improvement over the mini RCA yagi.
929925
replaced an RCA mini yagi with this. now i get a station around 35 miles away w/o dropping.
3223939
This unit is nice and small .
Easy to install although it was tricky .
I had a buzz at first but decided to try and hook up the extra wire that runs with the turntable .I hooked it up to the chasy of the preamp and it was dead quiet .
All was good from there .It would have been nice if it had some adjustability as the turntable sound was lower than the tuner and CD .
Overall I was still satisfied .
2214385
This little guy saves me from having to crawl behind my entertainment stand every time I want to trade sound from the TV to my PS3.

My surround sound only has one optical in port, so I had to keep switching back and forth. I placed this guy next to the TV stand and with a quick switch I can go between them. No issues for over 1 month of use. It should be noted that it is bigger than it appears. About 6 inches in diameter, if I were to just make a guess from my memory. However, I do not notice it, as it is low profile.

Regards,
2482497
For its size and price, this is an amazing little device. This thing is tiny and pretty easy to conceal. I only wish it came with some type of bracket to help mount in a vehicle. It has a very strange shape and some grooves on the side which appear like they were designed for some type of bracket to slide into. Ultimately, I will probably make something.

Video quality on the highest quality is amazingly good. It even does pretty well in low light conditions. Better than some similar devices I've tried. It has some default modes that will work without the widget, but you pretty much need to download and use it to take advantage of all its features. The widget seems pretty well designed and is fairly intuitive. I've had no problems using it. Audio could be better and in some situations it works pretty well, while other time its almost unintelligible. I believe this is just the nature of the little pinhole mike pick up. Results will vary based on the situation. I have found that sometimes the audio appears out of sync, but I'm not sure that doesn't have something to do with playback software. On the best quality, the files are pretty big and it will keep a processor busy watching the video.

Overall, it's a great little package that includes cables, power pack and just about everything you'll need except the mini SD card. Some of the earlier mini DVRs were poor quality and lacked features as well as cost a lot for the size convenience. This device takes the mini DVR to a whole new level that is light years beyond some of the earlier stuff. Having tried many other little minis, I can say that this just blows them all away and clearly has been developed to a much more advanced level.

Once you have played with it for awhile, you'll find endless uses. With a bit of creativity, concealment is pretty easy and battery life is quite good.
3301601
I was pleasantly surprised when I received this item. First, it was significantly smaller than I'd expected, at about 5-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 1". It also has a certain heft to it and a feeling that the materials and buttons are high quality. It doesn't feel like a toy, by any means.

Nor does it work like a toy. I literally could not figure out now to do something as simple as turning on the FM radio without reading the manual. There are 25 buttons on the front of the radio, an LCD screen, and four indicator lights. The user manual is relatively clear and concise, but it's a complex little gizmo that isn't easy to figure out intuitively.

I am not a shortwave-radio aficionado, but fortunately the manual has recommendations for newbies to become familiar with shortwave and medium-wave radio.

Overall I'd say this is a good product that would take some getting used to. It's obviously not a home entertainment system with its smallish speaker, but it's not intended to be. It's a compact, highly flexible radio that also plays MP3 files loaded from your PC and/or on a separate SD card.
3462973
This very small compact radio plays very well for its size. I am able to pick up some really distant AM stations and I am also able to pick up many shortwave stations only using the small built in telescoping antenna that it has. Performance is not as good as my larger SW and ham radios that I own but all in all I rate it very good for it size and performance. This model is no longer being produced but you may be able to locate a used one that is in descent condition.
3356032
I might recommend the smaller model for most cameras, but even with one medium size weight on both sides, I was able to stabilize my T6i pretty quick. Took about an hour the first time and I had it. Tried with my Rode video mic after and had to make only a few small adjustments. Took only a few minutes the second time. Pretty easy to get the hang of.
3146184
I bought the Apogee Jam after being thoroughly disappointed with the iRig guitar interface. Like most inexpensive interfaces, the iRig uses the Mic input on the headphone jack of the iPad/iPhone for results that are noisy and low-fi, which simply takes the fun out of apps like Amplitube or GarageBand.

