Sony HTCT500 3.1 Speaker System with Complete Built-In A/V Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is one slick little soundbar/subwoofer combination. A significant improvement over the previous offering, the CT100. The sound bar is bigger than that model and feels like it is better constructed. The subwoofer is a solid piece of work as well.
Now for the important part, sound quality. The sound quality is much better than the old model and I would say it approaches the quality of the more expensive Yamaha YSP sound bars. You will probably have to do a little tweaking with it to get it set up properly but once you do this baby will shine. Sound is strong from both the soundbar and the subwoofer. The subwoofer is where your connections are located. You can run your dvd/blu ray player and your cable box (among others) to the sub and then the sub will run an HDMI cable to the tv. You can pretty much plug anything into the back of the sub as there are three HDMI inputs, two component inputs and a composite input along with the normal cable tv coax.
One thing to keep in mind. This will not surpass the surround quality of a good quality seperate sound system with multiple speakers. But then again most buyers should know that from the start. This is an option for people who don't want speakers all over the place or who have space issues which make a soundbar solution the best option. I rated this item 5 stars in comparison to other soundbar solutions, not compared to a surround system with multiple speakers. While there are some better sounding soundbars they are at least twice as much if not more expensive. For the quality and price this is an excellent soundbar option.

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Experience surround sound with fewer speakers and wires. Add in the full functionality and connections of an A/V receiver and bring excitement to movies and video games. Featuring five HD inputs, three of those HDMI connections with Active Intelligence, S-AIR multi-room audio capability, on-screen user interface, set-up, control and connectivity of the home theater has never been easier. Its flat TV centric design allows the sound bar to blend in.

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Panasonic SC-HT930 5-Disc DVD Home Theater System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Just recently purchased this item. The sound is great, extremely loud and clear for both DVDs and CDs. It is not the most user friendly piece of equipment ever, it was easy to set up and get working with DVDs, but some other things that you'd think would be simple, like putting CDs on random was suprisingly difficult. The instructions are all but useless.
The other thing that is obviously my fault for not realizing it, is it doesn't include digital inputs so you can't listen to cable shows that are broadcast in surround or video games that support surround in true surround. I didn't understand that requirement when I bought it and was disappointed when I figured it out. Seems like a system that nice should have the ability to generate surround sound from an outside source.
Also got the wireless rear speaker kit and it has worked really well so far. It will occasionally fight with my wireless laptop if I sit between the unit and back speakers, but it switches channels by itself and works perfectly after a few seconds.

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Add thumping power and serious style to your living room with the Panasonic SC-HT930 Home Theater System, which features 580 watts of total power output (1000 watts peak) and a slim design 5-disc progressive scan DVD player/changer with integrated reciever that measures just 2.7 inches tall. This system pumps 5.1-channel surround sound through two tallboy front speakers (that stand 48 inches high), two surround speakers, a center channel speaker, and a dual-unit active subwoofer. The surround, satellite, and center channel speakers are all magnetically shielded so as not to interfere with your TV's video signal.
This system also features built-in Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II decoders. It can be paired with an optional 2.4 GHz SH-FX50 rear wireless transmitter and receiver (sold separately), which eliminates the need for speaker cables running to the back of the room.
The 5-disc DVD player/changer is compatible with a wide range of disc formats, including DVD-Audio, DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, and CD-R/RW, as well as HighMAT, JPEG, MP3 and WMA file formats. The incorporated High-Performance Media Access Technology (HighMAT) provides enhanced the method of storing, arranging and playing back personal digital photo, music and video collections on recordable discs such as CD-RW media. Other features include a 10-bit, 54 MHz DAC (digital to analog converter), cinema mode, dialogue enhancer, and Depth Enhancer feature (for startling depth and true-to-life skin tones, as well as a soft, movie background focus). It also features an AM/FM tuner with 30 total presets (10 AM, 20 FM). It provides the following connections:
Composite Video Out: 1
S-Video Out: 1
Component Video Out: 1
Analog Audio In: 2
Headphone: 1

What's in the Box 5-disc DVD player/changer with integrated amplifier/receiver, 1 subwoofer, 2 tallboy front speakers, 2 surround speakers, 1 center channel, remote control, speaker cords, printed instructions

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7 ft. Ir Blaster Cable Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Item shipped quickly and simply, arriving in regular postal mail.
Within the bubble-wrapped shipping envelope, the product was enclosed in a sealed plastic pouch complete with handy adhesive strips, which weren't necessary in my situation.
My Tivo system readily worked with the IR device and the cable company's tuner box smartly responded to its signals. I recommend removing any protective plastic layer which may be still attached to your tuner box as it could distort the signal between the IR Blaster bulb and the tuner's sensor. This product was amazingly inexpensive compared to how vital it was to get my system running. I have not seen it available in stores anywhere.

