Audio Reviews

The problem:

I have an audiophile's appetite for electronics, but my budget doesn't include money for an audio system with the price tag of a Mercedes. OK, not even with the price tag of a used Toyota. Until I bought this sub, I was using a spare pair of 25 year old Koss speakers with 10" woofers to handle the bottom end. The Koss were designed for music reproduction, and not for the sound effects of movie soundtracks. They just didn't have the rumble and thump of a friend's $20,000 HT system. So, I figured I needed more umph at the bottom.

The Solution:

I started looking for a good budget Subwoofer. I had been considering 12" subs by JBL, Infinity and HSU when I found a used Velo CT-100 in the Recycler, a magazine in Los Angeles which provides free classified advertising.

Veoldyne has a reputation for making some of the best subs on the market. I called another friend who used to be a rep for Harman Kardon about 30 years ago and asked his opinion. He said I'd like the driver. I immediately pulled the money out of the bank and drove the 150 mile round trip to buy the sub.

Impressions:

I got it home and attached it to the "Low Frequency Effects" out on my HK Signature 2.0 preamp/processor. I stuck the sub between my main speakers in the middle of the room -- positioned all wrong, and it still sounds good. I played Pink Floyd Dark Side (SACD), Govi - Andelusian Nights (CD), The Who - Tommy (SACD), Fourplay (DVD-Audio), and Steely Dan - Two Against Nature (DVD-Audio). This sub proves to be very musical.

Setting my preamp to pump out everything below 100Hz to the sub gave the bottom end a great deal of authority. Even though my Koss speakers are supposed to be flat to 30Hz, they don't match the volume and control in the bottom two octives. The Velo is neither boomy nor a 1 note wonder. And, it is reasonably efficient. I was able to pump all 400 watts of power from my Harman Kardon Citation 22 amp into my main speakers, and the Velo kept up pretty much effortlessly.

Next, I tried to find a DVD with a good LFE track. I tried Gladiator, Harry Potter - Chamber of Secrets, and X-Men 2. None were satisfactory for a real workout. Finally, I turned to George Lucas. Star Wars II -- Attack of the Clones has a use other than as a coaster after all! All those marvelous Lucas space ship engines. And things getting blown up! And arms getting cut off by light-sabers! It isn't as good as the one in my friend's $20K system with something like 1000 watts into 3 subs, with the dbx bass enhancer, but it is close enough.

All in all, I'm very happy with the sound and build of the unit. I think I'll keep it.

Strengths:
Good solid musical bass end down to 32Hz and ample power.

Weaknesses:
Cheap spring loaded wire connectors, crummy black box appearance.

Velodyne's 10" sub is a good addition to a small home theater set-up depending on the bass output of the front speaker. The results are a more defined bottom end without it being overpowering. Best advice: buy the product from a retailer where it can be easily returned if it does not work well with the rest of the system.

Zenith has made a good start here, but it is missing some key features. Notably: sharing between PVRs (e.g. like ReplayTV does out of the box and like TiVo does with an extra option). Also it needs a larger drive - 160GB at minimum, 250 or larger preferably.

Let us hope this is an early version of what will become a full-featured PVR like the TiVo or ReplayTV because it has plenty of promise!

The tuner on this box is terrific. It changes channels quickly, has never locked up (unlike the Samsung SIRT-165), and has a good remote that lets you quickly pull up the channel info or signal strength. All of my local stations also broadcast in DTV, so I don't miss the lack of an NTSC tuner. The antenna pass through allows me to connect my analog VCR as well (useful to have a second tuner for PIP).

When considering whether or not I wanted to spring for the extra dollars to get a PVR or just a plain tuner, I hadn't realized the difference HD recording would make. I really don't want to watch TV shows any other way! And for sharing purposes, you can always edit out the commericals of your recorded program and copy it to an analog VCR.

The timeshifting feature is pretty cool. Unfortunately, you can't rewind material you've currently started recording through the timer. You have to start out using the timeshifting. The manual was a little unclear how it works exactly, so I've managed to lose 1/2 hour of a show while trying to figure it out. Suffice it to say that if you want to save timeshifted material (beyond the show's duration), you need to use the clip record function as well. Once you get used to timeshifting, you'll love it. Friends calling in the middle of your favorite show aren't a nuisance any longer.

The only feature I really miss is the ability to seek to a particular time. Instead you have to fast forward at 50x speed (unless you've bookmarked it) to the spot you want. You also can't delete the multi-channels. For example, say you only want channel 4-1, but not 4-2, you can't delete 4-2. There is a surf button that moves the channel changer between channel numbers (and then you can use the ch+/ch- to move between the multi-stations). Also be careful about your how you set the clock. I was using "automatic" and failed to record a few shows. I wonder if the machine received an errant signal and it triggered some of the reservations early. Once the clock was set, I had to switch it to manual set to get consistent results.

