Electronics Gadget Reviews

Yamaha RX V863BL 735 Watt 7 1 Channel Home Theater Receiver

105 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.06% THD * Dolby?True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby?Digital Plus, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, Dolby?Digital EX, DTS-ES, Pro Logic?IIx, and DTS Neo:6 decoding * improved YPAO sound optimization for more precise automatic speaker setup (microphone included) * SIRIUS satellite radio capable (requires SIRIUS subscription and optional SiriusConnect home tuner kit) * iPod integration (requires optional Yamaha YDS-11) * dual-room/dual-source audio (powered and line-level stereo audio output for 2nd room) *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great bang for the buck
I bought this along with the Yamaha 3900. I put the 3900 in my family room and the 863 in the bedroom. Personally, I like the 863 better.

Just as some background, I have a Sony 550 Blu Ray and a Directv HD receiver hooked up to it. It has outputs to a 5.1 speaker system in Zone 1 and a simple 2 speaker system in Zone 2 (in our bathroom so we can listen to the radio in the morning). Video is thru a Samsung 7 series 52″ LCD TV.

Great sound. The upscaling of DVDs is tremendous. It can turn a DVD into (almost) a Blu Ray. Easily does 2 zones. It has 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output. Can handle 2 subs. If you don’t do HDMI, has tons of other inputs which can easily be seen on the pictures. It also has all the capabilities of more expensive receivers. HD Radio, Sirius, XM, ipod dock and all the acronyms.

So, why would you pay more (for the 3900 for example)? The 3900 is a network receiver, which the 863 is not. The 3900 has 4 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs (vs 3/1 for the 863). The 3900 is a little more powerful (140W/channel vs 105 for the 863).

However, after buying both, I wish I had just bought 2 863s. In fact for the cost of the 3900, I could have.

Great receiver. Great price. Incredible value.

4 Stars Yamaha RX-V863 Review
I have been using this receiver for the past three weeks, and although it takes some time to properly customise at the end I am very impress with the sound Quality and overall performance of this unit

4 Stars Nice Receiver
This is my 3rd Yamaha receiver I like to up grade. This one has the hd radio and hdmi hook ups that my old one didn’t. I do wish they would have impoved the remote control. I like my old one better with the lcd screen on it.

4 Stars Formerly owned the venerable RXV-659…
Got this receiver when I got the Panasonic Blu-ray player. Easy setup, many soundfields, a few changes from the RXV-659. I really wanted this unit for its analog video upconversion and ability to perform lossless PCM and the upgraded Dolby and DTS audio from Blu-rays.

Only gripe: relatively expensive, although I got mine (new in box!)from a clearance sale.

I’ve always enjoyed listening to music on Yamaha receivers, and with this unit’s ability to play my DVD-Audio discs, I am pretty pleased.

4 Stars Yamaha RX-V863
I’ve been a long time Onkyo listener. I went with Yamaha this time for it’s price and loyal customers. Plus I heard the competing Onkyo unit had a video issue in 1080P. I am very pleased with the Yamaha, it delivers very clean sound, plenty of HDMI hook ups, and an easy to set up interface. Prior Onkyo users will not like the rear hookups for anything other than HDMI. They are split up by type of input unlike the Onkyo where you could define what input the different video modes used. This somewhat constrains you in hooking up VCR’s, Wii’s, Ipod (without the onkyo dock). Overall though this is a great unit and I recommend it to anyone.

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Samsung LN52A630 52 Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

Enjoy cinema-style entertainment right in your living room with this Samsung LCD HDTV. Picture quality is remarkable with vivid color and the sharpest details. Revolutionary Touch of Color incorporates a unique design and 1920 x 1080p resolution delivers breathtaking images. Auto Motion Plus 120Hz keeps the action real. Experience the latest in high definition with the Samsung LN52A630 LCD TV.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great TV
I got this TV for $1500 shipped from an online retailer. I have owned it for a few months and love it. I am very happy I read other reviews before deciding to go with this TV with the matte screen over the Samsung LN52A650 or Sony KDL52W4100. I have 3 large windows (west side of house) in the same room as the TV (facing south) and love that there is no bad glare with this set. I feel that if I would have gotten the ln52a650 the glare from these windows would have been a big disappointment. I have this hooked up to my PS3 and the Panasonic SC-HT56 5.1 surround sound system. I am really enjoying this setup.

