Chuck's stats
- Review count115
- Helpfulness votes404
- First reviewOctober 27, 2012
- Last reviewApril 26, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.6
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- Answer count4
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- First answerJanuary 2, 2015
- Last answerNovember 7, 2020
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Increase the power of your Klipsch Bar 48 sound bar with these Klipsch Surround 3 wireless speakers. Independent wireless technology enables you to place them anywhere, while plug-and- play tech makes connection easy. These Klipsch Surround 3 wireless speakers decode Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio, giving you a cinema-grade sound experience.
Customer Rating
5
Nice wireless speakers for a 5.1 experience
on May 31, 2019
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I tested these along with the Klipsch 3.1-Channel 440W Soundbar System. The virtual surround functionality of the soundbar is good on it's own, but then again, it's virtual, so to get the full 5.1 surround effect, these small speakers are a must.
As with with the soundbar and sub-woofer, when unboxing these speakers, the quality is clearly visible. Once again, Klipsch didn't skimp on materials, so the speakers feel very solid and well made. There's not really much to do as far as installation goes; you plug the small dongle that comes with the speakers into a port on on end of the the soundbar (under the right-side endcap), plug the speakers into outlets close to where you want them located, and then pair them with the soundbar. The nice thing about these speakers is that they're wireless, so you can place them almost anywhere as long as you can get power to them, which shouldn't be a problem in most scenarios. The whole setup took about 10-15mins.
Once everything was setup, the difference between the virtual surround as compared with the addition of these speakers was clear. The speakers seemed to mute some of the high-tone sound that was present when using the virtual setting. It wasn't an annoying amount, because I didn't notice it until I added these speakers, but there is definitely a difference... which you'd expect since you're adding two more speakers.
Overall, I would highly recommend these speakers to anyone who already has the Klipsch 3.1-Channel 440W Soundbar or for anyone who is thinking about buying that soundbar and wants a true 5.1 sound.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Get cinematic audio at home with this Klipsch BAR 48 sound bar. Three 1-inch soft dome tweeters deliver crisp high notes, and the included 8-inch wireless subwoofer delivers impressively detailed bass. Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity let this Klipsch BAR 48 sound bar stream wireless audio from smartphones, tablets and networked computers.
Customer Rating
5
High quality materials, great sound
on May 31, 2019
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I bought an LG 65" C8 OLED earlier this year, and although the picture is incredible, the sound didn't really impress me, so I knew at some point I was going to have to upgrade. A friend of mine had owned some Klipsch equipment back in the day that he loved, so I jumped at the chance to review this soundbar.
When unboxing the product, the quality is evident; the soundbar is quite a bit heavier than other soundbars I've seen, and the sub-woofer seems absolutely massive. It's clear that Klipsch refused to skimp on materials, including the addition of extra woodgrain endcaps for the soundbar (if you prefer brown instead of black). The box contains everything you need to connect the product to your TV (assuming your TV supports HDMI-ARC). There's even a template and brackets included if you want to mount the soundbar on the wall. The remote is rather unassuming, which I like, but it still allows you to control every function of the soundbar including dimming of the LEDs on the front, which I really like; I hate having superbright LEDs staring back at you from across the room.
Setup took about 15 mins and I didn't even have to manually pair the subwoofer with the soundbar, it paired all by itself. Once everything was hooked up, I switched the sound from the internal speakers to HDMI-ARC, and was blown away by the sound. I was watching a race at the time, and the clarity and separation of the sounds, especially of the commentators, was easily evident. The bass from the sub-woofer was even more evident; it was as if my living room was at the track. After I managed to pull myself away from the race, I paired the soundbar with my phone to see how it handled music. Again, I wasn't disappointed. I played a few tracks from a few Queen, Boston, and a smattering of Def Leppard albums and was amazed at the results.
Overall, I am completely satisfied with this soundbar. If you're looking for a quality-made product that will bring the sound of your TV out to meet you, then I'd recommend this soundbar.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+5points
8of 11voted this as helpful.
