Polk Audio LSiC Center Channel Speaker (Single, Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Polk's LSi series is its flagship speaker system. Being 4 ohm, it behooves one to ensure that the speakers are driven by a powerful receiver or consider separates (amp and Pre/Pro).
The center channel shares the same acoustical qualities as that of its companion speakers: smooth (if understated) and defined. The Ring Radiator tweeter is the centerpiece for these speakers, which utilize internal crossovers to ensure the best possible sound reproduction. Note that it is because of this crossover that one might mistakenly believe that one of the drivers may not be operating: check your receivers set-up and ensure that the center channel is set for "Large".
The LSi series is a very attractive piano gloss black and its connectors and cabinet are rock solid. The rear of the speaker features slots for wall-mounting although the speaker will set about 2" off the wall due to its vented port.
The sound? That's a very personal matter. Anyone considering a significant purchase like this should take the time to listen to the speakers for themselves. I am very happy with mine.


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7.1 SLS Audio Surround Sound Speaker and Subwoofer Set Review

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(More customer reviews)I own the SLS 5.1 Q line Gold system, an awesome system :SLS Q-Line Gold 650w 5.1 Surround Sound Home Theater System. But I wanted to upgrade to a 7.1 system without breaking the bank. So I purchased this system and a Yamaha 7.1 receiver total cost around $550. Let me toot my own horn, as I think I just put together the best HTIB under $600 anywhere! These speakers rock, clear as a bell, I love the ribbon tweeters which highlight every detail of my music and or movie experience. I auditioned many systems before buying this product including Denon, Onkyo and BOSE. These SLS speakers with the Yamaha receiver outperform any of these systems by a long shot and for less money! What I found is that most HTIB systems have good receivers, but throw in crap speakers to sell the receivers. I could not be happier and my friend who has the Onkyo HT-S6300 7.1 could not be more jealous; sorry John I told you so. These SLS speakers outperform the Onkyo hands down, I can clearly see why some say the speakers alone are worth $800. I would highly recommend these speakers to my friends!

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Polk Audio FXI A4 Surround Speakers (Pair, Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Surround speakers have been the part of my HT that I have neglected for the longest. I've upgraded fronts, center, sub, AVR, etc. but I've had true surround speakers. I've been tempted several times, but never pulled the trigger. Although they are not a match to the rest of my speakers (Polk LSi's), I am very happy with them. Surround effects are detailed and realistic. I also like to listen to concert DVD's and I'm very happy with the performance of these speakers with music. Purchase from Amazon was smooth and quick. Ordered on a Tuesday night close to midnight and received them on Thursday.

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Olympus E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Electronic View Finder not included) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're a camera enthusiast taking pictures of vacations, pets and kids' birthday parties and willing to spend a few extra bucks on your gear, this camera is a marvel. (The video it shoots is so good that several filmmakers have made films with the E-P2 as their only camera). At its tiny size, which is comparable to high-end P&S cameras, you can't beat it. Good image stabilization, decent resolution at 12+ MP, good low-light performance, a growing range of decent interchangeable micro 4/3rds lenses. In general, the image quality is closer to a low-end DSLR than a high-end P&S if you factor in the lenses that the low-end DSLR shooter is going to purchase. The small size spares you a lot of the misery of taking a decent photographic outfit through the gauntlet of modern air travel. If you want to take decent flash pictures, you can get into the rather silly situation of using an on-camera flash unit that's bigger than the camera itself, but even that can be more convenient than dragging around a full-size black-brick SLR setup.
Note on image quality: you clearly cannot expect a camera like this to match the image quality of a high-end professional DSLR with a $3,000 lens attached to it. But you definitely can compare this camera to a low-end DSLR with its bundled el-cheapo kit lens. Given the choice between the E-P2 and the low=end DSLR, I would go for the E-P2 for convenience reasons. If on the other hand you're planning to build up a collection of top-quality lenses, then this camera is not a candidate.
My particular E-P2 tends to over-expose a little, but if you shoot RAW that's not always a bad thing. If you're into tweaking parameters, there's pretty complete manual control over everything in addition to a million geeky bells & whistles like reliable face-detection focus.
In general, I've found myself driving to the airport with this camera in my bag and my much fancier DSLR sitting at home recently, quite a few times. Broad generalizations are dangerous, but my feeling after decades of photography with film and then digital is that this camera or its successor would make a lot of amateur photographers happier than the low-end DSLR they've had their eye on. At this point it may cost a few extra bucks, but it takes great pictures, has a lot of features, and is feather-light and fits anywhere.
Highly recommended for anyone who needs a small, reasonably priced camera that takes excellent pictures and video. In my opinion, greatly preferable to an entry-level DSLR with a bundled kit lens--and worth the few extra bucks.
But this technology changes so fast that reviews like this are worth what you pay for them.