5 Stars wonderful television
Great television, delivered when expected. Found a nice website that told us how to configure the many options. After much research, on-line and local, Amazon had the best price.

5 Stars Samsung LN52A630 120Hz
My 62″ DLP TV went out on me for the second time. The first time, i had it repaired for about $400. So, when i noticed that it was on the fritz again. I started to look at what was out on the market. I wanted the biggest LCD i could afford. During my search i found one model to be atop all of the reviews. That was the Samsung LN52A650.

For months I searched and read everything i could find. The LN52A650 was the one to get and was a clear winner in every category, according to everyone elses’ reviews. One day I stumbled onto the 630.

A few days later, i found Amazon. The prices for both models would fluctuate daily, so i waited for the price to come down.

A couple weeks later I bought the 630. I love it. I don’t have anything to say but, its great. Physically, it is missing the fourth HDMI input and some 10,000:1 contrast. Whatever that means.

I am sure if I had the 650, i would say the same thing. Whichever of the ones you get, I am sure you will be happy.

5 Stars Couldn’t be happier!
Went back and forth between Samsung and Sony and then between this model and the 650. Chose this because of Matte finish. More than pleased with picture quality and aesthetics of the set. Easy delivery and setup, price was great (about 400 less than 2009 model). Very highly recommended.

5 Stars Great buy
Checked all the reviews, got a great price from amazon. Have tv for a month now, no problems great picture. Recommend buying!

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Samsung HT Z410T 5 1 Channel 5 Disc Home Theater Surround Sound System Set of Seven Black

The Samsung HT-Z410 offers auto calibration in order to ensure that consumers will have the best possible surround sound regardless of where they place their speakers.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good Value for the Money
This Samsung HT is good value for the cost of the unit. Setting up the unit was a bit confusing using instructions in HT booklet. Fortunately, I have a Samsung plasma TV and used the instructions in the TV booklet. I’m using the unit in a large rectangular room and power is plentiful. However, speaker wires are cheap. The small speakers are 60W so purchase adequate speaker wiring. Overall, I’m very satisfied with Samsung products.

5 Stars Very Nice!!
This is a very nice product. Only thing to consider is to maybe get some better speaker wire due to how the thin the stock speaker wire is. I had my ipod hooked up to it and the next day the ipod was fried. Other than that the sound is amazing when playing ps3 games and HDTV. To get the best audio and video out of it i recommand using hdmi and optical (TOSLINK) cables. This allows full digital audio and video for the best experiance.

5 Stars Samsung HT – Z410T
Samsung HT-Z410T 5.1-Channel 5 Disc Home Theater Surround Sound System (Set of Seven, Black)

After I bought a Samsung 40″ HD LCD TV set I found that my Panasonic Home Theater System (very old) was uncompatible with the new TV. It had no HDMI output nor did the DVD player upgrade conventional movie DVDs to near HD quality. I searched the Internet and finally decided on the HT-Z410T. Not only was it fully compatible with my new TV but the 5-disk player would replace my 5-disk CD player. The HT system arrived within a few days of placing my order. Instructions were great and the installation was flawless. Everything worked as promised. Someone might wonder why I did not buy a HD home theater system since I had a HD TV but both units are for a rental house in a resort area where Blu-Ray DVDs are not available for rent (at this time) and I figured that it was unlikely that a renter would bring Blu-Ray DVDs along with them. Maybe I’ll upgrade in the future but for now my purchase is just right!

5 Stars Much better than I expected after reviews
I use the product only 2 weeks, but I’m impressed by the quality. Good DVD pic, and sound is Exelent. Where else you can buy 1000 Wt 5.1 chanel speakers for $150? I connected my Dish receiver to Samsung DVD and now I have surround sound for TV too. Even if DVD die the use of the speakers will pay back.

