Archive for the 'Accessories' Category

Weekly column: Antenna for HDTV, Monoprice iPod/iPad accessories

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Q.  I have a second home in South Florida and am considering getting rid of my cable service there to save money, since I am not there all the time.  For a long time I thought you had to have cable to get TV anymore and thought rabbit ears went […]

Sanus AFA Audio Stand : Product of the Day, Day 6, 2010

Sanus AFA Audio Stand- specialty shop quality for under $125 If you have every shopped for a stand for your stereo components, you have probably found that the stuff sold in furniture stores doesn’t work all that well and the good stuff sold in specialty stores is really expensive.  Here’s a nice stand that will […]

Product of the Day #43: Targus Aluminum Memory Card Wallets ($1.98 at Radio Shack)

I was at Radio Shack yesterday and came across these nice little memory card wallets for only $1.98 each!  I could not find them on Radio Shack’s website so in seems to be an in-store only deal.

Product of the Day, Day 32: Monoprice HDA-3700 Indoor HD Antenna

Monoprice HDA-3700 Indoor HD Antenna Monoprice is well known for their very affordable, extremely high quality HDMI and audio/video cables.  Monoprice HDMI cables typically sell for $5 or less,  vs. the extremely high prices charged in big box stores.  Monoprice is no one-trick pony.  They sell a wide variety of other products from plasma TV […]

Sound Advice Column: Independent, online retailers seem better at playing straight

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: The salesperson at the big box store tells me I must purchase a Monster Series 1000 HDMI cable for $130 because it is the only cable that supports my TV’s 120 Hz and 25,000:1 contrast ratio. He also tells me I need a $300 […]

Product Review: Audio/Video Cables from Monoprice.com

Audio/Video Cables from Monoprice Sound Buys Product Review by Don Lindich Would you rather spend $4.79 or $79.99 on effectively the same product? If saving the $75 interests you, read on. There’s a very good chance I am going to save you that $75, or even much more. Anyone buying electronics in a big-box store […]

Circular Polarizers, Tools and Tips for Photographing Products for eBay

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 38, 2007 Q:   I do product photography (antiques and collectibles) for eBay, currently with a point-and-shoot.   I photograph everything from antique cars, collector swords, glassware,   to wood radios and furniture.   There are shiny/Glass/Chrome objects.   I believe that a Polarizer will help.   Do you […]

iPod ‘noise’ interferes with radio listening

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 33, 2007 Q: I like to listen to AM radio for news and sports, but my docked iPod produces so much noise and static that it’s unlistenable. Is this unusual? I can’t even listen to AM in the garage! When I unplug the iPod from the dock, all is […]

High-speed memory cards, quick-acting digital cameras, and the best iPod dock is from Apple

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 29, 2007 Q: I am currently using a Kodak EasyShare DX 6490 camera and except for the very slow response time, I have found it to be easy to use and the pictures are sort of satisfactory, though a little grainy. Most of my pictures are of grandchildren who […]

Product Review: Griffin iMic

Griffin iMic Sound Buys Product Review by Don Lindich Griffin’s iMic accessory works with both PC and Mac computers and adds analog sound inputs, a microphone input, and an audio outout via a USB port. It’s the answer many have been looking for as they look to make CDs of their vinyl record collection, transfer […]

Bose and Specifications- they don’t provide them!

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 23, 2007 Q: Why is Bose so secretive about the frequency response of their sound-cancelling headphones? Could it be because it’s not as good as they could wish? -Steve Perry St. Paul, MN A: Bose has a long history of not disclosing specifications of any type. Wikipedia’s entry on […]

Sound Advice Week 21: Using computer and turntable with sound system, Apple iMac computers and digital video

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 21, 2007 Q: I’m interested in getting my computer and my turntable (I have a Pro-ject Debut III) to use the same speakers in my sound system. Of course I don’t need it to be simultaneous but I’d like to not have to fuss with cords if its possible. […]

Transferring cassettes to CD, FM reception and antennas, Bose and Google Ads

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 19, 2007 Q: I have a laptop Mac running OS 10.3 Panther. Is there any way I can transfer cassettes of my parents voices to CD’s? -Virginia Patton, Minneapolis, MN A: Yes. You can buy the $39.95 Griffin iMic I mentioned in last week’s column and use it with […]

Transferring cassettes to computer, recording high-numbered channels on satellite or digital cable

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 12, 2007 Q: I have several cassette tapes that I would like to transfer to my computer, which uses Windows xXP Media Edition. I am using a laptop and the only audio imput that I have is the mic jack. How can I connect my cassette deck to my […]

Buy a good tripod- and be sure to use it!

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 12, 2007 Q:   With so many tripods available it’s very hard to find a good, reliable one.   Do you have any small (12″ or less) tripod recommendations for a digital camera? -Greg Voyzey, State College, PA A:   First of all, I commend you on your desire […]

Adding accessory power outlets to your car, putting LP songs on an iPod

Week of October 22, 2006 Q: I have an iPod and I wanted to listen to it in my car while traveling.   I purchased an FM transmitter which slips over the docking connection and adds very little size or weight to the iPod. I like it very much except for one aspect. In order […]

Using a turntable with a table radio or surround receiver, Pro-ject’s incredible RM-5 turntable

Week of August 13, 2006 Q: I’d like to get a table radio/CD player like the Polk i-Sonic or Cambridge Soundworks you’ve mentioned in your columns, but I’d also like to be able to use it with an LP turntable. Is that possible with either of these products? If not, is there anything similar on […]

Inexpensive MiniDV camcorders, optical image stabilization, plasma and LCD TVs

Week of July 9, 2006 Q:   My son & I want to buy a fairly cheap ($400 tops) digital MiniDV camcorder so we can play around with making movies using iMovie (we both have Mac’s).   What would you recommend and why? -Geoff Sirc, Minneapolis, MN A:   Without question, I very strongly recommend […]

Zenith Silver Sensor antenna, VHF and UHF

Week of June 18, 2006 Q: I read your column about the Zenith Silver Sensor for receiving HD TV and it was very applicable to my situation since I have difficulty receiving HD off the air. However, in looking up info on it, it seems to be for UHF only. Is that the case and […]

Making quality videos on a budget

Week of June 11, 2006 Q; A friend and I are planning to start a small business that will specialize in recording the memories of the people of our community on video. Our plan is to guide the interviewee through the events of their lives by means of a customized list of questions. After, the […]