Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts

8/08/2011

Klipsch LightSpeaker System 5.2.2 Wireless Sound and Efficient LED Lighting Review

Klipsch LightSpeaker System 5.2.2 Wireless Sound and Efficient LED Lighting
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The first thing that struck me about this product is the quality of it's manufacture. These speakers were solid and well made. Below I will address the various information that is important to know.

PACKAGING AND INSTRUCTIONS:
As with any product what we first see is the packaging it comes in. This speaker system was no exception.
An expensive product, should be well packed and these speakers were in separate boxes within the main box, well cushioned. The various components were also well packed and obvious to find. The overall box when you open it, the first thing you see is the setup information. This card was the full length of the box and succinctly told you the steps you needed to complete installation. I thought this was all well done. Under that was the user's manual that if you had issues you could refer to.

INSTALLATION:
First of all you need to be sure you have the right spot to install these. They go into 5 or 6" recessed lighting tubes. The manufacturers provided two size flanges that could go on the end of the speaker/lights that would work with either of these sizes. One thing we found while installing these, is you could actually not get them properly seated in the light socket(not deep enough) and they would not work. It was the user's manual that alerted me to this and we resolved the issue. Another thing I found was, we could not use the metal arms spread out to stabilize the speaker in the recessed outlet, as the spread was too far. We had to keep them pulled in.

I liked the fact that the instructions warned me upfront that most recessed lighting fixtures had adjustable depths. I didn't know that. In telling me that I knew enough to adjust them and that is what took to get the speakers installed deep enough. You have to finesse this a bit and get the proper mix of deep enough while holding the flange flush to the ceiling and properly engaged to work. It took us about an hour to get both speakers properly installed. It was somewhat fatiguing as these speaker/lights have some heft to them. But, not a major problem.

Once installed properly the main unit quickly detected the speakers and they worked well. You can control the volume of the speakers and the brightness of the lights. You also have the abililty to choose two inputs. There is also a remote provided and this mimicked the controls on the base unit. Handy if you are not easily able to reach the base unit.

USAGE:
Once we had them up and synched to the base unit, everything worked fine. We are now planning on having these hook both to the radio as well as an ipod and you can do this as there are two inputs as well as the appropriate cables. I was pleased with the sound quality, but I'm no audiophile. Since the speakers were small and not only behind the lights but the light lens a more discerning listener might have concerns. I did not.

RANGE:
I have noticed that these speakers do not have much in the way of bass, so your music can sound a bit tinny. Not surprising due to their size.
OTHER POINTS:
Since we used these units in our kitchen on recessed lights over the countertop, which has 4 lights, in order to work you need to have that circuit on. This means the two lights that don't have the speakers in them need to be on all the time, that we use the speakers. The lights in the speakers can be turned off independently. At this time, I don't think that is a problem, as I kept the ones over the primary work area as non-speakered lights.

The speakers have convex covers on the LED light inside. This makes the light they shine down a bit different than the lights in the recesses. I find this light is more diffuse. Another reason why I did not put these lights over the primary work area. I would have to make it very bright to be the the most useful. The LED lights can get bright enough, but it seemed almost too bright in order to get the proper coverage. Too bad there was not a concave lens option for these speaker/lights to address this.

SUMMARY:
All in all we are pleased with this system. I will write more as we use it more.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Klipsch LightSpeaker System 5.2.2 Wireless Sound and Efficient LED Lighting

Wireless speaker system installs in minutes like a ceiling light bulb and allows enjoyment of music anywhere while saving energy & money

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8/03/2011

Creative Labs 70GH010000000 Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset Review

Creative Labs 70GH010000000 Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Received this product yesterday. After the initial 8 hour charge I was anxious to test it out. Comfort and sound quality are awesome. Installation was very easy if you follow the Quick-Start guide. The THX options are amazing for versatility. Range on the 2.4gHz wireless is also very delectable. I was very impressed until I went to talk to my guild mates over Ventrilo...
Every single person said I sounded very muffled / tin-e / static-e. The microphone also picks up almost every sound in the room. It is very annoying. Noise canceling microphone??? NO. More like noise amplifying microphone of terrible quality. I plugged in my old $15 headset from WalMart and my voice was back to crystal clarity to everyone in Ventrilo.
I spent about two hours of my own time alternating sound options inside Windows, Ventrilo, and the custom sound board to get my voice sounding somewhat normal over Ventrilo to no avail. I posted this issue on the official Sound Blaster forums. I am also going to create a support request. If this issue isn't fixed or on the way to being fixed I'm going to get a refund and by a different set.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Creative Labs 70GH010000000 Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset

