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Comment on Deal on Pyle PT588AB 5.1 Channel Home Receiver with AM/FM, HDMI and Bluetooth by Stephen J. Curtis

Stephen J. Curtis — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:31:43 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Poor volume levels, January 7, 2013

Stephen J. Curtis (East Liverpool, OH USA) -

This review is from: Pyle PT588AB 5.1 Channel Home Receiver with AM/FM, HDMI and Bluetooth (Electronics)

I picked this up for less than $160 after shipping which was a good price for this unit. The main attraction was the integrated karaoke mixer. I wanted to connect my laptop to this through HDMI, play mp3+g songs and sing overtop of the music. It did all of that as expected but even with the mic volume at max, it was still not loud enough (the music would get loud enough, but the mic volume would not). I tried 3 diffrent mics, although some mics were louder than others, the volume level was not sufficient on any mic. I tried a few blu ray movies and the volume would only reach an acceptable level when the unit was near max sound. I decided to return this unit, buy the Pioneer VSX-1022-K (does not support karaoke) and then get a separate karaoke mixer.

Other notes:
1) HDMI selection: As mentioned in a previous review, you cannot directly select an HDMI source, you must cycle though them (but this does not bother me)
2) Limited connections: An optical or USB input would be nice. You can only get 5.1 sound though HDMI.
3) Rear speaker volume levels: You cannot set the volume for the rear speakers independently. The volume level options are 1) Master volume 2) Subwoofer volume 3) Center volume 4) Right volume (includes front right and rear right), 5) Left volume (includes font left and rear left). This was a big deal because my rear speakers are further back than the recommended setup.
4) The fan in this unit is pretty noisy (didn't bother me much, but i could see this beeing annoying to others)
5) The bluetooth worked well with my iPhone

My recommendation:
This would be a decent purchase if you are going to use it in a small room or you don't need the volume levels to be too loud. This is probably one of the cheapest units with integrated bluetooth, but personally, I would pay a little more and get a better unit.

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Comment on Deal on Pyle PT588AB 5.1 Channel Home Receiver with AM/FM, HDMI and Bluetooth by Tim B. "Tim B."

Tim B. "Tim B." — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:54:01 +0000

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

It isn't bad for the price...., August 25, 2012

Tim B. "Tim B." (NJ) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Pyle PT588AB 5.1 Channel Home Receiver with AM/FM, HDMI and Bluetooth (Electronics)

Pro's: It's a basic receiver with Bluetooth. Works well with my android phone. It's aggressively priced, and works well enough for it's purpose. 4 HDMI inputs 1 HDMI output. It's powerful enough for a medium sized room. It's not going to blow you away but for the price I wouldn't expect it to.

Con's: The inputs do not seem to be directly selectable, so you have to scroll through HDMI 1, then 2, then 3 then 4 to get back to 1. If they are directly selectable on a programmable remote, I can not find the codes anywhere which leads to the documentation. The documentation is lacking (understatement), as it does not tell you much. I'm still trying to find out codec's it supports directly, and I've emailed their technical support a couple of weeks ago asking and got no response. There is a cooling fan which can be noisy, but it's really not that bad.

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Comment on Deal on Yamaha YHT-697 5.1-Channel Network Home Theater System by Sola Fide "Truth Seeker"

Sola Fide "Truth Seeker" — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:31:20 +0000

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

Sounds Good to me!, September 1, 2009

Sola Fide "Truth Seeker" (Orlando, FL USA) -

This review is from: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

This is the second home audio sub-woofer that I've bought. The other one is a little Sony powered sub that came with a Sony HTIB that I purchased about 6 years ago. It served it's purpose, but wasn't going to do the job for the home theater I'm currently putting together. I picked up a few Energy speaker separates to make a nice 5.0 system and a friend of mine from work gave me a couple old Yamaha's that pushed my system to 7.0. I don't claim to be a sound pro or an audiophile in the least. I basically spent a good amount of hours for a few weeks or so researching good entry-level sub-woofers that would sound great. After looking at tons of different brands, reading a bunch of sub-woofer reviews, and going through different forums to see what the more experienced and knowledgeable people had to say, I came to the conclusion that for the price, this sub-woofer was agreeable one of the best in it's class. I searched around and found it for a good price and it arrived within a week. It definitely has enough power for a good sized room (I used it in a room of about 20' X 15' with cathedral ceiling). The bass output is clean. It will shake the walls if that is what you want, and the bass output is still clean and tight. I've used it for about 40% music and 60% movies. It seems to do very well with both. Now I can enjoy a blu-ray movie that gives 7.1 audio output. Sounds similar to the theaters.

