Pac Audio Mazda Radio Replacement Interface With Navigation Outputs

• Radio Replacement Interface With Built In Pre-Programmed Steering Wheel Control Retention and Navigation Outputs
• Pre-programmed retention of Steering Wheels Controls (SWC)
• Retains Bose digital and premium audio systems
• In vehicle menu using the OE LCD and SWC
• Allows the clock to be set without having to plug in the OE radio

I chose this interace over others because the Mazda CX-9 has a supposed issue with the A/C not working using other harnesses. I found details on it through multiple Mazda forums and people suggested this unit or another from a UK company called Connects2. I found mention that this one surpassed the others by not only interfacing with the volume, mode, & seek buttons on the steering wheel, but also the blue tooth phone controls. So far it has worked well with all but the voice control button on the steering wheel..

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Samsung Mantra Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile)

I have been a Virgin Mobile customer since they first started as a prepaid cell phone provider. I have been quite pleased with their service and variety of pricing plans. Unfortunately Virgin Mobile phones have never been the greatest, the only good thing is that if you buy a cheap phone, you don't feel to badly when it dies,gets lost, or broken. When my VM Slash phone finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago I decided it was time for another upgrade. After doing a lot of research on the internet I decided to go with the Mantra. I like being back to a flip phone so you don't have to worry about locking the keyboard so you don't pocket dial. The phone it'self is still pretty basic, it comes with the nifty tip calculator which lets you divide the cost between the number of parties at your table. Call clarity is good. Reception is the typical Virgin Mobile, works in most places when I need it, but spotty sometimes in the more rural areas. The ring tones that come with the phone are typical Virgin Mobile, obnoxious...you will want to download some better ones which you can only do from the VM site. The games on the phone are all demos, but they look good on the screen so it might be nice to have a full version of Tetris which you can download from VM.

It is Bluetooth enabled which is a nice feature to have on a phone. The battery seems to hold a good charge for daily use, I can go 3 to 4 days without charging, but that is in standby mode, I am not sure how long it would last if you were a heavy user. The phone is very well behaved, I say this because my Slash would beep once a minute to let me know it was working (I guess that's why), anytime I had the ringer turned on. I never did figure out how to turn off the signal beep on it. The Mantra doesn't beep and also on the Mantra you can turn off the obnoxious start up and shut down sounds that VM deems necessary to put on all of their low end phones. The directory will support up to 500 entries and you can add up to 5 phone numbers per entry along with 2 email addresses and a URL address.

The camera is useable, not great but much better pictures than the Slash took. Basically I use it only to create new wallpapers for the phone and send an occasional pic to Twitpic

So far I am very pleased with the new Mantra, it's a good basic phone, not a lot of bells and whistles, but enough to make it very user friendly. Nice calendar and appointment scheduling, cool countdown timers so you can tell how many days till your anniversary, birthday, Christmas or any other date you might want to countdown to.

Watch for it on sale, Amazon had it listed for $59 same as the VM site... I bought it on sale at Best Buy for $49, and on Black Friday picked up a second one for my wife at Radio Shack for $29.

I would recommend this phone to anyone looking for a nice basic user friendly phone with picture and texting capabilities. It will browse the web also by the way, but you need to pay for a "data pack" at VM to use it. That I haven't tried.

This phone does everything it says it will do. It has a responsive CPU and loads stuff faster than any other virgin mobile phone. The pictures aren't so great but thats what digital camera are for. This is one of the best looking phones too. It looks good and feels good with it's large buttons. It has the mark of quality and will never let you down. The battery can last about a week if you don't use it that often. All functions are easy and accessible. My only gripe is that it discontinued the stopwatch function for some odd reason so if you like to time things (I'm a track runner) then you may be sad. This is probably the best virgin mobile phone out as of today. It also has a good price.

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I agree with the other reviews here, this is a good phone all around, but what I really want to amplify is that the display particularly inside is very good. Pictures actually look sharp and text is easy to read. Coming from a Virgin Mobile Flare it was like night and day.

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I got the Samsung Mantra about a week ago and so far I like it for a basic flip phone. The design is sleek and nice and I like that it has a camera and bluetooth capable. The screen is nice and it's really easy to use. Use this code to get free 60 minutes when you activate a new virgin mobile phone online EJ76pPXU when you are activating your phone enter it into the section that says kickback code.

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I am an older person, retired and no longer use or need all the features that are offered with many cell phones. This one has voice recognition, room for 500 contacts and a far better antenna capable of making/receiving calls in areas I previously was not able to do.

