Advantages: ok for people on a budget, Nice colour, easy to install
Disadvantages: Not very good sound quality, not for me

...MY EXPERIENCE. In my experience, id didnt find these very good at all, the price was good to start off with, there a lovely blue colour and there easy to install, but thats where the good points finish. The construction of the actual speaker consists of a magnet, which is mounted at the rear of the speaker assembly and usually made of aluminium, and the front voice coil (this is where the sound comes out), in the case of this make of speaker, kenwood are normally blue in colour around the voice coil. I mounted these in the holes where the factory fit speakers already were, (didnt want to cut new holes etc) all i had to do was take off the door panels (easier said than done) remove the 4 screws holding the old speaker to the door, unplug the speaker input connections from the rear terminals of the speaker, then the new speaker... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Free and simple to use. Segmented downloading works a treat.
Disadvantages: Problem with automatically resuming after a disconnection.

...I used to use GetRight for downloading but had a number of problems. The segmented downloading sometimes screwed up and sometimes the FTP sites GetRight had logged into would go dead without GetRight changing to a faster site. I now use Download Accelerator Plus. This is a free program which is funded by advertising in a banner within the display window. The doanloader will automatically detect all mirror sites for your locality (you have to tell it your location first during setup) and speed test them. It will then start downloading up to four segments depending on file size. The downloader can then be minimized so that you don't have to watch the adverts. If the connection is terminated, as in the case of my ISP, you can then resume downloading later. There are a few sites which don't allow resuming but their files are usually... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great sound and all the compressed audio formats
Disadvantages: No HDMI

...Yamaha are well known for their 'natural' sound. Having owned previous Yamaha AV kit, I purchased this receiver and was very impressed with the sound - it's very clear and expansive. It is very good for both music and movies. It has onboard decoding for the latest compressed audio standards eg Dolby Digital Ex and DTS. It is easy to set up with clearly marked inputs. It can accept virtually every piece of AV kit you can think of. The speaker terminals are quality screw terminals as opposed to flimsy spring clips which don't accomodate thick speaker wire well and are liable to break. All the buttons and dial feel solid and demonstrate the quality of the build. It's a nice looking piece of kit and is a sort of brushed aluminium - in a champagne silver colour. I don't use the radio element of the receiver, so can't comment on that... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Stunning stereo music playback at the price
Disadvantages: Surround sound steering could be better

...I purchased this receiver to match my NAD T550 DVD player as part of my Home Cinema set-up. The first impression on removing it from the box was that it looked more like a piece of military equipment than hi-fi. The unit is quite heavy for it's size but is easily moved around on the hi-fi rack. The provided instructions take the form of a book. Extremely comprehensive! I spent hours reading them! This, in itself, could be a little off-putting for a complete novice. However, if you persist, there is a full explanation on every single function available. Connecting up was very straight forward. The power cord is not the detachable type (like a kettle) but is built in to the receiver so you cannot swap it for a upgrade. Speaker terminals are the plastic screw-down variety although there are removeable caps to allow banana plugs... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: sexy, powerful, controlled, external gain control
Disadvantages: large, poor finish, poor build, small terminals

...I must start this review by saying how much i absoloutly love my vibe monobox 4. besides all its problems. it is a fantastic amplifier. and extremeley powerful 500wrms @4ohm 850wrms @2ohm 1400wrms @1ohm i found it hard to find an amplifier that was 1ohm stable when i was looking around. and this was suggested to me by an employee of my audio dealer. and well, its fantastic. the bass is crisp, and concise. very clear and very controlled. which is just what my music style needs. (lots of fast paced drums, you probably wouldnt like it, lol) however. the hate part. the terminal holes for the wire are too small for 4awg cable. the finish on the amp is very prone to scratches, and although looks like a pure metal finish, is in fact spray painted silver, (a very thin coat as well i might add) all badges have "fallen off" its too bloody... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Modular design, LED fans for case modding
Disadvantages: Thin aluminium plate can distort

...and supported in the case (My thermaltake actually pulled the rear of the power supply out of shape when screwed into place , causing the noise). Make sure it sits naturally and you'll have no problems. The cables are something else. All sleeved and colour coded to the case, terminating with the desired interface at one end and chromed screw in connectors for the PS end. Unlike other modular power supplies, the screw in connectors are positive and can take a good amount of abuse, still providing a positive connection. Included are varying length 4 pin molex connections and 2 way splitters to connect to drives etc using the standard 4 pins. It allows for these to be connected without having to cut back the cables or hiding the excess behind the rear panel. Also there are 4 pin to 2 SATA adaptors, and 1 PCI-E 6 pin connector which connects directly... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Gives you the external Strobe \ siren to compliment your BT VP1000
Disadvantages: Requires power supply so not totaly wireless

...is opened by means of a screw located under a plastic cover on the bottom edge of the box. The plastic cover needs to be flipped open before the single retaining screw can be removed. Once open, the backup battery can be connected and the bared power adapter terminals screwed down (no polarity as it is an AC adaptor). Note that the power adaptor supplied is a two-pin model which requires a three-pin adaptor to operate (not supplied). Do not plug in the power adaptor until the wires are terminated. Successful power-up will be evidenced by a green LED. Once powered up the unit should be tested for operation by depressing and holding the 'SELF TST' button for three seconds. A low-level sound will be emitted and the strobe will flash. Do not look directly at the strobe. Enrolling To enroll the device, select 'SYSTEM PROFILE' on the VP1000 unit... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Sound quality, good looks, brilliant service
Disadvantages: Some may think it expensive

...manual, a hand written test certificate with all the power outputs and crossover settings listed for the particular amplifier so you know that the spec sheet included is for the particular amplifier it came with, a screwdriver set for the amplifier's terminals, a lead to control the sub channel volume from the front of the car and a set of ferules to make wiring a lot tidyer. The amplifier is probably the best looking I have ever seen, but that's down to opinion really. It is highly polished aluminium that looks like a mirror, with a gold plated badge (optionally customised with your own name!) and gold terminals. Mounting is easy with 4 screw holes (screws supplied as well!) which are very easy to get to. The instruction manual is easy to use and in plain English (Afterall, the amplifier is made in England) explaining all the different ways... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Compact Size Good Sound
Disadvantages: Bass response

...at a similar cost, although not at Richer Sounds. The reason I chose these speakers was for the JBL reputation and the size of them. Despite being quite small the speakers do sound excellent and are perfectly suited to the home cinema function. They contain two drivers a 3/4" tweeter, a 5" woofer and a high-performance dividing network providing wide-range frequency response, in 235 x 159 x 143 mm package which is quite compact. The speakers are shielded so can be placed near your TV without distorting the picture, this is not an issue if you have an LCD or Plasma. They come in either black or white and have a removable front grill, mine are on brackets with out the grill as they look quite good without it. Connecting the speakers is easy as they have screw terminals at the back these can also be used with banana plugs to make a neater connection... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great sounding, deep rich bass.
Disadvantages: Needs time to set up correctly.

...This is part of Pioneer's accelerate range which has been around for some years now. The TS-W 306C is a 12" sub woofer designed to be fitted to a sub box which is sold separately. Fitting The sub woofer comes with a pack of screws and double sided foam which is secured to the back of the speaker and then mounted onto the box, so as to give a perfect seal when screwed to the box. This is then mounted in the boot of your car. The only connection that you need to make is the speaker wires which is attached to the side of the box. I recommend using a good quality OFC (oxygen free cable) This cable is then connected to the speaker terminals on your amp. Performance This will vary greatly depending which amp you will use to drive this speaker. As a rule i would suggest you use a good quality amp rated 200 watts and above. However i am only... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful