Shaunh20's stats
- Review count114
- Helpfulness votes378
- First reviewMay 2, 2016
- Last reviewMay 13, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.5
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- Answer count27
- Helpfulness votes18
- First answerMay 2, 2016
- Last answerJanuary 24, 2022
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Monitor your property from your smartphone with this Wi-Fi enabled Guardzilla 360-degree outdoor camera. The 100dB siren warns off potential intruders, while night detection records in dim conditions for enhanced security after sunset. This Guardzilla 360-degree outdoor camera instantly alerts your phone when motion is detected, so you can react quickly.
Customer Rating
5
A great, unique way to do camera'ing!
on July 19, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
I have gotten a lot of cameras over the last couple of years but none like Guardzilla. I wanted Guardzilla to be a comprehensive solution to my home security. The plan was to put a camera on my front stoop to alert me to visitors and give me the ability to communicate with them if needed. Receiving the Guardzilla it came in a huge package that really gave off a cool vibe. It felt less a camera and more like receiving a new computer or something. Very cool.
Setting it up was incredibly easy compared to other cameras. The camera was found right away and I was up and running in just a few minutes using my Apple iPhone 6 Plus and Ipad Pro Plus. One note though, the app search for "Guardzilla" found nothing in the Apple store but going to the Guardzilla site as noted in the setup docs and clicking on Guardzilla app for iOS found it without issue and I was off and running. One last note on the setup, the camera does use a rather loud voice so maybe don't set it up while having a hangover and trying to not wake the wife in the next room ;)
Once I was running the interface of the app was fairly easy to setup and use. The SET POV sometimes seemed to revert to a view that skewed downward but that was fixed in an update. Everything was up and running in no time but I quickly noticed one issue: no video clips were showing up in my events log. When you set up the system it gives you several options, one of those being free video clips for 2 days at 30 seconds a clip. There are other, better pay options to pay for longer storage save times and even options for remote home security monitoring as the professional services such as ADT do. But where are the clips? I could not locate them no matter what I did. I decided to give it a rest and work on it the next day.
The next day I woke up and realized I had gotten an email from an Emma at Guardzilla customer service who welcomed me to the Guardzilla family and hoped that if I had any questions I would contact them. Well, perfect timing! So I did write back to Emma and asked how do I view the video clips? Well to my surprise within about 30 minutes I got a reply and we started working to resolve the issue. After several emails back and forth we did resolve the issue by me allowing Guardzilla to push a new software version to my camera. So the customer service was incredibly good. They worked with me extensively, on a timely basis to resolve my issue and I cannot state just how much this means to me because in this day and age such great customer service is not the norm, it's a very rare exception.
Once the camera was up and running I did take the time to note just how awesome it was that you could swirl the camera up, down and all around to see everything in the vicinity. Very amazing. Yes the resolution could be a slight bit better but the ability to see such a comprehensive view makes it very well worth it. The siren that is in the unit is loud but not ear splitting like my home alarm but it will do the job I think. It also gives you the ability to set how long the alarm runs in case you want to shorten it or make it longer. The entire app gives you a good amount of flexibility in how you want to use the camera which is great I think.
So bottom line? Honestly I was going to rate this camera four stars because it does seem to have a few issues with the software (the POV not staying, my issue with the camera clips, etc) but nothing that is a dealbreaker. It just seems new and in need of some software updates. But with the excellent customer service that Guardzilla gave to me, not only friendly but fast and smart customer service, I raised my rating to five stars. If not for that I'd wonder if the camera and the app was going to get those needed updates, but considering how on the ball the Guardzilla company is I have no doubt that they will do so.
Listen, the mere fact that the company stands behind its product and really seems to care that they keep customers and make them happy goes a long way toward obtaining my future business and should be strongly considered if you are on the fence for a security camera. HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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3of 5voted this as helpful.
Keep an eye on your home and loved ones when you can't be there with this Kasa Cam indoor smart camera. Two-way audio lets you connect with the nanny or say hello to pets, while 1080p Full HD provides a clear view of your home. Set up a Kasa account with your Kasa Cam indoor smart camera to review stored video from virtually anywhere.
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic camera!! RECOMMENDED!!
on June 9, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
I've tried several cameras for in home security and most are pretty good a sense that they have a good picture, have a pretty nifty app and, in general, do a good, or even great, in home monitoring.
