Showing posts with label stereo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stereo. Show all posts

5/31/2012

Acoustic Research AW-871 Wireless Stereo Speakers Review

Acoustic Research AW-871 Wireless Stereo Speakers
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Even though my experience with wireless headphones were universally poor -- I once overheard my neighbor's cell phone conversation while listening on wireless headphones -- I was very impressed by the plentiful good reviews for this product and decided to give it a try at Amazon's wonderful low price. Amazon sells this product for up to $75 below the price stores ask.
However, once I got it home, hooked it up and turned on my stereo, my experiences with this set of wireless speakers was an exact replay of my expereince with wireless headphones. I set these up as the rear surround speakers in my living room as part of on my 5.1 system, fixing the speakers only about 25 feet from the transmitter. Even in that brief distance with almost no physical block between them, the left speaker consistently spit out static. The rightt speaker played fine all the time but had an annoying tendency to click while the music was turned off.
This is not what I had in mind for my home stereo! I moved the speakers around (as far as the power cords would go, anyway) and re-situated them, trying to gain greater proximity to the transmitter. This did nothing to improve matters. The transmitter indicated the signal was strong, yet that left speaker continued it staticky way throughout my experiment.
These speakers are easy to set up and easy to get working. You really don't need the instructions if you've had any experience with anything wireless. Still, I consulted the booklet to see if there was anything I was doing wrong. At one point I had the setting on both speakers at "right", so I changed that. No change in the outcome. I also re-set the transmitter from "1" to "2" and even to "3". No change. I moved the speakers again. No change. I consulted the booklet and listened again. Same thing.
Perhaps my experience has something to do with my neighborhood, my home or my neighbors, but my experience was not nearly as good as those reported elsewhere on this page. On the plus side, these speakers sound pretty good for something that barely costs $100 and they are easy to use.
They are portable and can be set up anywhere a power source is near or set up anywhere using battery power. The transmitter is supposed to be good up to 300 feet and I know the speakers in my house received the signal. I simply was not going to pay for a product that resulted in my SACD signal being converted to static.
While the sound the speakers produced was pretty good for something so inexpensive, I was not impressed with them as surround sound speakers. With independent volume controls, they seem like just another set of speakers to me. Compared to the sound I get from my wired surround speakers in another room from my front three speakers, these did not sound much like surround speakers regardless of the amnount of fiddling I did with the volumer controls and transmitter.
Even though this experiment was a failure at my house, I am grateful Amazon accepted my return; not every company on the Web will take back electronics. I wish you better luck with this product than I had.

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Anyone who has installed a speaker system knows the worst part is figuring out how to hide the unsightly speaker cables, especially if your speakers are located across the room from the receiver. Enter this pair of Acoustic Research stereo speakers, which resolves the dilemma by eliminating speaker wires altogether. The system's powerful transmitter broadcasts its 900 MHz signal through walls, floors, ceilings, and other obstacles, giving listeners a wide array of installation options.


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Jensen VM9512 7-Inch Motorized Touch-Screen Multimedia Receiver Review