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Comment on Deal on Yamaha YHT-697 5.1-Channel Network Home Theater System by Cameron Eure

Cameron Eure — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:22:56 +0000

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful

One of the best subs you can get for $200, November 14, 2009

Cameron Eure (Tacoma. WA USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

This is probably one of the top 3 subs that you can regularly find for $250 or less. If it's on sale, buy it. It has more than enough power for small rooms, and enough power for medium rooms. Works great for movies, and works well for music if your front speakers can go 80hz or lower.

The downside is finding good room placement. You have to experiment a little to get rid of any "boomy-ness" from your listening area.

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Comment on Deal on Yamaha YHT-697 5.1-Channel Network Home Theater System by jchussey

jchussey — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:10:15 +0000

117 of 119 people found the following review helpful

Truly a Great Bargain but...., October 11, 2010

jchussey -

This review is from: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

As an audiophile who has had numerous very high end (Meridian, Cello, McIntosh, B&W, Proceed...) components in and out of my systems over the years, I can say wholeheartedly that the F-12 is an outstanding value for the $170-$200 retail price. I bought it for my 13x20x9 budget media room which is currently under construction but have been using it in my 2 channel system for kicks over the last two weeks. The low frequency extension is excellent(down 4db at 25Hz in my room) and I would consider it pleasantly musical with speakers capable of flat response at or below 80Hz (which isn't asking much). It is when this sub is paired with very small speakers that it begins to tarnish; typical of many ported subwoofers, it just doesn't play well above the 80Hz range. For example, Paired with NHT Superzeros, which fall off a cliff at about 85-90Hz, some of the "punchiness" is lost. This frequency response trough is most likely the reason why some reviewers claim that the F-12 sounds "muddy".

With the right speakers and set up correctly (with a decibel meter), the F-12 is an outstanding sub for the asking price. Truly a great bargain and one heck of a warranty.

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Comment on Deal on Yamaha RX-A3010BL 9.2-Channel Network AV Receiver by Land Shark

Land Shark — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:33:10 +0000

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Exceptional Piece of Gear, October 16, 2011

Land Shark (Atlanta, GA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Yamaha RX-A3010BL 9.2-Channel Network AV Receiver (Electronics)

My philosophy in buying a receiver 15 years ago was the same as it was today, go for the best you can find with the most power and flexibility so it can keep pace with technology and time. Certainly for 15 years my old receiver did just that so it was a real heart-felt moment when it died and needed replacement recently.

I went to a variety of stores and did my homework and decided to go with this model from Yamaha for the aforementioned reasons as well as the reputation of Yamaha for very accurate and clean sound quality and durability. My unit arrived two days ago and I admit I was a bit intimidated by all the features, but it did not take too long to get reasonably familiar with this model. What absolutely blew me away was not only the low THD that the 9 separate amplifiers put out, but it operates at relatively low heat output. The setup steps out of the box are fairly simple. Two of the key steps are updating the firmware which turned out to be easy to do and the speaker acoustic setup. The receiver comes with a microphone that tests volume at ear level where you sit... amazing. It knows the characteristics of the speakers, how far apart they are from each other and in relation to you, and the sound is precisely tuned. Sound is utterly exceptional.

I am still playing around with it learning all it does but the sound quality while driving my Bose speaker array is delightful. Clear and precise, it creates sound in such a way that you need to check the volume to see how loud it is because you almost can't tell, it is that smooth. I have been so pleased with it, I think I will get the IPOD adapter to try it out.

Other things to note about this product: it's a beast. It weighs in at around 40 pounds so the box it arrives in is big and this thing is pretty heavy. The packing was really good so there was no damage to the unit. Another factor to consider is to get out the measuring tape and see how much depth your media cabinet has... this one is pretty big so ensure you remember to measure to avoid unnecessary disappointment or hassle. This model can drive a ton of speakers, in up to 4 zones so a house an separate events will be easy to control once the controls are learned I imagine. Additionally, with the tons of clean power it deliver per channel, it will not starve your speakers for energy trying to deliver performance... something to be sure to keep in mind.

I wish you all the best of luck with your model, I am loving mine and will add updates as time goes by should I discover anything else good or bad worth mentioning.