The problems come in with four areas: first, setting up the camera, some will not connect easily or without manipulation. Second is remote connecting OUTSIDE of the home. Third is simple reliability. How many times do you uou attempt to connect to your camera, whether inside or outside of the home, and the camera is not reachable and needs a hard reset to be connected to? And lastly, the ability to store your pictures and videos off site without paying for a subscription based fee.
These are the four issue I have found that make or break a camera one intends to use for home security monitoring. And to find one that overcomes all four means you are GOLDEN. Well this camera does just that!!
First, setup is fast and easy and the camera is up and working within minutes. Second, I've now connected to this camera from work 40 miles away probably one hundred times or more without a single issue. Folks, this is miraculous! Third is in the few weeks that I've owned this camera not once have I had to hard reset it. Even after resetting my router several times the camera will reconnect on its own. And lastly is the fact that TP-LINK is kind enough to provide two days worth of off site, cloud based storage for free. Sure you can pay for more but this is enough for me.
Folks, I can't highly recommend this camera any more than say it's the best you will find in this price range. Heck, it may be the flat out best camera in any price range. And this is coming from a guy who has probably about fifteen in home security cameras.
If you're looking for a good, reliable camera with off site free cloud storage then look no further!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Pros: Very fast and easy setup, always connects even out of home, excellent 1080p picture, free cloud recording, reliable, reliable, reliable!!
Cons: inability to have more sensitivity zones than high, medium or low, more than 2 days of cloud recording is a required paid subscription
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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1of 1voted this as helpful.
Play cool music while performing your fitness routines with these water-resistant JVC wireless sport headphones. The Pivot Motion Fit provides a secure hold during rigorous workouts, and the JVC Headphones Manager app lets you control audio settings. These JVC wireless sport headphones come with a lightweight charging case that provides three hours of battery life on a single charge.
Customer Rating
3
A decent set of headphones
on June 9, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
I've had more than my fair share of headphones for my phone like these and typically do not go with in ear due to a traumatic incident in which a piece of plastic from an ear bud lodged in my ear. But now that I'm getting back to working out I decided to go ahead and give these JVC headphones a try. The pluses include being easy to set up, they have always remained connected, work well with sweat (very important when working out of course) the sound is pretty good, they don't stick far out of your ear like the apple ones do making you look like a dork, they have a nice app and are (relatively) inexpensive compared to alternatives. The cons include the battery life is only about three hours (although the small case does give you two charges before needing to be plugged back into an electrical source), they're really kind of lacking for bass (which can be alleviated a bit by using the app to go into bass mode) and, for me anyways, I did have a little bit of a time with them moving about in my ears, but maybe it's just my weird ears lol. They never fell out though any when I was working out.
Bottom line, I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a less expensive alternative to the Apple ear buds but do be aware of the limitations. If you are looking for something with a long battery life, say for example using them while at work in a typical eight hour work day, then these buds will not be a viable solution. But if you're good with knowing that limitation then give these JVCs a try!
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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1of 1voted this as helpful.
Clean sealed hard floors easily with this Bissell SpinWave cordless floor cleaner. It includes two types of pads that can clean a variety of surfaces, including tile and laminate, and restores the natural shine to wood floors. This Bissell SpinWave cordless floor cleaner has a 20-minute battery life, so you can clean a large area without recharging.
Customer Rating
5
A much easier way to get floors super clean!
on April 25, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
No one likes to clean floors, it's a fact of life though that, unless we're blessed with enough money to hire a maid, we are going to have to do something to get those floors clean because...civilization right? Well my wife and I have looked high and low for solutions, we've tried just about every type of thing out there but have always come back to the simple mop solution with hands & knees touchup which is the best, but by no means the easiest or most desirable. We have, for a while, used a steam cleaner solution and it works rather well in concentrated areas but for an overall effect of cleanliness it just does not get the job done as well as we'd like.
Upon receiving this my wife and I went about unboxing it and hoping it wouldn't be too much to do, because let's face it, no one really wants to spend their Saturday with this type of chore. Thankfully the assembly was very simple and very fast. There just wasn't much to put together at all to be honest. The majority of the time was simply reading and the actual physical act of unboxing everything. Speaking of unboxing, the Spinwave *does* come with two bottles of cleaning solution at the bottom of the box. Upon our initial unboxing we missed that (ok, I missed it) and the wife went back to look again after seeing in the manual that it should have included cleaning solution and lo and behold it did have cleaning solution bottles in the very bottom of the box.