View work and entertainment comfortably with this 23.8-inch HP monitor. The anti-glare panel lets you see content clearly in various lighting conditions, and the virtually frameless design lends a minimalist aesthetic to your home office. Prevent eyestrain by switching to this HP monitor's Low Blue Light mode for a warmer appearance.
Customer Rating
5
Nice, basic monitor.. great for coding
on May 1, 2019
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I decided to try this HP IPS monitor because my previous monitor died and I needed more screen space than my laptop screen provides. My previous monitor was 28", so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to adjust to the smaller 24" HP... however, so far, I haven't really missed the extra screen space. I primarily use my laptop for coding, and this HP monitor seems to be much easier on my eyes; the preset Viewing Modes make it fairly effortless to change the color settings to reduce eye strain throughout the day. The color reproduction is also better than my old monitor, as well as the viewing angle. On my previous monitor, colors were good, but they would change quite a bit if viewing the monitor from any angle, and text was a bit blurry when not viewed from almost directly infront of the monitor. This HP monitor has much better color reproduction and as long as your eyes are in line with the middle of the screen, viewing from almost any angle appears to have no effect on color and minimal effect on text; viewing from above does alters brightness a bit, but colors are still accurate. This monitor also has FreeSync, but I can't really test it since all of my machines have NVidia cards. I have turned FreeSync on to see what would happen, and although I assume it doesn't really do anything, it also doesn't seem to cause any issues. I have also played several online games and I haven't really seen any issues with graphics tearing or motion blur, so I would think it would be fine for most gamers unless you're a hardcore FPS player. One big benefit of this monitor that I wasn't expecting, but that I'm nonetheless happy about, is the small footprint; it's extremely thin, and the way the base is designed, after I start my laptop and close it, I can slide it a good 5" underneath the monitor, which allows me to reclaim a rather large portion of my desk.
Overall, I think this is a very capable, basic monitor, especially for the price.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+19points
22of 25voted this as helpful.
Enjoy music in an exciting way with this portable Sony Bluetooth speaker. The wireless feature offers hands-free usage and the EXTRA BASS gives sound a boost due to the passive radiator, which enhances low-end tones. This Sony Bluetooth speaker is waterproof and dustproof, allowing you to take it to the pool or the beach.
Customer Rating
4
Small with good sound, lacking in volume
on April 22, 2019
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
This speaker from Sony is stylish and small. It's small enough to take anywhere you want, and gives close to the the promised 16 hrs of run time. The speaker is about the size of a half-height can of soda, so it's easy to grab and throw in a bag or just carry by hand (or by wrist using the strap). The body is coated with a rubberized coating and the controls are well separated and easy to find, even without looking. Like some of the other Sony speakers, this speaker allows you to add an additional speaker to either broadcast the same signal or to create stereo sound; the only down side is that it has to be the same model. The sound from the speaker is good; music is reproduced without sounding tinny, and the Extra Bass is quite evident. Although the sound is good, I found the volume to be a little disappointing. The speaker will easily fill a relatively quiet room with whatever you want, but I found I had to max out the volume on the speaker and run the volume of my phone almost to max if there was any competing noise (eg. mower outside, vacuum in adjacent room), and at that volume, the bass began to distort.
All in all, I like the speaker. In my opinion, it's size, convenience, and overall sound make up for the lack of volume.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+7points
8of 9voted this as helpful.
The SURFboard SBG7600AC2 is a DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem with a built-in AC2350 Wi-Fi Router. The SBG7600AC2 is equipped with four 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports and provides Wi-Fi speeds up to 2350 Mbps. It is compatible with major US Cable Internet providers including Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity and others. It's best for cable internet speed plans up to 800 Mbps. Setup is quick and easy with the SURFboard Central app.
