Share wrbluepearl's profile
wrbluepearl
wrbluepearl's stats
- Review count31
- Helpfulness votes101
- First reviewFebruary 23, 2016
- Last reviewJuly 29, 2018
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.8
Reviews comments
- Review comment count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentNone
- Last review commentNone
- Featured review comments0
Questions
- Question count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First questionNone
- Last questionNone
- Featured questions0
- Answer count5
- Helpfulness votes1
- First answerOctober 10, 2016
- Last answerJanuary 5, 2017
- Featured answers0
- Best answers0
Protect your iPhone's data with this 64GB iXpand charger and backup base. It charges your iPhone quickly with 15W of power, and it backs up photos and videos as it charges to ensure precious memories are always safe. This iXpand charger and backup base also backs up your stored contacts, so you can restore them when needed.
Customer Rating
3
Convenient way to back up, but not without issues
on November 5, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
Summary: The SanDisk iXpand Base is a convenient way to back your iPhone photos and contacts up while it charges - but has some quirks.
Introduction: I'm a long-time SanDisk customer - I have dozens of SanDisk memory cards, several USB flash-drives, a SanDisk memory card reader, and even a solid-state drive in a computer. I've also been an iPhone user since 2007, and have survived several iterations of backup solution, from USB cable on the computer, to WiFi sync, to iCloud. The iXpand Base is about the most convenient and consistent way to back up that I've encountered for the iPhone.
The good: Photos sync quickly to an included SD card, where they are stored in a format that can easily be read on desktop computers or other devices that accept SD cards (e.g., digital cameras, televisions). Once you install the iXpand app, the backup happens automatically when you plug your phone in; you don't have to start it manually or mess with anything. I use the iXpand on my nightstand, so every night my phone gets backed up. Boom, done, nice! The iXpand base comes with a 5V/3A charger, so it charges the phone pretty quickly; it will work with other USB chargers (the Base has a micro-usb charging port on it) but it will complain if you plug a different charger in.
The bad: Backing up contacts seems to take a Long Time, much longer than backing up photos (which you'd think would take longer, since the files are bigger).
Also, when I disconnect the phone from the charger, the SanDisk iXpand app tries to back the phone up again...AFTER the phone is disconnected. Not sure what's causing it, and it doesn't seem to cause any problems for the backups that happen when the Base is first plugged in This seems to be a problem isolated to me, based on my attempts to resolve it with SanDisk support. It would be easier to recommend this product if I wasn't encountering this problem, but it's very disconcerting to see the error messages on my phone every morning when I unplug it. If SanDisk is able to resolve this issue, I'd raise my review to four stars.
Also, when I disconnect the phone from the charger, the SanDisk iXpand app tries to back the phone up again...AFTER the phone is disconnected. Not sure what's causing it, and it doesn't seem to cause any problems for the backups that happen when the Base is first plugged in This seems to be a problem isolated to me, based on my attempts to resolve it with SanDisk support. It would be easier to recommend this product if I wasn't encountering this problem, but it's very disconcerting to see the error messages on my phone every morning when I unplug it. If SanDisk is able to resolve this issue, I'd raise my review to four stars.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Take control of your food prep with this Ninja food processor. Its two interchangeable attachments accomplish a wide range of kitchen tasks, including chopping nuts, slicing vegetables and pureeing fruit, and its auto spiralizer lets you make versatile vegetable noodles. This Ninja food processor has a drizzle hole lid for conveniently adding oils and other liquids.
Customer Rating
4
Spiralizer works well & is more fun than expected
on November 5, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
Summary: A well-made food chopper, with two main modes of use - a regular chopper, and a "spiralizer" that makes, basically, spaghetti out of your vegetables. While the chopper is pretty standard, the spiralizer is lots of fun to play with and makes attractive-looking "pasta" out of your vegetables. Overall, sharper, faster and tougher than several other choppers I've used.
Introduction: I've used several choppers and food processors over the years, including Black & Decker, Cuisinart and Pampered Chef. Up until I got the 'Ninja', the Pampered Chef hand chopper was actually my favorite - it was small, easy-to-use, and super-easy to clean up (toss the bucket and the blade in the dishwasher and get on with things).