Out of the box the instructions say that you will need to charge for up to four hours before use. In our case our unit was fairly charged and in about 45 minutes it exhibited a full charge, indicated by very large blue lights on the front of the unit. If you have poor eyesight you will be very happy with the indicators of charge because it's impossible to miss, the lights are large and when you're charging they flash a large blue flash. Filling up the unit with the cleaning solution was, again, very easy to understand. You have two methods, a small mop session or a large mop session. Both are clearly marked on the actual unit and for us, we chose the large mop session, which means you will input a larger quantity of water as well as cleaning solution. There are two marks on each session indicator. You simply fill up the jug with water until you get to the mark that says "water" and then you continue to fill it slightly more until you get to the mark entitled "solution".
Be aware that although this has the convenience of being cordless that, because of the nature of the rotating brushes, you will only get about 20 minutes worth of mop time before it's time to go back to the power line for more charging. With that being said, as long as you are aware you should be able to finish a large section unless you dilly dally (don't dilly dally!). If this is an issue you should know about that going in but honestly my wife was able to clean our front entrance way, the dining room, another entry room, our kitchen and our hallway on one charge so it should not be a problem. If it is, then buy two!
So now the bottom line here, does it get your floor clean? Does it get it as clean as old fashioned mopping and hands & knees scrubbing? Yes it does! So long as you use the correct amount of solution and are thorough you will find when you are done that your floor will look fantastic, at least we did in our initial use. Honestly when I got home to see the floors I thought that my wife had possibly used the old fashioned mop, because they just looked that good! Now in case you are wondering, yes the pads will probably need washed after each use, you just throw them in a machine washer on delicate and then air dry them. The unit comes with two sets of pads, one for general use and one for fine/delicate use. The general pads come on the unit out of the box so we haven't had a chance to adhere them to the unit but it does come with a base to line them up and it appears to be easy.
For me, I gave it five stars just for ease of assembly, the technology behind the product and the overall sturdiness and functionality of the unit. But the real question is what would my wife think - would it be up to her standards? Are the floors clean enough after using the Spinwave??
She said, yes...YES INDEED!!! Five stars from my wife as well! And if that don't tell you that the Spinwave is a winner then I don't know what will! TWO THUMBS UP...A RECOMMENDED BUY!
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Brush your teeth with precision by using this Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush. It has smart sensor technology and connects to a smartphone app that coaches you about coverage, ideal pressure and scrubbing. This Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush comes with several brush heads that include microchips, which optimize performance for cleaner teeth.
Customer Rating
4
A just about perfect dental solution!!
on April 18, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
I have had dental issues for most of my adult life and spent more in dental bills in the past 20 years than I have in medical bills and that includes beating cancer. So if that doesn't tell you that I'm someone who needs the very best toothbrush that money can buy then I don't know what will. My Phillips Sonicare 9700 is an upgrade from a duo pack that my wife and I purchased 2 years ago for about $150. So after this there is nowhere to go as this is the flagship toothbrush that Phillips offers.
My particular issue is a gum issue in which, if any bacteria are on my teeth at all, will cause my gums to attack the teeth and create holes in them. Which means that tooth has to be removed. I tell you this because this is the most important reason for needing clean teeth. Sure I get my teeth professionally cleaned by a dental hygeniest at a periodontist (deeper cleaning than a regular dentist) every three months but I also need the very best home solution. Enter the 9700 Smart Toothbrush.
When I received the 9700 I was immediately deeply impressed by the packaging. This looks less like a toothbrush and more like a high end video card. It came packaged with multiple brush heads, a jar and a recharging station. To be honest it was a bit overwhelming. However after reading the instructions and unpacking everything it all was very simple. You must download an app and be registered on the Phillips side, which I had done beforehand.
For my first brushing (the toothbrush comes charged, but you are supposed to charge it for 24 hours after your first use) I chose the gum care, because that is what I need. The app synced up quite easily and surprisingly enough the brushing showed me what was happening in real time on the app, showing areas of my gums I needed to hit as I brushed. There are several programs to use and each program has a different brushhead which is why there are many brush heads that come with the unit. After having used the toothbrush for over a week now I can safely say that, according to the app, I was brushing with way too much motion and, again, because of the app, I have corrected my brushing technique. The app does track your history and shows how many more brushings you can get out of the current brush head which is awesome.