Customer Rating
4
Solid product, weaker signal than I'm use to
on April 1, 2019
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I decided to try this modem/router combo since my current cable modem is about 4-5 yrs old and I wanted a backup incase something happened to it.
The product is about 2.5 times larger than the Surfboard modem it replaced, which is to be expected since it's also a router, but it's overall footprint on my desk is less noticeable since the old router is gone as well. Also, I wasn't attempting to replace an ISP provided modem/router, so I'm not sure how that would have affected my review. I have Comcast/Xfinity for my internet, and unfortunately that was the sole reason I had trouble installing/activating the product. Once I had the product set up, I called Comcast support and attempted to have them provision the product. When that process failed after 2-3 attempts, the person on the other end of the phone said the modem was defective and that a tech needed to be sent to my house. The first tech appointment had to be rescheduled, and the next appointment was 3 days later. When the tech finally arrived, the modem was working within 15 mins. The problem: the initial CSR had switched the mac and cmac ids, and no matter how hard I emphasized that possibility, she had refused to listen. After the initial fiasco, installation of the app and configuration of the product went smoothly. I haven't installed the McAfee app yet because I use another suite of tool for internet security.
The Arris app allows you to control a small subset of the product's settings, but in order to obtain full control, you'll have to access it via the web interface. That interface gives you full control of the product; you can control WAN/LAN settings, enable guest networks, control access using MAC address, setup a firewall (including parental controls), setup USB devices for file sharing and media playback, etc. One setting I was hoping to find was for the dimming of the status LEDs on the front of the product; the LEDs are quite bright, but you can only turn them off, there is no dimming. There's also a control section to add extenders to your network, although I believe they might have to be be Arris/Surfboard extenders. This last section might actually be heavily used since the biggest problem I've had is poor signal quality. The laptop I use most often doesn't have much trouble with the signal, but my phone, which never had any trouble around the outside of my house with my old setup, now has problems maintaining a connection, which causes the phone to switch from the router to cell service, and then back again. So if I'm streaming audio, it's constantly interrupted.
Overall, the modem/router combo is a good product. I wound up reconnecting my old router to avoid the dead zones I was experiencing outside of my house, but other than that, it's a solid product so far.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
5of 7voted this as helpful.
Enjoy your favorite smoothie, shake or other beverage with this Calphalon auto-speed blender. The powerful 1100W motor with its automatic mixture sensing functionality is capable of adjusting the power to ensure the desired consistency, while the four presets create the perfect frozen beverage with one touch. If you're on the go, this Calphalon auto-speed blender includes a 25-oz. Blend-N-Go smoothie cup.
Customer Rating
5
Great look, tons of power, perfect drinks
on December 24, 2018
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
In short, this blender is an eye-pleasing powerhouse.
The 2-Liter blending jar for this blender is large enough to allow you to easily make 5-6 drinks at a time, and the 1100W motor provides enough power to make sure everything you put in the jar gets blended as well as is needed. There are manual settings that allow you to control the blade speed, as well as pulse and reverse pulse, but there are also preset settings for making frozen drinks, smoothies, milkshakes and dip. For these settings, you simply select the desired blend and press the start button; the blender then runs the program for the preset amount of time and you have a perfectly blended drink. Every preset program I've used has resulted in an almost perfect drink, and at no time did the motor even begin to sound like it was laboring, no matter what I had in the mix.
The model I'm testing came with a smoothy cup, but I haven't used it, choosing to simply use a glass instead. The smoothy cup and all elements of the blending jar are top-shelf dishwasher safe, but I've simply used a soapy sponge and hot water to clean mine immediately after each use. The blades are easily removed by unscrewing a retaining ring on the bottom of the blending cup, making cleanup simple, fast, and safe.