The good: The bins, blades and tops are all well-made and solid. When used as a chopper, the Ninja chops things pretty fine - think brunoise or minced, not chopped or diced. This is something to keep in mind, because this particular kit only comes with one blade set, so there isn't an option to get larger cuts from it. The good news is that it minces quickly and consistently - one of the gripes I've had with other food processors is that the cut pieces are inconsistently sized; not an issue here. Also works well for making fruit smoothies, though I don't recommend putting frozen fruit in there - it makes a terrible noise (and will dent your blades). When used as a spiralizer, well, that's where the fun starts. This kit comes with two of the spiralizing blades, "spaghetti" and "fettuccini." Either one will fill the bin with strings of vegetable that, frankly, look and cook just like pasta. My first experiment was with zucchini, which it cheerfully "spiralized" with the skin on; I've subsequently used it with sweet potatoes and butternut squash (make sure to remove the skin first!) with great success.
The bad: The collecting bin for spiralizing could stand to be bigger - basically, it really limits how much of a vegetable you can spiralize at once. Figure a 3" inch section of zucchini or whatever you're spiralizing will fill the bin, forcing you to take the top off, remove the blade plate, dump the bin, and re-assemble. Spiralizing always leaves a small section of un-sliced vegetable behind, which has to be removed before the next piece can be chopped. Ninja makes six different spiralizing blades, but you only get two in this set.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
-1point
0of 1voted this as helpful.
Enjoy up to 14 hours of battery life with this Sony portable speaker. Its multiple LED lights create a festive atmosphere, and the EXTRA BASS feature offers deep, resounding lows for best enjoyment of your favorite songs. This Sony portable speaker streams digital media through a compatible device thanks to its Bluetooth capability.
Customer Rating
2
Disappointing sound and annoying lights
on November 5, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
Summary: Perhaps I'm not in the target market for this speaker, but it sounds muddy and the light show is (a) annoying and (b) constantly turning itself on. A flaky iPhone app for configuration and intermittent connection issues didn't do much to win me over, either. At this price, there are much better options out there.
Introduction: I'm not necessarily an audiophile, but I've owned and listened to many stereo systems over the years. I personally prioritize clarity, detail and accuracy over "bump and thump", so I may not be in the target market for a Bluetooth speaker that focuses on dance party prowess. With that said, I've used some other Sony Bluetooth speakers over the past few years and have, for the most part, come away impressed. They seem to have a particular talent for making big sound from small speakers.
The good: Battery life lives up to expectations; it definitely is good for all-day listening at moderate volume levels. The charger is built in, needing only a 2-prong power cord rather than an external wall charger, making it easier to find a place to plug it in. Handle on top makes it convenient to carry.
The bad: Sound is just plain muddy, and turning on the "extra bass" feature only makes it worse. The high frequencies sound very muffled, lacking clarity and detail. Trips into the equalizer settings on the Sony "Music Center" app just gave different flavors of muddiness, when they did anything at all. Blinking "dance party" lights on the speaker turned themselves on even when the speaker wasn't running, forcing a trip into the manual to figure out how to shut them off while the speaker charged.
The ugly: Sony "Music Center" iPhone app seems buggy and behaves inconsistently. Made you re-pair the app with the speaker every time you launched the app, which was time-consuming and annoying. At one point, the EQ settings just seemed to do...nothing...no matter what you set them to; plus the speaker acted like it was losing connection to the phone, with the music cutting in-and-out as it played (despite the phone sitting on top of the speaker, so it definitely wasn't out of range). Deleting the app from the phone, deleting the speaker from the Bluetooth device list, then re-installing and re-pairing the speaker with the phone seemed to solve those issues.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
-3points
6of 15voted this as helpful.
HP Spectre Laptop: Take your work and games anywhere with this HP Spectre laptop. It runs Windows 10 programs powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and has 8GB of RAM to maximize productivity, and the 11-hour battery life lets you work all day. This HP Spectre laptop has a 256GB solid-state drive for a quick boot time.