All in all I'd highly recommend the Phillips Sonicare 9700 Smart Brush. Sure it's expensive but its value is immeasureable in the money that it will save you in dental bills. The only reason I do not give it a perfect, five star rating is that I believe for the price they could have included a antibacterial chamber to clean the brush heads like the previous duo that my wife and I got two years ago. For me, however, I can go ahead and use that brush chamber with this toothbrush so it is not a big deal.
Two thumbs up, if this doesn't help make your dentist happy then I can't imagine what will!!
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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7of 9voted this as helpful.
Take your tunes along with this Sony portable speaker. Wireless Bluetooth connectivity lets you pair it with smartphones, tablets and laptops, and up to 12 hours of battery life ensures long-lasting sound. The Extra Bass feature on the Live Sound mode and built-in sound effects make this Sony portable speaker the life of the party.
Customer Rating
4
Really nice little speaker!!
on April 3, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
SRS-XB21 speaker.
My wife and I thought we could use another speaker for the patio so we decided to give the SRS-XB21 a shot. Firing up the speaker it paired easily with my iPhone and I immediately thought, even at a higher volume that the speaker had a pretty good sound. I was most impressed with the amount of bass it can produce from such a small package. I also like the solid feel of the speaker as it seems to be well made and didn't feel cheap. I went online and found an app that helped to control for the speaker and I think the app is definitely recommended as it makes it much easier and faster to control features. I definitely recommend using the app over the buttons on the back of the speaker. The buttons are multi function buttons, are small and not really all that easy to use. From the app you can turn the party lights on or off that are on the front of the speaker. You can also select different modes for the lights which is a cool feature.
Overall I didn't find the lights to be all that interesting, they we're more distracting than anything else. Besides the lights one other thing I didn't like about this speaker is what wasn't included...a. Charger. For the price of this speaker you'd think Sony could slip one in, they do provide a very short USB cable for charging. Another thing I would like is more battery life. The documentation says this speaker is good for up to 12 hours. I was able to get around 8. And you may get up to 12 if you turn bass boost off and play at half volume. Depending on your environment half may not be loud enough.
Overall I think that the speaker's positives far outweight the negatives and it seems like a really nice little speaker; a real value for the MSRP. Highly recommend!
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0of 0voted this as helpful.
Enjoy an individualized listening experience with these Sony wireless on-ear headphones. Their built-in Bluetooth lets you stream playlists with a paired compatible device, and they last for 20 hours on a single charge for nonstop entertainment all day. These Sony wireless on-ear headphones have a built-in microphone for answering calls hands-free.
Customer Rating
5
Another quality Sony product! #RECOMMENDED!
on March 25, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
As a long time fan of over the ear headphones I've seen more and more of the in-ear headphones which I absolutely will not use in many cases. This results from having a plastic overlay coming off inside my year one Christmas that I was barely able to retrieve and made me think I was going to have to go to the emergency room. Since then I've decided to primarily use over the ear headphones. Working at a job in corporate America too it is always better that people can plainly see your headphones (and not disturb you) which is another reason I prefer over the ear headphones.
I have a quality pair of wired headphones (super cheap) but had decided after starting a new job it was time to go wireless and that is when the Sony WH-CH500 was releasing so I figured, why not give them a try? I have always been a fan of Sony headphones going back to the 80's and figured that this would probably be a quality product. I was not wrong. After receiving the headphones I immediately tried them on. They are light and very, very comfortable, almost as if you are not wearing anything at all on your head. And of course being totally wireless means that there's nothing to break that illusion that you're not wearing any headphones.
I then went to charging these up and came back later when they were fully charged to pair them to my iPhone 6 Plus. They paired with no problem and I could immediately begin listening to Spotify or anything else I desired. I cranked up the volume and was impressed with just how much clarity these headphones had, even in the bass area. Sure they weren't thumping but the bass was sufficient and likely may only be missed if you listen to seriously heavy bass music like old school rap.
I did a little searching and found the Sony app called "Music Center" which allowed me to use some music tuning equalizer wise and that is nice but the app is most certainly optional. I have only been at my job for two weeks and not really been using these headphones a lot so I cannot speak to any sort of battery life but I believe Sony when they say they get about 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. My guess is, from experience, it's more likely about 15 or 16 hours worth of use but that still is pretty good and means I will likely only have to charge these headphones about one time each work week.
