Sony SS-CN5000 Dual 5.25" Center Channel Speaker (each, black) Review

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(More customer reviews)TV: Panasonic 58pz800u
AVR: Onkyo SR-605
Bluray: Oppo BDP-83
Sat: Dish Network ViP 211
Fronts: Sony SS-F7000
Center: Sony SS-CN5000
Surrounds: Sony SS-B1000
Subwoofer: Onkyo SKW-530
I've been using this center for the past 6 weeks now and let me say first that this center looks simple, clean, and doesn't attract very much attention. It's size is noticeable, however. It's a pretty big Center, and weighs like about 15 lbs.
BUILD
It's a nice looking fake black wood enclosure. It has some heft, heavier than most centers I'd think. It's made of MDF inside and has some foam in certain patches in certain areas. The front screen is easily removeable revealing the composite woofers, tweeter and front port. Has spring clips for the speaker wire. Overall, very good build for this price.
MATERIALS:
The tweeter is a 1" Nano Dome, good solid choice for a tweeter.
The Mid Range Woofers are slightly less than 5 inches and made of HOP. This type of material is stiffer then regular polypropylene.
Overall, the materials used is really good considering the price of the center. 10 years ago this stuff was high tech in speaker construction, esp in car speakers which run on 4ohm usually. With the prices of these materials coming down, Sony is able to use them and give us a lot of great sound and tech for not a lot of money.
SOUND:
I primarily use my system for Satellite and movies. I don't listen to too much music, but when I do it's a CD and through my Oppo. So since this center most typically will be the most used speaker of all. It will be in charge of voices, action, some background music and other directional effects. It handles all these with EASE. It is extremely accurate sounding. Audessy shows that the center is FULL RANGE and lets all bass frequencies go to the center on the center channel. This gives insane dynamic range, from deep exhaust notes and voices to high bells and screams from movies.
For music the center sounds crystal clear on everything from symbol to sax to bass guitar to electric guitar, etc. Very good, solid music reproduction. Doesn't have any punch in the lows, but, it's a center channel, it's not supposed to. Most center channel information won't ever go lower than a deep vocal.
I can definitely understand why this center is sitting pretty at #1 in the Center Speaker section for some time now. I would not have tried this Sony setup if it weren't for other reviews. For the price (I paid $83 shipped), this is a really good center speaker. The only thing about it is it's too accurate at times, and can be slightly lower in volume during whispers or low passages due to it's crazy dynamic range. Anyone with an AVR that has Dolby Volume Plus or Audessey Dynamic Volume won't know it though.

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Sony Center Channel Speaker

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Scosche SolBAT II Solar Powered Backup Battery and Charger for iPods & Other MP3 Players Review

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(More customer reviews)I had my doubts about how this product would actually work and if it would allow me to charge my Iphone3GS because Apple has made its phone series very picky about chargers. I can safely say that this product charges WITHOUT forcing the popup about being a non-standard charger. The unit itself its quite small and I have it attached to the windshield of my car with the included suction cups. I'm using it to charge up my phone while running the Navigation and Traffic Apps (which really drain the phone). Overall I would rate it 5 stars and I'm considering purchasing another for additional devices that I could carry with me on trips.

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Use your existing USB cable to charge most devices including iPod iPhone MP3 Blackberry and more Internal 1500ma Lithium-Ion battery stores power for whenever you need it and recharges from the sun or the included USB cable Includes windshield mount cradle & universal carbineer mount Output: 5v 500ma

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Memorex 700MB/80-Minute 52x CD-R Media (100-Pack Spindle) Review

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(More customer reviews)Before I start, I would like to remind people that compatability problems still exist with CDRW burners. Some media brands will just work better on certain hardware/burners. On reviews like these, it's best to state your burner as well so readers will have an idea of what media matches best with what hardware/burner. I would also like to remind people that compatability problems exists between CDRs and late model CD players - wether on a boombox or on your car's player.
Ok now onto my review... I have a LiteOn CDRW 40x burner (on my old PC), Teac DVD+/CDRW combo burner and an LG-Hitachi 48x CDRW burner. Memorex media works flawlessly on all these burners! Music CDs that I made plays perfectly on all my components - 5-disc Sony caroussel from the early 90s, my DVD player from 2000 and the rest of my CD players in the house and not to mention my car's CD player. No problems at all.
The only problem I encountered was when I made VCDs using these disc. They "sometimes" wouldn't work on my Panasonic DVD/VCD player (year 2000). They would give me playback problems such as pixelation and audio skipping! But when using another brand, such as TDK or Fuji, I don't get these playback problems. The Memorex VCD would work on my dirt-cheat Apex though. Further, establishing the idea that media do have compatability problems.
Considering my hardware, the brands that gave me no problems at all were: TDK, Fuji and Maxell - they just work flawlessly on whatever I throw at them. I would put the Memorex up there with the other brands but they seem to be only good when it comes to music and data but now much on video projects. But since most people use their CDRs for music and data anyway, these CDRs are still a great buy in my opinion! I currently have TDKs and Memorexs.