Customer Rating
4
Thin, light, good performance
on October 24, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
Summary: HP has made great strides with the Spectre line of laptops over the past few years. The use of high-quality materials like Gorilla Glass and aluminum for the enclosure, a keyboard with good keytravel and feel, and strong performance from the quad-core i7 processor and PCIe solid-state drive offset a poor trackpad and a few other small details. If you're looking for an attractive, portable, high-end Windows 10 laptop, the Spectre 13 is a good choice.
Introduction: Intel introduced the "Ultrabook" (a portmanteau of "ultraportable" and "notebook") specification in 2011 to try to help Windows laptop makers compete with Apple's premium laptops, in particular, the MacBook Air series. The idea was to make thin, light laptops with low-power processors (not necessarily *slow*, just low power consumption) providing excellent battery life. While Intel walked away from the Ultrabook terminology almost four years ago, the HP Spectre 13 is clearly designed against that same concept of premium materials, thin, light, and good battery life.
About me: I am reviewing the Spectre 13 primarily as someone familiar with Apple products as the benchmark for a premium laptop; I have no experience with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon or other premium ultrabooks. I am familiar with business-class ThinkPad T-series and Dell Latitude products, as well as lower-end ThinkPad G-series laptops and HP's Omen line of gaming laptops.
The Good: The built-in 1920x1080 IPS screen is clear and bright, with good color rendition and wide viewing angles, as one would expect of a premium laptop. The Gorilla Glass overlay on the screen is high quality and doesn't distort images, though it does pick up glare due to its glossy nature. The hinge on the screen is firm, and the screen does not "wobble". (This has been a major issue with other thin-and-light Windows laptops I've tried, like the Omen 15.) The Spectre 13 slots in between the 12" Retina MacBook and 13" Retina MacBook Pro in terms of size, weight, and thickness - heavier and larger than the 12, smaller and lighter than the 13 - so it's in a good place in terms of portability. The keyboard has "full travel" (by laptop standards) keys, which are actually quite pleasant to type on, and the keyboard has an adjustable backlight. Sound quality from the built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers is above average, though it falls a hair short of the current MacBooks in bass response. Includes three USB-C ports, which worked as expected with various USB-C accessories I have (such has the Apple Digital Multiport AV Adaptor, which converts a USB-C port into an HDMI and USB-A port, as well as providing power passthrough), an Apple 29W MacBook charger, and a CalDigit USB-C dock. I was encouraged to see that it didn't seem to matter which USB-C ports I plugged things into; charging, video output, etc. all worked as expected (with one small hitch - the 29W Apple USB-C adaptor, when plugged into the AV adaptor, didn't charge the Spectre...though it worked fine when connected directly to the laptop). Includes a 65W charger, which fills the battery quickly. The Windows "Hello" face recognition works well and works quickly, though it was confused once when I was wearing a hat (which is not HP's fault).
The Bad: The 65W charger, while it charges the laptop quickly, is nearly four times the size/weight of Apple's 29W charger for the Retina MacBook - a major issue when dealing with a thin-and-light laptop. A smaller power cord that charged the laptop more slowly would have been a good tradeoff. Also, every single time. you plug the laptop in, or wake it from sleep with a non-HP charger, the Spectre 13 displays a "nag" message, complaining about how HP recommends you use their power cord.
The Ugly: The trackpad is a bad joke; it feels cheap and flimsy - and worse, it's very inaccurate and inconsistent - which seems like an anomaly on an otherwise premium laptop. (This is not a problem limited to HP by any means; Apple has some kind of trackpad "magic" that no one else has been able to replicate, though Logitech was able to make the tolerable T650 trackpads.) I would probably have abandoned the review because of the trackpad if I didn't have a Logitech Bluetooth mouse to use with the Spectre 13. Also, the keyboard is white, and has a white backlight...so when the backlight is on, you can't read the text on the keys, as shown in the photos below. Ooops! Might be less of a problem on the black version of the Spectre 13.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+5points
7of 9voted this as helpful.