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C Crane Co CC2B Radio-2 AM FM/Weather and 2-Meter Ham Band (Black Mica)

• Exceptional AM reception and FM/Weather/2-Meter Ham Band
• Built in Twin-Coil Ferrite antenna
• Get government issued alerts on the Weather band
• Life saving information in emergencies like Katrinas come through on the 2-Meter Ham band
• Clock alarm sleep timer headphone jack display light

If you listen to AM a lot and want a digital radio with presets, you don't have a lot of options. You can spend about $75 on the Sangean PR-D5, a very good radio, or spend about $160 on the slightly better CCR-2. I find I like the bigger speaker on the CCR-2 than I do the small twin speakers on the PR-D5. Also the big presets on top of the CCR-2 are easy to find if you're toggling in a dark bedroom and you won't push the radio over. In contrast, the PR-D5 has tiny buttons on the front and it's very easy to tip it over.

FM reception on my CCR-2 has proven to be well above average and even my weak station 89.3 KPCC comes in loud and clear. However, there is hiss on 89.3 through my earbuds, but no hiss on the other, more strong FM stations I listen to on the buds.

As far as a clock radio goes, the CCR-2 is better than the PR-D5 simply for the tip-over factor. If you're not a big AM listener, you might want to look at the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo, which costs about $90 and has far better fidelity, warmth, and richness of any other table radio I've had and/or tested.

I suspect most people will be happy with the CCR-2. Don't take the great AM reception for granted on this strong radio. Most ferrite antennas are only about 3.5 inches or so and deliver at best mediocre AM. The PR-D5 and the CCR-2 are the only digital radios you can buy now that I know of that have a 200mm (8 inch) ferrite internal AM antenna. If you listen to AM, as I do, and are looking for a bedside radio, the CCR-2 is a strong choice.

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If you are looking to get a top-of-the-line radio, this is the one to get. The only thing I can say negative about this radio is that the price is a little steep. Its not for everyone but for those serious radio people out there, get this radio. I heard there were some quality issues with the 1st Ccrane radio but they have all been resolved with this radio. It has weather, HAM, AM and FM. It also has an alarm, timer, sleep function and just about everything you need or can have in a radio except World Band. When I got this radio I was surprised how solid and heavy it feels, especially with the batteries in it (4-D cells) I got the black model (not silver) and was also surprised how good it looks. This radio also has a line out and line in jack and place for a external AM antenna. It has all the bells and whistles someone could possible want or ask for. I havent used the HAM radio function yet and probably wont too much but I hear it could come in handy if a natural disaster occurs and knocks out the local radio stations or other media. The weather channel works great and is a nice feature when you want to check the local weather. It also has a weather alert function that you can keep on and the radio will alert you if there is severe weather on the way. Again, probably not a feature you will use a lot but its great to have just in case. AM and FM work great and you probably wont find a radio that outperforms this radio or has all the features this radio has. It also has a built in light that you can keep on or turn off when you choose. I was debating on whether to purchase this radio because of the price but I am glad I did. I have it on all the time and like the timer feature because I can keep it on when I go to bed and can set it for 120, 90, 60, 30 or 15 minutes and it will turn off if I dose off at night and wont drain the batteries. Like I said, I have had this radio for about 3 months and absolutely love it. A feature I am the most surprised about, I forgot to add, is the sound quality is very, very good. I used to have a GE Super Radio III and thought the sound quality was good but this radio is even better. Well good luck if you purchase this radio and I hope this review has helped make your decision.

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The C Crane Co CC2B radio receiver is the best I have ever used. The reception is exceptional for all bandwidths. The quality is top of the line. The operation of the different functions is staight forward easy to understand and perform. In all this radio is an engineering work of art. I recommend this radio to anyone. I live in an area that is rural where reception is not consistent, and my house tends to inhibit good radio frequency reception. This radio is consistently picking up everything I want even without an added external antenna. Absolutely great product all around.

A very satisfied customer,

M.C.Steudl

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When you spend $150+ on a radio and cannot see the time, stations, band or anything it just keeps rubbing you the wrong way you know. Problem started within six months after I rec'd it as a gift from my family. They purchased it new from C Crane. I called CC for help and they could only recommend I may want to try resetting it, no acknowledgment it was a wide spread problem or offer any solutions or trade in. Will never buy another CC product. Will give them credit though the sound and reception are very good if I could just see what station its on. Purchased it many years ago.