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SWANN SW343-DP2 4-Channel Digital Video Recorder with 320 GB Hard Drive and 2 Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)the system is a very good for the money, I don't deal with electrical connections so I had someone install it for me. It works real nice but the connection cables are cheap ( cables that connect from dvr to tv) so you have to buy a better one. The camaras work very well and the resolution is very good even at night. The dvr is compact and easy to use with or without the remote. I recoment the system as long as you have someone to install it for you if you don't do electrical connections.

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Yamaha YHT-380BL Home Theater in a Box (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)As John Hopkins mentioned in his detailed review, the system works perfectly well. It is a GREAT buy if you're looking to add home theatre to a smaller room or a not too large bedroom. Spatial separation is very detailed in the sound, and the active subwoofer works a charm, with deep and tight bass response.
These are quality components indeed. Probably the best thing about this system is the Yamaha receiver, which is a discrete amp and receiver combo, usable with any speaker system you care to throw at it (within watt range of course). It can drive high end speakers just as well. Most home theatre-in-a-box systems have propietary components, designed to work only within themselves. But the YHT-380 is expandable and upgradable as you like it.
One thing: Even if youre not using other components, do yourself a favour and get some real speaker wire. I bought some Monster XP cable and the increased brightness and clarity of sound is undeniable.

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ASUS N53SV-A2 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Silver Aluminum) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a independent repair tech and was looking for a replacement for my Dell 3 year old xps1530.
Was looking for something with all the new tech and power I could get for about $1k. The i7 powered n53sv-A2 fits the bill. Silver Aluminum looks great and the unit worked perfectly out of the box. Had to do usual removal of software that was not useful but not a big problem. Put it through 3 solid days of software loading and testing and the unit did very well. No problems noted. Everything just worked.. Unit runs very very cool. The A2 model has Blue ray,a top notch screen,usb3 and great speaker system that are all pluses. The face recognition logon software is also nice not to mention the I7 cpu gives it speed when there is a need.
Warranty info
You get 2 years warranty included in the purchase price( most are 1 year) also 1 year of no fault damage ( normally something you pay extra for). I do suggest the purchase of an additional "ASUS Offered" 1 year warranty extension($90.00) just round out the protection to a 3 year package. Lojack theft software and Norton 360 would also be nice additions .

I would have no trouble suggesting this to a student, office or a home business user.
JP

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Hear the Power. Feel the Power Turn up the volume on the 15.6-inch N53Sv-A2 notebook and prepare to be impressed. Featuring ASUS SonicMaster Technology—co-developed by the audio experts at Bang and Olufsen ICEpower—and a unique top-mounted speaker design, this multimedia powerhouse combines top of the line hardware and software for an unsurpassed, ear-pleasing experience. Powered by the 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology, the N53Sv-A2 delivers the multitasking muscle and smart performance that senses the tasks at hand and dynamically boosts the processor for a stutter-free experience. Boasting powerful NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics with NVIDIA Optimus Technology, the N53Sv-A2 excels in video editing, DirectX 11-enabled gaming, and graphic rendering while conserving battery for less-intensive tasks. Bundled with ASUS VideoMagic 3-in-1 software package, you get image-enhancing programs like PowerDVD 9 with True Theatre that instantly scales DVD-quality to Full 1080p HD with smoother frame rates so you can enjoy videos and movies in the quality they deserve. Specially built into the N53Sv-A2, the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine extends battery life via the ASUS Power4Gear Hybrid utility. The N53Sv-A2 also comes with SuperSpeed USB 3.0 that charges USB 3.0-enabled devices quickly and transfers files from USB storage devices to your notebook up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0.1 The N53Sv-A2 features a 2.0 megapixel webcam with security lens cover, 750GB 7200RPM hard drive, ASUS Splendid Technology, multi-touch trackpad, Express Gate, and a brushed aluminum design.