Enjoy lag-free gaming with this Linksys dual-band Wi-Fi router. Its Killer prioritization engine works with Killer-enabled computers to minimize peak ping by up to 77 percent, and the 1.8GHz CPU delivers super-fast speeds with wired and wireless connections. This Linksys dual-band Wi-Fi router has a custom-built user interface that lets you manage your gaming network performance.
Customer Rating
3
Good performance, limited configurability
on September 29, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
Summary: The WRT32x offers "state of the art" performance for a consumer-oriented wireless router. If this is your only router/networking device, it will work well and provide very good wireless performance. If you have a more complex home network setup, look at Linksys' very similar WRT3200ACM, as the WRT32x has very limited configurability.
Introduction: I've tested and used a huge variety of consumer and commercial-grade wireless gear over the years; everything from Aruba to Zyxel. Aside from a few stumbles a couple of years ago, the Linksys WRT series has represented good value in the consumer wireless router space. The WRT32x represents a bit of a departure for Linksys, in that it's specifically a gaming-oriented router.
The good: Wireless performance is typically excellent, and was capable of providing the full advertised speed of my internet connection in all parts of my house on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. USB drive sharing likewise showed very good performance, likely due to the fast processor in the WRT.
The bad: No support for "bridge mode" or "access point" mode, so it always acts as a router. No way to disable the DHCP server. No way to individually disable either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks, though at least you can assign different SSIDs to them.
The ugly: "Killer" wireless only works with client devices that have "Killer" wireless, and honestly I couldn't determine a difference in performance, as upstream/provider variations in internet access performance were larger than the variations in ping time or download speed caused by the router or other LAN devices. Linksys' 160MHz-wide channels provide no speed advantage over 80MHz-wide channels, since there are so few clients with 160MHz channel capability.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
-1point
0of 1voted this as helpful.
Sit back, relax and watch movies with this Epson video projector. It offers 3,300 lumens of color & white brightness to ensure vibrant, accurate colors, and its HD resolution delivers crisp image quality at 720p. This Epson video projector lets you connect a Blu-ray player or gaming console via an HDMI input for smooth streaming of your favorite media.
Customer Rating
5
Affordable projectors finally get good
on September 27, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
Summary: Affordable projector with good brightness, good color, good adjustments and only minor complains. If 720p is enough resolution for your application, get one; this will work well in a home cinema or a conference room.
Intro: I've used many a projector over the years, from many different manufacturers. Typically, unless the projector has been *extremely* expensive, you've had to put up with a combination of fuzzy picture, low resolution, and questionable color. All but the highest lumen-rated were too dim to be seen with the lights on in a room. That's changed recently, and for the better.
The Good: Great picture quality. The Epson uses a triple LCD design, which delivered very good brightness, contrast, and color. In indoor applications, we were able to use the projector with the room's lights on with no difficulty; outdoors, we were able to project onto our 20ft-wide barn and have a usable image. (The attached photo shows the projector lighting up our barn.) This projector comes up to temperature/brightness very quickly; others I've used in the past took several minutes to warm up and reach full brightness. Likewise, when you shut the projector off, it cools down more quickly than others I've used. 720p (1280x720) resolution is better than the 800x600 I've encountered on other projectors in this price range. Remote control receivers on front and back of projector. All projector controls available on remote and on the top of the projector itself.
The Bad: 720p resolution may not be high enough for some people/some applications. Built-in speaker would work for business settings, but obviously isn't meant to compete with a home theater system. No audio out jack, so if you're using it with a DVD player, there's no way to plug an external speaker into the projector to get louder/better sound.
The Ugly: Why does this projector only have one HDMI input? While some will argue that we still need VGA computer inputs to work with older laptops, do we really need to have a composite video input anymore?
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+7points
8of 9voted this as helpful.
