Coby Portable CD / Radio / Cassette Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The so called "full range speakers" are very tinny with no bass or ability to adjust sound. Everything else works great. I guess you get what you pay for.

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Product Description:
Top loading CD player with LED displayAuto-stop cassette player/recorder with one-touch recordAM/FM stereo tunerRotary volume control and wide-range speakers3.5mm headphone jackProgrammable track memoryUses 8 D batteries110-220 volt dual voltage operationIncludes remote

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JVC KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Chose Sirius for content reasons, after shopping extensively for Sirius PNP receivers, chose the JVC unit for the following reasons:

-- small size "PDA style" -- can fit in your pocket
-- super bright/readable screen -- crisp 'red LED' on black background
-- wanted a second generation receiver from mfr who had first gen experience (JVC 2000 supersedes 1000)
-- reputation for very good antenna
-- rumor that soon-to-be release boombox will be superb

I was not disappointed.Installed in car with antenna on dash and experienced very few drop outs despite less than optimal antenna location.Did notice a bit of hiss with the integral FM modulator, so opted for direct connection to my "MP3" Aux input on the car stereo... beautiful sound with the direct connection.Screen indeed readable in bright sunlight.Channel/category switch on the unit a bit clunky (though buttons on remote are fine = "real buttons")... other than this I'm highly satisfied. The 18 presets on the unit more than enough for me and suction cup dash/window mount that comes with the car kit seems bulletproof and very tight (especially vs. double-stick tape approach with other units).Nice thing about the PDA form factor when used in the car is that it's easy to slip in your pocket if leaving the car in a theft-prone area.Unit runs warm but nowhere near as hot as I thought it might given other online comments.

Sirius programming seems a bit more oriented to older demographic vs. XM.I liked (1) extensive news including PBS/BBC/PRI/World, (2) reggae/tropical/vacation channels, (3) tighter music genres in general (vs. more thematic on XM)... and in 2006 am looking forward to Howard Stern's move from FM to Sirius.Only programming on XM not on Sirius that I miss is MSNBC.Also note that Sirius traffic/weather is slightly less convenient since they put two cities on each channel, cycling coverage through each.

Looking forward to getting the boombox for the JVC KT-SR2000 soon... this appears to be simple, clean aesthetically (would look ok at home) and has a bass-boost capability... a/c adapter and antenna with 20' cord included.

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Product Description:
Smaller than its predecessor by a third, JVC's compact, PDA-styled KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play (PnP) Sirius Satellite Radio receiver brings a wealth of music and news programming to your car and/or home audio system in a device that's as easy to use as it is to transport. The PnP receiver offers accessible buttons and a large, bright LCD with multiple options for enhancing legibility. Artist names and song titles are presented in large type to enhance safety by minimizing distractions. Use of the receiver requires activation of a subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio ($12.95 per month or a one-time fee of $499.99). You'll also need a car or home docking apparatus, sold separately.
The KT-SR2000 lets you enter a desired channel/stream number directly, or you can search for programming by scrolling through a list of channels or even a list of currently playing artists. For one-touch access, you can set up to 18 stream preferences, or presets, with the option to lock or unlock a given function. For example, you can store a list of preferred categories and stations without fear of alteration until you decide it's time for a change.
Memory Capture stores 20 favorite songs in the form of PDTs (Program Definition Text, with artist name and song title), and, when activated, the unit's S-Seek feature will search all incoming streams for those songs.
Time-based functions include an alarm, a sleep timer, and program alert, which switches the KT-SR2000 to a preprogrammed stream at a selected time. The KT-SR2000 features an easy-to-read LCD with separate controls for brightness, contrast, and font. This model also features an ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the display brightness to suit your viewing conditions.
The KT-SR2000 must be used with one of the following adapter kits:

JVC KS-K6013 home kit
JVC KS-K6012 vehicle kit

Sirius satellite radio is a subscription service that provides more than 100 channels of digital programming, from music to news, talk, and sports. It is available only in the lower 48 states--not available in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories.
What's in the Box
Sirius receiver, a remote control, remote batteries, and a user's manual.

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Emerson iTone iP100 Portable Sound System for iPods (White) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)So, I happened along this item, and thought "gee this looks cool and is a good price."I have been looking for one of these systems for my ipod, but have felt that they were too expensive.Natually, when I saw that this was under $50, I could not resist. Boy I sure should have!The item itself looks nice, and it is very easy to use, but the sound SUCKS!!No, I don't expect Bose sound, but I would'nt expect heavy distortion!Yes, as I listened to music, what accompanied it was a constant buzzing and humming sound.I found that the only way to make the sound to go away was to set the ipod backlight to be on all of the time!Besides the humming, the sound would "crackle" if you touched the unit while it was in use.The loud humming and distortion was louder than the music.I had to crank up the volume to almost maxium setting to overpower the distortion!I returned mine, got a refund, and bought the JBL Portable Sound System (totally awsome!!!)I guess you get what you pay for; so please heed my warning, and stay faw away from this product.

