aarondr's stats
- Review count184
- Helpfulness votes1,203
- First reviewOctober 22, 2014
- Last reviewApril 26, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.6
- Review comment count6
- Helpfulness votes10
- First review commentJuly 8, 2014
- Last review commentMarch 30, 2017
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- Answer count16
- Helpfulness votes31
- First answerJuly 8, 2014
- Last answerDecember 11, 2021
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- Best answers4
Achieve impressive sound from this JBL Link voice-activated speaker. Bluetooth technology ensures solid connectivity to your smartphone to play your favorite music, and the built-in Google Assistant provides hands-free operation on a variety of tasks. This JBL Link voice-activated speaker works with both iOS and Android devices for optimal convenience.
Customer Rating
5
Great Sound, Great Assistant
on December 14, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
We’ve moved past the era of the shelf system - into a sea of bluetooth connected speakers. The JBL Link 300 is one of those speakers, but what separates it from the rest of the fishes in the sea is it’s stunning sound and connected nature.
The JBL Link 300 is not a portable speaker, but rather it fills that more traditional shelf system role, but in a fraction of the space. It comes with a power brick, which is somewhat of a negative in my book. Wall warts are bad enough, but if you install this on a kitchen counter or other location you have to deal with managing the cable and brick. It would have been nice to see an integrated power supply, and increasing the enclosure’s size would have been a valid trade off. The enclosure itself is solid and well made, with a decent amount of weight. The fabric covering the speaker seems high quality, and the shape is broken up by the passive radiator on the back. There are volume buttons, a bluetooth button, and Google Assistant button found on top, with a WiFi LED near the bottom. When you active Google Assistant, either via the button or saying “Ok, Google” 4 LED lights on the front will light up to show status and activation.
Sound wise, you get a bass heavy relatively omnidirectional dispersion. While bass heavy, it’s important to note that the sound isn’t muddy. Unlike some smaller speakers that either rely on acoustic suspension, or bass reflex ports, the JBL relies on a passive radiator that puts on quite a show. The advantage of this speaker configuration is great bass performance. The radiator isn’t driven, but rather reverberates in a resonance with the enclosure and active drivers. It makes the bass very defined and punchy verses many other brands. Go listen to any JBL speaker, as they seem to have perfected this approach. Almost every JBL I’ve seen recently uses this design to great effect, and the JBL Link 300 is no exception. Highs are clear and crisp and mids seem to keep a decent definition without getting lost. Unless you’re standards are way above the budget of this speaker you’ll be impressed with the audio quality.
Functionality wise, the Link is amazing. The integration of Google Assistant makes this speaker extremely useful. My house is filled with Alexa devices, so the Google Assistant is fighting an uphill battle in my household. Where Google excels is answering questions. Where I can trip up Alexa with most questions, Google does a great job of finding, and reading an answer. It seems more natural in how it approaches answers, and interactions with a human. Google can also recognize your voice, which is somewhat freaky. Some integrations want to identify you to avoid privacy issues. Furthermore
Speaking of integrations, this is one place where the Google Assistant falls a bit short. It can integrate with many different devices, but some of them setup through the app, while others require asking the assistant to pair. Logitech Harmony integrates this way, while many other hubs can be paired through the app directly. I found this process a bit more frustrating than establishing skills on Alexa. Another downside for me was the lack (as of this writing) of integration with Insteon, which powers much of my home lighting (however I was able to setup some helpful groups using Harmony and activate them). These are some growing pains that I think will get worked out over time.
Google assistant makes it easy to use YouTube music, Google Play music, Pandora, or Spotify. You can choose which service is your default, and asking to play songs is extremely easy. I’ve found that if you don’t specify the exact song title, Google is quite good an understanding the song you meant. Another advantage is the integration with other Chromecast devices. You can ask the speaker to play YouTube videos on your TV, assuming you have either a Chromecast or built-in casting in your TV. This is pretty cool, and quite useful.
All in all the JBL Link 300 is an amazing speaker, with great functionality and sound. It outshines all but the most expensive speakers in its class, and offers tons more functionality with the integrated Google Assistant. Despite some teething issues with Google Assistant, there is more value here. Despite being an almost exclusive Alexa household, this speaker has taken over music duties in our living space, and is setup quite well to take over many of the automation tasks as it’s integrations grow. If you’re in the market for a Google Assistant - then look no further than the JBL!
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Keep your focus on the road with this Garmin Speak voice service device. Amazon Alexa is integrated and takes voice commands, so you can keep your hands on the wheel, and it connects to your vehicle's stereo system to provide spoken turn-by-turn directions. This Garmin Speak voice service device is compact, so it doesn't obstruct your view.
Customer Rating
4
Alexa + GPS = Awesome
on December 2, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
The Garmin Speak is an interesting product from Garmin. It combines Garmin’s strengths of navigation with Amazon’s Alexa technology to provide a voice driven navigation experience.
First of all, I’m a huge fan of Alexa. My interest in this product was less for day to day navigation needs and much more about brining Alexa, and it’s existing integrations. Alexa in the car is a game changer, and while some manufacturers are bringing it to their cars, Garmin can add it right now though this tiny little device.
And when I say tiny, it really is quite small. It’s only around 1” in diameter with a similar length. The included power cord is long enough to pretty much run anywhere. I mounted mine with the included sticky pad beside the rear view mirror and had feet of power cord to spare even after running it in the headliner and down the a-pillar and across the dash. Other than a spare sticky pad, and some included documentation, that’s pretty much all that’s in the box.
You have the choice of running audio either using auxiliary or use your phone’s Bluetooth audio. Since my car doesn’t have an auxiliary I use the Bluetooth capability. That’s not much of a disadvantage due to the fact the device relies on Bluetooth from your phone to have a data connection. Once you start your car, it takes about 10-15 seconds for the device to be ready. You need to use the Garmin Speak app to connect up initially, and the device may need to update its software (which could take a minute or two) during next startup, but generally this process is pretty smooth. Once started up it announces itself via a tone and a message.
The message is displayed on the small round 1” OLED screen. This screen has a decent resolution and great contrast. Due to the white on black - even in bright light, this screen is quite visible. This screen provides basic messages, but is primarily used for the Garmin navigation feature. As with almost any Alexa device, it has an array of LEDs forming a ring around the outside of the screen that provides visual feedback of when the device is listening and is also leveraged for navigation.
The Alexa functionality works wonderfully (for the most part). If you are a prolific Alexa user, you will instantly appreciate the access to Amazon music via voice, home automation, and many other apps that is part of the ecosystem. I can’t emphasize how huge this is. Being able to turn on my outdoor garage lights as I approach home is a feature that’s hard to appreciate until you use it. Asking for jokes or my son’s favorite song is just as seamless as at home. If you follow the recommended mounting procedure the device does a great job,even in a somewhat noisy car. What’s most surprising is how well this device works given it must pipe its data through my cell phone. The fluidity and seamlessness are pretty incredible.
As for the Garmin navigation feature, it’s quite good once you get a route. It makes great use of both the screen and the LED array. You get voice prompts in decent natural language, lane guidance using the screen, and distance to turn via the LED ring, which turns fully green starting from the bottom up to the top as the turn is approached. These touches make for a smooth experience and bring most of what a full GPS can give you. Another benefit of being connected is re-routing when traffic jams occur. I had this happen when heading home from an event. I arrived home 15 minutes earlier than my wife leaving from the same event.
However, there are some rough edges. Probably the worst is getting guidance started. First of all you need to have Alexa ‘ask Garmin’ to utilize the navigation feature. That in and of itself isn’t horrible, but it surfaces essentially only a POI search. While POIs are important for a GPS, I find my usage scenarios to be more address specific. To put an address in the GPS, you need to use the Garmin Speak app, and type in the address. If you’re searching for a POI, you might get some crazy suggestions depending on what the Garmin’s POI search could find. For instance I could not find my workplace, even though I work at a Fortune 500 company. Searching for a chain restaurant in a city might return locations closer to you geographically, but not the one you’re heading for.
The rough edges carry over to the Alexa functionality as well. More than once I’ve been prompted about a poor data connection - however only in poor cell coverage areas. The worst rough edge for me seems to be related to issues with audio apps on the iPhone. If I ask Alexa to play music 95% of the time the device prompts me to ‘open the Speak app’ as another app has control of audio. This occurs even when the Speak app is the running app. On the nit picky side, sometimes the Alexa voice feedback doesn’t seem quite as timed as on a native device.