The Keurig K-Select single serve coffee maker in Matte Black combines sleek design and more intuitive features to help you brew your perfect cup every single time. It features four brew sizes, so you can brew 6, 8, 10, or up to 12 oz. of your favorite coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or iced beverage with the touch of a button. And for those who like a stronger cup of coffee, the Keurig K-Select brewer is the perfect choice. The Strong Brew feature kicks up your coffee’s strength and intensity, so you can enjoy a bolder brew. Choose from hundreds of delicious varieties of K-Cup pods, or brew your own ground coffee with the My-K-Cup Universal Reusable Coffee Filter (sold separately). With the K-Select brewer, you can brew 5 cups between refills of the large 52 oz. water reservoir.
Customer Rating
4
Basic, consumer-grade Keurig
on September 19, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
from Whitesboro, NY
TLDR:
Good, solid, basic k-cup coffee maker. No reason to spend more money.
Good, solid, basic k-cup coffee maker. No reason to spend more money.
Intro:
Keurig coffee makers run the gamut, from tiny units up to big honkin' business grade units with plumbed-in water supplies and built-in garbage cans for empty k-cups. This coffee maker lands squarely on the "consumer" end of the scale.
Keurig coffee makers run the gamut, from tiny units up to big honkin' business grade units with plumbed-in water supplies and built-in garbage cans for empty k-cups. This coffee maker lands squarely on the "consumer" end of the scale.
Good:
- Water reservoir is good-sized (56oz) so you can actually make 5-6 cups of coffee before refilling
- Straightforward controls. No goofy LCD screen showing you a "coffee beans slideshow" while your java is brewing
- Buttons for 6, 8, 10, and 12-oz cups.
- Pre-heats an internal water tank, so the time from 'button press' to 'full cup' is short. Turns itself off after two hours.
- Quiet for a k-cup coffee maker
- Water reservoir is good-sized (56oz) so you can actually make 5-6 cups of coffee before refilling
- Straightforward controls. No goofy LCD screen showing you a "coffee beans slideshow" while your java is brewing
- Buttons for 6, 8, 10, and 12-oz cups.
- Pre-heats an internal water tank, so the time from 'button press' to 'full cup' is short. Turns itself off after two hours.
- Quiet for a k-cup coffee maker
Bad:
- Plastic feels cheap
- Reservoir will leak unless you put it down exactly right
- Wish they had a 16oz button on there, but maybe I'm the only one who drinks coffee in pints
- Plastic feels cheap
- Reservoir will leak unless you put it down exactly right
- Wish they had a 16oz button on there, but maybe I'm the only one who drinks coffee in pints
Ugly:
- Power cord is WAY TOO SHORT
- Power cord is WAY TOO SHORT
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Get seriously clean floors without the effort thanks to this Roomba robot vacuum. It automatically navigates across your carpet or vinyl while avoiding hazards and keeping track of its location all the while picking up dirt, debris and mess. Automatic recharging keeps this Roomba robot vacuum powered so that it's ready to go.
Customer Rating
4
My wife likes it so much she gave it a name!
on July 31, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
BLUF: While the Roomba 890 won't change your life or bring about world peace, it works surprisingly well.
INTRO: For various reasons, I'd resisted getting a Roomba or other automated vacuum cleaner for a long time. My big concern was how well it would work around the various obstacles in our house, such as area rugs, floor thresholds (between rooms with different types of flooring) and randomly-placed objects like chairs. Obviously, they can't take the place of a normal vacuum for all tasks (like vacuuming the stairs) and it was tough to justify the price. Now that we're several generations into the automated vacuum cleaner era, we figured it might be worth a try.
CLEANING: Actually does a pretty good job of vacuuming up the areas it runs over. We're using it primarily on bare floors, so it's pretty easy to tell if it's gotten everything. It will re-vaccum spots if it thinks that it hasn't gotten everything, which helps. The pseudo-random vacuuming pattern is a little odd to watch; it achieves good floor coverage but it takes a while (about 45 minutes to cover our 900 sq ft first floor). It does seem to be getting the job done incrementally more quickly as it maps out the area. We dump the bin daily, and after the first few times, haven't had a problem with it filling during daily vacuuming sessions. (The first few times, it vacuumed under some furniture where our regular vacuum couldn't go and picked up very large loads of dirt.)