Jensen VM9512 7-Inch Motorized Touch-Screen Multimedia Receiver
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First, let me say this - if you actually pay the $899.99 MSRP you'll be wasting a LOT of money. If you've gone through the effort to look for reviews of this product, then do some dedicated searching and you'll find online stores selling this product for around $420 (as of March of 2008.)
At $420, this unit is a decent value. I bought this stereo because I took a new position that forces me to live away from home and travel 10-hours round trip on the weekends. I wanted something that would allow me to play MP3's from a memory drive instead of messing with CD's. This stereo has an SD card input and a remote unit which can be mounted under your dash or elsewhere (within about 3 feet of the headunit) which provides a USB slot among other inputs. The SC card drive seems to have its issues. Jensen claims it can read up to a 4GB card, but it won't read mine. I read in an online forum that you have to have a particular brand of SD card, but I cannot confirm that. In my opinion, a 4GB card should be a 4GB card and it shouldn't matter who made it. However, if I plug the 4GB card into a USB adapter and plug it into the USB slot, it works just fine.
My issues come with the user interface. MP3 titles (of which I use almost exclusively) only present the first 15-or-so characters of each title on the screen. This means you can either see the track title, or the artists name, but not both. I have had to create clever file-titling tricks so that I can find the song I want. (For those interested, I rename each MP3 with the artists's first initial, a dash, the song title, a space-dash-space, and the full artist name. Ex: M-Push - Matchbox 20") This of course forced me to rename 200 mp3's... As Kevin James once put it, "A lot of work for nooooot that much fun..." In addition, you cannot use the up/down buttons on the unit or remote to scroll through songs WHILE a song is playing. Instead you have to press tiny buttons on the touch-screen to scroll, which often results in scrolling too far, accidentally selecting a song instead of pressing the button, or hitting the stop button, which is very close to the down-arrow. This is not to say that the Touch screen is innacurate - it is in fact just the opposite. Some of the buttons however are just a little too small.
A few other annoying attributes - there is no "randomize" button on the unit. The unit will randomly scan through your MP3's, but you have to select "Random" from your remote control. I cannot fathom why they didn't give that option on the unit's face or screen. Sometimes the unit cannot decide whether to open its screen when you turn the car on - sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. The "autodim" feature seems completely inoperable. This forces you to change the brightness of the screen every day and night. The DVD player often seems to get confused, and sometimes will show disc errors or take at least a solid minute before beginning playback. This will cause you to insert a disc and forget that you did so by the time it starts playing. This especially seems to be an issue when the unit has gotten hot after extended use. The bluetooth interface with phones is easy to set up and use, but very limited in it's usage. I would like it to notify me when I receive text messages, and I have read (though not experienced) that if you have the volume low or muted, you will not hear when a phone call comes in.
Many users have complained about the screen being washed out by sunlight, but I say "What do you expect?" It's a screen. Take your TV or monitor outside in bright sunlight and tell me how well you can see it. Turn the brightness all the way up and tilt the screen down and you can usually see it well enough.
So why four stars? Well, this unit pretty much does everything it says it will do, and it does it pretty easily, without much fussing, and does it all at a reasonable price (again, read the first paragraph.) It has already provided plenty of entertainment during 20+ hours of driving and quite frankly, I still think it's "pretty cool." Find a product that does everything "just right" and you'll pay this unit's MSRP plus a lot more.
Do note that any desire to drive recklessly on the highway because you're watching "KITT" engage the Super Pursuit Mode on an episode of Knight Rider is not the fault of Jensen, myself, or David Hasselhoff.

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4/27/2012

Alpine IDA-X300 Digital Media Car Audio Receiver (Black) Review

Alpine IDA-X300 Digital Media Car Audio Receiver (Black)
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This isn't a bad stereo, but its replacements include Imprint/Audyssey, which make them so much better than this one that you would have to pay me more than 400k for me to put it in my car instead. It's just not worth it anymore. Hold out for a iDA-X305 or iDA-X303 instead. Imprint is a must!

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4/22/2012

Marantz M-CR603 Network Stereo Receiver with CD Player Review

Marantz M-CR603 Network Stereo Receiver with CD Player
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if you seek a simple, yet sophisticated approach to a secondary audio-room, look no further. it won't play loud and deep, but it will handle most secondary listening needs perfectly. for the price, you can't go wrong.

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4/21/2012

Sony MHCEC98Pi Mini Hi-Fi Shelf System with Digital Media Port and 530-Watts RMS (Silver) Review

Sony MHCEC98Pi Mini Hi-Fi Shelf System with Digital Media Port and 530-Watts RMS (Silver)
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I did not purchase this from Amazon, but I wanted to write a review anyway. I have been looking everywhere for a stereo system that has clear sound, great bass, an iPod hookup and cd changer. If it had a cassette deck, that would be even better, but I could deal without one. I really liked the idea of an extra subwoofer. I wasn't going to purchase this system because it only has a 1 disc tray for cd's, but I figured that's where the iPod comes in for continuous music, and I should at least try it. Needless to say, I bought this stereo and hooked it up immediately (set up was a piece of cake).
I was immediately disappointed when the wires for my speakers were extremely short. Maybe only about 3 1/2 feet long. I like to spread out my system a little so I can get the best sound. Now, I'm not talking about placing speakers all around the room - they wouldn't even extend to the edges of my entertainment center.
The worst part of all, and the main reason why I am returning this system, is the sound is muffled. Even when I changed the preset EQ settings, the only one I was somewhat happy with was the "MP3 SURROUND"... but it still muffled my music. I could barely hear "s" sounds in the vocals... when I could, they sounded more like an "f". I should say, I am also very picky when it comes to electronics, but when I'm spending $200 + dollars, I think it's allowed! All I am asking for is crisp sound.
So, here are my pros to the system:
--Very nice looking stereo system
--DSGX feature really boosts the sound, along with the subwoofer
--LOVE the included iPod dock, which also charges
--7 different EQ settings for sound (my old stereo had 4)
--530 watts for loud sound
My cons, which severely outweigh the pros for me:
--Muffled sound. Vocals and music bits are not clear at ALL
--1 CD playing capability
--Wires and chords aren't long enough to spread out components to my liking
--Expensive for the things it is lacking
Hopefully this review will be helpful - I wish I had one that was this detailed when I was looking. Mind you, everyone has their own taste.
I would not recommend this system to anyone who is looking for crisp, clear sound. But if you like a nice strong bass and a lot of power... you may want to take a look.