All in all, as a first generation effort, this product does a great job. I’m sure software issues will be figured out over time, however some of these may be platform related to mobile devices. A dedicated connection for data would be ideal, but probably expensive, unless we could get Amazon to convince carriers to have lifetime data like they do for their kindle e-readers. Either case, it works extremely well given how it has to work data wise. The Garmin navigation is quite good once you’re locked in, but it would be nice to be able to speak an address instead of having to manually enter it. If you can live with some of the rough edges, Alexa in the car is an amazing experience.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+6points
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Completely customize your Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat to match your lifestyle and decor. The ENERGY STAR® certified smart thermostat lets you choose the temperature, schedule, display color and the devices you use to control it all.
Customer Rating
4
Functional, integrated, and pretty
on November 13, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
I've had different Honeywell thermostats over the years, almost exclusively. What sets the Honeywell apart for me vs other thermostats is the fact that they always just work. That said, they also seem to be all cut from the same cloth. You can see that even in this top tier model.
The RTH9585WF model is the newest in the series of the WiFi Smart Color thermostats. Unlike the Lyric series, this series is a simple programmable model without the geofencing and other interesting features of that series. The Smart Colors claim to fame is found in it's name, the various colors chosen as backgrounds. While that may sound a bit vain, it's a concern for some who would like to color match their interface with their decor. I found the default blue to be a nice color, but there are many shade to choose from. You can also pick a custom color. The adjustments for custom allow you to pick thousands of shades.
The general functionality of the thermostat is pretty solid. You get a large current temperature, along with the current set temp, and outside temperature. Touching the outside temp gives you a 3 period (current +6 hours and +12 hours).
The default schedule is a great starting point for most. You can easily customize it and setup different schedules for each day. You can even set a temporary schedule to override. Since my family situation leaves someone at home most of the time, the programming features go to waste. The good news is that it's easy and fast to switch the thermostat to temporary hold and/or permanent hold right from the home screen. One feature that's pretty unique to honeywell is the Smart Response technology that learns how long your system takes to heat up, so that you can set the schedule to what temperature you want when you want it instead of having to compensate for the time. I've used this in other Honeywell thermostats to great effect.
The touchscreen is definitely resistive, but responsive. The wifi connectivity seem solid and the Alexa integration is quite useful for my household. The app is ~ok~ and gives you the ability to adjust the schedule, current settings, and view a 5 day weather schedule. The Marketplace section of the app is initially just trying to sell you more things, so it's kind of a waste of space.
Initial setup was quite difficult for me, as I lacked a 'C' wire. Luckily for me I had a bunch of extra wires, so it was just crawling under my house and patching into one of the 24v wires on the transformer. If you're handy and not scared of a little wiring, it's no big deal. Hopefully it's easier than my system, as my old Goodman from '97 required some pretty manual wiring. I patched a blue wire into my air-conditioning hookup and was in business.
Once powered up, it was a simple manner of following the initial setup. WiFi setup was painless, but typing a password in on the screen was a bit awkward. Good news is it keeps programmed even if disconnected, so it's a pretty one-time affair. This pattern of initial pain was continued when it came to registering and pairing the thermostat for online features. After you register you need to input both a mac address and CRC code. This temporary pair could have been simplified (as many online registration systems use 4 digit codes), but again, it's only initial pain.
Once you're past the pain, it's a great thermostat, with a nice bright screen, handy features, and remote management. I'd have loved to see them combine features of the Lyric series, but at the end of the day I wouldn't have used those features anyway. I think most people will need to cross shop this with a Nest. Honestly, if all you want is to be able to yell "Alexa turn up the heat downstairs", then this does the trick, and stays stylish at that. If you have a regular weekly schedule and value behavior similar to your 10 year old Honeywell then this is your thermostat. However if you're really interested in geofencing, or fancy sensors figuring out if anyone is home, or budgeting/estimation tools build in this is not your thermostat. At the suggest MSRP I find some of the functionality lacking for the money, but it's hard to knock something that (once setup) works flawlessly.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Turn up the volume on this Bluetooth-capable Sony portable speaker to create a festive atmosphere. Its EXTRA BASS technology delivers deep, thumping low frequencies, and the rechargeable battery provides 16 hours of continuous use to keep the party going. This Sony portable speaker works with the Fiestable app, so you can add fun DJ and lighting effects.
Customer Rating
5
Party Machine!
on October 30, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
The sony XB90 is a crazy party in a box. This speaker is huge, so keep that in mind if you’re looking at it. It’s dual woofers pound out some good sound, if a bit muddy by some pickier standards. But alas, if you’re picky about sound nothing about this speaker led you here. It sounds really good in outdoor PA situations where you can really turn it up. I wouldn’t try to use this as a casual speaker, as lower listening volumes can be muddy, and the speaker is quite directional. However for party music - this guy is the bomb.
All that said, the main attraction here is the lighting. And what great lighting it is. This is truly a set apart feature of the speaker. It’s like having a mini-dj lighting show. My 2 year old thought it was ‘awesome’ and danced for hours with the ‘Rave’ lighting setting while blaring out the wheels on the bus.
You can customize the color, and turn its ‘ADD’ ness up or down (from ‘Rave’ to ‘Solid Color’) with the application on your smartphone. You can adjust many other sound settings and details from the app as well. While there are some buttons and control on the speaker, the app gives you quite a bit of detail control.
There is a mic jack, which again helps this in PA style situations. The volume buttons and adjustments are easy to work with. Bluetooth connection was reliable and range was great. The RCA jacks allow both input and pre-amp output, so you can daisy chain these guys together. All in all, they hit the details and connections superbly for a device like this.
Probably what makes this the most versatile is the built in battery. It’s probably what adds the most heft, but it gives hours of decent volume playback. While I didn’t push the battery too far, it has hours of playback. This flexibility means that you can party pretty much anywhere.
All in all this speaker is a great party device. I’d highly recommend to anyone hosting a party anywhere. Best part, no AC, no problem. You aren’t chained to an outlet, and you get great package for general party usage.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+6points
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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
4
Solid local backup solution for Photos/Videos
on October 12, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
Sometimes all you want to do is make sure you have your photos backed up. Sure you can do this manually with your iPhone, or use iCloud, but there’s still something about having physical media with your data on it 100% in your control that makes a great alternative. The Sandisk iXpand base is a device that backs things up quickly and efficiently while you charge your phone.
The iXpand is a product that seems so dead simple you wonder why someone hasn’t done this before. And while there are other options, apps, and solution that can be built that are similar, the iXpand is so ridiculously simple that it’s a product I’d have no problem recommending to someone like my dad. The first time I plugged it in, it immediately asked me to install the Sandisk app. Moments later it walked me through a simple process and was backing up my contacts, photos, and videos. It shows active progress in the app, as well as a thumbnail of what it’s copying. From my iPhone 7 Plus, I had over 600 photos. It took about 10 minutes, but once it was done I got a nice notification that said the backup was complete. My photos, contacts and videos took up about 5GB of space, and the app did a good job of showing me how much space was available. It also sums up the space on iPhone. It even gives you a nice big blue button that says “Free Up Space” on your iPhone. This kinda removes the idea of a ‘backup’ since it basically will delete all your photos. I’m not sure about making this button blue, but I suppose for those stuck on 16GB or smaller devices, this is probably a live saver button.
Regardless of whether or not you’re cleaning up space, or simply backing up, the iXpand is decidedly a SanDisk product, because on the back of the device you’ll find an SD card slot. Inside you’ll find a higher end SanDisk Ultra Plus SDXC card (at least the 64GB model). The nice thing is you can eject this card and plug it right into your computer and see your backups. Each device you plug in gets it’s own root folder, which is pretty awesome if you live in a family of iOS devices. If you take a peek in each folder, they follow a simple date hierarchy, of year, with subfolders of month number followed by short month description. This keeps the folders in order by name, which is nice. In each folder you’ll find your photos, videos, and contacts named something long and ugly. This is ok, since all but contacts you’ll most likely consume using thumbnail view anyway. The contacts are stored in VCF V-Card format, which is a pretty standard format.
The base itself is polished aluminum with laser etching of the model in the bottom. The only other port than the SD card on the back is the Micro USB power. The included adapter is 15w and appears to charge the iPhone at the speed the iPad adapter would. I put my iPhone on at 30% and 1 hours later it was at 75%. The base is covered with an rubberized cover that helps keep the phone on top. It’s angled ever so slightly to allow viewing of your device. The front of the device has an opening that lets you hide your iPhone’s USB cable. Unfortunately this is an instance where you bring your own lightening cable. At this price, it would be nice to see a short 1ft or otherwise cable included.
Keep in mind that the contacts, photos, and videos stored on your iXpand base are not encrypted in any way. Not overly surprising, but it might be a concern to some more security minded.