SETUP: My non-techie wife was able to get the charging station configured without any trouble, and was able to download the iPhone app and get it working with the Roomba - that's pretty high praise for the ease of the setup process. She set up a daily cleaning schedule, and was able to use the iPhone app to fix problems (such as a full dust bin on the first day). Aside from troubleshooting, the iPhone app doesn't add a lot of value; you can't use it to set boundaries, for example, nor can you schedule more than 7 cleaning events.
CAVEATS: While the Roomba can get under furniture that we couldn't reach with our upright vacuums, it's not perfect. For example, to get it to vacuum under our dining room table, we have to stack the chairs out of the way, as it's too large in diameter to fit between the legs. When vacuuming with an upright vacuum, you can just slide the chairs out of the way one-at-a-time; you basically have to prep the dining room for the Roomba before it vacuums. Also, because the Roomba follows a pseudo-random process for deciding where to vacuum, my wife gets annoyed with it when it doesn't vacuum the area she wants cleaned first. There's no way to tell it to just clean one room.
OH YEAH: She named it Maleficent, after the Sleeping Beauty character.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Enjoy music wirelessly with these Everest Bluetooth in-ear headphones. A built-in microphone with echo cancellation lets you make clear, hands-free calls, and ergonomic ear tips in three sizes ensure a comfortable fit. The built-in battery on these Everest Bluetooth in-ear headphones provides up to 8 hours of listening between charges.
Customer Rating
4
Comfortable, good sound, range, battery life
on July 4, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
BLUF: Another good choice in the sports/lightweight headphone department - they're comfortable to wear, good Bluetooth range, good sound with good bass extension and good battery life (8+ hours).
Intro: A couple of years ago, there were very few Bluetooth headphone options, and even the expensive ones featured poor battery life, limited range, uncomfortable fit, and tinny sound quality. Now, however, we are living in the golden age of Bluetooth headphones, where the issues of range, battery life and sound quality appear to be solved problems, at least for headphones in this price range. I've recently tried several sets of headphones that were priced similarly to the Everest 110s, and all have sounded good, had 8+ hour battery life, and had no issues with pairing or staying connected. The Everest 110s are no exception. This brings issues like fit/comfort to the fore, which cannot be so easily determined.
Sound quality: Very good out of the box, and improved with a few hours' use. Like most headphones, these took a couple of hours to break in; once you get past that, these sound reasonably detailed, with no background noise or hiss, good bass extension and clean but not overpowering highs. They don't leave you feeling like your ears are bleeding after a couple of hours, which is nice. Unfortunately, these don't work particularly well for placing phone calls; aside from the unnatural feeling of speaking with your ears plugged, these pick up pretty much every ambient sound in the room, sometimes making it difficult for the person on the other end to hear you. The cord connecting the left and right earpieces also makes audible "thumping" sounds if you move your head while talking.
Battery life: Very good - I've run them for ten hours and still on the original charge. JBL advertises 8 hour battery life. The initial charge was very quick, so these likely come close to fully charged from the factory. JBL claims 2 hours to recharge fully.
Comfort/fit: the Everest 110 uses a unique ear hook that wedges itself *inside* the ear, rather than hooking around the back of it. This makes them easier to wear with glasses. I must be lucky, because the ear gels/ear hooks that were pre-installed on the 110's fit my ears just fine. The ear hook and ear gel are two separate pieces, and the headphones include three sizes of each, so you can mix-and-match for better fit. The 100's will also stay in your ears without the hooks if you find them uncomfortable, but they aren't as secure without the hooks as they are with them. I've included photos of the fit in the ear and the sizes of ear gels with this review. I've worn the 110's for fairly long uninterrupted stints (2+ hours) while working and doing normal household activities and they have remained comfortable.
Bluetooth: Quickly paired (long-press the center button on the keypad to start pairing), stayed paired with my test MacBook. No issues getting the headphones to reconnect between uses. Connection was solid and drop-out free during normal use. Range was sufficient to cover the first floor of my house.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Kick your listening experience up to a whole new level with wireless JLab Audio Epic Bluetooth earbuds. The 10-hour battery life lets you enjoy your music all day, and crystal clear radical sound creates a smooth, precise and memorable listening experience. Get the most out of your music, phone calls and audio books with JLab Audio Epic Bluetooth earbuds.