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4/19/2012

Harman Kardon HK3480 Stereo Receiver Review

Harman Kardon HK3480 Stereo Receiver
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A couple of months ago my old and very simple Sony equipment started to give up on me after years of use. So I started to look for a good replacement for it.
Since this was meant to be a replacement to be located at my bedroom and mostly for music playing, my first idea was to look for one of those popular mini-systems with everything integrated on them. I found some interesting products from Onkyo and Denon but, although their sound was quite nice (especially Denon's), I found that their power was somehow limited.
Then, I decided to look for some of those "Home Theater in a box" systems that are so popular nowadays, even if I would use it primarily for music reproduction! I tried Sony, Kenwood and Denon. I found an interesting Denon system, but before buying it I decided to bring along a couple of my own CDs in order to try it out with my own music!
The next day I took a couple of my favourite CDs with me to try them with the Denon. I chose Mahler's Symphony #3 (with Boulez), Andreas Scholl's "Ombra mai fu", some Dead Can Dance and Air's "Moon Safari". It really sounded nice but since I had those CDs with me I decided to make a last visit to the department store where I had seen the Denon and Onkyo mini-systems before making a final decission.
An hour later I visited this department store and went to their audio department. Instead of looking for the mini-systems I went directly to the high-end audio area. Among the various Onkyos, Marantz, Denons and Yamahas I noticed Harman Kardon's new HK-3480, and I immediately liked the looks of it's new design! Then, I contacted a salesman and after telling him that I mostly listen to classical music (although my other musical tastes are quite varied), he suggested me to give the Harman Kardon a try!
I was able to compare the Harman Kardon with the Denons (both the mini-system and the Home Theater options). After some listening I was convinced that a nice stereo system was more than enough for me. The power and sheer clarity of sound of Harman Kardon's HK-3480 was immediately noticeable!
We first tried it with a couple of Yamaha speakers, then with Cerwin-Vega, Infinity and finally with Polk. Boy oh boy, what a beautiful sound the Polk's have, cristal clear and absolutely gorgeous!!! Besides, they look so sharp! We finally added an Infinity subwoofer and there it was, the perfect setup for me! I was really ready to make a final decission! I bought Harman Kardon's HK-3480 reciever along with H-K's FL-8385 CD player, a pair of Polk's RTi8 speakers and Infinity's PS10 subwoofer. What a difference from my old and humble Sony setup! By the way, if you choose Polk speakers like I did, get the black ones, they look great along Harman Kardon's silver and black design!
The HK-3480 receiver works great! There are more than enough connections inputs on it, including several for audio/video and a phono input too (now I'm also thinking about replacing my old Technics for a brand new turntable). The HK-3480 is surely a great receiver for those who want top quality stereo sound, but it should me mentioned that with the VMAx feature on this receiver you can have simulated surround sound too when you need it!
I now feel that all of a sudden my CD collection doubled in size since every single CD in my collection sounds so much better now! I'm rediscovering music that I bought 10 or 15 years ago! What a joy!!!

