Bose Lifestyle V10 home theater system Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a good, simple, one box solution for surround sound. It was bought as our vacation home AV system. Very easy installation with very good instructions. Since bluray has become the standard the V lifestyle systems are a better choice than the DVD based lifestyle systems. I picked up a Sony BD player for 150 dollars! Nice, deep and powerful bass. As in most Bose products the highs and mids are less than crystal clear but good enough for all around music listening and movies. I bought at a steep discount at Sam's ($750) which was only slightly more than the BOSE 321 system. At that price, it was simply a steal! It has plenty of clean power for our 50x40 great room (20 foot ceiling), in fact, it can fill the entire house with effortless sound. Operation is similarly simple. The remote is well designed and controls your other components, however, it is unlighted. Overall, a great system from the installation, connectivity and operational point of view which offers good sound quality, it should satisfy all but audiophile ears. If you can find one with a similar discount don't pass it up.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bose Lifestyle V10 home theater system

Click here for more information about Bose Lifestyle V10 home theater system

Read More...

Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System (Single Speaker) - Titanium Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased the Polk Surroundbar with some trepidation, as it is an expensive leap of faith purchase due to the fact that I was unable to find a local Polk dealer with a showroom model to test. I thought the unit would be ideal in my TV room due to the fact that I refuse to drill holes in my hardwood floors to accomodate traditional 5.1 rear speakers.
Fit and Finish -
The Surroundbar arrived and I was immediately impressed with the integrity of the product packaging. The fit and finish of the bar itself is very impressive. The product is very heavy and solid, encased with a real metal finish, giving it a very hi-tech and sturdy appearance. In addition, the accessories included in the box (stand, mounts, cables) are of the highest quality and complement the surround bar nicely.
Performance -
When the system was initially set up, I thought it sounded ok. Then I further studied the set-up guide and found that the way my subwoofer was connected and some of the necessary settings on my receiver were incorrect. Instead of the standard RCA type sub connection, I rewired the sub to be in line via speaker wire to the 2 front connections as reccommended by Polk. Also, the speaker size needed to be set to large for all channels. (I've learned to ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's specifications!)
Once the adjustments were made, the sound was incredible. The first thing you notice is the overall power of the unit. The sound is huge and imposing. The surround effect is absolutely incredible both with DVDs and Xbox games. I now have almost a full 360 degree sound experience with distinct separation between all channels. Movies with DTS-ES 6.1 sound are a wonder to listen to. This system replaced a 3.1 full-size Onkyo speaker setup and sounds cleaner, more powerful and much better overall than the other full-size speakers ever did!
Conclusion -
I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I'm getting my demo material picked out so that I can invite my neighbors and buddies to come over and marvel at my new toy. It's expensive, but you get what you pay for with this product - no wires, no drilling holes in the floor, easy setup and excellent performance. Even my wife thinks it's cool!
MY HIGHEST RECOMENDATION.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System (Single Speaker) - Titanium