PS contacted CCCrane again after writing this review via email and they offered to repair at no charge. Sent it in and it was fixed to my satisfaction. All is well. Would change rating to at least 3 or 4 now

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I had been toying with purchasing this radio for several months. Awaiting a price drop, which never happened, I figured this would pretty much be the standing price on this radio. Even the older model that has the TV band on it sells for only $10.00 less than this one. In any event, here I go. The main reason I purchased this radio was for AM DX'ing. C Crane sells itself on this radio for that feature. I have been listening to the radio for several nights now and have found that the AM performance meets or exceed other models; however, not by any larger margain. The daytime monitoring of distant stations did actually appear better than other AM models for certain stations. In general I would have to say that I do see an improvement in AM reception. The FM quality is actually pretty good as well. The addition of the Ham Band is a great idea as I am also a Ham radio Operator. The weather band works well as long as the antenna is raised, which I found I have to do with all my WX radios anyway. The radio is solid and heavy and does not draw much power on the D batteries. The AC plug that goes directly into tha back of the unit, beats the AC adpater type plus that are bulky and usually do not fit into a power strip. Pro's, Good AM DX with minimal fade. Heavy and sturdy radio, well made. Nice and bright LCD backlight that can be adjusted. Con's Only 5 memories per band. I used all the AM ones and needed 5 more. Price is more than expected for a radio with these these features. C Crane will not warranty the unit unless you purchase directly from them. Fortunately Smarthome will cover the one year warranty of the radio.

Other than that it appears to be a good radio. I will provide updates as necessary.

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Kaito Voyager Pro KA600 Digital Solar/Dynamo AM/FM/LW/SW & NOAA Weather Emergency Radio with Alert &

• AM/FM/LW Shortwave & NOAA weather radio with back-lit digital display, NOAA all hazards alert & RDS
• 4 tuning methods including manual, direct digit entry, ATS & memory tuning with 335 memories for easy access to favorite station
• Calendar, alarm clock with dual settings, sleep timer, thermometer & humidity meter
• 180-degree adjustable solar panel with 5-LED reading lamp
• Auxiliary input jack available for external audio devices

I searched for quite a while for the perfect emergency radio....it doesn't exist. They all have downfalls. I had to weigh all the variables and ended up eliminating several major brands...finally selecting the KA600 Kaito.

After waiting and waiting to get this radio (the manufacturer must have been delayed in production)....I very happy with it. After the recent major power outage in So. Ca., I realized I didn't have a radio (other than in the car). The car was on empty...so I didn't want to run the battery down running the car radio. Also, living in earthquake country...I realized that my earthquake kit was missing this key item. I had no power for 8 days during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Not sure how I overlooked keeping one in my earthquake kit.

This radio seems well made (althought certainly not water proof), is lightweight, and versatile. I do wish they had included an a/c charger, but like many of my other "gadgets" (cell phone, Jawbone, MP3 player) I can re-charge the KA600 from the USB ports on my computer. Like others have mentioned...the crank on the generator is not all that durable....so just be carefull when using it. The solar panel seems quite effective and is a great alternative to charging, especially if it is kept in/near a window. The radio can run just on solar with the batteries removed.

The FM, AM and Weather Bands work well. I haven't spent time on the shortwave. I only see needing shortwave in an end of the world scenario....Sound quality is what you would expect from a mono radio such as this type. The included earbuds sound like crap....but a good set sounds pretty good as an alternative. Using earbuds also uses less power and will extend battery life.

BTW....the instruction book that comes with the unit is for a previous production of the same model. The power selection switch has been re-designed...all else looks the same.

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The Voyager Pro is a nice radio and not just for emergencies. It also to this date comes with the most features of any Emergency radio I have ever owned. Besides the hand-crank,there is solar power, AC adapter and AA battery options and even charging via your computer's USB port. There is a flashlight and reading light,both which are adequate for what they do.

The radio part is a treat. AM 9 or 10kHz steps,LW (mainly useful in Europe),SW (2300-23000 MHz)and all seven Weatherband channels.

It's all digital readout. Use either tuning dial or keypad entry to get to any station. Store your favorites in to memory presets,5 for LW,10 for AM-MW,50 for SW and FM.

FM comes with an RDS function. If the FM station supports it,the station ID,artist and song being played will show up on the display.