All said in done, if you’re looking for an alternative to iCloud for Photos, this is a great way to keep using the free tier while relying on local backup for your photos. Obviously there are other solutions (such as the relatively cheap iCloud storage, Google Photos, or One Drive), but none of them give you a solid state local backup. The iXpand brings piece of mind and a highly accessible local copy of your data.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Stream your favorite tunes through these Bang & Olufsen wireless headphones. Memory foam padding and soft lambskin covers let you listen comfortably for hours, and controls on the outer metal plates let you manipulate audio with the touch of a finger. Noise-cancellation technology ensures great sound through these Bang & Olufsen wireless headphones.
Customer Rating
5
Durable, Amazing, and Portable
on October 12, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
The Beoplay H9’s B&O’s new premium wireless headphones. They offer some interesting features, including active noise cancellation, audio adjustments via app, wired or wireless operation and touch sensitive controls.
My experience with headphones is fairly wide range on the lower side of the budget spectrum. I have everything from $20 no-name Bluetooth earbuds, to super-aerial wired Klipsch. What are unique to me about the H9’s is active noise cancellation. I’ve had plenty of noise isolating headphones, which either attempt to use foam or direct contact with the ear canal to seal out other noises. If you’ve never had an active noise cancelling headphone on before, the effects at first are disorienting. Immediately it is quieter than you ever thought possible. Once you get past the disorientation though, you start to appreciate the silence. In fact I found myself putting on the H9’s just to enjoy some quiet time without so much ‘white noise’ around me.
Now, the H9’s are pricey. Retailing for half a grand is quite an ask for many, but rest assure you get a premium product. The construction of the H9’s is amazing. Most moving parts in headphones have a tendency to be made of composite material. The problem with most composites is that they have a tendency to be somewhat brittle over time and crack. I’ve lost a couple good sets of headphones simply because the mechanism has broken. That led me to vmoda cans a few years ago, which are amazing, but somewhat flawed. These make the vmoda look like paper mache. Parts you expect to be plastic are anodized aluminum. I’m not even sure how these were assembled, as even the hinges seem to be milled as one piece. The housing of the speakers themselves are composite, but a type that seems extremely durable. The biggest thing is that no metal appears to attach to plastic, anywhere. So if you are concerned about longevity of this set, don’t worry about it - these are a tank. The headband feels quite solid as well, if just a bit more eclectic than the rest of the headphone’s aesthetic (there is leather sown to the top in one layer, with portions of leather wrapping around and inset fabric).
The H9 also sport one of the best sound quality I’ve heard. They blow the Sony MDR-XB950’s I have out of the water (seriously back to back listening was laughably bad). The sound is crisp, clear, and dynamic. Bass is offered up in loads without sacrificing highs. Bass notes flow, and never boom. Mid’s are also quite crisp. I’d still lump the H9’s in with headphones that follow a ‘power’ curve instead of being neutral. That said, these are no Beats. Subtle details of songs, textures of drums, faint percussion or chimes stand out. Bluetooth audio is the best I’ve heard on any set. There are definitely points where the wire help, but for all but the most picky listeners these are a great Bluetooth set. The soundstage (or sense of depth) is narrow, but such is life in the world of cans (closed back headphones). If you try a nice set of open backed headphones, you’ll know what I’m talking about, but I can’t fault a semi-compact set of cans for having an audio profile of cans.
The touch controls are hard to get at first. It’s easy to make a joke that the volume control makes you look like you’re calling someone coo-coo (you circle your ear), but in all reality controlling it is a subtle art. I’ve been using them for over a week now and are still getting the hang of it. Play pause is pretty easy (just a tap), and volume just takes an understanding of where the sensor edges are. It could be a bit clearer, but you get used to it.
The right ear includes most of the controls and ports. These consist of a on off switch with a Bluetooth moment toggle for turning the Bluetooth on and pairing. Ostensibly if you use the headphones with a wire, you could just use the switch to turn on the noise cancellation and keep Bluetooth off. The headphones charge with micro-usb located under the toggle switch. Further under that near the bottom of the can is the 3.5 mm headphone jack. While on the chopping block of 2017 phone designers, this still offers the best sound quality and the ability to bring your own amplifier. The built in microphone seems quite good to those I’ve talked to, so no concerns there.
Interestingly, on the left can you’ll find a switch that will release a removable battery. Inside you find a 750mah li-ion battery which keeps the headphones powered like a champ. I’ve listened for a few days now (admittedly a couple hours here and there) without needing a charge and they’re not even down to 65%. A removable battery is definitely counter cultural these days, but I can appreciate it. It’s unobtrusive and honestly adds to the longevity of the headphones (a non-removable might call it quits after a few years, while this most likely is a 20 spot away from having a brand new battery without any disassembly).
Comfort wise, these are very comfortable. Not quite as luxurious as some I’ve owned, but the important thing is that they are relatively compact and offer this level of comfort. While these are full sized headphones they’re not as large as the aforementioned sony model I have as well.
All in all I can appreciate the B&O H9’s for their focus on not just providing a great sonic experience today, but also 10 years from now. While pricy, they make their case by being non-disposable, durable, and maintainable. Their audio quality can probably be matched by cheaper headphones, but their build quality is several levels beyond what I’ve experienced. The biggest criticism I can leverage is the lack of a hard case (such as what my vmoda came with). I suppose you could say a tank doesn’t need more armor, but I doubt most $500 headset owners want to risk throwing these in a bag 365 days a year. It does come with a double lined soft cloth bag with a elastic tie.
If you’re looking for an amazing set of wireless headphones and have the pocket-change for these, go for them. They’re a great set of ANC cans that will last you for years to come.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Keep your home clean with this Bissell Pet Stain Eraser Bagless Cordless Carpet Cleaner. The cordless unit pulls messes out of carpet and upholstery in minutes, and the rechargeable lithium battery ensures that it stays ready for use. This Pet Stain Eraser Bagless Cordless Carpet Cleaner comes with a premixed cleaning formula to reduce setup time.
Customer Rating
5
It's like a tiny carpet shampooer
on October 5, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
Well, it really is just a tiny carpet shampooer. That's actually pretty awesome, as it does a great job cleaning up messes, not only from pets but also toddlers! Seriously, there was some melted cheese in the carpet, this thing cleaned it right up!
It's rechargeable, and seems pretty capable for most small spills it's designed to clean up. You fill up the tank with cleaner (2 tubs provided) and spray. Let that sit for a few minutes, then come back scrub with the included nylon brush (built into the device just behind the suction area) and vacuum up the excess cleaner and mess. This is pretty effortless, and very easy. The carpet generally is still pretty wet, even after a thorough vacuuming, so you do need to let it air dry a bit. So far I haven't had to do a lot of maintenance, but it is pretty easy to work on.
This has helped get out some stains that I've been waiting to address with a full shampooing. The convenience of being able to address these stains at will, without having to go grab several tools, scrub, and vacuum separately after drying is so nice. Especially if these 'incidents' occur in the middle of the night (I'm looking at you hairball queen cat).
The manual talks about some not included accessories, including a window squeegee. It's a shame it didn't come with that, as it's a nifty idea. All in all this does a great job with pet stains, and like I said 'other messes'. I wish we had it years ago!
Highly recommended!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get a theater-like viewing experience with this Epson Home Cinema wireless projector. The 2,500 lumens of color and white brightness, Full HD capability and 60,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio ensure a gorgeous picture on a screen or vertical surface measuring up to 11 feet diagonally. This Epson Home Cinema projector features Miracast for wireless screen mirroring from an Android or Windows 8.1+ device.
Customer Rating
5
The Perfect Entry Level Projector
on October 5, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
The Epson 2150 is Epson’s newest entry into the entry level home theater projector. While Epson does have a couple cheaper options, I’d venture to guess most home theater users wouldn’t look too much lower on the price totem pole if they’re being serious about a home theater. Epson’s 2150 is a bit more expensive than some of it’s DLP rivals, but the inherent advantages of their technology along with extremely strong fundamentals of the 2150 make it a must look for any home theater builder on a budget.
Before I get into this review - I’m an Epson fan. They make solid projectors for the money and I’ve had great luck with them. I own a 730HD and an 8350 - so I have their low-end and higher end.
First of all, what sets the 2150 apart from it’s little brother the 2100? Very little - except Epson is using a better LCD matrix in the 2150 to drive a much higher contrast ratio (60000:1 vs 35000:1). My recommendation is to only consider the 2150 unless you’re doing projection in a bright room and want $50 back in your pocket.
