the song. The features of this thing are abundant and it has 4 HDMI ports. It has basically everything you need. There are so many different listening modes and I've still not managed changing Bass or Treble. But I don't really feel the need to, it sounds just the way I want. I had no idea what I was missing out on. The sound is indescribable, it's like what the songs were supposed to sound like. The only thing I can compare it to are listening to my Koss PortaPro headphones. You really hear the subtleties that don't show up on your typical equipment. You have options for direct sound with no processing, or the amazingly better procesed sound. I thought tube amps were only capable of 'warm' sound like this. If you are in the market an upgrade, or are just starting with a system, get your act together and buy this! I understand this is very subjective, and I don't spout off specs, but I know good sound when I hear it. This gets a 10/10.
Customer Review: Fully featured and great Pioneer quality and value
I replaced a Yamaha unit that was just a few years old with this receiver after purchasing a large Pioneer plasma display. My wife is constantly frustrated with audio-video equipment control and after reading about the synergy between Pioneer components I decided to muster up some faith, sell all of my non-Pioneer components (everything but the plasma I'd just purchased) and hope for the best. I have not been completely disappointed, nor completely wowed. The components do seem to work better together, but I am unsure if that would be true for any HDMI interfaced equipment. The common remotes is nice but I already had a good universal remote that does the trick. The receiver looks nice, has lots of lights that have impressively obscure acronyms for the average owner, and it has large knobs. I'm sure those are great features but I just want it to switch to the right input, have sufficient volume, take advantage of the best sound option from any media I'm using, and generally be easy to operate with a Blu-Ray player and television attached. It is meeting my minimum expectations so far. Could it be better? Absolutely. I'd like to eliminate the input choices that I don't use. I'd like it to remember the volume level for each input. I'd like it to be able to turn on automatically at the same time on weekdays and weekends. But all in all it does the basic job for which it was purchased and I have no major complaints.
ScanSnap S300M
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Pegasus ST09 9-Inch LCD HDTV with ATSC Tuner, Gray
Customer Review: Pegasus 9 in HDTV review
This small set meets our needs perfectly. It was purchased to replace our trusty 5 in B&W analog at the time of the digital conversion. We use this set only in the bathroom in the morning to watch news and sports while getting ready for work, so we are not with concerned with receiving scores of channels. It took about 9 days to arrive using the free shipping option. The set was well packaged and unlikely to be damaged with routine handling. Setup was a breeze following stepwise instructions (with pictures) on a quick setup card. After the digital conversion the auto scan quickly picked up 14 over-the-air channels (which included all 6 major channels in this area) using only the provided very small HD antenna. The antenna cable connects at the top of the set rather obtrusively; this could have been better designed. We have not tried a cable connection for comparison. Reception for the major channels is good. The picture is clear and sharp, far better than our old 5 in analog set, but it is far from the quality of our 46 in Sony LCD. The picture varies somewhat from channel to channel, some being a little dark and the next a little too light with a washed-out appearance. This can be corrected fairly well using the brightness and contrast controls which are easily accessible via the full function remote. The sound is adequate for this small set and the way we use it: in a bathroom, with the water running. We did not set our expectations unrealistically high. We highly recommend this 9 in digital TV for use in a kitchen, bath, workshop, etc. for over-the-air reception in a tight space.
Customer Review: Big time results at a small price
The Pegasus ST09 9 inch LCD HDTV delivers high quality picture quality and sound for a very low price. My wife has it set up in the kitchen,connected to the portable antenna included with the purchase and she gets all of the over the air channels....crystal clear with very good audio. We'll be taking a road trip next week and will take it with us. This was a great buy.Pegasus ST09 9-Inch LCD HDTV with ATSC Tuner, Gray
Sony MDR-NC60
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA 10-Inch Netbook Vertical Multi Pocket Messenger Bag - Black
Magellan 3225