There is a sleep timer (radio shuts off after 90 or less minutes of play),two alarms,snooze and a weather alert which if set will turn on the radio tuned to your local NOAA weather station in case of a emergency.

Nice to have: A temperature display (C or F)/humidity indicator which is accurate when compared against my other thermometers.

Would like to see: A swivel antenna,this one expands expands/collapses straight up.

Caveats: This is basically a home/travel/camping radio. FM and AM reception is fine,you may want to clip on a longwire antenna for shortwave,there are no sideband capabilities. It's a basic receiver,not a dedicated all band portable.

It also can charge a cellphone either by AC adaptor or handcrank. The built-in rechargeable battery should

be disconnected first.

So among the current crop of emergency radios,the Voyager Pro is among the most with features,and should do well when you travel to places where electrical power is spotty.

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I am very happy with my decision in choosing this radio.

I was looking for a radio for emergency use, and to put with emergency kit. I read reviews for months before choosing this model. At this point I've owned it about 3 months. I ordered the AC adapter and the shortwave antenna accessory at the same time.

I received it at work, charged it via the solar cell in the window, and then ran through the different bands of the radio. I had read in a few other reviews that shortwave pick-up was less than desirable but, I had no trouble picking up several stations on several bands, and this was inside a metal building where our office radio doesn't pick up many stations.

The radio has a good solid feel to it, everything worked as it should. The crank seems sturdy enough for cranking as instructed.

More features on this radio than I'll use, but I wanted an emergency radio with solar and shortwave capabilities.

Would recommend.

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I have had a few other/older crank radios, but never with this many features. I was a little wary of buying this one simply because of the quality of the crank handle. However, I have been cranking on this thing on and off for a few hours now and have had no problem. I tested every feature of the radio and everything works. I have a new Motorola Droid Bionic cell phone and was worried that this wouldn't charge it, but it does, and quite quickly (considering it is a hand crank charger).

I purchased this for my Bug Out Bag and see no reason why I wouldn't be able to use it for that purpose. For the money and considering the number of features, this radio is a good buy.

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The radio is great, is sturdy (despite some people apparently breaking the crank) and it has great reception on all bands. I like it, use it, and am giving it 4 stars. I love the shortwave and the FM reception is very good. The things I would fix are some basic problems with cost-cutting electronics they used and your usual Chinese crap manufacturing.

1) There is no excuse for not having an internal shut-off for charging. They ask that you disconnect the adapter after 3 hours, but every other rechargable device in my life automatically shuts off the charging circuit when the batteries are full.

2) Why can the radio not also charge the 3 AA batteries? Again, no reason.

3) The quality and capacity of the internal batteries should be better. They are likely older nickel cadmium or something to that effect, when they should really be nickel metal hydride. I would have paid the extra $10 for that.

But generally I find that it's really fantastic.

D.

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Sony ZS-X3CP S2 Sports CD/Radio Boombox (White)

• CD and radio boombox with MP3 compatibility and Mega Bass low-end sound enhancement
• 4-line, dot-matrix display simplifies file and folder navigation
• ESP2 CD shock protection minimizes skipping during CD playback
• Jog-lever navigation control lets you move "fast forward" or "fast back" through MP3 files and folders
• Water-resistant design with high-impact plastic housing is designed for outdoor fun

Like many out there, whenever I buy any electronics, I first look at Sony products. So when I saw that Sony had released an MP3 boombox, I was really excited. I ripped 10 of my favorite CDs at 160 kbits, burned them onto a CD-R, and raced down to [the local store] to check this thing out !

From a style standpoint, this player is awesome. It's lightweight, it looks cool, and it's real easy to carry around. Thank you Sony for creating products that recognize our desire to rip, burn, & play MP3 on CD-Rs !

I then placed the CD in the tray. It took about a minute or so for the player to run through the 150 songs on the CD and catalog them into its memory...no big deal, I can wait.

But when the sound came out of the speakers, I was very let down. The speakers that Sony put in this thing are very, very average. The sound is not full range at all. It's got Mega Bass, but you hardly notice that it's on. The fidelity doesn't compare at all to sound that comes out of my current Sony boombox, which is about 3 years old.

Sorry to disappoint folks, but I'd have to say "thumbs down." For [money] perhaps I would consider buying. But at [more money], I would expect much more from Sony. It seems to me that the price tag covers the cost of the Sony deign team to dream up its great design & MP3 compatibility...... you are definitely not paying for the components inside.