Moving on - what sets the 2150 apart in it’s market? Well, first of all, while Epson’s are more expensive than some other entry level 1080p DLP projectors, Epson brings some advantages to the table that may be game changing. For me the biggest is no DLP rainbows. I’m pretty sensitive to them, and LCD tech is immune to them. Another thing you get is fewer moving parts. Essentially LCD projectors are more reliable long term. One big thing that’s fairly unique in the sub-$1000 projector market is lens shift. While the 2150 only offers vertical lens shift, this means you get pretty flexible placement on center with your screen. Unfortunately the lens shift isn’t as flexible as I would have liked - essentially allowing you to put the projector closer to the bottom of the screen, but it’s still quite good to have.
The Epson also sports some stunning color and brightness for the money. The rated output is 2500 lumens, and while that may not match all it’s competitors, it’s still quite bright. When you look at rated output, keep in mind that you want to find a projector that is bright enough, but not too bright for your environment. The Epson rides a line that is just about perfect for all but the brightest environments. I have a relatively dark room, and I found that the cinema setting with eco on was my best bet. The benefit is that the projector is really quiet at this setting. It’s still quite bright at this setting. Brighter than my previous Epson 8350. The 2150 comes set out of the box on Bright Cinema - which is geared for a living room more than a movie room. Either setting produces wonderfully accurate color. The downside to Bright Cinema setting is the fan noise. It’s quite a bit louder, which is probably fine for an environment like sport watching, but might be distracting for moving watching.
Black levels are about what you’d expect from an LCD projector. Epson has had great technology in this area, but for a price. The 8500UB was amazing compared to the 8350 I ended up purchasing years ago, but it was also much more costly. The 2150 sports dark grays when it comes to black levels. Even with the auto-iris, black bars are a dark gray instead of black - but the effect is not as bad as I might even make it sound. It’s something you get used to - especially if you’re budget for a projector isn’t that of a used car. Dark movies still benefit from the auto-iris - which is head and shoulders above the one found in my 8350. Even set on high speed I couldn’t hear it operate (older models sound like a hard dive.
Image quality is top notch. I compared this directly to my 8350, and convergence was quite a bit better on my 2150 sample - white lines were very white. Generally colors were spot on out of the box. The 2150 has a few more tricks up its sleeve too. While out of vogue, it supports 3D with active RF glasses (not included). It also supports image interpolation which smooths motion. Most people find this effect in film to be jarring, but for animation, and sports it’s pretty awesome.
There are also quite a few features for connectivity. While this projector loses the more analogue inputs of it’s predecessor, it does have MHL-HDMI, HDMI, and VGA, USB, and Miracast screen mirroring. You can even download the iProjection app from Epson on the App Store and use it to project photos, videos and more from your iPhone. This worked, even if it was a bit clunky. Some Android phones can cast directly to it. Windows 8/10 laptops with proper drivers should be able to use the “Connect to a wireless display” option to project. I unfortunately didn’t have much luck with my laptop using this feature. Another cool feature is split screen, which lets you project two inputs simultaneously. Probably one of the more important features is audio out. If you are using this in a living room, being able to just jack a speaker from the line-out is a convenient addition. The built in speaker is rated at 10w, and does a decent job, but obviously is limited in both it’s dynamic range and volume. I didn’t notice any buzzing or odd sounds that my 730HD exhibits
All in all the Epson 2150 is a pretty amazing projector for the money. Whether you’re looking for a portable projector to use outdoors, and need flexible audio connection options or you’re looking for a entry level home theater to use in a dark room, the 2150 is a great projector. It’s quiet, small, efficient, bright, vibrant, capable, and even offers 3D.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+55points
60of 65voted this as helpful.
Take precise, intuitive control of digital projects with this wireless Logitech Craft advanced keyboard. Its creative input dial lets you make accurate object size adjustments, zoom images quickly and perform other shortcut functions with design tools in multimedia and office applications. The backlit keys of this Logitech Craft advanced keyboard automatically adjust their brightness to your environment.
Customer Rating
4
A Great Keyboard and Promise of Something More
on September 25, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
The Logitech Craft keyboard is a unique keyboard. It brings multiple connection options, a premium scissor switch, high quality backlighting, and a productivity knob in a thin and substantial feeling package.
First of all, how does it function as a keyboard? Well, since most of us type on our keyboards, I decided to give it a typing test. I generally type around 75 WPM give or take 5%. The iPad Pro typepad I was able to score around 67 WPM, my Thinkpad’s keyboard I generally get around 80 WPM, and about the same for my Cherry MX Brown keyboard. The Craft keyboard I was able to clock in at my all time high of 88 WPM. I think this is partly attributable to the shape, texture and height of the keyboard and ease of key depress. Logitech does have something special here if you’re a touch typer that has grown up on mobile keyboards. I’m a mechanical switch keyboard fan, so this is high praise for a scissor switch. The actuation force for each key seems just about perfect. There is adequate key travel as well, but once you hit the actuation point the key bottoms out. If you someone who types lightly or with exceptional force this keyboard is comfortable either way. Best of all, in a professional environment this keyboard is extremely quiet. The loudest noise I ran into was the squeak of the space bar, which was annoying when compared to the rest of the keyboard. This is probably an anomaly with my unit.
The backlighting is pretty impressive as well. There are 15 levels, and you can step through and they can go quite dim all the way to blindingly bright. The backlight is adjustable using F6/F7 in the function key row. Unfortunately there is no auto brightness here, but the keyboard makes up for that via proximity sensor that only enables the backlight when your hands are present. This is a pretty unique feature and improves battery life significantly. You can disable the backlight by turning the brightness all the way down (effectively turning it off).
The layout of the keyboard is nearly identical to Apple’s full size keyboard. The function row is not grouped, but instead spaced just like every other key. The escape key is extra wide which accounts for some of the extra space (just like more recent vintage Apple keyboards). Where Apple’s layout kept the F13-15 keys (right above the insert/home/pg up where more traditional keyboards stuff scroll lock, print screen and pause) is the device selection keys. The keyboard can support up to 3 connections - each being either bluetooth or the Logitech unifying receiver. Simply holding down the connection button for more than 3 seconds will enter pairing mode. This is both intuitive and easy to use. I was able to pair my Retina Macbook, iPad, iPhone and Samsung Android tablet via bluetooth. The unifying receiver in the box is prep-paired on channel 1, which appreciated, as not everyone’s workstations may have bluetooth. Above the number pad you can find a calculator quick launch, print screen, scroll lock and a ‘lock’ lock, which worked well on iOS, OSX and Windows 10. Number lock can be found where clear is accessible through the FN key (although I never really use this). Logitech’s Options software allows you to reassign these keys and control the “Crown” (more on that later).
The build quality of the keyboard is top notch - as you would expect at this price point. While the keyboard area itself is matte plastic with shallow divots on each key. These really do seem to guide me to be more accurate on each key and provide some tactile feedback to guide you to the center of the key. The function row and bottom row are devoid of these divots, but that really isn’t much of a concern. The keyboard section doesn’t flex, but definitely has a distinct plastic sound if you twist it. In either case the keyboard section connects to the top section, which I would assume is the location of the radios, battery, and of course the crown dial. This section is definitely anodized aluminum - and matches the “Space Gray” that Apple uses in it’s products. Logitech’s choice to use anodized aluminum for this section adds a nice amount of heft to the keyboard. I’m surprised Logitech didn’t bring the aluminum down to the keyboard frame, as that would have added a bit more premium look and feel. As it stands the two materials make it look like a keyboard ‘attached’ to a top section. In fact the keyboard and crown area both have a curved radius on each of their 4 corners emphasizing the separate sections. What you get is a stacked look that isn’t jarring, but definitely doesn’t seem as seamless as you’d expect from a premium product. While the keys themselves are comfortable, smooth matte plastic (I prefer their feel to what Apple offers) I’m disappointed not to see something more exotic at this price point.
I know I keep mentioning Apple, but Logitech is truly going after the professionals that Apple is leaving behind as they keep moving towards reducing thickness and drive their butterfly switch. After all if you have to spend $130 on a magic keyboard, why not explore a more flexible option from Logitech? Even the modifier keys list Apple’s function before the PC equivalent (like the ‘start’ button show’s ‘alt/opt’). This keyboard should appease those who are fans of the older scissor switch style apple keyboards. Best of all if you swap between OS’s you can keep the appropriate keyboard layout for the active OS. This happens natively, even without the software install, so kudos to Logitech on a flawless implementation here.