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7 ft. Ir Blaster Cable

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NETGEAR Wireless Digital Music Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Now that I have this set up it does exactly what I wanted it to very well -- that is, in a wired network environment, it streams all the mp3 files that I have on my PC's hard drive through my traditional two-channel audio setup. It has a number of limitations: it doesn't support Internet radio, except for a paid service, and it doesn't support various rights-protected data formats. But it does do the one thing I bought it for extremely well: allowing me to enjoy my entire music collection in an organized, well catalogued way, through my home audio system.
As this whole field of products is still pretty new, I also didn't want to spend more money on one of the more advanced systems -- it seems that the customer feedback on all of these media players remains pretty mixed. So I stuck with something relatively simple, and this little box does what I want for a reasonable price. (Previously I was using my iPod on a docking station, connected to my stereo...for the modest price of this Netgear player I've now liberated the iPod that previously was wired up to my stereo.)
A couple of cautions:
1. A lot of the customer problems cited here at Amazon seem to relate to problems with wireless transmission. I did not even try to set this up in a wireless network; I just hard-wired it into the network port I had installed in my living room. I have had a lot of frustration in my home w/wireless devices so finally just gave up and dropped in wiring for a home network while I was having other electrical work done in my house. I am glad I bit the bullet -- the wired network is saving me a lot of time and trouble. This Netgear product is just one example of the kinds of things that are very happy tethered to a wire that seem to be much more problematic when they are wireless.
2. Throw away the software disk that comes with the hardware -- don't install it!. Instead, download the new software and firmware that is on Netgear's site. I couldn't get this to work at all at first -- tech support advised me to uninstall the provided software, download the software update on their site, and start over. This got more complicated than it sounds because I'd already built a database of songs for the Netgear and I had to hunt down this database file and kill it, too...it got a little bit tricky...so it took me a couple of hours in all to get this fixed. Had I started with the new software posted on Netgear's site, I would have had the whole thing done in 20 minutes. In any case, just go right to netgear's site and download their new software, and don't use the junk they ship with the product.
I also found netgear's tech support to be very, very good -- they answered the phone quickly (on Christmas Eve!) and were extremely helpful and patient.

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NETGEAR's Wireless Digital Music Player lets you enjoy your digital music files stored on your computers and unlimited, worldwide Internet radio with your friends and family throughout your home. It connects your existing home stereo to your home computer network so you can listen to the digital music collection from any PC on your home stereo system. You can also listen to music directly from a 30,000 track digital jukebox using the RHPSODY¿ service (only available in U.S.) or hear thousands of Internet radio stations even when your PCs are turned off. Easy-to-install software on one PC automatically finds all your music files on any networked PC and collects them into one complete database. The remote control and stylish user interface let you sit on the couch and wirelessly stream MP3s or Windows Media format files from any PC on your home network straight to your stereo! The MP101 supports many PC operating systems, not just Windows XP, and the LCD display means you don't need to turn on your TV when you want to listen to music.

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Boston Acoustics Horizon Series HPS-8Wi 8" 150-Watt Wireless Powered Subwoofer (White) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I needed a wireless solution for a sub as I wanted to place it on the opposite wall of the TV, this due to a common wall where the TV is mounted. The sub fit real nice behind by primary listening chairs and sounds great. No problems with the wireless and it provides more than enough bass! The only thing that would have made it better for my application is a remote (wireless) level control as I live in a townhome and need to adjust accordingly depending on the day of the week and the time of day.....aren't I a nice neighbor? Real good fit and finish and installed in a few minutes.....love it!!! Lance

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Does the floor of your entertainment room, with your new widescreen TV and home-theater system, seem like a web of wires? Boston Acoustics Horizon Series Wireless Subwoofers deliver sound and performance with no speaker wire required. The HPS-8Wi is bundled with a 2.4GHz-band analog wireless transmitter that sends bass signals from your receiver or preamp/processor to the 8" 150-watt subwoofer up to 50 feet away. Simply connect the transmitter to your receiver's subwoofer output and plug the subwoofer itself into any wall AC outlet. That's it, you're done. Get ready for real theater-quality bass in your home, without hassle, the wireless way.