These also work well using on calls and this is a major reason I wanted these as well, on my previous wired headphones I'd not hear any alert that I had an incoming call on my cell, only a visual indicator and if I wasn't looking at my phone then I'd miss the call. Now I can be listening to talk radio or a tune and I will hear an incoming call tone and have the choice to ignore it or answer it. This is a huge deal for me and one thing I love about these headphones.
All in all, these are quality, lightweight, very comfortable, completely wireless over the ear headphones that will work for whatever music, audio book, etc as well as allow you to take phone calls. And most importantly, if you work in a cubicle the visual indicator of "leave me alone, I'm busy" is readily apparent with these headphones. I'd highly recommend these to anyone.
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+6points
6of 6voted this as helpful.
Listen to music while traveling with these Bluetooth-enabled JLab earbuds. Noise-cancelling technology eliminates up to 90 percent of background noise, so you can focus on the songs, and they work for up to 11 hours on a single charge to keep you entertained. These JLab earbuds have intuitive controls for changing tracks, pausing or adjusting the volume.
Customer Rating
5
Highly recommended!
on March 25, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
My wife had been wanting another pair of headphones for a while to use at her job to be able to play background music, cancel out other noises and during downtimes perhaps watch a movie as well. She had the Dre Beats that we got her on special from Best Buy a couple of years ago and they worked great most of the time but occasionally became disconnected from bluetooth and would have connection issues with her iPhone 7 Plus. When we received the new JLab Audio we immediately got them out to get them charged up (they were already partially charged) and later that day they were ready to roll. They paired quickly with her iPhone and she headed off to work. After about a week of using them she said she loves the sound, plenty of bass, they go very loud and she has had not a single disconnect issue moving around her office. And she says she's had not one issue with them running out of battery too soon either so they seem to have pretty good battery life on a charge. She's very happy with these and considers them a permanent replacement for the far more expensive, but flaky, Dre Beats.
If you're considering these and you like in-ear type headphones we would strongly recommend them as a buy.
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Stay active with this Suunto Spartan Trainer watch. It has 24/7 activity tracking with a heart rate monitor to keep track of goals and target zones, and its sport-specific training modes help you get the most from your workout. The integrated GPS on this Suunto Spartan Trainer watch lets you trace your steps.
Customer Rating
2
A throwback to old fitness watches, overpriced
on February 24, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
My wife used this watch as she is fairly active in the fitness community (more so than I) so after spending about a week using it these are her pros and cons on the watch.
Pros: The watch is quick to charge and holds a charge for a fairly lengthy amount of time, fits many wrist sizes and comfortable, large face easy to read, reliable connection to iPhone and gps, texts and other alerts from the iPhone come through the watch face. A lot of functions to utilize on the watch.
Cons: The Watch doesn't awake when turn up wrist unless in direct light (like Apples watch does), heart rate doesn't alway register and is not very reliable, doesn't allow ability to track calories and food, app not easy to track activitys (watch has some activities but fairly limited in scope), sleep tracker not accurate, menus difficult to navigate, many functions on the watch are too buried to get to, needs a PC to update firmware/software.
Overall my wife thought it was a decent watch but it is likely overpriced to comparable types of watches by about $75 to $100. This is also not a fitness watch but an exercise watch and by that it doesn't do many of the other functions that a fitbit type watch would do. It's primarily a nice watch that will function to track some physical exercises, or a throwback to watches of previous years before fitbit type watches became popular.
I cannot recommend this watch at the current MSRP but if you can find it on sale and/or are aware of its limitations it may be worthwhile of a purchase.
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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The Polk MagniFi MAX maximum-performance home theater sound bar and wireless subwoofer system provides bigger, more dynamic sound than traditional sound bars—and is optimized to make movies, TV, sports and music come alive. It features patented SDA surround technology for a wider, more immersive listening experience and Voice Adjust technology for crystal clear dialogue—and it’s equipped with Polk Smart Remote technology, so it works with your TV’s remote control right out of the box. Includes HDMI and optical cables for quick and easy setup. Includes Google Chromecast built-in and Bluetooth technologies let you stream all of your favorite music. Compatible with most major TV manufacturers.