Customer Rating
4
Good sound, great battery life, fit issues?
on July 3, 2017
Posted by: wrbluepearl
BLUF: Good sound, great battery life (12+ hours!), lots of ear tips to choose from to try to get a good fit; strange ear loops just seem to be in the way, and the cord connecting the two sides seems a little *too* thin.
Intro: I'd never heard of JLab before getting these headphones, so I had no preconceived notions or expectations when I opened the box. Overall, these headphones pleasantly surprised me, but there are a couple of shortcomings I'll detail later
Unboxing/packaging: The packaging is nice, and included a huge variety of ear gels and tips to experiment with in order to get a good fit. Includes a carrying case, something I wish more Bluetooth headphone makers would choose to do - I often find my other sets in a tangled mess at the bottom of my bag.
Charging/battery life: Initial charge took only about 30 minutes, so these must have come pretty close to full. Charges with a standard micro-USB cable, so you don't need a special charger for them. Battery life has been excellent - I've had them running for more than 14 hours so far (vs. the advertised battery life of 12 hours). It's nice to see people actually give realistic battery life estimates to devices; these also last much longer than past Bluetooth headphones I've used, which only made it 6-12 hours.
Fit: I guess I'm lucky and must have average-size ears, because the gels that were installed on the headphones out of the box fit me just fine. Like most modern headphones, you have to jam them into your ear canal and get a good seal to get good sound. JLab includes a variety of ear gels in different sizes and shapes to try to cover all the bases for fit. The ear "pod" units are bigger than other Bluetooth headsets I've used, but they aren't obnoxiously heavy. I can see how they'd be a problem for people with deep ears, as they might keep you from inserting the ear gels all the way and getting a good seal. The firm "ear hooks" seem not to really do anything other than guide the cables away from your ears; in my case, they didn't rest on my ears (or even touch my head). Others have complained that they interfere with their glasses; I did not have that particular problem. Honestly, I think they'd be better without the ear hooks, which just seem awkward.
Sound: When I first put them on...not very good! WAY too bass heavy, and muddy-sounding. I took them off and let them play for about an hour to break in...and I when I put them back on, they sounded pretty good. Pleasantly balanced and detailed sound across a variety of music types (jazz, rock, country, Irish folk music). The Epic2s have pretty good bass extension but they aren't head shakers; if you're a bass-head there might be better choices out there. Also, these get loud - I run them consistently at 25% volume, which probably contributes to their longer battery life.
Controls: The Epic2s include a volume control/play/pause control on the right-hand side of the connection between the left and right ear pieces. The controller feels a little cheap, to be honest, and the wire between the two ear pieces is really too thin - feels like it could break at any time if it gets caught on something. The controller's volume controls do adjust the device's master Bluetooth volume, so you don't have the "phone volume vs headphone volume" problem I've encountered with other bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth range was very good, making it about 20 ft. in my office before cutting out. I had no issues with reception or cut-outs when in the same room as my phone.
Conclusion: The JLab Epic2 headphones turned out to be a pleasant surprise - a good-sounding pair of headphones with fabulous battery life. They are pleasingly lightweight and unobtrusive when worn, and once broken in, sound pretty good. Lots of ear gels to try to get a good fit. Only worry is the ear hooks seem to create a fitment problem for some users, and the wire connecting the left and right sides seems awfully thin and cheaply attached with heat-shrink tubing.
My Best Buy number: 2011053853
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
wrbluepearl's Review Comments
wrbluepearl has not submitted comments on any reviews.
wrbluepearl's Questions
wrbluepearl has not submitted any questions.
wrbluepearl's Answers
The Shark Genius Steam Pocket Mop System is our most advanced floor cleaning system ever. Featuring both a Steam Mop and a Spray Pocket mop, the Genius system is the right solution for all your cleaning needs. Harness the power of steam to sanitize 99.9% of household bacteria*. (Sanitization studies were conducted under controlled test conditions. Household conditions and results may vary.)