A perfect sonic and stylistic match for flat-panel and shallow-case TVs, the Polk Audio SurroundBar is designed to offer elegant, high-resolution, single-source surround sound. It comes with everything you need to mount it above, below, or even on your television, and it works with any surround sound receiver. It's an ideal listening system for anyone seeking rich, enveloping surround sound without the space commitment or hookup hassles of a multispeaker system.Polk Audio's patented SDA Surround technology means there's no need to install rear speakers. SDA Surround technology is founded on extensive research into the way human ears process sound and perceive directionality of sound. Unlike speakers or surround algorithms that merely simulate surround effects, the SurroundBar reproduces discrete, multichannel surround sound using a patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry called Acoustic Wave Front Reconstruction (AWFR). Since the SurroundBar works directly upon your ears and requires no special room characteristics, it can deliver room-filling surround sound nearly anywhere.As with conventional 5.1-channel systems, you'll hear the best surround effects when you're centered directly in front of the SurroundBar. However--unlike conventional 5.1 systems--the SurroundBar delivers surround sound regardless of how close or how far away you sit.While it's technically a single speaker, the SurroundBar contains seven active drive units, three tweeters, and inputs for all five primary surround channels: front left/center/right and rear left/right. Multiple drive units spaced roughly the same distance apart as your ears allow the speaker to keep you from discerning the actual sound sources. Instead, it will seem as though sound is coming from all around and behind you.The SurroundBar's circuitry maintains proper isolation of all amplifier channels and will function correctly with any amplifier or receiver capable of driving a 4 ohm load (that is, capable of powering 4-ohm speakers). Many receivers are rated for maximum power into 8 ohms but function perfectly well--functioning with about half their rated power--into 4 ohms, too. Wiring a stand-alone powered subwoofer in line with the speaker (a procedure illustrated in the product manual) will heighten the sense of realism and visceral power of the SurroundBar.For even more spacious sound, you can use the SurroundBar with your existing surround speakers, too. In such an arrangement you can wire the surround outputs from your receiver to your separate surround speakers instead of to the SurroundBar's rear-speaker terminals, using the SurroundBar for the front left, center, and right channels only.Better still, if you have a 6.1- or 7.1-channel receiver, use one of your surround speakers as the rear-center speaker in a 6.1 system, or both surround speakers as 2 of the 4 speakers in a 7.1 system (with the SurroundBar's 2 surround channels in filling in the sound for the other 2).The SurroundBar must be mounted horizontally to function properly. Placement directly above or below your TV screen pointed in the same direction as the screen will give the best coordination between your surround sound and the on screen images. Wall mounting, shelf mounting, table mounting, or stand mounting all work equally well. However, walls or other large obstacles within 3 feet of the sides of the SurroundBar will reduce the effectiveness of its surround delivery. Cross-corner locations will work just fine.The supplied 25-foot, 10-conductor cable is color-coded and clearly marked for easy hookup.What's in the Box SurroundBar speaker, 2-piece wall bracket, a center-channel base, mounting screws, 25-foot wire bundle, and a quick-start guide.

Click here for more information about Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System (Single Speaker) - Titanium

Read More...

Samsung FPT5894W 58-Inch 1080p Wireless Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Wireless causes the picture to delay for at least 180ms, your surround reciever needs to be able to delay or it will look like a bad synch'ed movie. Not any good for Wii or PS3, the wireless does break up once i a while, but there is no cable mess at all. I will return this TV and get another with long HDMI cables.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Samsung FPT5894W 58-Inch 1080p Wireless Plasma HDTV

Click here for more information about Samsung FPT5894W 58-Inch 1080p Wireless Plasma HDTV

Read More...

SMC EZ-Stream Wireless Audio Adapter. ( SMCWAA-B ) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After rsearching for several weeks various of the wireless digital devices, I focused on the SMC SMCWAA-B EZ Stream. Looking soley for a device to 'pull' my music (no video, etc) to my living room from my PC, I wanted something inexpensive, compact, WMA (version 9) capable, and able to stream internet radio. Though there are no reviews of the EZ Stream, I spotted one on Ebay and in two days (a first) held in both hands a slightly used EzStream (for $59 including shipping; they seem to be available new for around $110.)
The only other unit I might have considered would have been a Apple Airport Express, which requires iTunes and can't play (but will import) WMA's.
Happily after an hour of only mildly tedious configuration, the Ez Stream began delivering music to my living room stereo under the control of a handy but fairly small-buttoned remote.
I'm very satisfied with just a few niggles. SMC has great product and if they take care of a few things, they'll have a home run.
The device itself has a cheezy feel and look. Think 'cheap and cheerful' and you'll have the right picture. While the 'Steam would look fine next to most pieces of office computer equipment, it looks strangely cheap and out of place in a living room. The unit has a blue screen that also looks a tad down-market, though it's the case itself that could use the most attention.
More seriously, the manual is poorly organized and rather light on instruction. If you aren't technically savvy, I'd forget about the EZ Stream. Then again, what technically impaired person would be interested in such a device?
I use a wireless network with WEP enabled and this proved tedious to resolve. Along with Musicmatch the unit ships with a "utility" for the device itself. The setup didn't mention when to use the utiltiy -- in fact it would have made configuring the WEP security much easier. Either way, I had to guess at whether my WEP key was HEX or ASCII and whether it was 64 or 128 bit. I was able to deduce which setting was correct only because my KEY is 26 digits and so is the HEX 128 setting.
And then there's Musicmatch... I really wish the unit could use Windows Media Player. I've submitted to now having yet another music management software on my computer. Specifically I also own an iRiver IHP120 which allows music to be stored and accessed by folder. I consider this by far the easiest way to access music. And while Musicmatch will allow you to browse your music by folder while on the PC, the EZ Stream only uses the Artist, Album, Genre modality -- which leaves me in TAG HELL. The only other device that could handle folder based music organization was the CD30 C series -- but that presently won't work with WMA9's.
I have the unit set up probably less than 20 feet from the AP and every now and then it cuts out. For some reason the signal strength isn't that great and may have more to do with the construction of our house and the Linksys AP than the SMC.
I'd also love to have several EZ Streams set up through the house, which you can do -- however I don't think there's a way to synchronize them and emulate 'whole house audio.'
And lastly, SMC seems to exist ephemerally: their web site isn't very up to date, and you can't download a copy of the manual before buying. Also, there's no user forum -- always the best support a product can have. And oddly, as of July, 2004 there isn't a single review by say PC Magazine or any of the tech web sites; the device was announced in January 2004!
The digital audio receiver market is in its infancy. No doubt this market will mature significantly in the next few years. In the meantime, the SMC Ez Stream does what it's intended to do with little fanfare and at a low price.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SMC EZ-Stream Wireless Audio Adapter. ( SMCWAA-B )