5 Stars awesome for the price
Well what can I say, 5 disc changer, 1000 watts, fm stereo(only), but most importantly to me is that the upscaling is so good at first I thought the picture was better than my hd cable service providers. At the price bluray home theatre’s go for, this was such a good steal. I can pop a $3 dvd in my system and I can honestly say get full 1080p. Is that awesome or what! I would highly recommend this or the samsung ht-z510t which slightly has more watts(200 more), and speaking of loudness this system makes my body vibrate, hows that for loudness? It’s a steal buy!

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Sharp HTSB200 2 1 Sound Bar Audio System

Sharp HT-SB200 offers advanced audio technology and easy setup to enhance a home entertainment system. The Sound Bar was designed to simulate a surround sound effect without the bulk and added cost of a full home theater audio system. The compact model encases left and right speakers, as well as a subwoofer, in one clean unit, for a slim, stylish profile design, ideal for wall mounting. The unit can also be placed on a TV stand (32-inch class LCD and up), with included mounting plates and adjustable feet to straddle the base of an LCD TV.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Sound!
I just received this sound bar today. Took it out of the box and hook-up was a breeze! It looks bigger in the picture but it’s only 31 1/2 inches long, perfect for my TV and stand. It does come with wall mounting hardware also.

Once I turned it on, what a difference! The remote has different adjustments for sound depending on what you might be watching; movies, news, sports and just “normal”. As you might have noticed, it doesn’t have a “music” adjustment. I did put a CD station on my dish network and the sound was really nice, just not really loud like you might get from a regular receiver. If you want to turn your music really loud, this is not the unit for you. I tuned in on a movie, hockey game and the news, all sounded great with this bar! I cannot wait for football season!!! It’s a decent size for my room of 13 X 15.

This will do awesome until I can afford a receiver unit with 5 speakers!

5 Stars It do what it do.
My sound bar connected to a Sharp LC 42bd80u LCD. Good size, good components, good look, good sound, good price. Several options on remote control to change sound. (bass, treble…) Did I say good sound. I made a good choice.

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Samsung LN46B650 46 Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

45.9″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * Touch of Color high-gloss finish — black with red accents * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) * built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required) * Ultra Clear LCD panel (1920 x 1080 pixels) *

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Old Guy Review
Still find the picture amazing especially when playing a dvd movie its absolutely incredible. I went to a store to look at TVs and this looked the best to me, so I plunked down my hard earned cash for it and saved 500.00 by getting it through amazon. Piece of cake to set up. The sound is just o’k but what do you expect for 1784.00, everything? Besides then they couldn’t sell us all that neat speaker stuff. So if you want one just _______ buy it, or continue to watch the piece of ____ your watching now, I don’t really give a ____.

5 Stars Samsung LN46b650 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
Very nice ,It was everything I expected and more.

I mounted the TV on my wall,hide the cables and power

and it looks fantastic.

5 Stars Samsung LN46B650 LCD TV
I just love this TV. I highly recommend it. Everyone who visits me and sees it on also comments on how great it looks. Most say they want to go out and buy the exact same TV. When making a TV purchase check out the contrast; this model has 100,000.1

I also added the Samsung Home Theater Blu-ray system with surround sound. These two together have turned me into a couch-potato. All I can say is wow, wow, wow.

5 Stars Touch of red
The TV was set up, turned on and has a great picture. It doesn’t make the programs any better but what a great picture. I have seen reviews that states the sound is bad but not on this set. I have no complaints.

5 Stars Samsung LN46B650
My wife and I have been upgrading our old bedroom furniture; so we decided to get a nice TV as a part of that effort. I had planned to get the 2008 Samsung(”A”)model; but the 2009 Samsung LN46B650 came out just in time. Since the prices were not that different; we went with the newer model, which has worked perfectly! The HD reception with a Tivo box and cable card has been great. And the ethernet connection has allowed us to stream audio and photographs – no video yet! I’m using Linksys Powerline Adapters to connect via ethernet. The TV is beautiful and the swivel action allows us to watch from different places in our bedroom. Great HD TV!

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