Archive for the 'Product Reviews' Category

Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Turntable : A real find at $200!

Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Turntable Review By Don Lindich I recently tested the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB turntable and the experience was quite delightful!  It’s nice to find a component that delivers performance and quality beyond its selling price and which is dramatically better than its like-priced competition.  As vinyl records are a subject near and dear to my […]

Paradigm Atom Monitor Bookshelf Speakers : Product of the Day 20, 2010

Paradigm Atom Monitor Bookshelf  Speaker The Paradigm Atom Monitor has long been loved by audiophiles for its fine sound and its  affordable price.  I’ve spent a lot of time listening to the Atom Monitor lately and though they sounded good out of the box, after around 30 hours of break-in the sound opened up and […]

Pioneer Elite SC-25 A/V Receiver : Product of the Day 8, 2010

Pioneer Elite SC-25 A/V Receiver Download High-Rez Image I usually recommend a separate amplifier and preamp/processor when people write to me requesting a recommendation for an expensive receiver.  The Pioneer Elite SC-25 is a receiver that gives separates a run for their money, and even offers some clear advantages, especially when compared to budget separates.  […]

Product of the Day, Day 35: Lexar FireWire 800 Compact Flash Reader

Lexar FireWire 800 UDMA Compact Flash Card Reader Anyone who uses a digital SLR, particularly the latest professional models with HD video recording and very high megapixel counts, knows how huge the files can get and how long it can take to download an entire memory card.  That’s where the Lexar FireWire 800 Compact Flash […]

The Speaker Company TSBL, TC2, and TSS Home Theater Speaker System Review

The Speaker Company TSBL Bookshelf Speakers   The Speaker Company TSBL, TC2, and TSS Home Theater Speaker System Pros Fantastic price/performance equation Superior sound quality and construction compared to competing speakers from big-box stores Clean, natural sound with no glaring faults, no listening fatigue Dipolar surround speakers for superior surround effects, extremely rare at the […]

Memorex MVBD2510 Blu-ray Player Review

Memorex MVBD2510 Blu-ray Player Memorex MVBD2510 Blu-ray Player MSRP $269 , Street Price $169.99 from Target Pros: First-class packaging and presentation- does not come across as a cheap product at all Solid build quality and attractive design.  With the high quality packaging, it makes for a gift with a lot of appeal Excellent image quality […]

Review: Magnepan MMG Speakers

Magnepan MMG Planar-Magnetic Speakers Review By Nick Katsafanas Photography and edit by Don Lindich From the Magnepan website: “Have you ever noticed that instruments projected from small boxes sitting on the floor sound like they are coming out of boxes on the floor? This problem can be partially corrected by placing the box speakers on […]

Insignia NS-B2111 Pictures

Insignia NS-B2111 Speakers I’ll soon be comparing the new speakers from The Speaker Company to the Insignia NS-B2111 speakers sold at Best Buy. The Insignias have been making waves for over a year now as a great-sounding speaker that can be had for under $100 per pair. (They were under $50 per pair before the […]

Speakers from The Speaker Company: The new budget buy?

Professional Boxes and Packaging- it’s nice to see and shows this is a serious effort! Over the past year I’ve been recommending the Insignia NS-B2111 speakers to readers who want great sound but who are on an extremely limited budget. The big drawback to the NS-B2111s is there is no matching center channel, making them […]

Digital SLR Camera Review: Olympus Evolt E-510 2-lens kit

Olympus E-510 Digital SLR Camera Olympus Evolt E-510 Digital SLR Camera Sound Buys Product Review By Don Lindich Digital SLR is an extremely  hot camera category, and an Olympus digital SLR is always  one of the more  unique digital SLR  cameras you can buy.  Olympus has long gone its own way in the world of […]

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 […]

Product Review: Alienbees Photoflash Units

Alienbees Photoflash Units Sound Buys Product Review By Don Lindich The tiny flash built into your camera, or even a show-mounted accessory flash can be extremely limiting to photographers working with artificial light. The flash can only produce one style of light and is limited in power, which can limit creativity. The direct light from […]

Inexpensive Audiophile Turntables: The Rega P1 and Pro-ject Debut III

Inexpensive Audiophile Turntables: The Rega P1 and Pro-ject Debut III Sound Buys product review By Don Lindich   Not long ago few would have predicted the cover of the July/August 2007 edition of   Sound & Vision magazine would proclaim, “Vinyl Lives! Welcome to the Turntable Revival.” Audio buffs are gratified that people are rediscovering […]

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 […]

Product Review: Apple Safari 3 web browser for Windows

Apple Computer’s recent introduction of its Safari web browser for Windows is part of a continuing effort to grow market awareness and ultimately, sales of Apple products. Apple has seen Mac computer sales grow as of late, driven both by iPod users buying their first Mac and by Intel Macs that can run Windows as […]

Product Review: Epson Stylus Photo RX580 All-In-One

Epson Stylus Photo RX580 Scanner/ Photo Printer/Copier Sound Buys Product Review By Don Lindich An all-in-one scanner/printer/copier is an excellent choice for many home computer users, though some compromises are usually involved. Most all-in-ones don’t perform quite as their standalone counterparts, especially in terms of photographic print quality. A dedicated photo printer usually produces more […]

Pentax K10D with “Pancake” lenses

Pentax K10D with “Pancake” lenses Sound Buys review by Don Lindich Pentax’s K10D is one of the leaders in the SLR market. Featuring a 10.2 megapixel image sensor, sensor-based image stabilization (which Pentax calls Shake Reduction) a bright, clear viewfinder, and an intriguing set of custom features and manual controls, it has the goods to […]

Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD 745i

Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD 745i Sound Buys Product Review By Don Lindich The Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD 745i is the replacement for the ever-popular Radio CD 740,a product I’ve recommended for years as a better-sounding, less expensive alternative to the Bose Wave Radio. My readers have purchased them in droves and reported their great satisfaction, […]

Fujifilm Finepix F20 Digital Camera

Fujifilm Finepix F20 Digital Camera Sound Buys product review by Don Lindich Small, deck-of-cards sized digital cameras have become very popular because of their portability and convenience. Unfortunately, their small image sensors are limited in their ability to capture light, and in anything other than perfect lighting conditions image quality takes a nosedive quickly, looking […]

Axiom Audio Loudspeakers

  Axiom Audio Loudspeakers Sound Buys review By Don Lindich Canadian home audio speaker manufacturer Axiom Audio has made quite a splash of late. The keys to their success have been a product line that offers innovative design, top-performance across the board, a direct-to-the-consumer business model that keeps prices low, and excellent service before and […]