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Not everyone wants or needs a 5.1-channel receiver, which is where this HK3480 two-channel receiver from Harman Kardon comes into play. This ultra-high-bandwidth, 240-watt unit is perfect for fans of jazz, classical, or rock, as its powerful features bring out both the bombast and the nuance of your favorite music. The HK3480 is also one of the few stereo receivers to employ VMAx technology, a proprietary signal-processing technique that simulates a 360-degree sound field through a mere two speakers. The technology gives the listener the sensation of sitting in a concert hall or theater without requiring a surround sound setup.Though the HK3480 is designed primarily for music, it also pumps out high-quality audio for your TV, DVD player, VCR, and video game console. It includes enough inputs for each of these components, along with composite video switching that allows you to conveniently switch between them. And unlike many current receivers, the unit offers a high-quality phono input (with preamp) for people who treasure the unique sound of LPs and don't want to give up their lifelong record collections. The HK3480 also comes with an AM/FM tuner with 30 station presets, a three-step fluorescent display, and a multicomponent remote control. As with most modern receivers, it's ready to serve as the audio centerpiece of all your listening needs, with seven audio inputs and four video inputs (including one on the front panel). The inputs are gold-plated for quality. The unit also comes with pre-out/main-in jacks for use with external amplifiers or speaker processors and a separate subwoofer output. Hookup is simple due to the color-keyed connections. The receiver's tuner section offers exceptional performance, from its high signal-to-noise ratio (73 dB in mono, 72 dB in stereo) to high (40 dB) channel separation for superior stereo imaging--not to mention strong tuning abilities with the help of better-than-80-dB image rejection and better-than-100-dB IF (intermediate frequency) rejection. This component is equipped with a nonvolatile EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory) that preserves tuner presets and system configuration information, even when the unit is not connected to a main power source. What's in the Box Stereo receiver, remote control, two AAA batteries, user's manual, and warranty/registration information.

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4/14/2012

Sony LBTZX66i 560 Watts Muteki Hi-Fi Audio Stereo Shelf System with Sony TCWE475B Dual Cassette Player / Recorder , iPod Docking Station, 5-disc CD Changer, Game SyncTM Mixing, And 3 Way Bass Reflex Speakers with Dual 6.75" Woofers Review

Sony LBTZX66i 560 Watts Muteki Hi-Fi Audio Stereo Shelf System with Sony TCWE475B Dual Cassette Player / Recorder , iPod Docking Station, 5-disc CD Changer, Game SyncTM Mixing, And 3 Way Bass Reflex Speakers with Dual 6.75 Woofers
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I bought this stereo on presidents' day and was surprised at it's size it's HUGE ! and the sound earth shattering ! One reviewer states that there is no way to connect your non - ipod mp3 player to this system, that is not quite true, all you have to do is get a 3.5 mm x 2 RCA male cable ( y - connector ) and hook it up to the 'Phono' input jack in the rear, use the function button to select phono and wallah ! you are in business. ( make sure the cable says digital ) The only drawback to this hook - up is you can't control the mp3 functions through the stereo but it sounds great ! It is also important to use a good quality cable, if you use a cheap cable it will probably hum or hiss during playback. Hopefully this review will assist others who are thinking about this sony. The other surprise I got was the wide margin in price I shopped around got prices ranging from $353 - $680 simply amazing isn't it ? I paid a little more than I would've liked but I got mine from a store close to my home, so I guess I paid for the convenience.

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4/05/2012

Sony MHC-GX9000 Compact Stereo with 3-CD Changer and Game Sync Review

Sony MHC-GX9000 Compact Stereo with 3-CD Changer and Game Sync
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I just received this stereo in the post office and took a 2 hour lunch break just to hook it up and play with it! This thing is way too big for my dorm room so i'm going to have to make some room the best I can. After hearing everyone elses systems pound I thought I would get something that could beat the competition and it absolutely blows it away. This 4 speaker setup is awesome. The only thing that would make it even better would be a center channel speaker. Unfortunately 1 is not included so there isnt full 5.1 but the 2 main speakers and 2 rear speakers are so loud that it doesn't matter. Halo 2 sounds unbelievable as well as other games. I'm gonig to replay Halo 2 on Legendary just so I can hear what it really sounds like! So long to the crappy tv speakers!

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Sony STR-DE897 Audio / Video Receiver, Black Review

Sony STR-DE897 Audio / Video Receiver, Black
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I recently replaced my JVC surround receiver with this one. I love it, now I have all the inputs I need for VCR, DVD, Sattelite, Etc.. It also lets me connect composit video devices and send them to my monitor through the s-video jack. With my JVC receiver I could never get a good balance between my surround speakers and my center and front speakers. With the new receiver it sounds great. The only problem is now I'm tempted to add side surrounds to get 7.1 surround.

