Reviews Written By: A3C5K8B0R0F3WRprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | Linksys WET610N Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge with Dual-Band by Cisco | |
 | "Works great!" | 2009-10-29 |
| I've been trying for over a year to reliably set up my Xbox 360 for use with Netflix streaming over wifi. Running a cable to the room my Xbox is in wasn't an option, so I've been trying in vein to get a stable Wi-Fi connection. In addition to the official Xbox Wireless-G adapter, I've tried converting two wireless routers to bridges with DD-WRT. All of these solutions worked to an extent, but due to the huge amounts of wireless interference in my house (I live in a valley, and there are no less than 18 wifi routers within range at any given time that my laptop's wifi adapter picks up), the signal strength was always weak.
I had pretty much given up, and haven't gone online with my xbox in over two months, but then I saw the WET610N available as a refurb. I'd read some good things about it, and it was within my budget so I decided I'd give it a shot. Setup required a bit of trial and error and it wasn't until I tried switching from WPA2 to WPA encryption that I was able to get a stable, fast connection to my router (which is a DLink DIR-655). Thinking that maybe my unit shipped with a bad flash, I tried reinstalling the latest firmware (1.0.3). Same result... WPA2-AEP still wasn't stable, but WPA-AEP was fine. This is something Linksys needs to work out, as it's one of the main advertised features, and a requirement of most installations. I've been up and running now for three weeks, and I'm able to stream Netflix at HD quality over Wireless-N. The connection always starts out a little slow, but gets up to full quality within minutes. After a year of messing with different solutions, I'm pleased with the WET610N. I'm not sure the full priced unit is worth the cost, but if you're comfortable buying refurbs, the value can't be beat (and my unit looked like new- not a scratch on it). | ||
 | Advent AV570 70-Watt 2-Way Powered Multimedia Speaker System | |
 | "Incredible sound" | 2009-07-28 |
| I love these speakers. I've had mine since 1994 (perhaps earlier... I couldn't find the receipt), and they still sound perfect. I've always been impressed with the midrange on the AV570s- I hear things with these speakers that I don't hear on most other sub-$1000 speakers. The sound they produce is comparable to my Sony MDR-V6 studio monitor headphones- great highs and mids, but lacking in the bass, as compared to a subwoofer setup. That's fine for me though, as most of what I listen to is acoustic music, talk radio, and dialog recordings. The adjustment knobs are nice too. Also, these speakers get really loud, and I've yet to blow a driver.
I've used them as computer speakers, general purpose dorm room music speakers, speakers for an impromptu PA system, bookshelf speakers for my television, and monitors for a video editing rig. I was surprised to see that they're still available for purchase after all these years, but it makes since since they're a rock-solid product. I only have a couple of minor issues with mine which knock a star off of their overall rating. First of all is that loud "pop" that occurs when the speakers are powered off- better to just leave them on. They also have a suspend mode that powers down the amps after a short time of not detecting audio... Sometimes while listening to music that has sections of really low volume audio (it's still audible to me), the speakers cut out into the suspend mode only to reawaken to a "pop" when the music starts to get louder. After 15 years, with only a few mild annoyances and only minor cosmetic signs of wear, I can't help but recommend the Advent AV570s. | ||
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