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Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA Home Theater System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Very pleased so far. Sounds great, plenty of power to rock your media room, and was easy to set up. There's an on-screen setup feature that lets you easily customize the setup for your particular room configuration. An included microphone lets you do a push-button fine-tuning of the sound relative to speaker placement. It's cool to see the system report exactly how far all the speakers are away from the microphone.
I also purchased the wireless surround kit from Sony. Setup for this was also pretty simple, and was supported by the HDX500 system.
Remote is typical Sony - lots of buttons. But fairly intuitive thus far.
The digital media port works well with the different generations of iPods we have in the house. On-screen graphics are very rudimentary, however, which is a big departure from the iPod interface.
There are a bunch of different sound fields that could be better described in the on-screen system or in the manual.

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As a leader in products with HDMI connectivity, Sony has created BRAVIA Theater Sync Technology to go beyond simple audio and video transmission. When combined with a selected number of BRAVIA LCD televisions and other Sony audio and video products, control functions will be transmitted via the HDMI cable. With One Touch Play operations, several steps have been reduced to one. Press the PLAY button on the remote, watch the audio and/or the video component(s) turn on, then the BRAVIA television will turn on and switch to the correct video input. Simple...Easy...BRAVIA Home Theater System.

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Sony HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theater Micro-System (Set of Six, Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)So I am not quite an audio nerd, but I am no noob by any stretch. At the price Amazon offers this thing packs a lot of heat, but it's even better when you pick it up on special for $300 flat, I could have spent more and been just as impressed and just as satisfied. 1080i upconvertion from lower source material + 1080p through 3 HDMI inputs which means I can have 4 total sources plugged into it and only 1 HDMI connection to the TV. LPCM audio through HDMI- 2,5.1, and 7.1 channel uncompressed audio, so if you buy or have a Blu-ray system that decodes it's own DTS MA, DTS HD, etc...which MOST do, even most of the $140 bottom of the line off brands, you will get all the latest audio codec playback even though the system itself can't do it.
My complaints are that I can only do 4 inputs, HDMI 1-3 are labeled the same as the component inputs and cannot be assigned as a different input. The Ipod dock puts out solid sound but the on screen UI looks like it comes from the 80's, no big deal just would expect more based on how freaking cool everything else is.
I really feel like anyone who says there's not enough power to this is either too picky, hearing impaired, or doesn't really own the system and just likes putting in there 2 cents where ever they can. This thing isn't overpowering, although it probably could be if my wife let me turn it up, but can easily fill my home (1 story) with sound. If you want a professional system your looking in the wrong spot with this system and you should probably not write a negative review saying this thing cant do something it was never intended to do. If you want something easy to set up, easy on the eyes, and impressively strong, especially strong for the size of the speakers (I guess size doesn't matter), then this will be an awesome choice for you. GO FOR IT!

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The Sony HT-IS100 BRAVIA theater micro system delivers intense, 5.1 channel surround sound from golf ball-sized speakers and is S-AIR-ready for multi-room listening (requires optional EZW-T100 S-AIR transmitter). HDMI™ connectivity supports 1080p performance for crystal clear screen resolution and smooth movement while BRAVIA Sync™ offers one-touch operation of your compatible Sony entertainment devices. The HT-IS100 is also equipped with a DIGITAL MEDIA PORT (DMP) that connects to a range of optional accessories, including the supplied iPod cradle (TDM-iP1). For added convenience, the Digital Cinema Calibration feature optimizes sound settings for your room at the push of a button.