The Apogee Jam uses a direct digital in via the Dock connector, and cleared all that junk up in a hurry. It works perfectly in both Amplitube (v2.5 and up) and GarageBand, with low noise and a clean, fat signal. The input gain control is simple and useful, and because the headphone jack isn't being used you can hear your instrument through the iPad speaker if you wish.

There isn't much more to say. I am using it with a 3rd-gen iPad and iPhone 4S, and finally have a pocket-sized guitar rig that I can really enjoy. Huzzah!
297638
This reveiw is for;&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/RCA-CD-Micro-Stereo-System-with-iPod-Dock-RS2181I/dp/B0013VHCHE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">RCA CD Micro Stereo System with iPod Dock - RS2181I</a>

Ever since my wife & I bought an I-pod, we hardly ever listen to CD's anymore. We have been looking for an adequate shelf system so we can listen to music in the bedroom that sounds decent and inexpensive. We found the RCA RS2181I last night at a local Target for $95. Here are my simple observations;

PROS
Nice compact size - thin - top loading, vertical CD player saves space.
CD player works great. Most of my CD's are recorded CD-R's.
Compatible with ALL Apple I-pods including Touch, Video and 1st to 5th generation I-pods (plastic spacers for all sizes are included).
Unit charges your I-pod with the connected, spring-loaded front attachment that retracts when not used.
Nice remote which you can even use to change songs on your I-pod (song skip or go back).
The remote also has nice range because I used it far from across the room.
Has alarm & sleep mode which allows you to wake up or sleep to either your I-pod, CD or radio.
You can program up to 32 radio stations (FM or AM).
Has two extra inputs for connecting other devices such as other MP3 players that are not I-pods.
One button equalizer settings for simplicity with individual settings for Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classical, Flat (?) or settings can be customized.
One button bass boost. Not strong enough to rattle the dishes, but a moderate bass boost.
Speaker connections are the standard, spring loaded black-red wire, so I suppose if you ever blow-out the stock speakers you can replace them with anything.

CONS
Only 10 watts a channel for a total of 20 (left & right). Not loud enough to annoy your neighbors, but loud enough for my wife & I to listen to in the bedroom.
The spring-loaded, retractable I-pod attachment occasionally sticks to the unit when it is pressed all the way into the unit.
LCD display is difficult to see due to very, thin LCD numbers & letters. You can basically only see it if you are directly in front of it.
Blue light at night is a little too bright, but might be OK for a kids' night light.
AM/FM tuner has no "seek" function. You must manually search each radio station.
Awkward looking AM, plastic antenna (about 3" X 4" plastic rectangle) that you must hook up if you listen to AM, but the FM antenna is just your standard, thin black wire.

Overall, my wife & I are mildly satisfied with the unit so far. It's a step up from the ancient cassette boom box it replaced. It works very well with the Apple I-pod, so I highly recommend it. It's not super loud, but it's loud enough for my wife & I. Great stereo for the bedroom, office or small apartment and that uses very, little space.
487265
When I first thought of purchasing this system, I read all the reviews listed. Overall the general reviews was good, this is why I purchased it. My reason to get this is because I 'm a near-deaf person and some television broadcast sound is to low. My Vizio TV does not have an RCA audio out just an optical output, for which I was not buying a soundbar for a small 22'' TV...
Now to review the system:
1. The cords for everything is short, (the  AC cord, the speaker cable from the speakers, and input cable to connect the speakers to the subwoofer.
  { I used a pair of 6 ft. RCA cables with the male and female plugs for the speakers}
  { I purchased a 6 ft. A/V RCA cables with a stereo plug for connecting the system to my TV}
2. The light on the front of the subwoofer is bright.
  { for me this is a good thing for when I turn my TV off, it can remind me to shut it off}
3. In my person opinion, the sound is very nice, however I do believe the satellite speakers could use a little more wattage for it to be a great little system.

4. The description is  a little misleading when it say "350 Watt total peak fully powered speaker system and RMS Wattage: 80W (50W + 15W*2)"

Peak power = is the maximum level of work or energy output that is measured during an observation period. Peak power here refers to the maximum amount of power an electronic component can possibly handle for an instant without damage. Because of the highly dynamic nature of many audio signals (e.g., music, which accounts for an alternative name, music power) there is some sense in attempting to characterize the ability of equipment to handle quickly changing power levels.
Total system power = is a term often used to rate the power of an audio system. Total system power refers to the total power consumption of the unit, rather than the power handling of the speakers or the power output of the amplifier.

