Elite Screens Cinetension 2 Tab Tensioned Premium Electric Projection Screen, 16:9 Aspect Ratio-92in (Cine White) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Elite Screens are very cheaply made... I bought the Cinetension 2 and only after 5 months the screen gears had let go and the screen came unrolling out of the case.

The materal is very thin and the tension string does not really do anything.

Very Poor design.... DO NOT BOUGHT FROM Elite Screens.

Eric

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Product Description:
CineTension 2 Electric/ Motorized premium grade front projection screen. Standard IR, RF, 3-way wall switch, and built in 12 volt trigger to synchronize screens drop and rise with the projectors power cycle. Aluminum housing with enamel coating is moisture resistant, floating installation brackets are made for easy alignment. Tubular Motor provides a superior timing and capacity. Optional Ceiling trim kit. Our Cine White PVC tension material 1.1 Gain provides uniform flatness in a versatile material with 160° viewing angle for either home or commercial presentations. 92-InchInch Diagonal, 16:9 Aspect Ratio.

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Elite Screens VMAX2 Electric projection Screen, 16:9 Aspect Ratio-120in (Max White) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)These screens are fantastic... the value for the money is incredible.I've had several over the years, and especially glad to have one in white now, to match the ceiling and go "low profile".

Hilights:
**Motorized feature is great for the "wow" factor when friends visit... saves you the hassle of yanking down a screen (and perhaps yanking it out of the ceiling if something catches).

**The image on screen is MUCH better than projected on a wall.I projected on white walls for years and was dumbfounded what I had been missing by not using a screen.If you're projecting on a wall, GET A SCREEN!

**The remotes are line of sight, so be aware of this when mounting.The screen does come with a little IR extender, but it's not the greatest design.

**The price for a screen this size is unheard of in the industry.It's an incredible deal, especially when coupled with a 1080p projector and bluray... you'll be blown away.

**Customer Services is AWESOME.They heard about my troubles out of the box (see below) and sent me a new screen, only asking for a section of the "old" screen to be cut out and sent in with the remotes.They sent the replacement via courrier at their expense.THAT is excellent customer service.

LowPoints:
**The screen brackets were bent out of the box... I had to bend back to get it to line up correctly and the powder-coated paint chipped off where the bends were.Not a huge deal, but lame for a brand-new out of the box experience.

**The screen had some white 'fingerprints' that were, while feint, still surprising to see... Someone in the factory obviously handled it while it was not dry or something... BUT as I mentioned above, the company made good.

**Do NOT order the $18 universal remote control or the $18 projector mount (they are advertised on materials shipped with the screen).The remote couldn't learn ANY of our electronics (Sony, Pioneer, Time Warner cable box, etc.) and the projector mount looks like it's for a barbie kit.No bueno.

Regardless of my (probably rare) bad experience, these screens are an AMAZING value for the money.Just look it over carefully when you unbox it.If it looks good,you can count on years of service and all your friends going "wow"!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Elite Screens VMAX2 Electric projection Screen, 16:9 Aspect Ratio-120in (Max White)

Product Description:
VMAX 2 Series is an enhanced multi-purpose electric/motorized screen. The VMAX screen material "Max White" is the most common material for today's new projectors with a 1.1 Gain and a 160° wide viewing angle. Our VMAX 2 comes standard with various control options such as IR, RF controllers, low voltage 3 way wall switch and 12 volt trigger port that uses a standard a RJ45 connection. A synchronized motor allows silent operation with extended operational longevity and low power consumption. It comes standard with a 6"Inch standard top black masking. 6-18" Inch optional L-Brackets, and In Ceiling Trim Kit are available for installation. 120"Inch Diagonal, 16:9 Aspect Ratio.

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Logitech Squeezebox Duet Wi-Fi Internet Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's hard to review the Squeezebox Duet without comparing it to the Sonos system, current ruler of this class of products.
Since there are already many excellent reviews, I thought I would focus on a comparison of the two, to help you decide which system best fits your needs.

Controller
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Both controllers are responsive, pleasant to hold and operate. They are well built, and their LCD screen of excellent quality and easy to read.
Squeezebox: thin, light, easy to operate with one hand, excellent battery life, battery is user-replaceable, comes with charging stand. It also features an infrared blaster and a headphones port, which will be supported at some point in the future (although Logitech makes no promises there have been demonstrations of prototype firmware using both features), as well as a 3D accelerometer (yes, like a Wii remote).
Sonos: bulkier, designed for two-handed operation, battery life could be better, battery is not user-replaceable, charging stand optional.