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Boston Acoustics Horizon Series HPS-8Wi 8-Inch 150-Watt Wireless Powered Subwoofer (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I needed a wireless solution for a sub as I wanted to place it on the opposite wall of the TV, this due to a common wall where the TV is mounted. The sub fit real nice behind by primary listening chairs and sounds great. No problems with the wireless and it provides more than enough bass! The only thing that would have made it better for my application is a remote (wireless) level control as I live in a townhome and need to adjust accordingly depending on the day of the week and the time of day.....aren't I a nice neighbor? Real good fit and finish and installed in a few minutes.....love it!!! Lance

Click Here to see more reviews about: Boston Acoustics Horizon Series HPS-8Wi 8-Inch 150-Watt Wireless Powered Subwoofer (Black)

Does the floor of your entertainment room, with your new widescreen TV and home-theater system, seem like a web of wires? Boston Acoustics Horizon Series Wireless Subwoofers deliver sound and performance with no speaker wire required. The HPS-8Wi is bundled with a 2.4GHz-band analog wireless transmitter that sends bass signals from your receiver or preamp/processor to the 8" 150-watt subwoofer up to 50 feet away. Simply connect the transmitter to your receiver's subwoofer output and plug the subwoofer itself into any wall AC outlet. That's it, you're done. Get ready for real theater-quality bass in your home, without hassle, the wireless way.

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Panasonic SH-FX85 Wireless Multi-Room Audio Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)The unit receives wireless signals from my Panasonic 3.1 home theater system very well. However, volume level of the unit is disappointing as is the sound quality of the speakers. I had hoped to use this device on my patio to replace my old boom box CD player. At full blast, the volume is barely adequate for the patio and my old boom box has much better sound quality. The absence of bass is very noticeable on the wireless unit. Too bad Panasonic couldn't have coupled the good wireless transmitter/receiver of this unit with a decent set of speakers. I'll likely wind up using this unit as a rear speaker set up for the 3.1 home theater system since the bass response doesn't matter that much for that use.

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Get great theater sound anywhere with Panasonic's SH-FX85 wireless multi-room audio kit. Get amazing realistic sound from your wireless-ready home theater in up to three (3) additional rooms with hassle-free wireless technology. You'll gain the convenience of wirelessly playing, stopping, or skipping music being played by the home theater system from multiple rooms anywhere in your home. Get music straight from your digital audio player. Use the convenient music port to connect your iPod or other digital audio player to hear great high-quality audio. You can also connect your iPod for playback and recharging with the optional Panasonic Universal Dock for iPod (SH-PD10, sold separately).

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Sony STR-DH800 7.1-Channel Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I'm not a true audiophile (or whatever they're called). So I don't know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.
Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically to go along with my brand new Sony BDP-S360 Blu Ray player. I used brand new HDMI category 2 cables into the receiver and then out to my Sony HDTV. This is suppossed to be the BEST way to get true no-loss sound decoding and picture. Well I was shocked when my receiver was NOT decoding DTS audio. All Dolby Digital tracks were playing in perfect 5.1 surround sound...the DTS tracks played back in Linear PCM stereo. So after I read the manuals, updated the firmware and set everything right then trying a few DVDs and Blu Ray discs I contacted Sony Support via email. Several exchanges later they asked me to call in to better troubleshoot my issue. First I talked to the blu ray guy (since I wasn't sure which device was causing the issue) and after resetting the player and checking all the setting I was transfered to the Audio department. Once again we reset the machine to factory setting, checked all the set ups and still nothing changed (Did I mention that I had to unhook and reconnect several cables and I even had an optical cable running to my old Sony Reciever?). Then 1 1/2 hours into the phone call he asked if I was getting audio through the TV speakers which I was and he said "oh its set to TV + Amp". So we changed that setting to just "Amp" and bingo...DTS surround sound!! I said "but that's the factory default setting". He told me where the info was in the manual but I checked an NOWHERE in the manual does it say that when using the receiver as a passthrough via HDMI inorder to decode a DTS signal the receiver must be set to "Amp" only and not the default setting of "TV + Amp". What the...??
So now the receiver works great even decoding the new DTS-HD Master Audio off my "Watchmen" Blu Ray disc. But be warned that if you use the HDMI inputs to decode your surround sound be sure to change the system to "Amp" instead of the default "TV + Amp" unless you enjoy stereo sound from your suround sound system. This may be the case for other Sony receivers so be aware when buying that factory default setting may not allow for optimum performance and the Sony guys might not be aware of this little fact if you call them.