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Product Description:
Emerson Mobile's line of quality audio products combines fresh new look, attractive packaging and an aggressive marketing. Emerson Mobile Products' goal is to make high-end audio products more affordable, without compromising the highest standards of quality.

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XACT COMMUNICATIONS XTR3CK Sirius Satellite Plug + Play Receiver and Vehicle Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought mine 1/8/06 (Bestbuy, $29.95 on sale) and also bought the home kit at the same time ($49.95).Got home, went to the Sirius website, signed up for service and had the sweet sounds of their programming in my home all within 30 minutes.

I opted to utilize the built-in FM transmitter to link to my home theater receiver, and was satisfied with the sound quality.I got lucky with my antenna placement because the window closest to my stereo faces North-West, exactly where it needs to be for reception at my Florida location.

Running the antenna in my car was a bit of a pain, but it was worth the hour I spent installing it.Again, I use the FM link to listen in my car.

As for user features, I must confess to being one of those lazy people that learns a few favorite channels, then uses the remote to directly access them.Over time I may actually read the manual and program the pre-sets.

Overall, I'm very satisfied.The unit fits in my shirt pocket, and I use it every day.I don't understand some of the complaints from the other owners.All I know is that I wanted a cheap unit to listen to Howard in my car & home, and the XTR3CK with the XS052 home kit got it done for $80.00.The bonus of all the rest of the great Sirius music & programming lets me easily justify the monthly subscription.

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Product Description:
Requires subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio ServiceBuilt-In Wireless FM Transmitter Wireless IR Remote Control Vehicle Kit Features 4-Position Vehicle Docking Cradle -Sun Visor Mount, Windshield Suction Mount, Adhesive Dash Mount, Amps Plate Mount Vehicle Antenna 12v Vehicle Power Adapter Satellite Radio Features Over 120 Channels of Satellite Radio & 65 Music Channels 100% Commercial Free

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Cisco-Linksys Wireless-B Music System WMLS11B Review

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(More customer reviews)MY BACKGROUND:
I have always been an ardent musicphile and have subsequently grown a respectable collection of music.With a little less than 1000 CDs, physically finding the music you feel like listening to was always a chore (although there is much to be said for spending some quality time rediscovering that CD that you forgot you had).SO, I jumped on the MP3 bandwagon a couple of years ago, ripping my entire collection (up yours RIAA) onto my server.Having them on my server has made it easy to listen to whatever I like pretty much anywhere in the house where there's a computer (both son's rooms, living room, my office).I converted to iTunes recently when it became available for the PC (much nicer to synch the iPod with than MusicMatch ).BTW, I'm a software engineer and gadget freak, which explains why my house is wired with CAT6 cabling and why even my 3 year old son's computer is running at Gigabit speeds on our home network. :-)
Okay, enough babbling, onto the review:
WHY I BOUGHT IT-
I'd been toying with the idea of picking up one of the portable media players ever since they came out a year or so ago.I couldn't justify spending the cash on the designs that were out there until I found the Linksys WMLS11B.It is very aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, it has a very nice (and large for the form factor) LCD screen and looks basically like a boombox that can play all your MP3s.Whenever I can (when the weather and family allow) I try to work from my deck or screened-in porch.I'm somewhat tired of having the iPod earbuds sticking in my ears and plugging a pair of powered computer speakers into the iPod is a hassle.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS-
For $180 ($250+ MSRP) I expected something a bit more substantial.It's not badly constructed, but seems too 'plasticky' and lightweight for the cost.Anyway, after about ten minutes, I had it configured and working on my wireless network (Linksys 802.11g).Incidentally, you need to set it up with an ethernet connection to set it up initially, but I could not get it to connect to any of my computers directly and had to finally just plug it into a router.The very first impression was that I had messed something up with the wiring because I had to have the volume all the way up to hear the music.After goofing around with everything, I decided that it was set up correctly, but just lacked the power to play adequately in anything else except an absolutely quiet room (with the sound level at MEDIUM, you can barely hear noise coming from the speakers).
PROS -
-Nice to look at
-Sound quality is pretty good once you hook up some nicer powered speakers
-Easy to set up
-Fairly compact
-Fair selection of internet radio stations
CONS -
-The included speakers leave a lot to be desired
-Must use MusicMatch (it sucks!!) or Rhapsody (a RealOne company, which if you didn't know, is run by Satan)
-For some reason, I can't get it to play more than ten songs from a playlist.
-The interface is HORRIBLE!Very non-intuitive and I spend more time scrolling through my collection than actually listenting to music.Most frustrating is that after you scroll down for a couple of MINUTES and find 'Modest Mouse', if you change your mind and decide you want to listen to 'Menomena' instead, the interface tosses you back to the top-most menu, meaning that you have to select 'BROWSE' then select 'ARTIST/ALBUM' then scroll down for several more minutes to get back to the M's....Even a submenu that allowed you to scroll through the alphabet and select, say, 'M' and then browse all the M's would be VERY nice.If the playlist function worked properly, then you could invest some time and set up your favorite songs and/or artists, but for spontaneously searching through your catalog... uhh, you won't.
-For some reason, I occasionally lose signal with my network and it can't find the server (even though I have my laptop receiving 54Mbps with excellent signal strength right next to it).Not a frequent occurence, just puzzling.
-Being 802.11b based, it only supports WEP and not WPA.:-(
-No carry handle
-The remote is pretty good, but doesn't work unless pointed directly at the unit and from within a very shallow angle from center.
-No headphone jack on the front
-Too many cables sticking out of the back.Cable management is so easy, yet apparently an alien concept to most manufacturers.
CONCLUSIONS:
It's just frustrating to have something soooo close to being good, but having some poor design muck it up.I really wish they'd assign it a more iPod-like interface (where you can use the back button to go to your previous menu level and selection).I also wish they'd find some way to tap into iTunes as a server or roll their own (okay, I can dream).I believe that if Linksys were to revamp the interface firmware and take care of some of the problems with the 'music server', it would be worthwhile.Unfortunately, I've dealt with Linksys for too long to even hope that they'd bother to update this version.They will instead release a newer, improved version which will make this model the MP3 Edsel.
I'm going to return this to the store today as I have a 10 day 'remorse period' that expires on Monday.
Nice try Linksys, better luck next time. :-(