Customer Rating
5
An astoundingly AWESOME audio solution! BUY IT!!
on January 17, 2018
Posted by: Shaunh20
from Marysville, OH
The sound bar format, to me, has never been as good of a solution to home audio needs as the 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound solution with a dedicated audio receiver. In fact, I can honestly say I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to sound bars. However I wanted a better audio setup for the bedroom and my wife strongly discouraged me from running wires all over the place so a soundbar it is. And to be quite honest we don't watch TV a lot in the bedroom so perhaps a soundbar was a better solution. Selecting Polk was fairly easy based upon reputation and reviews of previous sound bars on CNET. And if I was getting a soundbar I was determined I was going to get one of the best. When I received the Magnifi MAX it came in a huge, guitar type shaped box which was like..//wow, this thing is..big.. and indeed it is big for a soundbar in terms of width, so be aware of that. Right now we only have a 32" HDTV in our bedroom and this thing is nearly twice as wide so, for now, we are not going to mount it below the TV. I think this would fit nicely under a 40"+ TV though. So be aware if you have a smaller TV it may look a bit odd since the sound bar itself is so wide.
Setup up was pretty easy, it took me about 20 minutes and most of that was simply rerouting HDMI. The system does come with some basic documentation and also comes with a mounting pattern you can use for marking the wall to make sure you can mount it correctly the first time. Getting started on the actual setup I ran the HDMI ARC from the TV to the Magnifi MAX, then ran my DirecTV receiver directly into HDMI 1 and the Xbox 360 to the HDMI 2. I then played some audio and everything worked, the subwoofer was already paired up with the soundbar out of the box. Next, I downloaded the app for the Chromecast from iTunes for my iPhone and iPad. Getting the app going was fairly straightforward but I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed to see that I was unable to cast video from my phone in Chrome to the tv considering the Magnifi MAX supports video output. However, I can say that all audio apps that I tried worked quite well. Using Spotify to cast some AC/DC Back in Black using the special music mode (which changes the soundbar from 5.1 to all-channel stereo) made quite impressed with just how loud and how perfectly clear it was. In fact, I never fully reached the full loudest because, well I've lost enough hearing from loud music...LOL If you're worried this soundbar may not be loud or clear enough, you have absolutely nothing to worry about!!
Now, I will tell you that the most time spent on the setup was getting my DirecTV remote programmed to turn on the Magnifi MAX when we turned on the TV. To Polks credit the Magnifi MAX remote did control my 8 or 9 year old LG without any programming. However, getting DirecTV's remote to work correctly with the Polk was a source of some trial and error (note that is on DirecTV not Polk for not correctly updating their software for the remote). The strangest part of the setup on the DirecTV remote was that in DirecTVs software it did have a Magnifi MAX and I selected it and everything worked beautifully EXCEPT it wouldn't turn on the Magnifi MAX when I used the DirecTV remote to turn everything on. This was most certainly going to be a real issue because I knew my wife would not want to mess with turning on the TV/DirecTV and then finding another remote to turn on the Magnifi MAX, and honestly neither would I. I finally was able to get the correct combination for DirecTV by just selecting Polk Audio, "I don't know my model of soundbar", and then going through the options until I found out option #7 worked beautifully. Most of the other options did work on all aspects EXCEPT turning on the TV but option #7 did everything so option #7 it is. Be aware that when you turn on everything using your DirecTV remote you must aim it fairly straight at the Polk or it won't turn on.
Now how does it sound? Well I must admit it didn't blow me away just listening to regular TV. It sounded good and I was pretty happy with it, especially the voice option to enhance voice. But at this point I was wondering if this was really worth the $500 price tag. It's not until we fired up The Orville that I became a true believer that, yes indeed this most definitely *WAS* worth the entry fee. Holy cow, the ship sound in the background fully immersed you and felt like a full on surround sound setup. And the bass was super bass. But despite so much volume and bass the soundbar provided utter clarity in dialogue. But the best was yet to come...I took it into my game room and hooked it up to my new Xbox One X on my 4K Samsung to see how it would handle 4K gaming. I really wanted to put it through the 4K paces in order to ensure the soundbar was able to not only process everything correctly but also did not introduce any lag in gaming. Setting it up here was super easy as well and I was up and running in about 10 minutes. After everything was setup I fired up some Assassins Creed Origins on the X and WOW!! The sound was amazing...it seriously rivaled my 7.1 setup that cost thousands of dollars more. And sadly, I imagine it may sound just as good if you buy the rear wireless speakers for another $149 (or just buy them for another $100 more when you buy this is what I'd strongly recommend, hey if you're already into this for $500 might as well go the full on monty). I have no clue how a sound bar can throw such directional sounding audio out from one source but it works. It's not going to do Atmos unfortunately, but I'll be darned if it doesn't do a great job of doing positional sound nonetheless. Next I fired up Fallout 4, a classic game from a while back in which I still enjoy. This game demonstrated simply incredible bass. I mean the bass is so good it makes me wonder if I don't have my home AVR bass setup correctly! When I fired a nuclear weapon at a Behemoth I really felt like I was firing a huge nuclear rocket. The bass was scary and made the game incredibly more immersive. If you don't have anything but TV sound you have no idea just how much you are missing out! After playing for a bit more I began to think "this may not be a good sound bar for an apartment" LOL. Thankfully there is a nightmode though which basically equalizes the volume so you don't get those super loud highs.