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The STR-DH800 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver delivers the Full HD 1080 experience to a home theater system. This newly designed 1080p A/V Receiver features 7 HD inputs including 4 HDMI inputs with "Active Intelligence" that allow the desire for more HD content to grow. In addition, the STR-DH800 is compatible with 24p True Cinema technology video signals and decodes uncompressed audio formats (Dolby TrueHD/dts Master Audio/LPCM via HDMI) making it compatible with Blu-ray DiscPlayers , the PlayStation 3 Technology and other HD sources. Simply plug in the optional S-Air transmitter and turn on the AirStation client (sold separately) and listen to your favorite music in another room or in multiple rooms.

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Samsung SWA-4000 Wireless Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this product for use with the Samsung HT-Z310T 5.1-Channel Home Theater Surround Sound System.
Samsung HT-Z310T 5.1-Channel Home Theater Surround Sound System (Set of Seven, Black)
Even though the directions were sparse, using this was as simple as plugging in the rear speakers to the unit, plugging in the unit and inserting the transmitter card into the back of the Samsung Home Theater control unit.
At first I thought I didn't setup the unit properly because I didn't hear any sound from the rear speakers, but then I realized I just needed to set the Samsung Home Theater system to the right audio mode in order to get it to work. For example, the Dolby 5.1 mode only works if you are using a media such as the DVD or XBox360 that supports Dolby 5.1 to hear the rear speakers. If your source is something like a component audio device or coaxial cable you need to change the audio mode to "Cinema" or one of the other effects modes to use the rear speakers through the wireless link.
Most of the sources I have for my TV are Dolby 5.1 anyways, so when moving to a coaxial DirectTV player that doesn't do 5.1 I don't change the mode, I just go without the rear speakers -- it doesn't really bother me. The cool thing about this wireless unit is that when you shutdown the Home Theater system, the wireless unit senses the shutdown and puts itself into "standby" mode, thereby drawing very little power.
I've had the Samsung Home Theater and this wireless transmitter for two months now and I've had no problems. Very satisfied with the sound quality -- I've got an optical audio out from the TV to the Home Theater system and the rear speakers sound fantastic when driven by this wireless unit.

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Samsung wireless rear stereo amplifier receives 2.4GHz signals from DVD changer/receiver. It is designed to work with compatible Samsung home theater systems. It has 2-channel rear amplifier with transmission range up to 33 feet. It includes TX card to insert in DVD changer/receiver.

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Sony Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System - BDV-T10 Review

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(More customer reviews)Not going to buy another Bluray system till I have to. This unit has proven itself to me, so I got one for my Gramps. Great Sound, and beautiful picture with nice HDTV. Easy to navigate menu and access all content. Yeah, I'm very happy with this Sony.

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Sony Blu-Ray Disc Home Theater System (BDV-T10)