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Personalize, Protect and Organize All Your Memorex DVD's and CDR's with Memorex Labeling Kits, Labels, DVD Storage Cases and Jewel Cases.

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Pro-Lab MO109 Household Mold Test Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)A couple of notes from the box:
- "The optional lab analysis requires sending the petri dish to Pro-Lab for a detailed report. ($30 lab fee required.)"
- "A minimum of two test kits are recommended for air sampling to compare indoor to outdoor air quality. ... If the results of the samples indicate that the amount of mold growth indoors is significantly greater than the mold growth outdoors, you may have a mold problem. One mold test kit is needed for each indoor area of concern."


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Simple to use DIY test kit can check for toxic mold within 48 hours in places such as air conditioning and heating systems, bedrooms living rooms, kitchens bathrooms, attics basements, office school, car sports utility vehicle, or recreational vehicle boat.

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iLuv Flex-Gel Case for iPad 2nd Gen (iCC818PNK) Review

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(More customer reviews)Just in case anyone is wondering, this item isn't really a gel case (like a soft rubber or silicone) but rather a harder plastic case. The term "Flex-Gel" is really misleading. It's a bit stiffer than a TPU case and doesn't have the glossy softer plastic feel of TPU. It's more along the lines of a matte hard plastic (yet still flexible) that won't end up being a grease/fingerprint magnet (definitely a good thing).
While it's definitely different than what I was thinking it was going to be, it ended up being great because it has a really nice feel to it and is actually more of what I wanted. I bought this because it was one of the only iPad 2 cases available and figured I'd probably end up replacing it eventually with something different--won't have to now because this is really nice.
The only downside (and reason it didn't get 5 stars) is that it has a very sharp edge/seam running around the perimeter (at least mine did) so it wasn't very comfortable to hold--it felt sharp. But a minute or two with some very light grit sandpaper took that edge off and now it's smooth. Didn't mar it up at all either and is now exactly the way I want it.


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A perfect fit for your iPad2, the iCC818 protects your iPad from scratches and fingerprints. Fitting snugly around your iPad, it allows full access to the audio output jack, dock connector, Multi-Touch display and all iPad controls and is available in stylish colors.

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Musical Fidelity V-DAC Upsampling Digital to Analog Audio Converter Review

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(More customer reviews)I upgraded my current audio setup. I purchased the V-DAC 2 weeks ago. After about 60 hrs burn-in, I have truly never experienced music on this level. Soundstage, articulation, tight bass, warm acoustics that will melt away everything that has troubled you the moment you sit down and start listening. I have never heard an audio system sound this good. I have a decent upper mid-level audio setup. The years have caught up to it, but after running all of my sources through the V-DAC, my setup now sounds like twenty grand.
This is the smartest and most rewarding purchase I have bought in a longggg time and the most amazing audio purchase I have EVER purchased. When I come home now, the first thing I do is listen to music. No, not just listen, experience it! I'm going through my entire collection. Revisiting songs I never thought much of, but now hearing new sounds, new layers of audio. It's really hard to put into words, but I guarantee that the MF VDAC won't disappoint.
My fiancee thinks I'm silly and doesn't understand my new fascination with my music collection...but I'm loving every minute of it!
**Please note that you MUST burn in the VDAC (run music through it continutally) for AT LEAST 30 hrs. Out of the box, it sounds fine. After feeding it some sound for over 30 hrs though, you will be rewarded with a warm articulated soundstage that doesn't come from any product you can buy over the shelf. Trust me...the VDAC literally transforms into a DAC that will cause you to sit at the edge of your seat and wonder, "So this is the sound that causes the audiophile bug!". Just so you know, I've had this Amazon account for many years and rarely review or comment on products. I thought it would be beneficial to help those of you who are beginning to upgrade your audio setups with quality components. The VDAC should be on your list...actually, it's a must if you need to upgrade to an external DAC!
My old and new music collection has been reborn...I'm loving every moment of it :)