I think this blender is amazingly good; not only has it performed flawlessly creating perfect drinks, but another plus is that it looks great just sitting on the counter. I would definitely recommend it.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Always know what’s happening at your door with the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro. Its crystal-clear 1080p HD video and 162° field of view give you a clear shot of your property 24/7. Two-way audio lets you hear and speak to unwanted guests (and welcomed ones too) - even when you're not home. Have the SimpliSafe App? The Video Doorbell Pro will send instant alerts whenever someone approaches. And with Smart Person Detection, it can tell the difference between people, vehicles and animals. That means you only get the alerts that matter. Plus, when backed by 24/7 professional monitoring, you’ll have experts who are ready to request emergency dispatch when you need it most. This camera is designed for all weather extremes—so you're still protected in rain and snow. (Compatible with the SimpliSafe Gen 3 security system. Requires Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) and existing wired doorbell setup with mechanical chime and a transformer with 8-24 VAC, 30VA max. Not compatible with digital chimes.)
Customer Rating
2
Standalone? Not so much....
on November 28, 2018
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I was excited to try this Simplisafe product because it's described as a 'standalone' product, and I wanted to compare it to other cameras I've tested.
My initial impression of the doorbell was very favorable; it has a very simplistic, yet stylish appearance, so it's not going to appear as some larger than necessary, 'out of place' camera sitting next to your door. Installation was pretty straight forward. My installation took a bit longer because I have an older house and I wound up extending the wiring because I didn't want to take the chance of the existing wiring breaking while I was hooking everything up. I also wound up not using the screws that came with the product since both of the Phillips heads started to strip out with a simple low speed power driver. I decided to use the 40 yr old screws since they are evidently made of stronger metal. Once the doorbell was installed and the power was back on, I installed the app on my phone and activated the camera using the OCR code from the app. The app appears well designed and it's fairly intuitive. The live feed from the camera is very good, and even at night, the camera can easily capture images from 10+ft from the door with good clarity and a wide field of view. I tested motion detection, and the blue light around the button lit up each time when I got within about 6ft or so of the door. However here's where I began to question the product's 'standalone' claims. Although I had push notifications turned on in the app, I received none. I could see all of the events in the 'Timeline' screen of the app, but I got no real-time notifications. I called Simplisafe customer support and was initially told that the the push notifications should work without a monthly monitoring or recording package. The girl I spoke with was supposed to call back, but after two days I called back and talked to someone else who told me that I had to have a paid monitoring package to get instant notifications. I was repeatedly told that I could still view the live feed from the camera, but I couldn't make this person understand that that was only useful if I was at the house and heard the doorbell, or if I kept the 'Timeline' up on the app and watched it 24/7. I've tested several other products that allow push notifications/texts without a monthly fee, so I decided to call back and talk to someone else. Once again I was told I needed to have a monitoring package to get real-time feedback. To me, this is disappointing on several levels. First, this IS a standalone product, but it's basically useless unless you give Simplisafe some amount of money each month. If you're going to do that, why wouldn't you have their whole system? Second, the app is actually able to see the motion/doorbell notifications in the Timeline, so why not at least allow those events to be real-time alerts thru the app?
Overall, I was disappointed with this product. It looks great and functions as it should, with great video and motion detection, but all of the functionality is basically useless without a monitoring package, which I won't have unless I wind up getting an entire Simplisafe system. I would not recommend this product as a standalone doorbell camera.
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+17points
37of 57voted this as helpful.
The Brother Work Smart Series MFC-J690DW delivers affordable printing plus the features and functions to meet your home, home office or small office print, copy, scan, and fax needs. This wireless color inkjet all-in-one reliably delivers high-quality output and enables wireless mobile device printing from your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. The automatic document feeder, 100-sheet capacity paper tray, bypass and 4" x 6" photo trays handle a variety of sizes and specialty papers. Automatic duplex (2-sided) printing helps save paper while the compact design saves desk space. Setup and connectivity are simple with the 2.7" color touch-screen display providing easy menu navigation. Cloud connectivity lets you print from and scan to popular Cloud services directly from the printer. Includes a two-year limited warranty and free online, call, or live chat support for the life of the printer.Prints up to 12 ISO ppm* in black, up to 10 ISO ppm* in color
Customer Rating
5
Great printer for a home office
on November 17, 2018
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I've been using this printer for a few weeks and I really like it. For the functionality it provides, it has a rather small footprint, which is great, because I was able to place it on a small table in the corner of my home office. One of the other things I like is how quiet the printer is; it's much quieter than the HP inkjet I've been using.