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Panasonic SC-BT730 Blu-ray DiscTM 5.1 Home Theater System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my first blu-ray all in one home theater system. Before this i have used to Denon 2310 with Mirage Nanostat speakers.
Since wanted to buy a blu-ray and a simple wireless (primary factor for me) home theater system i went with this after reading very few review at that time.
You be the judge before you buy it after reading this review.
The things i liked:
-------------------
#1 - Wireless speaker.
Being staying at a rental house and changing my residence every year had forced me to look for wireless and it was right out of the box in this one.
#2 - Good customer support
After i hooked up all teh speakers, i did not get any sound from my wireless unit. Called the customer service. The great thing was, he knew what i was asking about and he helped me to trouble shoot and finally fixed the problem. Looks like there is a sequence to boot up the blu-ray player and wireless which i did not follow. That was easy.
#3 - You tube
Work liked a charm. No buffering issues. It was real good. (Not sure whether i can connect a keyboard in anyway to make the typing faster....any ideas????)
#4 - iPod dock
Another primary deciding factor for me.
#5 - ARC
Works well with my TV (Sharp 46LE810UN). As soon as i turn on the home theater, audio shuts off in the TV and comes from home theater (Though i like my TV audio much better when watching talk shows)
#6 - All in one remote
The things i did not like:
--------------------------
#1 - Wires all over:
There are no video pass through. Though i knew this earlier i thought it would be okay. But, this made me to run wires btn many systems. From cable box to TV, then from TV Audio out to Home theater. Wii is connected directly to the TV. iPod video cables to TV.
#2 - Lip sync issue with iPod (video)
If you play iPod video, you will NOT get the output in HDMI cable. You will have to use separate video cable for that. Another set of wires.
So, i connected the iPod through composite video and now what? The audio and video is out of sync (lip sync) issue.
#3 - Not enough power output:
I seriously doubt whether this is a 1000W system. The mirage nanastat is around 600w and it sounds way better than what Panasonic. Again, i do not want to compare apples with oranges. Cost may be the deciding factor in this case ($1,200 vs $500)
#4 Poor FM:
Very weak FM output. You will have to find a good spot to keep the FM antenna (just a wire) in order to get a very normal reception. I covered every sq. inch to get a good audio signal but i never got good reception.
#5 Simulated sound not from all speakers:
It is mentioned that we will get simulated sound when 2 channel audio inputs is given. But, for some reason my center speaker (which i consider as critical) did not get any sound at all. That was a strange one.
#6 Wireless speakers
Again, the quality of the sound is good. But, definitly not enough if you have a bigger room.
#7 Proprietary speaker wire
If you have already wired your house, you will have to think again before you buy this. This unit uses proprietary speaker wire and connections. Though the length of the wires are enough for my home with currect setup, this is a serious restriction if i want to use it at bigger houses. Other nice to haves:
#1 - Blutooth receiver - If there is a option to sync any blu tooth device with receiver, it would have been nice.
#2 - Shutting off wireless speaker using remote - I am really not sure whether this is a missing option or i did not explore it yet. I am 99% positive that we cannot shut off the wireless unit with remote. Which mean, if you really conscious about wasting power, you need to add this into your check list before you go to bed.
Other concerns:
If for some reason the wireless unit is not working (one day it is going to happen), then you have no way to use the rear speakers with wires directly running to the home theater.

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Get your home theater going right out of the box with the Panasonic SC-BT730 home entertainment system, which includes a Blu-ray Disc player/amplifier plus a complete 5.1-channel surround sound speaker system. The Kelton subwoofer adds impact to your movies and music with dramatic deep bass, while the two tallboy front speakers add dramatic visual impact to your home theater. Additionally, this system comes with two wireless rear speakers--enabling you to cut down on the cords--plus

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Sony AIRSA10 S-AIR Speaker System - Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This has to be one of our best gifts to us from Santa ever! It comes with 2 speakers - we bought an extra one and liked it so much, we just ordered an other one. You can change the song from any speaker, each speaker has volume control and on/off switch. When not in use, it displays the time. It looks sharp and the sound is unbelievable. The best part is you can move a speaker outside or basement or garage anywhere....

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Just plug in the S-AIR speaker system and you are ready to stream audio to another room from your compatible Sony home theater system. The S-AIR speaker system features a one line LCD Display, a clock function, and is equipped with controls for volume and the audio source you are listening to.