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Product Description:
The Linksys Wireless-B Music System lets you bring the digital music stored on your computer to your Home Entertainment Center, without running cables through the house.Using a wireless connection, the Music System finally frees your digital music collection from those little computer speakers to play in full glory through your stereo system.|||The Wireless-B Music System sits by your home stereo and connects to it using standard consumer electronics cables.Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking, or if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling.Using the included remote control and the built-in LCD menus, you can browse your MP3 or WMA formatted music collection on your home PCs by title, artist, album, genre, or playlist.

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Sony ICF-M1000 Table Top Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This radio from Sony is placed to compete with similar products from Tivoli (Henry Kloss Model One) and Boston Acoustics (Receptor Radio). All of these products are single speaker (mono) AM/FM radios that contain no CD or cassette players and have no remote control. If that is not what you are looking for in a radio, this product is not for you; however, if you are looking for a simple tabletop radio, continue on.

Sony hoped to cash in on the popularity of simple table radios, however their offering falls short of its competitors. The radio is gloss black with a black fabric front that hides the speaker. It is significantly larger than the other radios in this class, about double the size of either the Kloss or the Receptor. Despite the size of the cabinet, the speaker is roughly the same size as those found on the other radios. The LCD display is small and somewhat hard to read from certain angles (there is an acrylic prism sitting on top of the LCD that reflects the image forward and upward). There are three knobs on the front that control tuning, volume and tone. The radio is built well, but I think the black fabric makes it seem a bit cheap. Removing the fabric cover exposes the cheap wood interior and lowers the aesthetics even further.

By itself this radio has a decent sound, and the tone control allows for tweaking of the sound quality. However when I compare the sound quality to that of the Kloss and Receptor, this product again falls short. This radio lacked the bass response of its competitors, despite its much larger size. Midranges were decent, comparable to the others (talk radio sounds almost the same among the three radios). Trebles were decent, although slightly muddled unless the tone control was set to high. On the plus side, the tuning was accurate and the reception clear, probably the best of the three, although all are very good.

The Sony radio has line-out/line-in 1/8" jacks in the rear for connecting to an mp3 or CD player (as does the Kloss, but not the receptor). There are no alarm-clock functions on this radio, which further limits its usefulness.

In conclusion, this would be a very decent radio if it were fifty dollars. However, Sony has set the price so that it competes with radios that are far superior to it. If you are to spend this kind of money on a table radio, I suggest you look elsewhere (I recommend the Receptor Radio).

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Product Description:
Sony - Stylish Design - Radio

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EMERSON Dora Explorer CD Player - DTE110 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was looking for a portable cd player for my 3.5 y.o. daughter to listen to books on cd on a plane trip.This was the closest thing I could find, that seemed oriented toward the right age group.The headphones, however, were much too big for her, so they fell down and bugged her, or hung low so she couldn't hear very well.Additionally, the buttons were very small and unclearly marked, so even I had trouble figuring out which button did what.She used it a few times, butthen one day it just didn't work, even after replacing the batteries.I have no idea what is wrong with it.This caused us to put her cd in the regular stereo and she seems to prefer this anyway.This wasn't an expensive cd player, but it wasn't really worth the money, at least for this age of child.

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Product Description:
Dora Personal CD Player - Emerson NicktronicsDora the Explorerportable CD player- CD-R/RW compatible- Hold switch (prevents accidental battery drain)- 60 Second anti-skip protection- Programmable memory- Requires 2 AA batteries, not included- For child ......

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