The “Crown” is Logitech’s hallmark feature for this keyboard. It’s Logitech’s answer to the surface dial - integrating it into the keyboard. It is definitely aluminum just like the rest of the top section, which feels excellent in hand. It’s about 1” in diameter, and has a ‘clicky’ feel to it (think mouse wheel) by default. You can depress it as an additional button. The dial itself is touch sensitive allowing different ‘mode’ selections in supported apps. Out of the box, the crown controls volume (on all 4 OS’s I tried). On OSX I found holding the crown down would change the ‘intent’ to screen brightness (on my Retina MacBook). On windows specifically the volume control would change to analogue spin, instead of a clicky mouse wheel spin (Windows allows volume adjust from 0-100, whereas OS X is 15 levels by default). When it does this it sounds somewhat like a camera shutter noise. It’s a bit jarring at first, but I assume there is machinery in play that is similar to how the MX series mice switch to free spin vs clicky wheel.
Disappointingly OS X only has Crown profiles for the Adobe creative suite, Chrome and Firefox. Both Chrome and Firefox allow fast tab switching using the knob. This is a nice use of this knob in the browser, but certainly not a reason to spend the $200 MSRP of this keyboard. The Adobe create suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Premiere Pro) on the other hand, have different options based on the tool you are using at the time. This is a differentiating feature, allowing you to use the knob to control things like color, brightness, etc. The PC has a few more options, specifically Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Edge. Word allowed theme changing, font changing and color changing. Excel allows you to move around cells quickly and create charts. Powerpoint allows you to change the theme, alignment, and text size. All in all these are kinda ‘geez whiz’ more than productive. The office integrations use VSTO, and apparently mine didn’t install properly. You can google the error message and find a solution rather quickly that involves renaming the default VSTO config file (unrelated to Logitech - more of a Microsoft issue).
On both desktop operating systems the Logitech Options software gives you the ability to customize its function. The software really is excellent and lets you reassign all the function keys as well. In the end this software feature has the opportunity to expand much further. Windows does seem to have more bindings out of the box for this feature, but if you’re a Adobe creative suite user, this keyboard brings some compelling features to the list. All in all the Crown is a neat capability that feels slightly underbaked at the time of writing.
One interesting point is, for charging the keyboard uses USB Type-C. There is a cable included in the box, and it’s nice to see this connector as it’s both easier to use and more durable than micro or mini USB. There is an on/off switch next to the port, and on the other side of the port is a line of plastic which I surmise is the location of the antenna (as it’s packed in aluminum) - but you’d be hard pressed to even notice it (it reminds me of the IR sensor on older macs, only a bit longer). The proximity sensor for the keyboard is magic, and I have no clue how it works, but it works extremely well. It’s a great feature to save battery when using the backlight and so far as offered a great compromise in keeping the keyboard wireless and offering backlighting.
So is it worth a purchase? If you are looking for a premium keyboard and want to eschew mechanical keyboards for their noise and longer key travel this is a consideration. Are you looking for meatier alternative to Apple’s keyboards with some creative tools (Apple’s offerings have only 1 connection, proprietary connector, no backlighting, and no additional control surfaces)? This keyboard is for you. Do you have multiple devices running multiple OS’s - this is another big feature. The price gives me pause in the PC ecosystem (as there are so many competitors and decent offerings, even in logitech’s portfolio), but the build quality and ability to cross the OS borders without need to remap keys make this a compelling product.
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+21points
24of 27voted this as helpful.
Navigate your games with this Logitech wireless mouse. Its optical sensor maximizes accuracy for a smoother gaming experience, and its 1 ms report rate reduces lag, so you don't fall behind in competition mode. This Logitech wireless mouse has a charging system that lets you power it wirelessly, so it doesn't interrupt your playing time.
Customer Rating
5
Best Wireless Mouse Ever
on August 4, 2017
Posted by: aarondr
from Richmond, VA
I've had a lot of Logitech mice over the years. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that Logitech is pretty much the only mouse maker that matters to me anymore. I've had others, but inevitably I come back to Logitech mice. They've had a few stinkers over the years, but they have many great mice. Occasionally they make an awesome mouse.
The G703 is no exception. In fact, I'd go as far to say that it marries a great sensor, a great classic layout, great lighting and great wireless tech into a mouse that is just about perfect for many gamers.
I have several Logitech mice including a G502 and G602. The G602 is ok, but has some issues. The G502 was a dream mouse for me. I have to say it tracked the best, felt the best, and is pretty much my favorite mouse of all time. The G703 is basically a simplified, paired down, awesome version of the G502. It has the same sensor, RGB lighting, more ergonomic buttons, and no wires! Where the G502 has many individual weights that allow you to adjust things finely, the G703 includes one magnetic weight that can add a bit more heft to the mouse. The G502 has more buttons for adjusting DPI, and has Logitech's awesome free spinning wheel - whereas the G703 has only a standard, but nice click wheel.
There is a rubberized texture to the mouse - which feels quite comfortable, but always makes me worry that it will get sticky a few years down the road. Time will tell there, but it's quite comfortable. The buttons on the site are polished plastic which are quite grippy when you need them to be. It's around the same size as the G502, so it's not too big if you're a clutcher, but you can palm this mouse easily too.
The included charging cable is really nice quality braided nylon. While I haven't gauged battery life at this point, it's at minimum acceptable. The dongle included can plug into the cable keeping things nice and simple connectivity wise.
One interesting feature of the G703 is that it can charge wirelessly with the PowerPlay charging mat. I don't have one of those, but the concept of keeping the mouse charged, and never having to have it plug in is an amazing concept.
The thing about the G703 is that it makes all the right decisions when paring down features from the G502 - while also making a much cleaner aesthetic. The G703 is more comfortable than either the G502 or G602 that I also have, and has supplanted them as my favorite mouse all around. I love this mouse!
My Best Buy number: 0741131094
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
aarondr's Review Comments
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet: The new Surface Pro 3 is in a category of its own. With a stunning 12" display in a sleek magnesium frame, Surface Pro 3 has all the power and performance of a laptop in an incredibly lightweight, versatile form. It may just be the ultimate device.
Overall
3 out of 5
3 out of 5STILL NO NATIVE MKV PLAYBACK???
By worknstiff
from NC
Why can't surface pro 3 play mkv's? I really wanted to like the Surface Pro 2 and now especially the new Surface Pro 3's bigger screen and higher resolution. I like that it is a laptop replacement and also can be used as a tablet, but without native MKV support I can't see it replacing my Samsung tablet anytime soon. What a shame that you have all this computing power and still can't watch HD video's on this excellent HD screen. Why is Microsoft so adverse to making this the "PERFECT" multimedia consumption device, especially since all the lower price tablets (using MX Pro Video Player) seem to handle 1080p mkv's with DTS audio and subtitles just fine. I guess Microsoft doesn't want my money, SIGH.
aarondr
Richmond, VA
Uh...
July 8, 2014
MKV is a container format. VLC or other apps can play those natively (just download from the marketplace). You can also install codec packs that will bring support to windows media player. Any Windows machine can do it, but for legal reasons they don't include the codecs. Android gets away with it since it's GPL2 to start with (meaning all the open source codecs that are GPL2 can be included without infringing on FSF license. MS on the other hand would have to open source all of windows to distribute GPL based codecs).
+4points
4of 4voted this comment as helpful.
This NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5 graphics card features multiple NVIDIA technologies, including CUDA and G-Sync, that ensure lush, realistic gaming visuals. NVIDIA SHIELD and GameStream allow you to stream portable and PC games.
Overall
2 out of 5
2 out of 5good gpu but false info. spec.
By kojisan
from nevada
i originally bought this card because of the 4GB memory and future 4k display usage but after having this for a month. the performance is very good, low wattage, low fan noise, led custom and heavy on weight. over all, i don't see a 4GB usage on this gpu in the future and nvidia gave a real spec. of a gpu memory of a 195GBPs on 3.5 and 20GBPS on 0.5 memory.
my setup is
-amd fx 6100
-samsung SSD 120
-wd 250 HDD
-2x wd 2TB HDD
-gtx 970
-seasonic 520W
my setup is
-amd fx 6100
-samsung SSD 120
-wd 250 HDD
-2x wd 2TB HDD
-gtx 970
-seasonic 520W
aarondr
Richmond, VA
February 5, 2015
I agree that the specs sent to reviewers were false. I'd even agree that Nvidia knew about this probably since the first public reviews went out (if I'm an engineer, I'm reading reviews of my work - and noticing the incorrect specs - hopefully sounding the alarm). But to be fair, the specs (save arguably the memory bandwidth) are accurate on the product page and always have been. The fewer ROPs, smaller L2 cache, and segmented memory all suck compared to the press reviews, but there's nothing on the product box or product page that's false here.
-1point
0of 1voted this comment as helpful.