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Cisco-Linksys WMA11B Wireless Digital Media Adapter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)...
First Impressions:
Nice packaging. Nice looking device, it's not much bigger than a four port hub. It has both the Cisco and LinkSys logos on the face. Vertical or horizontal mount. The package contained the device, quick setup poster, and a CD.
Installation:
I have an existing server, running Win2K Server, that I store my MP3 collection on. This product works by installing an agent on a PC and then connecting the device over a hard wired LAN or WiFi (802.11b). My setup allows me to use either LAN or WiFi and of course I chose the wired setup for max bandwidth and so I could actually listen to music and use my phone or microwave without dropping packets and thus songs. The agent installation was flawless and the media adapter and my server were talking within a few minutes after cracking up the box. Once the agent is installed on a PC, you really only have one option: Point the agent to your media. So of course I decided to point it to my entire (29 gig) mp3 collection which began in a single MP3 folder. Well, it starts to "Search" and then simply would disappear. No error, no nothing. Ok, maybe my collection was too big, so I start dragging my genre folders which were maybe 1 gig a piece...same thing happend. Ok...so I decide to drag a single album over to the agent and finally it seems to take the 6 songs in the folder and I rush over to my TV to fire up the device...it was able to play three of the songs and then the entire folder disappeared and thus I had no music to pull up anymore. After a few reboots and trying different folders I had similar results. My trade, I'm an IT guy...so there were no 'technical user' issues...I can assure you of that. To this day the device is flakey. It forgets entire folders for no reason at any given time. I've even loaded XP with similar results.
Audio:
The sound is on par with my expectations, though I wish for the price the device would have at least coax digital out. Your stuck with a pair of RCA, which I hooked a pair of Monster cables up to for optimal sound. The unit is equipped with an Intel StrongArm 400 MhZ (The same processor the latest PocketPCs use) and thus is pretty good at decoding and playing the MP3/WMAs.
Display:
The menus are sloppy. There is absolutely no customization on for menus either. There are NO visualizations while songs are playing. You can't see anything important like bit rate or most of an ID3 tag (genre, year, etc.). You are stuck with an unsizable screen that shows you the track name and album name and running time. That's it. Plus they use such a huge display, that a band or song title with a long name (13 chars +) gets lopped off. Sloppy stuff all around on the visuals. Again, I expect more.
Photos:
Photos are displayed well. No real problems here. The device sure could flip through them faster though with this processor. One plus is the ability to play MP3s while viewing photos. However, some lag does occur on larger photos. Whether this is due to bandwidth, processor, or a combination I'll leave up to the "engineers" over at Linksys to figure out and hopefully fix over the next decade or so...
Support:
This is where the stars began to seriously dive. ... I doubt the engineers who designed this paper weight released this as a stable product under their free will. It's a joke.
Conclusion:
... I would recommend looking at the new Gateway DVD/MP3 network device or waiting as this market opens up more. We will all want to stream over DivX movies, MP3s, and every other type of media soon. I'm just going to wait a few years while they refine this technology better.

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The Linksys Wireless-B media adapter lets you bring the digital pictures and music stored on your computer to your home entertainment center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the media adapter displaysyour digital photographs on the TV for the whole family to enjoy. And your digital music collection is finally freed from those little computer speakers and can play in full glory through your stereo system.
The Wireless-B media adapter sits by your home stereo and television and connects to them using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking or, if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote c ontrol and the user-friendly menus on your TV, you can browse through the digital pictures on your computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. You can view pictures one at a time, or watch an automatically created slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The media adapter supports five popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF, and BMP. Use the remote control's Zoom button to get a close-up of the details in your pictures. You can also use the remote to browse your MP3- or WMA-formatted music collection by title, artist, genre, folder, or playlist. Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B media adapter play it through your stereo system. You can even let music play in the background while you browse your pictures.
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Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Module for Surround Speakers Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this unit through Amazon, who actually just forwarded the order to Crutchfield. Still, very fast service and shipping was free.
I have experimented with other wireless solutions such as X10 and Advent. The big thing about this unit was the 50W X 2 amplifier built into the receiver. Other systems require you to provide amplification after the receiver to power the speakers.
OK, a quick breakdown:
Looks - Good enough. Not an issue for me. My transmitter and receiver are both hidden from sight. Silver might not fit your scheme.
Ease of Use - Good. Need to connect preconnected speaker wire from the Xmitter to my amp, and power. Receiver needs power and user supplied speaker wire. Then, if needed, adjust the channel 1-4 on both units to avoid local RF interference.
Functionality - Good enough. I use it for rear channel speakers that generally don't need much amplification. Also, I stopped being an audiophile years ago as my hearing degraded, so the audio quality is fine by me. In 5.1 DVD movie use it performs very well and provides the surround experience I want, without the wires I don't want.
Gotchas - Antenna placement is very important. The box claims 100 ft range, but doesn't specify signal quality at that distance. My units are about 14 ft apart, and the antennae must be at the same height to provide the best sound. No putting the transmitter on top of your stereo rack, and the receiver under the couch. That orientation provided lots of pops and clicks as my wife walked between the two units. Also, I wish both pieces were squared off and had wall mount holes. This would provide additional mounting options.
Overall - Works as advertised/expected. I'm happy with it. However, if you aren't as lazy as I am, run the wires through your walls for better sound.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Module for Surround Speakers

Eliminate the biggest hassle of home theater: wiring surround sound speakers. The Kenwood RFU-6100 is a wireless solution that features a transmitter and receiver that operate using RF (radio frequency), which eliminates the speaker AC plugs found on conventional wireless speaker systems. With the RFU-6100, you can use higher-quality surround speakers than are typically found in conventional surround speaker systems.
The separate RF receiver unit has a built-in high-power digital amplifier for the surround speakers (up to 50 watts x 2 channels), which dramatically improves sound quality over conventional wireless systems, and it can be used up to 100 feet away from the transmitter. Active circuitry reduces noise interference, and 4 selectable RF transmission channels eliminate interference from other RF devices.
What's in the Box Kenwood RFU-6100 wireless transmitter and receiver, 2 AC power adapters, 2 speaker wires.