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Comment on Deal on Yamaha RX-A3010BL 9.2-Channel Network AV Receiver by John C. Schultz "brightland.com"

John C. Schultz "brightland.com" — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:57:58 +0000

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

Full featured and sounds excellent!, September 10, 2011

John C. Schultz "brightland.com" (Beverly Hills, CA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Yamaha RX-A3010BL 9.2-Channel Network AV Receiver (Electronics)

Previous receivers/amps were Sony ES, Adcom, and Denon. After quite a bit of research, I narrowed down the selection to the Denon 4311, Marantz SR7005, and the Yamaha 3010. There were no reviews of the 3010, but the 3000 reviews were excellent and the Yamaha music gear I used worked well, so I purchased the 3010. I tested all the features I need and everything meets or exceeds my expectations. Sound is excellent. Yamaha's calibration system is fast and works great: a significant improvement in audio quality compared to testing before calibration. I think it is a move in the right direction to ship the manual on disk in PDF form vs. wasting paper for a printed manual. Searching a PDF is fast, and the Yamaha manual is very well put together. I didn't need it until I wanted to check for firmware updates. Mine shipped with 1.03 and I updated via the network to 1.06. Was fast & easy, but required using the manual to find the correct button combination to bring up the advanced options. The TV display menu system is easy to use and does the job. The iPhone app is very cool- looks even better than the TV UI. It's also possible to control the receiver via a web browser. In practice, I have only needed/used the big remote (you also get a smaller, simpler one). In summary- it works well and sounds excellent.

[Begin Update 10/4/2011]
3010 Temperature Measurements
Ambient: 78F

Top of Unit
Laser thermometer: 105F
Digital thermometer: 105F

Compared to my Denon 2807
Ambient: 76F
Laser thermometer: 105F

Both units have good ventilation (open front/rear at least 3" space above).

Sound quality continues to impress. Web-based remote control has been very useful in practice.
[End Update 10/4/2011]

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Comment on Deal on Acoustic Audio R191-6PKG (6) 200 Watt In-Wall/Ceiling Home Speakers by Doggpound

Doggpound — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:36:18 +0000

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Great, March 11, 2012

Doggpound -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Acoustic Audio R191-6PKG (6) 200 Watt In-Wall/Ceiling Home Speakers (Electronics)

The speakers are loud and clear will get another order they are easy to install and hook up and they send you a templet to go byto cut your hole

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Comment on Deal on Pioneer VSX-1122-K 630W 7-Channel A/V Receiver, Network Ready, Pandora, iPod/iPhone, Black by Ken Teese

Ken Teese — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:11:11 +0000

143 of 151 people found the following review helpful

Just remember what you're buying, March 25, 2008

Ken Teese (Minneapolis, MN) -

This review is from: Polk Audio RC80i 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers (Pair, White) (Electronics)

I purchased 4 of the RC80i for surround sound in my living room, lefts and rights for both front and back speakers. My rationale in purchasing in-ceiling speakers was the desire not to have a room filled with visible speakers. The mounting was very easy. Just cut the holes via the template and slide them in. The grilles fit snug and I'm sure will be a challenge if I ever have to remove them. The directional tweeter design is great and a must with in-ceiling speakers. Unfortunately, I was hoping for a little better fidelity. The speakers lack the high frequencies. They're good when listening to movies but you can hear the difference when listening to music. I set my expectations too high and have to remind myself of the price.

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Comment on Deal on Pioneer VSX-1122-K 630W 7-Channel A/V Receiver, Network Ready, Pandora, iPod/iPhone, Black by workindev

workindev — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:17:47 +0000

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful

Fantastic speakers, June 6, 2007

workindev (Austin, TX United States) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Polk Audio RC80i 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers (Pair, White) (Electronics)

These speakers are great. Installation was much easier because the large, 8" opening you cut into the wall/ceiling makes it much easier to fish speaker wire. The mounting brackets securely fasten to the wall so there is no shaking or rattling. The tweeter can easily pivot to aim at your listening position. These are voice matched to the Polk "Monitor" series speakers, so match with any other RC series in-wall speaker, CS1 or CS2 center channel speaker, and PSW10 or PSW12 subwoofer.

My only 2 complaints, which were not enough to drop the rating, are:

1) The speaker cutout template turned out to be a tad small, and I had to go around with a keyhole saw again to make it 1/8" larger to fit the speaker all the way. That made it a little messier, but it ended up fine.

2) The speaker grill is pretty hard to remove, but you only have to do that once, and you want it to fit snugly anyways.

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