Power your home theater with this Insignia™ NS-SB515 2.1-channel soundbar, which features Bluetooth technology for easy wireless streaming. The 6.5" subwoofer produces quality low-end sound to enhance your favorite films.
Overall2 out of 5
2 out of 5Good Sound, Poor Execution for the Price
By aarondr
from Richmond, VA
* Packaging
Unlike many sound bars, the box is actually a rectangular cuboid. The packaging is secure and quite nice. Everything is wrapped in standard plastic and the larger items in a foam padding. The package itself was surprisingly light considering its size. Expect this to arrive in great shape if you are having this shipped.
Unlike many sound bars, the box is actually a rectangular cuboid. The packaging is secure and quite nice. Everything is wrapped in standard plastic and the larger items in a foam padding. The package itself was surprisingly light considering its size. Expect this to arrive in great shape if you are having this shipped.
* Setup
Setup was really easy. Just plug all the included cables in the holes that fit and you’re pretty much done. The subwoofer paired automatically and the included RCA cables will get most people running in no time. A RCA to 3.5mm phono adapter adds the ability to plug in your phone or tablet directly to the RCA inputs, which is a handy addition. No optical cable was provided even though this unit features it, so that's a negative in my book.
Setup was really easy. Just plug all the included cables in the holes that fit and you’re pretty much done. The subwoofer paired automatically and the included RCA cables will get most people running in no time. A RCA to 3.5mm phono adapter adds the ability to plug in your phone or tablet directly to the RCA inputs, which is a handy addition. No optical cable was provided even though this unit features it, so that's a negative in my book.
* Build Quality
The main devices (bar and subwoofer) are not regular cuboid shapes, but rather both are tapered and the soundbar is chamfered on the front ends. For the sound bar, the exterior is a matte plastic with glossy plastic ends and a rubberish material over the buttons found on the left side. The speaker grill is covered in standard cloth, and is removable (see pictures in the video). The stereo speakers are acoustically suspended and seem to be made of paper with foam surrounds and shiny plastic dust covers. They measure in at 5.75” x 1.25” in size and are rectangular in shape. In the middle is a multi-function LED and IR receiver eye.
The main devices (bar and subwoofer) are not regular cuboid shapes, but rather both are tapered and the soundbar is chamfered on the front ends. For the sound bar, the exterior is a matte plastic with glossy plastic ends and a rubberish material over the buttons found on the left side. The speaker grill is covered in standard cloth, and is removable (see pictures in the video). The stereo speakers are acoustically suspended and seem to be made of paper with foam surrounds and shiny plastic dust covers. They measure in at 5.75” x 1.25” in size and are rectangular in shape. In the middle is a multi-function LED and IR receiver eye.
The subwoofer is also made of plastic of the matte texture variety. The back of the device has an amplifier section made of steel with no adjustments to be made, just an LED light and pair button in case it gets disconnected from the soundbar. A 120v power cord is the only protruding item. On the bottom can be found a 6.5” ported subwoofer. While 6.5” is on the small size for a subwoofer, the driver appears to be made from quality materials. A rubber surround and relatively tough cone material are used, which is good considering there is no protection for the driver. There are four feet on the bottom which provide separation from the floor and allow the subwoofer’s port to breath. The feet here are similar in texture to the soundbar only thicker, helping to isolate the subwoofer and prevent unwanted vibrations. Removing the driver reveals a decently sized magnet and room for excursion. Inside the cabinet a short board of MDF appears to be bracing the enclosure. This design touch may be to prevent plastic rattling common to plastic enclosure subwoofers. The sub unit weighs in at 8lb 2.5oz, and I’d say subjectively that more than half that weight is the driver itself.
* Sound
The soundbar itself is rated at a total power output of 15W a channel and the subwoofer at 30W. As far as estimates go, I’d say they are pretty close to reality. 60W total power @ 1%THD doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does the job and can get loud enough to start to become uncomfortable. I was easily able to hit 90dB at 8ft distance with minimal distortion. Don’t let the numbers fool you, this soundbar can get loud enough for smaller spaces.
The soundbar itself is rated at a total power output of 15W a channel and the subwoofer at 30W. As far as estimates go, I’d say they are pretty close to reality. 60W total power @ 1%THD doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does the job and can get loud enough to start to become uncomfortable. I was easily able to hit 90dB at 8ft distance with minimal distortion. Don’t let the numbers fool you, this soundbar can get loud enough for smaller spaces.
On the remote there are 3 equalizer settings (DSP). The 'Standard' setting, while implying a flat curve, appears to be V shaped as the bass seems over exaggerated. Theater adds a bit of reverb and attempts to create a 3 dimensional soundstage which it accomplishes to a varying degree. The sound in this mode tends to sound like it’s in a tunnel, so personally I’m not a fan. News flattens out the bass and pushes the mids up. I don’t watch a lot of news, but it does emphasize dialog at the expense of other sounds so it might be the way to go for some usage scenarios.
For movies and TV the soundbar does admirably, producing clear vocals and adding quite a bit more depth to the sound than built in TV speakers. It compared favorably to my trusty old HTIB setup for dialog and normal TV/Movie viewing. The subwoofer does get a bit boomy at higher volumes, but generally does a good job considering its size. Again placement is the key. Putting it in a corner significantly increased the perceived output, and placing it near the front of the room caused it to blend naturally with the sound.
* Inputs
The soundbar supports both RCA audio and optical audio. While it supports digital audio through optical connection, it seems a token feature at best. It’s limited to uncompressed PCM 2 channel audio (making it an obvious setup issue born out by the 2 different reminder stickers on the soundbar and no less than 6 reminders in the manual). That said, you may still want to opt to use the RCA inputs for 2 reasons: there is no optical cable in the box, and many TVs can vary the volume of the RCA outputs using the TV volume (for example the Vizio M502b1) which may be more convenient. In back to back comparisons, the Optical input sounded ‘brighter’, but that might just be my TV and the soundbar’s DACs differing.
The soundbar supports both RCA audio and optical audio. While it supports digital audio through optical connection, it seems a token feature at best. It’s limited to uncompressed PCM 2 channel audio (making it an obvious setup issue born out by the 2 different reminder stickers on the soundbar and no less than 6 reminders in the manual). That said, you may still want to opt to use the RCA inputs for 2 reasons: there is no optical cable in the box, and many TVs can vary the volume of the RCA outputs using the TV volume (for example the Vizio M502b1) which may be more convenient. In back to back comparisons, the Optical input sounded ‘brighter’, but that might just be my TV and the soundbar’s DACs differing.
The device supports A2DP bluetooth audio, and the fidelity is of decent quality. I had one or two dropouts when the device was not line of site, but generally it kept a good connection up to the designated 10m distance. Pairing is easy, as the device shows up as ‘NS-SB515 Soundbar’ (heaven help you if you have two of these soundbars). The device ‘remembers’ 8 paired devices and connects to the last previously connected device in range. Connections must be forcibly disconnected to be able to switch devices. If your iPad was the last device connected, and you switch to bluetooth it will connect to it automatically, even though it is sitting on the shelf charging and you really wanted to use your phone. The solution is to get the iPad and disconnect or turn off bluetooth. So much for wireless convenience.
* Remote and other thoughts
The remote is a credit card style with buttons nearly as thick as the remote itself. The larger buttons aren’t stabilized very well and thus don’t pick up every press consistently. Their overall thickness makes it more awkward than most. The use of a CR2025 button cell is startling. While thinner, they are more expensive, harder to come by, and put out much less power than standard AAA batteries. This bears out in usage, as the remote is hit or miss from 9’, which is a byproduct of the poor IR transmitter and button activation.
The remote is a credit card style with buttons nearly as thick as the remote itself. The larger buttons aren’t stabilized very well and thus don’t pick up every press consistently. Their overall thickness makes it more awkward than most. The use of a CR2025 button cell is startling. While thinner, they are more expensive, harder to come by, and put out much less power than standard AAA batteries. This bears out in usage, as the remote is hit or miss from 9’, which is a byproduct of the poor IR transmitter and button activation.
Call me picky, but the remote has about 7 too many buttons on it and adds yet another IR remote to the living room stack. Subwoofer volume is separately adjustable, and each DSP and input is available at one button press. While this is nice, the primary functionality of the remote will be to turn on/off and change the overall volume. Since this device has only an RGB indicator LED the remote must have these extra buttons to make everything ‘directly’ accessible. Not sure if it’s on Optical Audio input? “Press the button just to make sure”. Is the sub all the way up? “Don’t know push the up button 10 times just to make sure.” The volume keys are conveniently placed on the left side and thus easily used by a right hander. However, oftentimes I would find the sound bar missing my button presses or conversely detecting one press as two and step the volume up 2 steps. If you integrate this into your entertainment center and you don’t already have a universal remote, you’ll most likely want to invest in one to simplify things.