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3/27/2012

Yamaha RX-397 100 Watt Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver Review

Yamaha RX-397 100 Watt Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver
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Despite the current fad for multi-channel audio/video receivers, the majority of people still listen to music with two speakers and only need a two-channel stereo receiver to drive them. As fanatic audiophiles with excellent stereo speakers, my wife and I recently purchased this receiver because of very good previous experience with Yamaha electronics products. This is a superb receiver in all respects. Some people may think that they need more than this receiver's rated power of 50 watts per channel, but Yamaha's power ratings are extremely conservative and this receiver will drive virtually any speakers to deafening levels (which I don't recommend doing). More important than it's ample power is its very low distortion. Yamaha specializes in low distortion products for very clean sound. In addition to robust power and ultra-low distortion the RX-397 has a full complement of controls, plus an easy to use remote. But as a fanatic audiophile another feature, typical of Yamaha, which I particularly appreciate is a button which sends the signal from our CD player (or any other non-phono cartridge input) directly to the amplifier -- bypassing the preamp circuitry, which is not needed except when playing LPs (which most people rarely do these days) -- for the lowest distortion and best signal to noise ratio. There are plenty of slighty less expensive -- and less good -- stereo receivers available, but if you want suberb performance at a moderate price I highly recommend this Yamaha.

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3/05/2012

jWIN JXCD8700 4-CD/MP3 CD Vertical-Loading Hi-Fi System Review

jWIN JXCD8700 4-CD/MP3 CD Vertical-Loading Hi-Fi System
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While the look of the system is stylish, and does offer the feature of being wall-mounted I found the operation less than satisfactory. It is very easy to assemble. I was shocked at how loud the motor sounds when opening and closing the disk covers. Though, initially I figured I might as well get use to that. One of my first issues was sorting through MP3 albums. I have several disks of MP3's that have many artists as well as sub albums for each artist. The display of the system would only tell me the name of the album once I started playing the songs, not the artist. On other systems you can see the name of the album before actually having to play the album, and once playing it displays the artist information/track information as well. Hence the menu options were not exactly "user friendly." When selecting the next album there was a sort of lapse where the system would play a second or two of the previous track, from the previous album which was a sort of disturbing sound. Followed by this was silence and then the first track of the selected album would play. I thought this was peculiar but could over look it. What I could not over look was the fact that it skipped way too easily on disks. (MP3 and CD disks alike). On one of my CD's, bought from a store even, skipped awfully on a certain track. This disk was not scratched badly and seemed to have played fine in the past. When I played the same song from the same album in my portable CD/MP3 player, it played perfectly! So in my humble opinion, if this system is about three times as expensive then it should also play so well.
In troubleshooting I made sure the system was level and cleaned the laser heads to make sure it wasn't due to dust from shipping. The remote doesn't work at a distance of more than a few feet.
Ultimately, I did return the system. Thankfully Amazon.com is good about issuing returns in a timely manner! Buyer beware, although you may like this system more than I did.