Networking
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I did not compare the two systems in the same location, but they both operate well with a range sufficient for most medium-size houses.
Sonos: uses proprietary mesh networking that requires to plug one of the players into the wired LAN. Other players act as repeaters.
Squeezebox: uses standard 802.11g networking. Can hook up to an existing wireless network, or the player can be used as an access point for the remote.

Players
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Sonos offers two players: the ZP100 has a built-in amplifier and the ZP80 doesn't (but it offers a digital output missing from the ZP100). Both players feature an Ethernet hub and an audio input.
Squeezebox: on top of the inexpensive player bundled with the Duet, the Squeezebox system is also capable of controlling all other Squeezebox devices (excluding the first generation models).
Audio quality is comparable, although audiophiles may be attracted by the compatibility with the Squeezebox Transporter.

Server
------
This is where both systems differ radically. Sonos connects to existing SMB shares whereas Squeezebox requires that you install and run the SqueezeCenter server on your computer. SqueezeCenter is open source and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Sonos: less intrusive, no software to install, works happily off a lowly NAS. But: if your music collection is larger than 30,000 tracks, you may hit the limit of the indexing capabilities, a problem with no easy workaround.
Squeezebox: requires simple installation of server software, so you have to have a computer always on. Server is too CPU-intensive to run properly on a low-power NAS such as the D-Link DNS-323

Internet radio
--------------
Sonos: Napster, Rhapsody, Audible, eMusic, Zune Marketplace, Sirius, Pandora, all configurable from the controller
Squeezebox: Rhapsody, MP3Tunes Locker, Radio IO, RadioTime, Slacker, Live365, SHOUTcast, Sirius, most must be configured and authorized from a computer using the SqueezeCenter web interface.

Support
-------
Both companies offer spectacular support through their on-line forums.

Summary
----------

Price: Squeezebox. A three-zone Sonos system will cost you about twice as much as a three zone Squeezebox system.

Capabilities: tie

Ease of setup: Sonos

Ease of use/WAF: Sonos. The Squeezebox interface is beautiful, but Sonos is more logically organized and simpler.

So, should you get Sonos or Squeezebox? It depends. Both systems are excellent.
If you're a tinkerer and want a solid, inexpensive system, the Squeezebox is for you. If you don't mind the added cost, want the best, simplest, friendliest user interface around, Sonos is still the ticket.

One thing is for sure: Sonos finally has some serious competition.

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Product Description:
Listen to the music you love in any room in your home with the Logitech Squeezebox Duet. Play songs stored on your computer, tune in to thousands of Internet radio stations, or connect to online services such as Pandoraand Rhapsody . Plus, the multi-room controller with 2.4-inch color display and scroll-wheel navigation makes it easy to browse, select, and play music from the palm of your hand.

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Pyle Home PDIW55 5.25-Inch Two-Way In-Wall Speaker System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For the $ these speakers are nice.Installation is easy, and fairly fool-proof.I installed 6 in about 3 hours (the wiring was alreay in place).The speakers do come in pairs.They are NOT high-end speakers.To connect the speaker wires, you have to wrap them around connection tabs, versus the normal "insert the wire in to the black or red connection point".
Overall, I'm happy with them.

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Product Description:
The Pyle Pro PDIW55 two-way in-wall speaker system delivers stereo sound to any room in your home or office without cluttering floor space. Each unit in the pair features a 5.25" midbass speaker, equipped with a 1" high temperature voice coil and 1/2" directable polymer dome tweeter for a full, rich sound. These speakers pump out up to 150 watts max, achieving a frequency response of 80 Hz to 20 kHz. Sold as a pair.

