Sabrent SBT-TVFM TV Tuner/Video Capture/FM Radio PCI Card with Remote Control Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all, the item that is sent will NOT be the item in the picture. However the tuner still works. When I first installed the tuner, it crashed my computer. Apparently the driver did not agree with windows, and the driver recommended by windows will not work with the tuner. Nevertheless, after a few hours of messing with the driver, it eventually worked and it's been working perfectly ever since. By the way, just to clarify about video quality, for normal viewing, it's the best tuner under 30 dollars with a remote. But if you want to record, the video will not be so good, it'll be really fuzzy if you're use to dvd quality videos. And also, it will not work with Media Center (not the OS, but the program), which is quite disappointing. You should buy this only if you have the patience and technical experience to adjust those settings.

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With the Sabrent SBT-TVFM TV Tuner/Video Capture/FM Radio PCI Card with Remote Control, you can watch TV, listen to FM radio, and capture video from your camcorder all on your computer.
Record Your Favorite TV Programs onto Your PC With the built-in TV tuner, you can receive up to 125 channels on cable or over the air. With an autoscan function, clear signals will be added automatically, and you can watch television full-screen on your computer. Video is captured at a steady 30 frames per second for high quality.
A Variety of Inputs The card has composite and S-video inputs for connecting televisions and DVD/VHS players, a connection for an FM antenna, a composite video camera connector for digital camcorders, and an audio out for output of sound to external speakers.
The Sabrent SBT-TVFM TV Tuner/Video Capture/FM Radio PCI Card requires Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, a 366 Mhz or higher CPU, 32 MB or more RAM, a VGA card with 8 MB memory, an available PCI slot, and an analog TV signal source.
What's in the Box SBT-TVFM TV/FM/video capture PCI card, audio cable, remote I/R receiving cable, remote control, FM antenna, user's manual, and software CD.

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GE 23292 Stereo Turntable Pre-Amplifier Review

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(More customer reviews)I was pleasantly surprised after hooking up the new pre-amp. I am converting my LPs to MP3 files and realized that I needed a pre-amp with my turntable. This one needed a 9 volt battery or a DC adapter (neither was included). I elected to purchase an adapter (it cost more than the pre-amp), hook it up, and start the project. It was fantastic! Unless you are an audiophile that always works with high end equipment, I don't know how you could be disappointed.

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Yamaha R-S300BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This model is for all who are looking for a simple receiver resembling vintage audio equipment while built around modern technology, providing essential functionality with only a few welcome extras. It is not for those who like to play with feature-loaded gadgets offering seemingly infinite range of settings and features. Yamaha R-S300 has been designed to deliver music: set it up and forget about it.
This receiver delivers clean sound, which is not processed or enhanced in any way and may sound a bit empty at first, but don't worry you'll quickly get used to it and learn to appreciate the details and definition. At the same time it also means Yamaha R-S300 is very demanding in terms of input signal quality. Make sure you pair it with other high quality components. The FM radio tuner is sensitive and delivers good sound, although it may be a bit too restrictive, cutting off all radio stations with less then excellent signal strength. Tuner does have RDS capability, which is not indicated on packaging or unit front panel markings. Mechanical construction and finish are very good, black version looks very classy and is completely unobtrusive. Controls are simple and easy to operate, but make sure to read the manual for a few convenient extra features accessible only through the menus.
On Pure Direct feature: It bypasses the tone controls extending frequency range to 10Hz-100KHz, but it also blanks the display (which briefly comes back to life if operating digital controls or using the remote). Some reviewers could not see any reason why Pure Direct should have anything to do with the display, however, Pure Direct aims to minimize or eliminate all possible sources of distortion or interference and since most displays are refreshed at a high frequency which at least in theory could result in signal interference, it makes perfect sense to turn the display off. (I doubt anyone would be able to hear any difference, but it is good to know Yamaha engineers are thinking about details.)
Matching speaker impedance: Yamaha R-S300 has two speaker impedance settings. HIGH to use with speakers rated 8-ohms or higher (16-ohms or up in A+B configuration) and LOW for speakers rated 4-ohms or higher (8-ohms or up in A+B configuration). Following the instructions, I selected LOW for my Wharfedale Diamonds 10.1 which are rated at 6-ohms. Not good! Sound was in a way flat and not too exciting. However, I have always used 6-ohm speakers with 8-ohm amplifiers or receivers with great results and no problems, so I decided to ignore the instructions and set the switch back to HIGH setting. Problem solved! Full, well defined and dynamic sound, while receiver produces barely noticeable heat at medium volume levels. To quote the specifications sheet: "High Dynamic Power/Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms): 70/77/89/100W". I presume this is all at 8-ohm (HIGH) setting, and I was unable to find any warning anywhere related to using 2, 4, or 6-ohms speakers with 8-ohms (HIGH) setting, so I'd say it is perfectly safe. (Plus, there is a thermal and short circuit protection built-in anyway.)
A few minuses, mostly minor annoyances though: Deleting FM preset returns tuner to the first preset. Can be annoying if cleaning up 30 or so presets; Continuous Loudness dial: I'd prefer a simple button; Display dimmer: there is high, medium, low setting. No display off, only with Pure Direct; Display layout: PRESET, STEREO and TP are packed close together so it is hard to see if TP is there or not. A red STEREO or TP indicator would have been better (SLEEP is red colored BTW); Also, selected input display indicator is barely brighter than non selected inputs, should be better contrast to see selected input more easily. (Online pictures show more contrast than there really is!); Volume step of 0.5db is not really necessary making adjusting volume from the remote somewhat slow (I would welcome either no 0.5db steps or faster change); Remote control design is visually symmetrical, I often grab it and point it the wrong way (it is good otherwise); Black finish is a magnet for fingerprints. Fortunately, you'll be rarely touching it since once you set it up almost everything could be accessed from the remote control.