This is a great receiver. Like every Aiwa product I've ever owned/seen it's worth every penny. Plenty of input options, and the sound quality is top notch. I only have a few small complaints. One is that it's a bit busy looking with a plethora of buttons on the front panel. If you're searching for something very streamlined looking, this might not be a good choice. And I'd like to see a more useful universal remote included with a component of this quality and cost. The remote controls the receiver, TV, Cable, VCR and a CD player. I'd really expect to see controls for a DVD player, and the ability to run a CD changer and not just a single CD player. Sorta a waste to have a 200 disc changer and only be able to access the 1st disc with the remote. :)

I've been a consumer of Aiwa portable "walkman's" since 1981. Back then the cabinets were made of steel and the units were quite rugged but pricey. A few years ago I tried an Aiwa walkman but returned it because the volume was too weak.

This walkman is loud enough with very little distortion. It has good stereo separation and sufficient bass enhancement for a pleasing sound quality. I was surprised at the sensitivity of the FM tuner. I live in a rural area and can reliably pick up about three stations clearly. This walkman tuned in about double that number quite well.

The feature I most desired in this low-priced unit is the auto reverse. My only suggestion would be to add a button to change the direction of the tape. As it is now it is necessary to flip a direction switch which is a bit cumbersome in my opinion.

I am satisfied with this walkman and recommend it.

This product cleaned my tape player after it being in my closet for a year and a hafe.I'd recommend it to anyone!

From its appearance, this TV stand would seem flimsy and unreliable. However, it is quite sturdy and of high quality. It is not the biggest entertainment unit out there, but it functions quite well for me. Ideally suited to those with a small to moderate amount of equipment, this unit is versatile enough to accomodate my 27' TV, a DVD-Player, VCR and stereo. The open space in the rear is great for wiring, as you can easily access everything and adding a back panel afterwards (like I did), hides the wires perfectly. For someone with a limited budget, small amount of electronics, confined quarters and an eye for interesting design I'd recommend this unit.

I got the Sherwood rd8108(I don't know why Amazon says "AMC") becuase it has s-video switching(no component), universal remote, and OSD, and all the latest surround modes. It also has auto digital source detection for easy switching between digital devices. Sound is awesome; better channel separation and balance than my old HK AVR75. It's easy to hear dialog from the center and effects from the surround. I am finally hearing what my speakers are capable of!

Problems:
-Remote is universal, but doesn't control many features on other devices and is not back-lit
-Some DSP's are not so good
-Clip speaker jacks
-A bit difficult to set up, and so many surround modes it's dificult to know what to pick

This is a good product if you want to get a case for your mini. I have had this case for about a month, and it has kept my mini in perfect condition. The reason I gave this product four stars instead of five, is because it could be made out of better quality materials, but if you are considering getting this product I do suggest it. It isnt expensive, and it is one of the better cases out there. Also, dont expect it to fit in the dock, I did and it doesnt fit so if the only reason you are wanting to buy this is so your dock wont scratch your mini, then dont get this product. Hope this helped!

I've had my Audio Logic Mp3 player for a year and half now, and I love it. It's not the fanciest mp3-playing gadget out there, but it does the job admirably. It's small & light, perfect for the gym, long walks, waiting in line at the post office, etc as it will fit into any pocket, no matter how small or tight said pocket may be. The expandibility (via smart media card) is nice too. With a 32 meg card supplementing the onboard 32 meg memory, I can fit about 65 minutes of cd quality 128kbps mp3s, and twice that at the lower (but still listenable) quality 56kbps. Battery use is low, and rechargeable AA easy to come by. Controls are pretty basic. "next" and "back" buttons allow you to skip tracks or, held down to skim through a song. A "stop/play/Pause" button also serves as the power button. Volume "up" and "down" buttons adjust the volume level, and a "mode" button allows you to adjust bass & treble, and to select one of the play modes (shuffle tracks, loop all tracks, or just repeat the current track over and over). There's also a hold switch that prevents accidental knocks to the buttons, and of course a headphone jack. A really flimsy/cheap-looking strap attachment is provided, but I got rid of that pretty quick. The display is limited, but functional, similar to a basic CD player. It shows the number and the time of the current track, but not the artist or title. The unit connects to your computer via the parallel port, so I had to switch my printer to a USB to free up that port. It's a little slow, USB would have been better, but it's not bad. The "transfer manager" that allows you to move mp3s back and forth from your computer to the player is very similar to an ftp program and pretty easy to use, if a little on the archaic side visually. I don't have much of an ear for music, so I can't vouch for the sound quality, but it seems just fine to me, especially through better ear phones than the little bud ones provided. To sum up: if you have a free parallel port and don't mind not being able to see the artist/title info on the display, this is the perfect cheap little unit for any situtation where you want a light, portable music source that won't skip as you jolt around.

It is not an excellent microphone but it does give good quality sound. i recomend it for AIM users especially.