Archive for the 'Newspaper Columns' Category

Today is Cyber Monday

For those of you who are uninitiated in web culture and parlance, today, December 1, 2008, is Cyber Monday… the online equivalent to Black Friday sales at brick and mortar stores. Be sure to check your favorite online vendors for lots of great deals! Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Sound Advice Column: Audio from TV on FM Radio, adding an external tuner

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed By McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I have a question indirectly related to the digital TV switchover scheduled for February 2009. It has to do with the TV audio reception that currently can be received on the FM band on various tabletop radios. I like to fall asleep listening to [...]

Sunday, Nov. 9 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette column

My column was severely truncated in today’s issue of the Post-Gazette.  The full version made it to their website- please read it here.  There’s a lot of good info about the Pioneer VSX-1018 there that was missing from the text of the column.  addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soundadviceblog.com%2Fnewspaper-columns%2Fsunday-nov-9-pittsburgh-post-gazette-column%2F’; addthis_title = ‘Sunday%2C+Nov.+9+Pittsburgh+Post-Gazette+column’; addthis_pub = ”;

JD Power Award and AT&T U-Verse

Correction on JD Power Award: In a recent column I touted Verizon FIOS as the current JD Power Award winner and encouraged readers to check JD Power to see how service providers rate in their area.  I should have specified that Verizon FIOS was the award winner for my own region, the East.  As 10/01/08, [...]

Sound Advice Column: AM Radio Reception and Radios, Adobe Photoshop Elements

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed By McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I have an AM/FM receiver that is around 25 years old. It has worked wonderfully on both AM and FM until we recently moved it from a closet to an open area 20 feet away. The FM is still perfect. However, I cannot get [...]

Sound Advice Column: Choosing Speaker Wire, Macro Lenses for Olympus Digital SLRs

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed By McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I’m confused as to what gauge of speaker wire to use. From my limited knowledge, the different gauge has to do with the distance and size of speaker. Is this true? I’m planning to purchase the Insignia NS-B2111 speakers for my surround sound system [...]

Sound Advice: Quality speakers, good values are available

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I would like a recommendation for a center speaker to go with four Insignia NS-B2111 speakers from Best Buy. I use a pair for fronts and a pair for surrounds and need a center channel to finish the system. JIM SANDERS Shoreview, Minn. A: [...]

Sound Advice Column: Both buyers and sellers want vinyl

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I was reading about “old records” in your column and wondered if you know of a place to sell them. I have many that I would like to sell. – SHEILA DUNNIWAY, Ben Lomond, Calif. A: After the column ran I received many e-mails [...]

Don’s Dealfinder: 20% and 35% off Acculine speakers

Acculine Speakers- amazing performance at any price, a steal with this deal! Available exclusively from The Audio Insider, Acculine speakers’ combination of quality construction and amazing sound makes for some of the very best bang for the buck on the market, especially if you are building a complete home theater surround system with tower speakers. [...]

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 [...]

New, used vinyl records available online, in store

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I am a musician and especially enjoy classic rock. Over the past few months I have built a system around your recommendations, specifically the Acculine A3 tower speakers, Pro-ject Debut III turntable and a vintage NAD receiver. To say I am happy is an [...]

Pentax K20D to supplant less expensive K10D camera

Pentax K20D Digital SLR Camera Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I have been pretty happy with my Olympus E-10. The price was right and my old Pentax cameras were starting to really show their age (my favorite one is well over 40 years old.) Now it seems that my [...]

Inexpensive fixes can boost TV sound

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: The sound on rented VCR tapes and DVDs is usually so poor that I can barely hear the dialogue, even with my TV sound turned up to the maximum. Sometimes it is impossible to hear across the room, even when the air conditioner is [...]

Finding local, independently-owned electronics retailers

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services  Q: In a recent column you mentioned purchasing TVs from independently owned stores or specialty shops instead of big-box stores. We can’t think of any places to get a TV other than the big box stores. How do we go about finding these independent places? WAYNE, [...]

Buying home theater speakers? Buy now- electronics prices are going up.

A special column regarding speaker and other electronics pricing will start hitting the newspapers today.  Since it is time sensitive I am posting it here as well for the benefit of site visitors who may miss it otherwise. Sound Advice By Don Lindich July 9, 2008 Usually when I need to list a clarification or [...]

Sound Advice Column: Plasma vs. LCD TVs, 120 Hz technology

JVC LCD HDTV with 120Hz technology Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 4, 2008 Q: I am in the market for a 42-46 inch HDTV. A friend just purchased a 50-inch plasma and is complaining about blurred movement when watching sports. We will use our TV to watch lots of sports as well. Should I [...]

Converting slides to digital, effectively upgrading a turntable

I’ve been quite focused on original content and some new sites I am developing, so I have been remiss in posting published columns on the site.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting some columns that were in newspapers but have not been posted on the site yet.  Stay tuned for more, about two [...]

Don’s Dealfinder: Monitor Audio i-deck iPod sound system for $99

Monitor Audio i-deck Looking for a docking speaker for your iPod?  Saturday Audio has the Monitor Audio i-deck for only $99.  Nice product, nice price!  If you want to take advantage of the deal, here is the page with their contact info: www.saturdayaudio.com. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soundadviceblog.com%2Fnewspaper-columns%2Fdons-dealfinder-monitor-audio-i-deck-ipod-sound-system-for-99%2F’; addthis_title = ‘Don%26%238217%3Bs+Dealfinder%3A+Monitor+Audio+i-deck+iPod+sound+system+for+%2499′; addthis_pub = ”;

Don’s Dealfinder: Polk Audio RM-10 5-piece surround speaker set for $199 (save $424.96)

  Polk RM-10 Surround Speaker System Online retailer J&R Music and Computer World has a great deal on the Polk Audio RM-10 5-piece surround speaker system, composed of the front speakers, center speaker, and surround speakers- all for $199, a savings of $424.96 from the original price.  Longtime readers know I greatly favor bookshelf speakers over tiny, teacup-sized [...]

Sound Advice Column: Pentax K10D Digital SLR Camera a Great Buy

  Q: I’m buying a digital SLR camera and you write favorably about Pentax. I’ve seen the K10D, their top model, on sale recently with a $100 rebate. That makes it the same price as the entry-level Canon Digital Rebel XTi and Nikon D40x. Do you think the K10D is a better buy at approximately [...]