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The Yamaha R-S300BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver offers affordable stereo enjoyment with advanced features, such as 50 watts per channel of pure, clean power, ToP-ART stability, Continuously Variable Loudness Control, 40 AM/FM station presets, preset remote control, and a built-in port for supported Yamaha iPod docks (sold separately).

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Yamaha RX-497 75 watt per channel Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)This Yamaha XR-497 replaces a 15-year old Denon stereo receiver that was too expensive to repair. I have 2-sets of speakers, 3 components to hook-up, including a turntable. Most receivers sold now are surround sound / home theater rather than a straightforward am/fm stereo receiver. Most also do not have a built-in pre-amp for a turntable. The Yamaha XR-497 is perfect and it's easy to set up. I'm not a techie and the reviews previously posted were very helpful. Be careful though to only buy from an authorized Yamaha dealer since the Yamaha warranty specifically excludes coverage from product purchased from any other source. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

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Yamaha RX-V667 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I own a rx-v663 and upgraded this past weekend to the RX-V667.
Skipping the 665 model was a good thing.
This one has a great on screen GUI for changing the settings.
It's an overlay, so you don't lose the video in the background when changing settings.
It pops out from the left side and then you scroll up and down to pick the setting
to change. Then those options are popped up from the bottom of the screen and you scroll
right and left.
6 HDMI is more than enough for me, in fact I have 3 left over after changing out things.
Biggest advantage is I am now able to plug in everything in to the receiver and able to change
the label that shows up on the receiver and the tv screen when changing sources.
My components running into the receiver are as follows
Oppo BDP-83
PS3
Computer with HDMI interface
(radeon 5770 so I get sound and audio)
These next two are connected via Component video (R,G,B)
Xbox 360 (optical out for audio)
Wii
To run all these the Remote has 5 HDMI buttons and 6 AV buttons.
I can actually choose each source independently with one button, kind of nice.
I also have the YDS11 Ipod dock, it works great with the new receiver. Interface is greatly improved
with album art being shown to the left of the song title on the screen and browsing capabilty. This really looks a lot better than it did on the RX-V663 and is another overlay screen. Now they just need a good screen saver to go with it.
This would all be worthless if the sound quality did not match up with the 663.
Big one for me was continued support of DSD across HDMI. The Oppo BDP-83 plays SACD disks and so does
my PS3. The 667 has a signal information selection and from the PS3 it reports PCM as it should since
the PS3 converts it to PCM before sending the signal to the receiver. The Oppo using the same disk reports
DSD back on the receiver.
and yes the sound quality equals the 663.
Sidenote: There is an audible difference in the sound when switching to Pure Direct Mode.
I played John Hiatt's "Master of Disaster" which is a Hybrid SACD and switched between
straight and Pure Direct. Pure direct seemed to have less bass, the straight mode was obviously
making adjustments to the bass in the background. Honestly though this could be due to my
speaker setup as I do not have a sub-woofer. IT's a 5.0 setup on mine. Try Pure Direct Mode and see if
it makes a difference with your DSD/SACD disks. I thought the clarity was better.
Setup was easy, hardest part was undoing everything I had done to get everything to work on the 663.
YPAO mic setup for sound, seemed to have not changed from the last time I did it, so don't expect anything
new here.
I have not tried setting up the remote to control any other components. This did help in the end
as it cut out 2 remotes and I am down to 3 now due to eliminating a switch box I no longer needed
and the HDMI switch I bought that also acts as a fan for my PS3.


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Enjoy a revolutionary home theater experience with the Yamaha RX-V667 Audio Video Receiver. With 90 watts per 7 channels, 6 HDMI inputs (including a front input), multizone support, and the latest hi-def audio and HDMI specs for upscaling to 1080p, this receiver plays well with all your home theater equipment. Enjoy more than just your movies with SIRIUS-ready and yAired compatibility, as well as iPod support for album art (when connected via supported dock, sold separately). There's also a full-color GUI for controlling all the action when connected via HDMI.

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