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The V-DAC is a sensational state-of-the-art DAC. By any measurement its performance is way beyond so-called state-of-the-art competition. In fact overall the technical performance of the V-DAC is probably about the best in the world regardless of price. There is no trickery here. It's simply that we use state-of-the-art digital components (these are very expensive) and implement them with state-of-the-art circuitry and layout. The secret is simple; there's no ridiculous packaging, and absolutely no wastage on anything. The V-DAC is rather like an F1 racing car. It is completely funcitonal with no excess flab or wastage anywhere.

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URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow! What an impressive universal remote (but with flaws)! Most of the buttons can 'learn' from a device's remote, or can be programmed with 'macros' (a series of button presses). For example, my DirecTV/TiVo remote has no 'OFF' button (but there's one on the box), so I programmed the universal remote's 'OFF' button for this. My Samsung HDTV has a complicated ZOOM procedure, and a complicated source selection procedure, so I simplified them for my needs. Practically all of the buttons on a device's remote can be duplicated on this remote. With cheaper 'universal' remotes, the most useful functions of a device's remote are there, but for other functions I need to keep the original remote around, so why bother. Now with this one, I can put the old individual remotes away.
But then there's the bug. One of the 'features' of this remote is 'erasing commands'. Why would you need this? Well, perhaps you decided to rearrange your screen buttons, and you didn't need one any more, so you cleared the label and deleted the command (key or macro). And here's the bug: the 'learning' method for programming buttons DOES NOT WORK, if a macro has previously been stored to the button. One would expect that any old command on a button would automatically be erased when a new command (key or macro) is saved, but that is not the case. The work-around for the bug is that you must manually erase the command first. So this is clearly what the 'erasing commands' feature is for. But that reason is not documented in the manual, and neither is the bug itself.
In fact, another problem with this remote is the manual. It appears glib and superficial. It leaves out some important details. One of the most powerful features of this remote is the macro capability, but the manual explains this only through one example, for the ON button on the MAIN page. It does not give any general step-by-step procedure for setting up a macro command on a button for an individual component. Most users will eventually be able to figure this out, but the manual should have more detail. In fact, what is missing from the manual is a chapter on how to set up macros for users who are serious about using this powerful capability. Also important is button layout, which is a design issue. For the screen buttons, for example, the most frequently used commands should be on buttons that are closer to the center of the remote -- that is, lower on the screen, whereas less frequently used or more destructive commands (such as RECORD or CLEAR COUNTER, for example) should be further away -- higher on the screen.
You should also be aware of the large amount of time that it can take to set up the remote as you might like it to be. The Pre-Programmed Code Method of setup is fast, but usually doesn't set up all of the buttons that are on the original remote. The Learning Method is also fast, once you have designed the button layout you want. You may, for example, set up the OFF button to actually do RECORD, since the ON button does the ON/OFF function for a component (this is the layout taken by one of the pre-programmed codes for a VCR). But doing the design of the button layout, and particularly learning how the various setup features work, then setting up macros, then changing things when you see how you can improve your layout -- these things can take a really long time. And the manual does not give you any help with some of these issues. And then of course you may want to document some of your layout, especially if the OFF button invokes RECORD, for example.
Yet another little 'bug' is in the manual's macro example. If the ON button is programmed in this way, then the ON buttons for the individual components no longer work as you might expect. That is, you may wish to play a CD and so you just want to turn on the audio amplifier (and the CD player). But now the AUDIO ON button invokes the MAIN ON button, so everything comes on instead. The manual doesn't warn you of these problems.
For the remote itself and its capabilities, I would probably grade it a 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. But because of the bug and the manual, it is tempting to grade it as a 1. So the compromise is 3.


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Controls up to 10 Audio/Video components / Provides 453 Macros buttons (up to 190 steps each / Thousands of built-in pre-programmed codes / Power - 4 AAA Batteries (included) / LCD Display Size - 0.88 x 1.88 inch / Learning Function / Backlit Keypad / Size - Depth 1 x Height 8.5 x Width 2.5 inch / Weight – 7.1 oz. (with batteries)

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