Click here for more information about SMC EZ-Stream Wireless Audio Adapter. ( SMCWAA-B )

Read More...

Kensington 33350 Entertainment Dock 500 with Charger for iPod Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This docking station exceeded my expectations. I am using this dock with my 30GB Video iPod and the sound quality is great. I earlier tried hooking the iPod directly to my Denon receiver using iPod's mini-jack with composite audio cables but the output wasn't right. It was on the low side. After I hooked the audio out from Kensignton Dock to my receiver, the sound quality is very crisp and awesome.
The S-Video out from Dock is connected to the receiver as well and the video quality on 50 inch widescreen TV is great. I converted some home videos to MP4 format at 512 kbps and the video looks good on big screen.
Pros:
- Sleek and compact dock
- Amazing sound quality. No distortion noticed
- Charges iPod while playing
- S-Video Out provides nice video and photo display on TV
- Remote is RF based so you can operate it from any direction. Remote has good range. The ability to press and hold 'Select' button to move up the menus is very nice
- Docks nicely even with iPod skin on
- Comes with world charger (100 to 240 volts) so you can carry it outside U.S
Cons:
- Menus don't display on TV so it limits menu navigation through remote from a distance. This was not an advertised feature anyway in Kensignton Dock but new docks will come out with this feature soon

Click Here to see more reviews about: Kensington 33350 Entertainment Dock 500 with Charger for iPod

With the Kensington 33350 Entertainment Dock 500 for iPods you can enjoy all your favorite music, video and photos in your home with a touch of a remote control. The Entertainment Dock 500 lets you also display your videos and photos from your iPod through your TV.
The Kensington 33350 entertainment dock lets you listen to music through your home stereo, as well as play a soundtrack while you view your favorite photos or play your favorite videos over your home entertainment system. What's more, this handy unit comes with a wireless RF remote control that lets you operate your iPod from up to 50 feet away, and simultaneously charges your iPod in its cradle. Constructed with both an audio/video out, as well as S-video, this system is simple plug-and-play, without requiring you to change any settings or download any new software.
This unit has a built-in Universal Dock that allows it to work with the iPod or iPod mini with dock connector, as well as the new iPod nano and video--including the iPod 3G, iPod 4G (Click Wheel), iPod color, and iPod 5G/5.5G Video--and is backed by Kensington's 2-year warranty.
What's in the Box Kensington 33350 Entertainment Dock 500, an audio/video cable, a wireless radio frequency remote, an AC power adapter, a user's guide and warranty information.

Click here for more information about Kensington 33350 Entertainment Dock 500 with Charger for iPod

Read More...