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2/24/2012

Yamaha RX-797 Audio/Video Receiver Review

Yamaha RX-797 Audio/Video Receiver
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This is an excellent 2-channel Stereo Receiver, for several reasons. Let me explain why I chose this brand/model over others and how I came to it. If you are in the market for Stereo Receiver, it may be useful for you.
A few months ago, I was listening to a jazz CD on my cheap ($200) Sony Home-Theater-In-A-Box and noticed that the sound was noticeably tighter than when I listened to it on my much more expensive, but significantly older stereo system. My old stereo system was purchased as separate components in 1993. It consisted of Sony STR-D990 Receiver ($400), single-disc Sony CDP-211 CD player ($100) and pair of Advent Baby II speakers ($250). Mind you, each of these components work and sound as good today as they did 15 years ago at the time of purchase (kudos to Sony for that), but I suppose I'm getting a little pickier now that I'm in my 30s. Music plays a MUCH larger role in my life than movies or television does (hence the cheap Home Theater set-up), so I decided I needed to upgrade.
PRIORITIES: 1) SPEAKERS--> 2) RECEIVER--> 3) CD PLAYER --> 4) CABLING/INTERCONNECTS
I decided that speakers were most important and thus the place to begin. After reading several reviews, I decided that Polk Audio Rti6s might be a good choice. I went to a retail store to listen to them and they sounded really good, but then the sales associate let me listen to the Polk Audio Lsi9s. Whew! They just blew me away. I had never heard anything like them. While the Rti6s run for $270, the Lsi9s are $900, but well worth it for that price, as a long-term investment (Polks come with a 5-year warranty). But I noticed that these run at 4 ohms and need a low-impedance amplifier/receiver, that is, one equipped with so-called "high current amplification," to drive them. Well, my old Sony did not have this function (it could take only 8-0hm current speakers). So, I looked all around for a receiver that could fit the bill and the Yamaha RX line became the obvious choice, after reading positive review after positive review. Since the Lsi9s can handle 200 watts per channel, I chose the RX-797 because while it has a power rating of 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms, it allows one to use two 4-ohm speakers and when doing so there is a power boost. Customer representatives from various retailers couldn't give me an exact watt rating (because Yamaha does not conduct tests at with 4-ohm speakers), but the general concensus was that it would increase to about 140 watts per channel with 4-ohm speakers. (I just didn't want to shortchange my speakers). I also chose this receiver because of the extremely low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) rating of .019% as well as the Pure Direct and CD Direct modes for the lowest possible distortion. (Compare these features to say Onxyo and Harmon Kardon A/V receivers in this range and you'll see that the advantage lay with Yamaha).
When the RX-797 arrived, it not only lived up to but exceeded my expectations. Paired with the Lsi9s, I can hear a much, much crisper separation of instruments, and this is especially nice for my digitally remastered jazz CDs. I live in an apartment complex now and never have the need to turn the volume beyond the 9 o'clock position. I have gone up to 11 o'clock for testing (when I knew my neighbors weren't in!) and, as expected with these ratings, I couldn't hear any distortion whatsoever. (I can't wait until I move into a house for a larger sound stage). Other pluses: The knobs and controls have a nice solid feel and look great. It picks up many more FM radio stations than my old receiver, and the reception is noticeably cleaner. The remote is simple and sensible (just how a remote should be). My only gripe is that one cannot program CD players made by other manufacturers with this remote, but perhaps thats standard practice. This has other nice features such as being XM Satellite Radio Ready and dual room/dual source for those who are interested, but the main selling points for me were the 4-ohm capability, the wattage rating and the extremely low distortion. The fine looks and sensible controls/display and remote are icing on the cake.
I found one from an authorized dealer by a fluke for $350, but certainly would have been willing to pay the full $499. If you see one for less than $450, be sure to first confirm with the seller (or better yet Yamaha) that they are indeed an authorized dealer; otherwise your two-year warranty won't be honored if you run into problems (not that I'm expecting to).
In sum, if you are looking for a receiver with ample, clean power, extremely low distortion, the abilitiy to drive 4-, 6- or 8-ohm loads, excellent FM reception, and easy to use and well laid-out functions for 2 channel (as opposed to Home Theater) listening, I don't believe you can do better for under $600 than Yamaha's RX-797 receiver.

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2/11/2012

Onkyo A-9555 Integrated Digital Stereo Amplifier (Black) Review

Onkyo A-9555 Integrated Digital Stereo Amplifier (Black)
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I ordered this amp on a whim as a companion for an Onkyo DX-7555 (single disc "audiophile" CD player) since they share a sophistocated remote system. I owned, and still own, a somewhat esoteric AudioLab 8000S which I consider to be sonically flawless and offering great flexibility even though it's almost 15 years old and really didn't expect the Onkyo to be much other than a typical import amp with a lot of bells and whistles but not outstanding performance.....big surprise. This amp is easily the sonic equal of my "British hand crafted" AudioLab, is robustly built and very, very musical. A great bargain at less than $500.
Particularly rewarding is a better than decent MM phono section allowing me to retire a separate head amp for those rare occasions when only vinyl will do. Additionally, while the unit includes bass/treble/and a subtle "loudness contour", the additional circuitry can be bypassed for a "direct" mode which essentially provides a straight wire of gain to your speakers...very clean and powerful. With the companion CD player it's a knockout combination and I recommend it highly.