On the positive side, ambient power usage is really quite under control. My power meter read a pretty steady 4 watts idle on the soundbar and less than a half a watt on the subwoofer while idle. This means leaving this on all the time is an option (again, I’m trying to outsource remote control to the TV).
The LED is multi-function using all three of its primary colors. Solid red indicates the device is in standby mode. Press the power button, and it turns green for exactly 10 seconds before turning off. Press any function button or source button other than bluetooth and the led will flicker red indicating it is receiving the command. Press the bluetooth button the LED will flash blue until it connects and then it turns solid. Everything here is basic, but functional. That is until my unit developed an issue with its LED. About 36 hours after initially plugging it in, with most of its time on standby, the red LED ceased to function and the green LED stuck in an on state regaradless if the unit is on or off. At this point the LED ceased to function as an indicator, and became more of an annoyance. I contacted Insignia support and was promised an answer within 48 hours. I did hear back in about 8 hours with a very polite reply. One advantage of the Insignia brand is that since they are exclusive to Best Buy their warranty service is handled through Best Buy’s geek squad, so you have real human beings to work with. Again, I don’t want to be too harsh here, because bad units exist in every level of manufacturing, and hopefully my review unit was the exception, not the rule.
* Conclusion
At this MSRP I feel as though Insignia doesn’t have much to offer. On a sale around half that MSRP, it might be worth it for a secondary TV room, dorm, or smaller living room. It will beat built-in speakers on most flat panels any day, offering quite a bit more bass and depth, and great flexibility in installation and placement. For normal TV listening this is definitely an upgrade but for the price other manufacturers offer more all around and the potential inconveniences of the design prevent this from getting my recommendation.
At this MSRP I feel as though Insignia doesn’t have much to offer. On a sale around half that MSRP, it might be worth it for a secondary TV room, dorm, or smaller living room. It will beat built-in speakers on most flat panels any day, offering quite a bit more bass and depth, and great flexibility in installation and placement. For normal TV listening this is definitely an upgrade but for the price other manufacturers offer more all around and the potential inconveniences of the design prevent this from getting my recommendation.
aarondr
Richmond, VA
Full Review Here
November 20, 2015
I had to abbreviate my review to fit into the length requirements of Best Buy's review platform. Here is the full unabridged: http://aaronromine.tumblr.com/post/133564337421/bb-tech-insider-network-and-the-ns-sb515
+1point
1of 1voted this comment as helpful.
Choose this Sony television with Android TV for an immersive audio and video experience. Its 4K Processor X1 brings stunning Ultra HD to your home so you can enjoy crystal-clear images in spectacular color. Every frame is automatically upgraded to 4K quality by this Sony television with Android TV, complete with automatic contrast adjustment for lifelike detail.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5AWESOME TV
By Greg
This TV is awesome, 4K 120GHZ REFRESH RATE. Have connected my XBOX ONE as well as my iMac 5K and it performs awesome. Smart TV includes netflix, youtube, and many other apps. EXTREMELY THIN!!! very worth the price! LOVE IT.
DEFINETELY RECOMMEND
aarondr
Richmond, VA
August 3, 2016
The refresh rate of this model is 60Hz not 120GHz (that's like crazy high, I think you mean 120Hz). Just like the native 120Hz TVs they market as XR960.
+2points
2of 2voted this comment as helpful.
Enjoy a compact tablet that fits neatly in your pocket with this Acer Iconia One 8-inch tablet. It includes a quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM that deliver powerful processing to play all your games and apps, and the 16GB of flash memory ensure this Acer Iconia One 8-inch tablet and store your files.
Overall4 out of 5
4 out of 5Solid Tablets for the Price
By aarondr
from Richmond, VA
I received a 8" for my review for TIN, so my review is reflective more of the 8" device than the 10", however I did get a chance to play with the 10" in store for a bit, so I'll keep the review kind of high level. Essentially the device is a great google tablet. You get the play store, some junk icons on the homepage, but the cruft is kept to a minimum. So if you're experience is nexus devices, you'll feel at home at this device. You can even debloat it for the most part. The screen is lower resolution than some tablets in the past, but it's acceptable and gives the tablet's CPU/GPU a bit of wiggle room. Even with only 1GB of ram on the 8" model, I did not experience any slow downs in everyday browsing. Be certain you are not buying a premium device here - that said it's build quality is excellent, and I'd put it a notch above Amazon devices when it comes to overall software experience. I really enjoyed my 8" and I'm certain the 10" with it's larger RAM and Storage would be a great edition for those entrenched in Google's ecosystem.
aarondr
Richmond, VA
October 10, 2016
Yes, since it runs lollipop - that feature is out of the box w/ Android
0points
0of 0voted this comment as helpful.
Enjoy immersive sound with these Bluetooth Sony EXTRA BASS over-ear headphones. The presets let you choose between arena, club, hall and outdoor stage sound, and the noise-canceling technology lets you block out the world while you listen to tunes. Listen wirelessly for up to 18 hours with these Sony EXTRA BASS over-ear headphones.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Incredible bass, but don't forget the mids & highs
By lambda100
The Sony MDR-XB950B1 is the latest update to the company's Extra Bass headphones replacing the original MDR-XB950BT headphones. The XB950B1 looks nearly identical to the original XB950BT and both weigh the same. (I happen to also own the XB950BT). The left ear cup has the power button, micro usb power connection, audio cord input, microphone, and the bass button which on the current generation is re-labeled as “bass effect” to highlight the ability for the user to adjust the bass settings on a scale of -10 to +10 using Sony's Headphones Connect app. The right ear cup has the volume control +/- button and the skip forward/reverse, play/pause/answer phone button.
The MDR-XB950B1 is an over-the-ear headphone with very thick, soft, and comfortable earpads. I wear eyeglasses and the headphones do not press my frames unduly against my ears. I was able to wear the headphones for hours without discomfort. The metal headband is also well padded and did not feel heavy over my head. The headphones appear to have very good build quality and stretches well to accommodate various head sizes.
Now onto why you're really here... my thoughts on the highly subjective sound quality. These headphones by their very nature, were tuned by the Sony audio engineers to not only emphasize the bass at their default settings right out of the box, but to kick it up a notch to knock you senseless when it's turned up. Audiophiles will hate the sound signature for its total irreverence for how the song was meant to be heard in the studio. Those who own the original XB950BT will recall the nearly identical sound signature which is deep bass with some mids, and muffled highs which don't seem to break through. However, I noticed in my testing of the XB950B1 that the vocals/mids were a little cleaner and that some of the highs did come through ever so slightly better.
As I mentioned above, the way they are tuned from the factory, these headphones are not for the user who demands balance in the audio experience. They were clearly aimed at those who enjoy bass and a lot of it. Those who are seeking the well balanced sound spectrum with crisp highs and mids will be disappointed at first pass with these headphones, until they use an equalizer app to fine tune the higher end frequencies to bring out the highs which these headphones are very capable of and will reward you for doing so. I admit that I was initially dismayed by the lack of clear mids and clean trebles, but I started adjusting the equalizers and virtualizations that brought these headphones to life. Sony also acknowledges that some of us want more punchy bass and others want less by introducing the Sony Headphones Connect app which is available for free download from the Google or Apple app stores to allow users to adjust the level of bass to suit their musical tastes. The ability to adjust the bass from -10 to +10 is a welcome feature, and is the primary distinguishing feature between this second generation XB950B1 and the original XB950BT which only had a “bass boost” that went from extra bass to an insane amount of bass with no settings in between. Now that Sony has included the bass adjustment as an app, it should appease those on either side of the bass spectrum. The +10 bass setting will make the bass sound silly crazy out of this world, and the -10 setting will mellow the bass out a bit and bring you back down to earth. Additionally, the Headphone Connect app also allows users to select presets for outdoor stage, club, hall, or arena-style sound settings. I tried the different presets. They sounded okay, but I prefer to make my adjustments on a third party equalizer app.
Here are some other things to take note of. I really wished Sony included a case to store the headphones. The headphones are bulky and the earcups only turn so that the headphones lay flat. Sony should have also designed the earcups to be foldable (like for the MDR-XB950N1) so that they can be easier to store and transport. The battery life is very good, lasting 18 hrs, which is the same as the original XB950BT. This latest iteration (XB950B1) of the headphones does not suffer from the faint, but audible rumbling/hissing noise that can be heard at low volumes that was found in the first generation XB950BT. This is a great improvement as I found the hissing noise be to very annoying. Finally, these are neither noise canceling headphones nor noise isolating. Don't let the thick padded ear cushions fool you into believing that they will eliminate any ambient noise. With no music playing, you will still hear your surrounding, albeit a little bit muffled.