Setup was rather simple, but one problem I ran into was with the software/driver installation CD that came with the unit; it was unreadable in every machine I tried. Not a huge problem since the same software is available online, but I also ran into a similar problem when trying to add the printer to my other computers; the remote driver installation always fails and I have to manually install the drivers from the website. I haven't called Brother support yet to see if they can provide any fix for this, but at this point it's just a small inconvenience.
The printer has worked flawlessly so far with no issues such as paper failing to load or jams, and the colors are true to what is seen on the screen. The touch-pad for controlling the printer manually is small, but fairly easy to read and quite responsive. Also, being able to consistently print from mobile devices is also a huge plus; my previous printer would sometimes print documents incorrectly if they were coming from my phone. One of the features I've found most useful is the ability to scan documents to searchable PDFs using the downloadable apps from Brother; I've found a multitude of uses for this feature. The only thing I wish it had was a bit more paper capacity, but I don't print a ton of things, so that's not a huge deal.
Overall, I'm very happy with this printer. So far it has managed to do everything I want and then some. I would definitely recommend this to anyone needing a solid printer for home office use.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+6points
6of 6voted this as helpful.
At BISSELL, we know pets can make a mess at any moment – that’s why we created the Pet Hair Eraser Turbo. It doesn’t matter if you vacuumed just hours before Fido left behind a trail of fur, you need to be ready for any mess at any moment. The Pet Hair Eraser Turbo comes with powerful pickup packed into a lightweight and agile machine for easy and convenient everyday cleanup. Enjoy the Quick Release Extension Wand which is always on and always ready to tackle those tricky, hard-to-reach pet messes around the home. Plus, with features like the Tangle-Free Brush Roll and a Hands-Free Empty Dirt Tank, you don’t have to worry about cleaning your vacuum after you’ve cleaned your home. You can also breathe easy with the Smart Seal Allergen System with Febreze* that traps dirt and allergens and eliminates odors so you can enjoy a fresher, cleaner home. *Febreze and Febreze logo is a registered trademark of The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio used under license by BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
I have several indoor cats, so whenever I get the chance to test a new vacuum that touts its 'pet hair erasing' capabilities, I usually take it.
Assembly of this unit took just a few minutes, and then I was ready to try it out. For its size, this vacuum is fairly light and maneuverable, and it definitely doesn't disappoint on suction; I was quite surprised at the amount of hair that was pulled up from the first carpet I vacuumed since I had just vacuumed it the day before. I found the ability to control the amount of suction via the thumb control was a huge plus when transitioning from thick carpet to low-pile carpet or thinner area rugs. I actually had to return a Dyson vacuum once because there was no way to lessen the suction, so it was impossible to use it on some of the carpet in my house because the brush motor was overheating.
After a few weeks of use, I'm still impressed by the suction this vacuum produces. It seems to pick up quite a bit more fur than my other vacuum, and so far, the brushes have remained free of hair/fur. To be honest, that was never a huge problem with the previous vacuum, but I would occasionally have to remove a few tangles. Removing, dumping, and replacing the dust-bin is very simple (as it should be), and there's a replaceable scented filter that adds to the 'clean smell' as you're cleaning. One of the first things that caught me off guard was that the power/brush switches aren't located on the handle, but instead are on a panel right above the dust-bin. The reason for that placement is because the handle detaches for cleaning areas above the floor, such as furniture. Using the vacuum in 'wand' mode is simple enough, and the included pet brush attachment does a great job of cleaning furniture, but the accordion hose sometimes feels like it's fighting against the wand. This will hopefully decrease as the wand is used more, but it's not a big problem if it doesn't.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this vacuum and if you've got some pets in your home, you should definitely give this unit a serious look.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+11points
14of 17voted this as helpful.