Key Features
15.6-inch LED-backlit HD display with ASUS Splendid Technology for crisp HD visual quality (Learn more)
ASUS SonicMaster Technology co-developed by world-renowned audio experts at Bang & Olufsen ICEpower delivers improved clarity, volume, and resonance, and detailed sound. (Learn more)
2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology for smart multitasking that automatically senses what you're doing and boosts performance (Learn more)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM and NVIDIA Optimus Technology delivers fast performance for Full HD playback and gaming and switches to IntelHD graphics to save battery for less intensive tasks (Learn more)
ASUS Super Hybrid Engine and ASUS Power4Gear Hybrid optimizes the system to extend battery life for the task at hand (Learn more)
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 for quicker device charging and up to 10x faster transfers than USB 2.01 (Learn more)
ASUS VideoMagic Software for clearer images and smoother visuals (Learn more)
Express Gate mini-operating system grants instant access to internet, music, Skype, and more in seconds




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Relax, ASUS Has You Covered Ranked as the #1 most reliable PC brand by 3 independent sources,2 readers and editors alike choose ASUS as their trusted notebook and netbook. ASUS tirelessly strives to exceed expectations of quality to ensure you an unmatched peace of mind every time you start your PC. This notebook is also backed by the industry's most comprehensive warranty.
2 Year ASUS Global Warranty2 Offers a level of coverage that would add hundreds of dollars to the price of competing laptops:
2 year global warranty
30 day Flawless Display Guarantee
2-way free standard shipping
24/7 tech support
1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty (ADW)3 Whether your notebook is damaged by accidental spills, drops, electrical surges, or fire, ASUS will fix it or replace it for you during the first year after purchase.
Covers accidental drops, spills, power surges, and fire damage
Target 3 business day turnaround time for repair / replacement; not including receiving and shipping time
1-way shipping (from ASUS to the user) at no additional cost
24-hour toll-free phone support

What's in the Box
N53Sv-A2
AC Adapter
6 cell Battery Pack
Warranty Information Card
Specifications
OperatingSystem: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display: 15.6-inch HD display (1920 x 1080)
Processor: 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor (2.0 GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM and NVIDIA Optimus Technology
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz), Bluetooth 2.0
LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
Memory: 6GB DDR3, 2 x SODIMM Sockets (up to 8GB)
Storage: 750GB 7200RPM hard drive
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Camera: 2.0 megapixel
Speakers: Built-in speakers with SonicMaster Technology
Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
Card Reader: 5-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS-Pro, MS-Duo)
Input/ Output:1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out, 1 x VGAport/Mini D-Sub 15-pin for external monitor, 1 x RJ-45 LAN, 2 x USB 2.0ports, 1 x USB 3.0 ports
Battery: 6 cell
Dimensions: 15.6 x 10.6 x 1.2 ~ 1.6 (W x D x H)
Weight: 6.4 lbs (with 6 cell battery)
Color: Silver
© 2011 ASUS Computer International. All Rights Reserved. ASUS is a registered trademark of ASUSTeK Computer. All specifications and terms are subject to change without notice. Please check with your supplier for exact offers on selected models. Products may not be available in all markets. Product may not be exactly as shown in photos. 1All figures theoretical values compared to USB 2.0 benchmarks for reference purposes. Actual speed depends on device and system status. 2Rated number 1 Windows-based PC maker in PCMag.com's Service & Reliability Report 2010. Rated number 1 PC brand according to SquareTrade, the leading direct-to-consumer warranty company (for more information visit http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/ ). Rated number 1 reliable PC maker in Q2 2010's RESCUECOM report http://www.rescuecom.com/2010-2nd-Quarter-Computer-Reliability-Report.html 3 ASUS reserves the right to exclude certain SKUs; check with your retailer to confirm coverage of specific models. Valid for notebooks purchased in the US and Canada only. Certain retailers do not participate in ADW coverage. For complete details, please visit: usa.asus.com/event/ASUS360 and adw.asus.com/.

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