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Acoustic Research ARW20 2.4GHz Modular Wireless System with 2 Receivers (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I built my Great Room (22ft x 32ft) 10 years ago to accommodate a 5.1 system. All the speaker wiring is in the walls to connect a BOSE Accoustimass 15 cube speaker system. Then along comes 7.1 and I buy this amazing 7.1 Marantz amplifier but I have no way to run wires for the left side/right side surround speakers. I search high and low for wireless thinking this should be easy but no way, and as many of you have learned there is seemingly nothing that addresses this problem. EVERYTHING on the market is for 5.1 back surround but not 7.1 SIDE surround.
This means suppliers assume you can run speaker wire across the back wall from ONE receiver to TWO speakers. Well, obviously you cant do that when its 7.1 side speakers, not back. You can't run wire through the middle of a room. I sure can't. Then I discover Acoustic Research (AR).
Acoustic Research apparently gets this problem. Hence, TWO receivers - or actually as many single receivers as you need up to five. The transmitter has 5 outputs - then One receiver per speaker, including one for a subwoofer.
Other Issues - Then I learn that signal delay is a problem. And secondly, also that there is a loud hum on AR wireless in standby mode. (Some on line reviewer complained about it, and it is true . . . sort of)
So here's the review - I took a chance on this, granted expensive, system. I figured I could always return it if I was not satisfied.
I am amazed.
1. There is absolutely NO delay in signal - the two wireless speakers are giving perfect sound reproduction in tandem with my BOSE Accoustimass 15 System (1998 system 5.1) the two new wireless speakers are in perfect synch with the other 5 speakers.
2. I added 2 new BOSE Accoustimass cube speakers L/R side speakers to get 7.1 (by the way - the Bose factory says don't run their speakers direct to the amplifier, only connect them through their sub-woofer module - but the internet buzz says that's bull and they work fine direct from amp to speaker - and guess what, they work GREAT direct from amp AND on this wireless system.
3. The HUM thing - well the reviewer was right it does hum, but another reviewer said just run an RCA line from the AR transmitter/subwoofer RCA output to any unused RCA speaker input on your amp and that will ground the AR transmitter, eliminating the hum. Well he was absolutely right. I ran the AR Subwoofer output line on the transmitter to my amp (an unused speaker output) and the hum disappeared. PLUS I'll go you one better. All amps have AC outlets so you can plug in peripherals, like WIRELESS transmitters. Plug your AR transmitter into the amplifiers "Switched" AC socket and when you turn off the amp you turn off the AR transmitter and your speakers go DEAD, No hum. Double protection against standby hum.
4. Another reviewer complained that AR interfered with his internet. Well, he's right. I use my Apple lap top in the great room all the time, and it is hooked up to the internet wireless. And the AR is so strong (which is why it is so good) that it knocks my computer off the internet almost every time. Apparently they are both on the same frequency. But you know what? I can live with that because my new 7.1 sound system works so perfectly I don't mind. Anyway - either watch and listen to your home theater or work on the internet - make a decision and live with it.
BOTTOM LINE - Acoustic Research has solved my problem and I am impressed beyond expectation. Yes it's expensive but it is absolutely worth it!! It would have cost me a fortune to hire a contractor to run the wires through the walls so to me it's cheap.

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Conceal the wires of your rear surround speakers with the help of the ARW20 by Acoustic Research. The modular wireless speaker conversion system converts rear surround speakers from your existing speaker system and makes them wireless. The ARW20 can be used for wireless Zone 2. It includes a transmitter with 5-channel speaker-level input and subwoofer line-level input, two 60-Watts amplified receivers, and a subwoofer receiver.

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