What is the water tank capacity?
It appears to be about 16oz. It's enough to clean about 800 square feet during our use.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
wrbluepearl
The Shark Genius Steam Pocket Mop System is our most advanced floor cleaning system ever. Featuring both a Steam Mop and a Spray Pocket mop, the Genius system is the right solution for all your cleaning needs. Harness the power of steam to sanitize 99.9% of household bacteria*. (Sanitization studies were conducted under controlled test conditions. Household conditions and results may vary.)
Is this for upholstery cleaning. Have shark lift away vacume.love it !
No, this is for cleaning hard-surface floors (hardwood, tile, linoleum). It has no vacuum functionality.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
wrbluepearl
Orbi Whole Home WiFi System delivers up to 3.0Gbps high-performance WiFi. Sleek, modern design with high-gain internal antennas for up to 5,000 square feet of coverage. FastLane3 Technology creates a dedicated Tri-Band WiFi for seamless 4K streaming and gaming everywhere in your home. Keep a single WiFi name for uninterrupted connections as you move from room-to-room. Circle Smart Parental Controls runs on Orbi Routers for a smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. Provide internet access to guests without sharing your personal network password. Orbi is ready right out of the box and compatible with your ISP. Just use the Orbi app to get started with better WiFi, everywhere in minutes.
I have a house built in 1930 and it is 1000 sq. ft. up and 1000 sq. ft. basement. I have 2 wifi extenders because of the solid brick and plaster walls to pick up better signal in dead areas. I currently have a Netgear 55 router. Would this work better?
This may work better, simply because the Orbi uses a separate radio for communication between the router and the extenders, instead of having to use the same radio to talk to phones/tablets/laptops and to the extender. My house is 150yrs old and has plaster walls, and the Orbi has no trouble getting signal from the base unit to the extender.
7 years, 6 months ago
by
wrbluepearl
Orbi Whole Home WiFi System delivers up to 3.0Gbps high-performance WiFi. Sleek, modern design with high-gain internal antennas for up to 5,000 square feet of coverage. FastLane3 Technology creates a dedicated Tri-Band WiFi for seamless 4K streaming and gaming everywhere in your home. Keep a single WiFi name for uninterrupted connections as you move from room-to-room. Circle Smart Parental Controls runs on Orbi Routers for a smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. Provide internet access to guests without sharing your personal network password. Orbi is ready right out of the box and compatible with your ISP. Just use the Orbi app to get started with better WiFi, everywhere in minutes.
I live somewhat in the country and most internet providers do not come out here to my house. Will Orbi be able to replace DSL?
The Orbi gives you wireless access to your existing Internet service - it would work with your DSL, not take its place.
7 years, 6 months ago
by
wrbluepearl
Orbi Whole Home WiFi System delivers up to 3.0Gbps high-performance WiFi. Sleek, modern design with high-gain internal antennas for up to 5,000 square feet of coverage. FastLane3 Technology creates a dedicated Tri-Band WiFi for seamless 4K streaming and gaming everywhere in your home. Keep a single WiFi name for uninterrupted connections as you move from room-to-room. Circle Smart Parental Controls runs on Orbi Routers for a smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. Provide internet access to guests without sharing your personal network password. Orbi is ready right out of the box and compatible with your ISP. Just use the Orbi app to get started with better WiFi, everywhere in minutes.
Why do I need to turn off the fios wireless radio? I want to use the orbi on floors 1 & 2 and use the fios wifi in the basement. I have 75/75 Mbps service and how much degradation will result from using orbi as an access point?
I suspect that Netgear recommends turning off the FIOS radio to reduce interference in the 2.4GHz band, due to the limited number of channels available for WiFi there. Based on my own experiences, I doubt you will see any degradation in performance with the Orbi - I'm typically seeing WiFI connection speeds north of 200mbps everywhere in my house, and the extender-to-base station channel is supposed to be good for 800mbps.
7 years, 6 months ago
by
wrbluepearl