[...]

RMS wattage simply refers to the output or wattage of audio speakers, and it actually stands for Root Mean Square. It refers to the power output of speakers over a long period of time.

So I rate this system 4 stars because it pretty nice for the price and performance.

Update: I readjusted the bass from the back of set to a low setting, adjusted the volume from the front to a low to mid range, and use the volume control from my TV to my whatever volume I want. This allows all the speakers to be heard at a extremely nice sound that is close to surround sound. I would suggest adjusting the setting it this way to get the clear, beautiful from this system... Mel-Mel
2761117
It is a nice unit and inconspicuously small.  I like the QYT for the most part, but there are a couple items that would improve it greatly.
CONS: One improvement would be receiver sensitivity of only 0.25uv, which means my Yaesu receives stations further away with 0.16uv sensitivity.  I also had difficulties getting the software to work.  Lastly, the user manual was difficult for me to read because the English has strange constructions (I used my technical writing skills and rewrote it to my liking. Also, the */SCAN button is not explained in the manual; to get it to work, you must hold it down until the unit scans.
PROS: There are several great Youtube videos that show how to program the unit manually.  I have enjoyed using the unit and it is excellent for the price.  Several of my Amateur Radio friends have this radio and one has three of them.  They all seem to love them for the price.  However, they describe them as throw-aways if they ever fail.
896147
I purchased the Harmony One to replace a Harmony 688 that I'd used for awhile, with mixed luck: The old wizardy web interface was simple, but tedious to use. It often used relative selection commands for devices, and often, it would easily get out of sync with the real state of the devices, requiring a long sequence of help question answering to get it back. Maybe worst of all, the form factor and button layout wasn't quite as nice as many of the devices it was replacing--we'd always be reaching to the TiVo or the TV remote to get things back to working order.

The new Harmony One is a giant step forward. This biggest improvement by far is the general ergonomics of the controller itself. It is pleasant to hold, the buttons are solid and well placed, and the backlit color display is extremely easy to read. It is rechargeable, with a nice flat docking station that convenient and slick looking. For usability it now beats all of the special-purpose remotes it is replacing. (DVR, TV, DVD, Receiver). The others are now in a drawer finally. Huzzah!

They have also made some improvements in the usability of the programming wizard. Now there is a download for it, so the app can be run on your laptop right where you need it, and is more responsive for those fine-tuning iterations to get it set up just right. It's still a little too wizardy for my tastes, requiring long sequences of steps--I'd like to see a visual drag-and-drop setup tool. But, it is better than the old one.

The remote still sometimes gets out of sync with my devices. Maybe the receiver misses the signal and doesn't turn on, or the TV goes to the wrong input. But the help sequence usually guesses correctly now on the first try.

Overall I give it 4 of 5 overall. That's 5 for the remote itself, and 3 for their setup software and command sets.
4769638
I've been using dbx tech since the early 1980s, back then primarily as an improved noise suppression routine to replace Dolby on tape recordings. The company has gone through several iterations since, and now deals primarily in pro audio performance gear. The AFS2 replaces the AFS224 model, providing several advantages, focusing on higher speed in eliminating feedback, tighter frequency resolution, and more gradual lifting of filters so as not to allow feedback to return. The other major modification is the addition of a USB port for firmware updates. In practice, I haven't noticed any feedback at all on either vocal or musical performances. I also haven't noticed any inappropriate filtration, a problem one can run into with keyboard and wind instruments when a single note is played for an extended period. The product page on the dbx website provides both a 14 page overview of Feedback Prevention and Suppression as well as a complete user's manual for the product (which is not included in the box). There are, as of this writing, no firmware updates. Included in the box is the component plus a long grounded AC cord; note that the unit does not have a power switch and will have to be switched on and off by your outlet switch, preferably separately from your power amplifier. The overall appearance of the unit is professional with an easy-to-operate interface and more than adequate provision of information as to what is being accomplished. The informative LCD screen is another step up from the now discontinued AFS224; this works well with the Wizard setup process built into the component. Those who have used the AFS224 will find this a delightful step up, and those who haven't used feedback suppression in the past will find this a welcome respite from the familiar gremlin.
1962950
good performance, better than a similar big box store version,
3506359
As others have noted, Amazon has ratings for different products (amp, antenna, etc) all scrambled together here.  I purchased the HD8200U and the amp so will discuss both.