Experience the sounds of Azeroth and beyond like never before with the Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset. Designed specifically for World of Warcraft gamers, the headset features cutting-edge uncompressed wireless audio technology and THX TruStudio PC, offering you a truly unforgettable gaming experience. Communicate with your party or raid clearly. The Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset features a professional grade microphone, ensuring everyone can hear your shouts in all their resonant glory. You can even declare your staunch allegiance with the interchangeable headset lenses bearing the marks of your chosen faction and 16 million programmable color illumination options. Get ready to be blown away by the amazing realism from unrivaled headphone surround and gaming sound enhancement technologies. Package contents include wireless headset with detachable microphone and built-in volume and mute controls on headset, USB wireless transmitter, travel pouch, USB to mini-USB plug for charging, quick start booklet, two sets of headset lenses one for Horde and one for Alliance, online software installation with user guide.

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7/28/2011

ButtKicker BKA300 Wireless Home Theater Kit with ButtKicker Advance and Power Amplifier Review

ButtKicker BKA300 Wireless Home Theater Kit with ButtKicker Advance and Power Amplifier
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I purchased the ButtKicker BKA300 based on prior reviews here. This is my first time owning one of these systems. The intended purpose of was for more immersive movie-watching and playing on a PS3. The kit was setup with a HDTV using the line out on the TV using a Y-adapter to split between it and a 2.1 (two satellites one sub) speaker set. The rumble unit was setup under one of the four rear legs of a three-person sofa.
Watching live concert music on the Palladia channel really gives the feeling of being there. I started noticing that on regular TV programming one can hear muffled sound on most dialog as if the sofa was the speaker. This is a bit distracting, and an annoyance that could be addressed by sound proofing the furniture a bit.
The blu-ray version of The Dark Knight has some loud low frequency passages that causes a loud metallic thump. At first I though it was bouncing against the furniture or floor, so I took a couple of mouse pads as a quick fix test and put them in between the floor and another between the rumble platform and the sofa, but it did not fix the problem. I then watched Pirates of the Caribbean, again on blu-ray, fortunately not much of an issue here.
Gaming on the PS3 was another issue. Playing Call of Duty 4 with the rumble kit really brings gaming to a whole new level. Unfortunately, once I went online, grabbed a sniper rifle and aimed at someone, every heart beat the game produces started causing the metallic thump. I had someone else play while I tried troubleshooting the problem and noticed it was coming from inside the rumble module as if it was bottoming out. A few days later a family member was playing Resistance 2 and the module was not working. It had stopped working within an hour of playing, and was very hot to the touch. Once it cooled it worked again so it appears that it disables to prevent damage. I tried multiple settings for several days, lowering the "volume" on the amplifier, selecting different modes (music,movie,game,) but was not able to fix the problem.
Ultimately, I decided to return the unit. Really disappointing, I recently learned from reviews of the bigger brother (400 watts min, 1100 watts max) unit also bottoms out; this one is 50 watts. I may still give it a cautious try.

Click Here to see more reviews about: ButtKicker BKA300 Wireless Home Theater Kit with ButtKicker Advance and Power Amplifier

All new ButtKicker Kit with new 4 ohm ButtKicker Advance transducer, the new wider couch / chair mounting accessory kit, new BKA300-4 amplifier (115v) with integrated wireless option, optional vertical stand, and remote control with preset EQ settings, 6m of high quality speaker wire with banana plugs, 1m high quality RCA interconnect and high quality male to female RCA Y adaptor and a speaker level interface adapter for connecting to A/V systems without subwoofer pre-outs, and an illustrated Quick Start Guide.

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