Step up your game with this Logitech HERO Core wired gaming mouse.Customize RGB lighting to match your style and environment or sync to other Logitech G products. G502 High Performance Gaming Mouse features Logitech HERO 25K optical sensor for maximum tracking accuracy and precision. No matter your gaming style, it’s easyto tweak G502 to match your requirements, with custom profiles for your games, adjustable sensitivity from 200 up to 25,600 DPI, and tunable weight system that allows for tuning and balancing of up to five additional weights for just the right balance andfeel.
Posted by: Chuck
from DC
This mouse is great. I've been using it for a few weeks for both work and gaming, and I love it!
The ability to adjust the weight in the base is a huge plus for me. I was able to add just enough weight so the mouse is more stable when I'm doing detailed work; I don't feel like the pointer is about to take off on its own when I least expect it. I also like the ability to not only set up up to 3 different DPI sensitivity profiles, and to add additional DPI levels within each profile, but also switch between all of them effortlessly. The weighted scroll wheel is also a nice touch; if I need to scroll to the bottom of a long document, I can simply unlock the wheel so that it spins freely, and then give it a spin. The tracking on this mouse is another huge plus... it's absolutely incredible, regardless of any surface I've place it on. The Logitech Gaming Software allows you to control all aspects of the mouse, including lighting color and intensity, DPI sensitivity, and of course the ability to assign any of the numerous keys to a keystroke, default function, or a macro. I've set up several macros to help with repetitive work activities, and so far they've worked flawlessly.
All of the abilities and features mentioned above carry directly into the world of gaming. I'm not a huge gamer, but I do play some FPS and strategy games with friends from time to time. The control and flexibility this mouse gives is very nice; snapshots seem a bit easier.
The only problem I had with this mouse was the Arx Control service. I wound up having to disable it because it was causing some system instability with my Win7 machine. I don't play games on mobile devices, so this wasn't a huge problem for me.
Overall, I think this mouse is a home-run for Logitech. I would definitely recommend it.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0points
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Chuck's Review Comments
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Chuck's Answers
Safe and convenient fast wireless charging up to 15W.* Our fastest wireless charging pad unclutters your bedroom, office, or living room while simplifying charging—just lay your phone onto the pad and go. Qi certification ensures standard compatibility and provides peace of mind.
Is the cable permanently attached to the wireless charger or can it be detached?
The cable is just a USB-USBC cable, and it does detach
3 years, 6 months ago
by
Chuck
Safe and convenient fast wireless charging up to 15W.* Our fastest wireless charging pad unclutters your bedroom, office, or living room while simplifying charging—just lay your phone onto the pad and go. Qi certification ensures standard compatibility and provides peace of mind.
Will this charge if the phone is in its protective case?
my phone charges just fine with a protective case
3 years, 6 months ago
by
Chuck
Enjoy up to 10 hours of wireless audio with these Sony noise-canceling headphones. They produce rich sound by playing at audio frequencies of 3-40,000Hz and have a closed-back design that blocks outside noise for a better listening experience. These Sony noise-canceling headphones sit comfortably behind the neck and work with or without the 1m wire.
Do the ear buds retract or adjust in any way
They do NOT retract. There is a groove along the edge of each side of the neckband that you can push the cords into for storage or to reduce the amount of loose cord when wearing, but the cords aren't overly long, so I don't even bother with it when I'm wearing them.
6 years, 6 months ago
by
Chuck
VIZIO E-Series E480I-B2 LED HDTV: Easily stream movies, shows and more with this VIZIO E-Series HDTV's VIZIO Internet Apps Plus and built-in Wi-Fi. The 1080p display and Full-Array LED backlighting deliver crisp, clear images and optimal performance.