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Onkyo Digital 85 Watt Stereo Receiver

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2/07/2012

Sony LBT-GTZ4i 3-Disc CD Changer Mini Shelf System with Play Exchange Review

Sony LBT-GTZ4i 3-Disc CD Changer Mini Shelf System with Play Exchange
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Not much to say except this system is beautiful. I just set it up and turned it two half volume and it got my floors (literally) shaking. The bass is absolutely tremendous. It's really rich and deep. Definitely good for my techno.
I turned on some rock too and the other speakers pick up just as well. I'm am 100% satisfied.
The seller also shipped it to me within 3 business days. I was surprised it came today. I was expecting it later this week.

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2/03/2012

Jensen VM9311TS - DVD player with LCD monitor and AM/FM tuner Review

Jensen VM9311TS - DVD player with LCD monitor and AM/FM tuner
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I picked up this unit without high expectations, but was very surprised with the quality of this unit for the price.
The audio and video quality is superb. It wasn't installed in a vehicle with a full "system", but a plain old minivan. It replaced a 1995 Dodge Caravan factory cassette deck. Yeah, yeah I know. :)
Why did I wait so long? I used an MP3 player with a RF modulator, so I didn't care about the cassette deck. My Rio Karma MP3 player served its purpose for over a year until the cassette mechanism finally took a crap on me, so it was time to purchase a new deck.
I contemplated the idea of just picking up any CD/MP3 deck, but figured why not spend some extra cash and have a new toy that I can enjoy?
Installation was a breeze and I had it installed, wired, and running in less than 30 minutes. The dash in my van is easy to work with, so you mileage may very for ease of installation. There's nothing special about installing this unit when compared to a standard deck.
Now on to the pro's and con's of the VM9311TS:
Pro's:
-First and foremost is the price. You will not find any unit with the features this unit has for this price range!
-Audio and Video quality: playback of DivX, XviD, MPEG's, and standard DVD's are crystal clear. No noticeable pixilation, fading, etc.
-Using the touch screen to navigate through DVD's is very user friendly.
-While not an iPod user yet, the ability to connect your iPod to the unit and have full control over it using the touch screen is a big plus. I actually caved in and bought an 80GB iPod Video. I haven't received it yet, but I am looking forward to getting it. I'm dumping my entire 40GB music collection onto the iPod along with all my episodes of Lost, Prison Break, Family Guy, etc onto one piece of hardware. The ability to fully the iPod using the touch screen is a big plus!
-Full set of audio and video outputs. You can connect this unit to your external amp, subs, etc.
-Full set of audio video inputs. You can plug in your video camera to review what you've recorded, Xbox, PlayStation, and anything else with a standard composite (RCA) yellow jack output.
Con's:
-Navigating a DVD full of MP3 is extremely tedious. Here's why... You get a full dump of EVERYTHING on your screen. You can't navigate by Album, Artist, Year, etc. So if I have a MP3 album of Anita Baker and an MP3 album of Usher I actually have to "click" the directory button over 50 times until I get to the artists with their name's being closer the end of the alphabet. You can also use the soft button on the screen to the next directory, but even then you have to press it over 50 times to get through your entire collection. I called Jensen and they confirmed that yes "you have to navigate through all the albums until you get to what you want.
-To make things worse you can not fast-forward or rewind MP3's. This was also confirmed by Jensen.
-I burned a DVD of all the current Prison Break episodes which were in DivX format. They played back beautifully, but here's the most irritating problem. As soon as you turn off your deck (i.e. turn of your car) the video will start playing over again from the beginning. You can skip over to the next video file on the disc, but again, after power-cycling your vehicle the deck will start over with the first file on the disc.
-As with the MP3's you can not fast-forward or rewind individual video files. This was confirmed by Jensen.
-No ability to change the look of what I call the operating system (OS). You can't change the wallpaper, color scheme, etc. What you see is what you get.
-Navigating through a DVD burned with hundreds if not thousands of MP3's is extremely slow. The OS definitely needs tweaking and enhancements, so I'm hoping that Jensen releases firmware updates in the future.
-Every time you turn your vehicle off and restart it, it takes up to 40 seconds before the track you were listening to resumes on a DVD-R. Navigating and resuming playback with a standard 700MB CD-R is faster when re-starting your vehicle.
So with all the cons aside it's still a pretty nice unit for the price. When the iPod arrives I'll post an update and let you guys know what I think.
It's unfortunate that I had to plunk down another $330 just to get the deck to be more user friendly and functional, but my hands are tied.
For somebody not looking to use the more advanced features such as playback of DivX files this deck is perfect for them. Remember that you can't fast-forward or rewind MP3's, so that may irritate even the non-techie.
So with review coming to an end I give this unit a 3 out of 5.
George