Logitech Harmony H-659 Advanced Universal Remote Control (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'll make this easy - the Harmony Remotes are the most brilliantly designed piece of consumer electronics I have fiddled with in a long, long time. I have a system of slghtly above average complexity - a 60" projection TV, Onkyo Home Theater receiver, Nintendo Gamecube, PC-based MP3 server (home built), and a combo DVD/VCR. The web-based configuration pretty much nailed all the settings, and the wizard is a great example of someone that did their homework when it came to figuring out all the possible "use cases" for my set up. Its probably not going to be perfect, though, unless you are using all very common components; you will probably have to tweak some of the settings. For example, after selecting the model number of my JVC combo VCR/DVD player, the standard functions worked fine, but the navigation between menus on DVDs was flakey and inconsistent - I went on the harmony web site, tweaked the settings by learning the missing commands, and voila - it works perfectly now.
OK, so why do some people give such seemingly contradictory negative reviews (definitely the minority of reviews)? I have a theory - the Harmony has no idea of what your little kids, guests, or even pets might do to the settings on your AV equipment. The Harmony can only remember the state it left things in. If your 5-year old (or your mother in law) walks up and picks up the TV remote (or goes to the front of the TV) and fiddles with the video inputs, it will throw the Harmony off (the Harmony will think it is set to "S-video" for example, but it might have been changed by your curious 4-year old to "Satellite" or something.)
But this is actually where the Harmony really shines, in my opinon - and shows how brilliant the design is. When things get out of whack, all you have to do it press the "Help" button on the remote, and it will start walking through settings and asking questions in order to determine where the problem is. In over a year of using the Harmony 659, I have yet to encounter a situation where this did not resolve the problem immediately. In fact, I used to get calls at my office from my wife, frantically trying to put in a video for the kids, but not being able to get it to display on the TV (I have it set up to display DVDs via the component connections, but VCR via the S-Video). I'm not kidding, this would happen twice a week - and I would have to walk her through all the settings on the various remotes until things were fixed. With the Harmony, this is no longer an issue - in fact, I have not had a single call in over a year about the A/V setup - that is worth the $100 alone! :-)
I'll provide an example from just this moment - I was programming a new component on the remote while my kids were watching a video. After programming the device, it assumes everything is turned off (which the system was not). My 5-year old picked up the remote, pointed it at the TV, and pushed the "off" button. Nothing happened (because the Harmony thinks things are already off. So, I just picked up the remote, hit the "help" button, and it send a command. The receiver turned off, but not the DVD player. The remote displayed a message that said "Did that fix the problem?" When I selected "No" it then asked if the DVD was off. When I selected "No" it turned it off and then asked "Did that fix the problem?" again. I selected "Yes" and now the remote and the system are back in synch. Very cool
So, the bottom line is that my 5-year old can now walk into the family room, grab the harmony by himself, and push the "watch a movie" button, stick in a video, and he is all set. It used to take assistance from an adult to turn on the TV, turn on the VCR, turn on the receiver, and then set everything to the right input, etc. In fact, my wife said to me recently "I wish you had gotten one of these a long time ago!"

Click Here to see more reviews about: Logitech Harmony H-659 Advanced Universal Remote Control (Black)

A good universal remote may control an entire home entertainment system, but more often than not, it also looks like the instrument panel of the space shuttle, with dozens of intimidating and confusing keys. Enter the Logitech Harmony 659 remote, which is not only simple to program and use, but also consolidates a user's preferences for watching TV, viewing movies, or listening to music into three clearly labeled buttons. Simply press the Watch a Movie, Watch TV, or Listen to Music button to activate all the appropriate equipment--including surround sound components--and the remote does the rest. The device will automatically switch to your favorite settings for each component, while offering you a host of customized controls on its interactive LCD screen. It's called Smart State Technology, and it puts you and your family back in control of your home theater system.
The remote is an ideal choice for families with kids, though in many cases, it's the grownups that will find the simplicity most appealing. Like many other universals, the remote lets you assign tasks to individual buttons. However, unlike most other remotes, it also lets you create new functions to specifically match your component, such as when controlling multi-angle playback or zoom on a DVD player. To do this, merely connect the Harmony remote to your computer through the USB port, install the included CD software, walk through the Web wizard's step-by-step setup process, and start programming. Once you enter the model numbers of your components and answer a few easy questions about personal preferences, you'll soon be able to control a complex home theater setup without any hassles of frustrations. The Harmony 659 also includes a learning port, which picks up commands from other infrared remote controls to simplify setup even further. And should the setup process ever get too confusing, the remote includes a handy Help button that guides you through common troubleshooting steps--the only remote on the market to do so.
The Harmony 659 is compatible with everything from surround sound systems to satellite and digital cable boxes to DVD players. As a further enticement, Logitech includes two free months of TV listings. For the computer setup to work properly, users will need to own USB-equipped computers running Windows 98 SE, 2000, Me, or XP or Macintosh OS X 10.2 or later.
What's in the Box Harmony 659 remote control, software installation CD, USB cable, four AAA batteries, quick-start guide.