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Elite Screens VMAX 2, Matte White 1.1 Gain, 100" Inch Diagonal, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Overall this seems to be a decent screen and a good value.I've only had it for a few weeks, so I am not qualified to comment on the longevity of the motor or associated mechanical parts, but so far, so good.The image quality seems good, it was easy to install, and operation is easy using the wired-in control box.Now for my complaint:this thing comes with, by far, hands down, the world's worst remote control(s).Maybe this seems like nitpicking, especially at this pricepoint, but still... First off, the remote uses one of the tiniest batteries I have ever seen outside of a watch - size 27A - so good luck finding a replacement at your local convenience store.2nd - the battery does not fit securely in place when inserted in the remote (it just sort of "floats" in between the springs for the battery contacts) so the battery comes loose at the slightest vibration, which is compounded by the fact that you can't access the battery unless you unscrew a tiny screw - so keep that eyeglass screwdriver handy.Luckily, it comes with both a RF AND an IR remote, so you can use your IR remote to "teach" a universal learning remote - as long as you can get the included IR remote to work long enough to do the teaching process.I finally got the Elite remote to work long enough to teach my universal remote - but it requires lots of patience while I moved the battery around until it hit "just the right spot."If you don't have a universal remote, factor in some extra money to buy one at the same time as the screen - otherwise you might heave the included remotes out the window before you have a chance to teach the codes to your universal.

As I said, overall this screen is a great value, and the screen itself seems to be well put together and solid.In the end, it's just a remote control - I would still buy this even knowing what I know now - but I needed to vent on this subject, if only to keep any other potential customers from being disappointed.Hope it helps, and happy viewing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Elite Screens VMAX 2, Matte White 1.1 Gain, 100 Inch Diagonal, 16:9 Aspect Ratio

Product Description:
The EliteScreen Elite VMAX 100UWH 101-inch projection screen is designed for use with your home or business projection system. Just mount it to the wall or ceiling with the included hardware, install the quiet, long-life motor, and let the show begin. The 100UWH quietly drops a 101-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 49-by-87-inch viewing area. The durable, matte finish reflects a crisp image, and the surface is designed for easy cleaning. The 100UWH also includes a convenient remote control for smooth, seamless operation.
What's in the Box
100UWH 101" screen, standard 6" L bracket with screws, remote control, 3-way wall switch, IR + RF remote control

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Polk Audio Monitor 30 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have had the Monitor 30's for almost a year now and am incredibly impressed.Great bang for the buck (paid $140 on sale at CC).I am using these as fronts in my 7.1 surround set up, with Polk M10's as the surrounds and a Pioneer VSX-1018 avr and Sony 40S2010 LCD.I am still using a crappy jvc htib 60watt powered sub, but am planning on treating myself to a Avs123 X-sub for Christmas. :)Anyway, I am here to talk about the Polk M30.My set up is for a 15'x17'den.That's a fairly small room and I have a wife that agitated with overpowering sound (yeah, my love for audio equipment does not always over well).Although I would have loved to go for a floorstanding speaker, I agreed to stick to bookshelf size to keep my wife happy.The M30 certainly fit the bill.They have a clean, accurate sound with excellent highs and mids.The sound is linear and smooth, with a warm tone.If you like a brighter sounding speaker, these probably aren't for you and you might be better off with the Infinity Beta series.As far as bass goes, on my radio shack SLP, they drop as low as 50hz, which is pretty decent compared to most of the bookshelves I have heard and better than the specs indicate.Still, these speakers, by themselves don't produce enough bass depth for stand alone duty.You will need a decent sub that can make up for what the M30's lack and, given the m30 range, setting the crossover on the amp at 80 is the way to go with these babies.

These speakers are designed for a tonal match with all other speakers in the monitor line and the M10's are perfect for satellite duty.I would recommend spending a little extra for the Polk CS1 center over the CSM (returned it).As for a sub to match, CNET likes the match between the Polk PWS10 with the Monitor 30s (used in their test).I auditioned the PSW10 and felt it was lacking umph.I preferred the sound of the Velodyne VX-10 or Dayton 120 (although I am going to take the advice my audiofile friends and go for the Avs123 sub-x for $200).

The bottomline, the Monitor 30 is a high quality bookshelf speaker for a fair price.If you're a hardcore audiofile looking for paradigm and definitive bookshelves, the M30 isn't going to work for you.However, if you're looking for a nice sounding speaker but don't want to spend $800, these are ideal.Certainly, they blow away anything from sony, pioneer, yamaha and Bose etc.

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Product Description:

The Polk Audio Monitor 30 2-way Bookshelf Speaker is a quality-built yet affordable, high-performance loudspeaker for music and home theater. The Polk Monitor 30 provides open, spacious and clear audio even when driven by modestly-powered amplifiers and receivers, and is voice matched for lifelike surround-sound environments. This monitor boasts a stylish look that complements today's flat screen technology, with a discreet black finish, and built-in keyhole wall mounting brackets for strong, secure on-wall mounting with no added brackets to buy.

The Polk Audio Monitor 30 in black.

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