After trying all of the various miracle (new style and electronic) antennas, I was getting best result with a small RCA Yagi.  Still, havinh a mix of UHF and VHF at both hi and low frequencies, I was not satisfied with channels like PBS-12 out of Phila (a notoriously difficult channel to grab).  the small yagi worked well in the winter but as trees started blooming, it was pixelating.  I then ordered the HD8200U.

This antenna is HUGE.  You will definitely want some help mounting it.  However, once up, it will lock signal like a champ.  Every channel in my area now comes in crystal clear (something like 64 total although many are worthless).  I do not have a rotator but was experimenting and can pull in signals from PHL, Wimlmington, Allentown, and NJ.  It is very directional, so you will want a rotator if you are interested in pulling signal from different directions.

Yagi style antennas like this have been around for a long time for good reason, they work well.  Don't waste your money falling for the hype of miracle antennas.  If you are close to the signal, get a small RCA yagi.  If you are further out, this is the antenna to have.

Now, onto the amp (I wrote what follows earlier when I had the smaller RCA but am still using it with the HD8200U).

===========
Used this with a small Yagi antenna where I had some very long cable runs (150+ ft).  Works really well with no significant noise.

It is important to note that like any amplifier, this will not magically improve a weak signal at the actual antenna.  It simply boosts the signal after the antenna picks it up.  I only installed the amp after I had properly installed and pointed my antenna.  If you do not need an amp, you will generally get better results without one.

In my case, television #1 worked great without an amp.  Television #2 uses an additional 75' of cable and was having trouble locking some of the weaker VHF stations without pixelating.  Adding this amp fixed the problem on TV #2 but did not introduce noise which could potentially degrade other channels.
3879943
I ordered this unit as a replacement for an earlier model Yamaha 5.1 reciever, mainly to gain the HDMI outputs. The unit arrived in a timely manner, between a week and 9 days. I had just purchased a 50 inch plasma screen and wanted to take advantage of the HDMI inputs. I soon came to find out that this reciever only performs thru-put and doesn't convert signals. What I mean is that if you have a DVD player that only has component outputs (red green blue) they will not be converted to HDMI and therefore will not be available at the HDMI output on the reciever. Also, the reciever claims to have on screen menu for setting up the 5.1 sound, which I found to be quite an appealing feature, as my experience with my previous Yamaha reciever was always a pain to make any meaningful sound adjustments. The thing is, you only have access to the on-screen menu from the component output. So, it's my choice to view everything in component and skip the HDMI. I did try the HDMI features. That's how I learned that the on-screen audio setups weren't available. The video performance comparison between the HDMI and the component performance on my particular screen made the choice easy. The component picture was as good as the digital. Now perhaps if I had BlueRay I'd say otherwise, but for my setup, I'm very pleased with the reciever's performance and I feel it was worth every penny of its price. Knowing what I know now, I would still make the purchase. The speaker output connectors are upgrade from the earlier model's. This unit has banana jacks as output connections for all 5 speakers. The subwoofer output is a lone RCA jack and requires a powered subwoofer. There are inputs available for 2 HDMI devices and a single HDMI output. Only HDMI devices can be seen from this output. There are 3 sets of component inputs, 2 with TosLink optical audio inputs and the 3rd with the coaxial digital RCA input. The coaxial digital signal should be treated as a video signal when connecting, the use of high grade video cable giving the optimum quality signal transference.
  Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase and the units performance. I withheld a 5 star rating due to the inability to view component inputs from the HDMI output. There must be units out there that perform the conversion, and I'm sure they reflect that capability in their price. Until I'm in the market for one of those, I'll be very happy with my Yamaha. Oh, did I mention that it plays magnificently loud? Indeed.
739258
Met expectation,  doesn't meet specs, smaller than pictang system