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12/18/2011

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

Yamaha RX-497 75 watt per channel Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver
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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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12/16/2011

Alpine iDA-X100 Digital Media Receiver Review

Alpine iDA-X100 Digital Media Receiver
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I've made my way through a bunch of different car stereo head units over the years, but ever since the iPod has become the de-facto standard, I've wondered why nobody made a decent iPod-friendly one. Alpine's iDA-X100 is probably the first usable product for this purpose (its predecessor, the X001 was essentially a beta-tester version of the X100, and by many accounts, not ready for prime time). Sure, there are a slew of crummy FM transmitter adapters, and many stereos have auxiliary (Aux) inputs, but those are merely kludges.
The X100 displays the artist, track, and album of the currently-playing song. It lets you quickly scroll through all your artists, tracks, and albums, so you can find the song you want fast. All this works very well, and does so while charging your iPod in your glove compartment or wherever you want to put it. Don't have an iPod? No problem - just put your tunes on any inexpensive USB memory key and plug it in!
The X100's bright screen rivals a typical iPod screen, although is definitely a step down from my iPhone. The volume knob, which also affords navigation through your collection, is large and comfortable. In all, a solid design designed for use while driving. (This means that, unlike the iPod itself, you can use without having to look at it.)
So, why not five stars? First, the screen is too small. With the X100's large, easy-to-read font, there's only room for 6-7 characters. Listening to the White Stripes? You'll only see "White S" on the screen. Sure, 'long' text scrolls back and fourth, but that's a poor design for drivers who need to keep their eyes on the road. If I had designed this unit, I would've moved the big knob all the way to the left, and made the screen twice as wide. As it is, the left side is wasted anyway.
Second, when a song begins playing, the text rolls out on the screen very slowly, like it's being typed one letter at a time from a typewriter. It can take 10-15 seconds before everything appears, making it a stupid design for a display that must relay all its information at a glance.
Third, the 'Back' and 'Next' buttons are small and flush with the surface of the unit; you can't use the big wheel to go to the next track. These buttons should be more prominent, perhaps akin to the slick lever on Sony's excellent CDX-C90.
Fourth, the X100 can be set to have blue or red backlighting. But the red is a harsh, dark crimson that looks terrible next to the amber lighting on my dashboard. Why no soft amber/orange setting? Who knows.
Fifth, the X100 can display cover art from the current song (provided you've loaded one into iTunes), but, for some reason, it displays a very low-resolution image. This is particularly glaring when you hit the Display button to hide the text and display only the cover art; it just looks bad. I have high-res cover art in my collection that looks great on my iPhone's screen, but the X100 just doesn't use it. Perhaps a firmware upgrade will fix this?
Finally, and it may sound like nit-picking, but the X100's customizable wallpaper feature is poorly executed. You have two trendy patterns from which to choose, or you can download additional patterns from Alpine's awful website (which was last updated in 2005, by the way, and only works on Internet Explorer). Although Alpine has gone out of their way to prevent customers from creating their own wallpaper (for reasons that completely elude me), you can do as I did and download the free, third-party xndconverter.exe utility and create your own APN files. With my own photo as the wallpaper, the X100 head unit actually now looks nice in my car, despite the lack of a matching backlight color.
As for the sound quality (which is supremely important, despite the fact that I've spent most of this review talking about the interface), I'd rate it a solid 'B.' The sound is pretty good, but lacks the richness and warmth of the gold standard, the Sony CDX-C90 (even when playing the very same MP3s). Perhaps the PXA-H100 IMPRINT add-on accessory will improve the sound, but I haven't tried it yet.
To sum up, this is THE unit to get if you want to listen to your iPod/iPhone in the car, but don't expect it to be perfect. I'd give it only three stars if there were competition, but since it's the only worthy game in town, it earns four.
(Note: At the time of this writing, Alpine also makes the ida-x200 and ida-x300, but these are lesser models, both without the X100's bright color screen.)


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