So in summary, for those looking to upgrade from the original XB950BT to the current XB950B1, the only real change is the freedom to make adjustments the bass via the Sony Headphone Connect app. The sound is very similar between the two. For those those who love bass, these headphones are for you! For those who are seeking their first purchase in the Sony Extra Bass line up, the XB950B1 is a superb choice since the bluetooth connection allows you to lose the wires and the app allows easy adjustment to the bass. And finally for those who are wary that the sound signature is too heavily tuned toward the low end frequencies will be reassured to know that the highs and mids will come through with proper tuning with an equalizer app. I highly recommend these headphones!
aarondr
Richmond, VA
March 30, 2017
I really enjoyed your review, and had many of the same points. I still can't believe that setting the app to -10 actually makes these headphones sound more 'normal'. I'll try adjusting the equalizer a bit as you suggest. Thanks!
+3points
3of 3voted this comment as helpful.
aarondr's Questions
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This Element 27" FHD 1080P LED Frameless Monitor provides simple connectivity to get straight to work. Whether you're adding to your current work from home set-up or purchasing a new monitor to stay in touch with loved ones, this full HD monitor will do the trick. This Element monitor offers a 1080P, full high-definition screen for a clear, vivid picture. Whether you're watching videos, video chatting, or playing basic games you'll find this full HD monitor provides a crisp viewing experience. Element's frameless monitor screens enable your monitor to blend in with your decor for a clean aesthetic. The thin bezel allows for a full-screen experience. Expand your view and get more done by adding a second or third monitor to your office set-up with easy HDMI and VGA connectivity. *No built-in speakers
does it have a camera
Wow... I wish more monitors did, but sadly since the death of the Apple Thunderbolt display, camera's in monitors are are rarity. Definitely not in this monitor.
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
This Element 27" FHD 1080P LED Frameless Monitor provides simple connectivity to get straight to work. Whether you're adding to your current work from home set-up or purchasing a new monitor to stay in touch with loved ones, this full HD monitor will do the trick. This Element monitor offers a 1080P, full high-definition screen for a clear, vivid picture. Whether you're watching videos, video chatting, or playing basic games you'll find this full HD monitor provides a crisp viewing experience. Element's frameless monitor screens enable your monitor to blend in with your decor for a clean aesthetic. The thin bezel allows for a full-screen experience. Expand your view and get more done by adding a second or third monitor to your office set-up with easy HDMI and VGA connectivity. *No built-in speakers
What kind of ports are on this monitor?
VGA and HDMI one of each. Disappointing really. Give me dual HDMI with 3.5mm headphone jack out or death!
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
This Element 27" FHD 1080P LED Frameless Monitor provides simple connectivity to get straight to work. Whether you're adding to your current work from home set-up or purchasing a new monitor to stay in touch with loved ones, this full HD monitor will do the trick. This Element monitor offers a 1080P, full high-definition screen for a clear, vivid picture. Whether you're watching videos, video chatting, or playing basic games you'll find this full HD monitor provides a crisp viewing experience. Element's frameless monitor screens enable your monitor to blend in with your decor for a clean aesthetic. The thin bezel allows for a full-screen experience. Expand your view and get more done by adding a second or third monitor to your office set-up with easy HDMI and VGA connectivity. *No built-in speakers
What is the desktop resolution and refresh rate?
1920x1080@75Hz. You may need to push it to 75Hz in windows advanced display settings, but it works with no frame skipping
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
This Element 27" FHD 1080P LED Frameless Monitor provides simple connectivity to get straight to work. Whether you're adding to your current work from home set-up or purchasing a new monitor to stay in touch with loved ones, this full HD monitor will do the trick. This Element monitor offers a 1080P, full high-definition screen for a clear, vivid picture. Whether you're watching videos, video chatting, or playing basic games you'll find this full HD monitor provides a crisp viewing experience. Element's frameless monitor screens enable your monitor to blend in with your decor for a clean aesthetic. The thin bezel allows for a full-screen experience. Expand your view and get more done by adding a second or third monitor to your office set-up with easy HDMI and VGA connectivity. *No built-in speakers
Does it come with a built in speakers?
Negative. No speaker or sound output (like a headphone jack)
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
Soundcore Frames can change the way you view sound. Using Bluetooth, you can listen to music/take calls-all from your sunglasses. With interchangeable frames, polarized lens, and IPX4 rating, Soundcore frames are the perfect surround-sound glasses for your life.
Hello do you halve to charge both arms or just 1. Or is the frame the battery. And so there 4 you would charge the frame.
The arms are basically each separate ‘true wireless’ earbuds - each with their own battery. You charge both arms with the included magnetic charger which connects to both while they are folded in towards the frame. The frames themselves are just style, and thus relatively cheap (you can buy separate frames from Anker for $50).
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
Soundcore Frames can change the way you view sound. Using Bluetooth, you can listen to music/take calls-all from your sunglasses. With interchangeable frames, polarized lens, and IPX4 rating, Soundcore frames are the perfect surround-sound glasses for your life.
Are these frames polarized?
Definitely. I know this because I cannot see my work computer screen at all unless I tilt my head. Why am I trying to wear sunglasses to look at a monitor? Cause these make you that cool.
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
Open two screens and discover limitless possibilities for apps, email, meetings, and calls that never leaves your side. Now with lightning-fast 5G,³ optimized audio in every mode, and new dynamic triple lens camera to capture, edit, and share moments. More than a phone, new dual-screen experiences for Microsoft 365 await, plus Xbox gaming, streaming, and every Android™ app in the Google Play store.¹
can you make or take phone calls without having to open the giant screen? can you do ANYTHING without opening the screen all the way? it looks like you cant do a thing without it being completely open..seems crazy, especially with small hands
Yeah, you need to open it to do anything useful. You can use hands free to answer calls, etc. I'd recommend a Wear OS device (smart watch) to bridge the gap as this phone isn't super fast to check notifications or a quick photo/post. Its definitely got a focus on productivity when the screens are open, which is cool, but it makes it less than practical for most use cases. You really have to want this dual screen form factor. Past that it's immensely useful.
You can use the phone as a very very very expensive flashlight without opening it by double tapping the power button. So you can so SOMETHING without opening the screen :-). Maybe not that useful, but it's something right? haha
You can use the phone as a very very very expensive flashlight without opening it by double tapping the power button. So you can so SOMETHING without opening the screen :-). Maybe not that useful, but it's something right? haha
2 years, 5 months ago
by
aarondr
An elegant, all-weather streaming sound system that blends in with the natural landscape of outdoor spaces. Six satellite speakers and one in-ground subwoofer provide precision performance and even, balanced coverage, allowing for optimal music enjoyment that seemingly emanates from the surrounding landscape.
Is the Mag 4.1 and 6.1 identical in every respect except the 2 extra speakers? I.e. Is the amp identical? Are the speakers identical except for quantity? Is the subwoofer identical?
I believe every thing is identical except the MAG 4.1 has a XPRESS Audio Keypad, which is a $70 part. I'd rather have the 6 speakers personally given the price, but to each their own.
3 years, 2 months ago
by
aarondr
The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is a cordless handheld vacuum designed for powerful suction. It comes with a motorized self-cleaning Pet Power Brush that eliminates hair wrap, a lithium-ion battery, CleanTouch dirt ejector, and more, at only 2.8 lbs.
would this have the suction power to work well on a computer keyboard? some vacuums don't have the power to get deep into the keyboard. Thanks
Dust on keyboards is tricky. Suction - this would do fine. But channeling that suction and getting the appropriate ‘scrubbing’ bristles to get it moving is the challenge. The scrubbing attachment found here is pretty short - so if we’re talking about a laptop keyboard, maybe. Otherwise I’d recommend looking at something with the appropriate nozzle sizes. There are a lot of cheap options on amazon, but also Shark has sold attachment sets for its other standard upright vacuums in the past with hoses, and detail nozzles/brushes. Unfortunately those won’t work with this nozzle design, but if you have another shark vacuum search for “Shark Micro vacuum accessory kit” and you should be able to find a kit that will give you a small hose and detail brushes.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
aarondr
The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is a cordless handheld vacuum designed for powerful suction. It comes with a motorized self-cleaning Pet Power Brush that eliminates hair wrap, a lithium-ion battery, CleanTouch dirt ejector, and more, at only 2.8 lbs.