Now as for the three different modes on the Magnifi Max - most of the time when you use the Magnifi MAX you will be using the Movie/TV mode and while I covered the Music mode above I will say that the Sports mode is probably something most of us will use less frequently. Basically it ups the volume for announcers and the like. I used it briefly during some NFL playoff football and didn't notice a huge difference and figured I'd just go back to the Movies/TV mode since I didn't want to forget the setting and leave it in Sports mode.
The 4K video processing works great but I will say we did have one issue. While the wife and I were watching a movie on the Xbox One X using the Magnifi MAX we saw a couple of instances where the screen went black for a moment and we would see a bit of flickering. The wife said it "wasn't a big deal" but it was driving me nuts. I was thinking that the Magnifi Max was to blame and started to get worried. I thought it could be a cable issue though so I removed the HDMI cable going from the Magnifi MAX to the TV HDMI/ARC and replaced it with a newer HDMI cable which resolved the issue. Not all older HDMI cables can support 4K so be aware. Do not go and buy an expensive HDMI cable though, you can find good 4K compatible HDMI cables online for under $5! Also, using the video passthrough will not introduce issues with lag in gaming. I played for two days and never noticed any.
So whats the verdict? The verdict is YES! That's what the verdict is. I have a newfound respect for soundbars after using the Polk Magnifi MAX for a full week. I can honestly say that they are nearly a replacement for a full on audio surround sound 5.1 or 7.1 system with a receiver and although not cheap at $499.99 MSRP it will still end up being thousands of dollars cheaper than going the AVR with speakers route. Not to mention the inordinate amount of time that setting up an audio-video receiver takes, running the cables, optimizing, etc. This is a serious sound solution to anyone that is looking for one and does not want to spend the time and money to setup a full surround sound setup. I'm stunned, STUNNED at just how well this soundbar did at everything I threw at it. Honestly if this supported Atmos and I didn't already have so much money wrapped up in speakers, cabling, stands, etc this would be something I'd seriously consider using in my home theater room every day. Yes, $500 or $600 isn't cheap but honestly this is a huge value for what it delivers and many folks out there are going to find it is more than enough to avoid setting up a complicated AVR and speakers, not to mention going that route will cost you at least three to four times the cost of this soundbar. It's quite simply an incredible value!
Pros: very easy setup, nice remote, chromecast built-in, extremely loud, tremendous bass and high clarity, voice mode really helps enhance dialogue, delivers true 3D surround sound somehow, amazing AVR replacement
Cons: no Dolby Atmos, no Chromecast video casting
Recommendation: HIGHLY RECOMMEND - Definitely buy if you're looking for a super high quality, fantastic sonic solution that is worthy of replacing a dedicated surround sound system. Also, I'd strongly recommend that you buy the $599.99 version that comes with the rear wireless speakers. Because once you hear how incredibly awesome this system is you will want to buy them to complete your system. I certainly plan to.
My Best Buy number: 0039363817
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Monitor your property from your smartphone with this Wi-Fi enabled Guardzilla 360-degree outdoor camera. The 100dB siren warns off potential intruders, while night detection records in dim conditions for enhanced security after sunset. This Guardzilla 360-degree outdoor camera instantly alerts your phone when motion is detected, so you can react quickly.
Zoom? Audio? Solar power? Invisiable IR?
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5 years, 10 months ago
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Shaunh20
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5 years, 10 months ago
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Shaunh20
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Shaunh20
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