Get 30% OFF

Click here for more information about Logitech Harmony H-659 Advanced Universal Remote Control (Black)

Read More...

Tom Tom iPod Connect Cable and Audio Cable Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Now I'm going to sit on the fence a little bit here. I bought a TomTom GO 910 a few months ago and bought the iPod cable at the same time. I also wanted to use the TomTom as a hands free kit for my phone, via Bluetooth.
Issue number one is cables! If you're using all of this then you will have four cables trailing over your car dashboard: TomTom power, external mic, iPod cable, cable to car stereo aux input. You can reduce this cable count by one if you have a car stereo that supports Bluetooth (I don't so have not tried this).
I paid to have all of my cables routed behind the car dashboard. They come out in a neat little cluster by the corner of my windscreen. The iPod connector comes out in the glove compartment (the cable is plenty long enough).
So, functionality:
No iPod charging! This is a pretty serious omission, especially for long journeys.
The on-screen iPod controls are OK, but not excellent. Relatively responsive, but clunky compared to the iPod itself (not entirely surprising).
There is no support for compilations, so the artist list contains artists who only feature on a compilation album. This is a bit annoying, but not the end of the world.
No support for album art.
It takes a few seconds to transfer the song list to the TomTom. I have about 4000 songs on my iPod, transfer takes 2-3 seconds.
Annoyingly the TomTom volume control changes the volume of the directions voice and the iPod. It would be better to have two volume controls, or to just have the iPod audio level fixed.
When the TomTom has something to say, the iPod is paused. This is useful, but it would be nicer if there was an option to just lower the iPod volume.
And quality:
There is definitely noise on the line. It's not noticeable when driving and listening to music, but when stopped in traffic listening to an audio book you can hear the noise.
There are some bugs in the system. Occasionally the TomTom loses contact with the iPod and I have to unplug/replug it. Also sometimes after I've been playing music the TomTom will go silent (no more talking) until I power off/on.Overall I'm happy with the product as it means I can listen to anything from my iPod when I'm driving, and cost less than getting a new car stereo with iPod support, but it could certainly do with some improvements.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tom Tom iPod Connect Cable and Audio Cable

The Tom Tom iPod Connect Cable and Audio Cable lets you enjoy easy, safe in-car entertainment by controlling your iPod via your Tom Tom GO's screen. Just plug in the iPod cable and connect the audio cable to the car stereo, and you can instantly brighten up your journey with your favorite songs and playlists in safety.
The iPod Connect Cable is designed to link an iPod to your compatible Tom Tom GO models. This unit has a 2.5-millimeter stereo-style connector on one end, and an iPod connector on the other, and is 200 centimeters in total length. This cable allows you to control your iPod via your GO touch-screen, so you can play all mp3s from your iPod and from your GO through the GO speaker. During spoken instructions and use of hands-free calling on your compatible GO, the music will automatically pause, and then start again once the call has ended.
The audio cable included in this set is a standard line-out audio cable for linking your Tom Tom GO to your car stereo. This unit has a 3.5-millimeter stereo-style connector on each end, and is 200 centimeters in total length. This cable allows you to play mp3s from your GO through your car's speakers, as well as receive spoken instructions through the car speakers. During spoken instructions and use of hands-free calling on your GO, the music will automatically pause and then start again once the call has ended.
When used in combination, these two cables let you not only control your iPod from your Tom Tom GO, but play all of your favorite music from both units through your car's speaker in an easy, plug-and-play fashion. The system lets you operate all the necessary iPod functions, such as: play, pause, fastforward, rewind, next song, previous song, shuffle, select and browse, as well as viewing the current: playlist, composer, artist, album, genre, song, and audio books. The system is compatible with iPod mini, iPod photo, iPod nano, iPod video, iPod 3rd generation and iPod 4th generation iPod products, as well as the GO 510, GO 710 and GO 910 Tom Tom products.
User's should note that the audio cable is already included in the GO 910 box as a standard, and that the iPod Connect Cable cannot be used at the same time as the Tom Tom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver, which uses the same connector. Also make sure before purchasing this product that your car stereo has a 3.5-millimeter audio jack in order to connect via the audio cable.
What's in the Box iPod connect cable and audio cable.

Click here for more information about Tom Tom iPod Connect Cable and Audio Cable

Read More...