In closing, if you do not intend on turning this thing up loud to play at the beach or in your back yard this summer, this boombox, may be for you. But if you expect a full range of sound and want to crank it up at a party, look elsewhere. Hopefully as future generations boomboxes are released from Sony, they will improve upon this product.

Believe me....I'm bummed out that [less money] Oritron MP3 model sitting next to it sounded better....

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I had the screeching problem as well. So did a little research and found you guys. I have determined that the screech comes from the unit not being able to properly read the encoding written to the CD. Here's how to get around any problems. If you aren't familiar with burning CDs then you may need to have another window open with Google handy.

I went through 25+ test CDs trying to fix and replicate the problem until I found a fool-proof solution.

1) The first thing you need to do is re-encode your files. You may think your files are fine, but why take the chance. I use the 'Audio File Format Converter' function in Easy CD-DA Extractor 6.5. It uses the LAME encoder version 3.95.1

1) a) You need to configure settings for the 'Output Format'.

1) a) 1) The 'samplerate' needs changed to 44100 kbit/s. This needs set manually as sometimes the default of 'Auto' with allow the original 'samplerate' to be used.

1) a) 2) The 'bitrate' needs to be checked to make sure it is set to 128 kbit/s and not 'Variable Bitrate'. I also tested 96, 112, 160, 192 kbit/s with no problems.

1) a) 3) The 'mode' can be set to anything; 'Stereo', 'Auto Select', etc.

1) a) 4) The 'quality' can be set to anything; 'Normal', 'High Quality, 'Highest Quality', etc.

2) Once the files have been re-encoded. Burn your CD.

2) a) You want to create a CD-ROM (ISO) disk.

2) b) Do not use 'multisession'

2) c) Use ISO Level 2 settings (max 31 characters, mode 1 format, ISO 9660 character set).

2) c) 1) Using Joliet is fine, just make sure that your file names are not longer than 64 characters to be safe. Really your file names don't need to be that long as the information for the file(title, artist, album, etc) is kept in the ID3 tag of the file.

2) e) Your write speed should be between 2x-16x. I am using a setting of 16x so far with no problems. 24x seems to work about 90% effectively.

These tests were done with 120 songs on each disc.

The CDRWs are RIDATA, they were so cheap it is almost impossible to tell which side is up or down as there are no identifiable marks on the entire disc. The CDRs are made by Khypermedia. So from my POV, media is not a huge issue.

The most important thing to keep in mind is the bitrate and samplerate used to encode the files and the speed at which the CD is written.

That takes care of the NOISE that everyone else was upset about. The unit definately looks awesome. It has been on several multi-day canoe trips over the last 3 years and seen its share of drizzle(light rain) and splashes.

The batteries hold up well and although I have never written down runtimes, I would estimate around 24-36 hours continuous use on a volume level of 4.3.

Dismantalling the unit was easy with just a phillips screwdriver(make sure the tip end is at least 5 inches long to reach all the screws). The bottom of the case comes off with no wires attached to the shell.

For the $$$ I would recommend this unit to anyone.

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I bought this for keeping my field season full of music. After 3 weeks of using this unit, here is my list of cons:

1) Takes about 1-4 seconds between MP3s; this is in addition to any silence that may be encoded on the MP3. 2) Only 15 seconds of skip protection. Most discman models offer much, much more. 3) No DC (auto) adapter like Sony models of old. 4) No remote. 5) Long load time (30+s for MP3 CDs if you have, say 6 directories). 7) No auto-power off. Bad for batteries. 8) Poor error correction for scratched CDs, particularly with MP3 playback. 9) Should be two shuffle options, all MP3s and those within the current directory.

I suppose these are the reasons that led to discontinuing of this player. Hopefully its successor (the ZS-XN30) will address some of these problems. I was bummed that it was within two weeks of purchasing this unit it was discontinued. As other reviewers say, it sounds great, generally works as it's supposed to, and it is fairly rugged.

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Very nice little boombox. Easy to haul around and operate. Sounds good although the MegaBass seems to have no affect whether it's on or off. Plays MP3s without a hitch. Has a random play feature which is very nice when you put an MP3 disc in with over 200 songs on it. You basically never have to swap the disc out unless you use it a lot. Radio works very nice. Pulls in stations in rooms in my house that other radios can't. I recommend this player without reservation.

I have purchased not one, or two, but three of these units! Each has survived in the harsh marine environment for less than a year. The problem always lies in the same two areas. The jog switch is not only difficult to use. It is the first thing to suffer from water intrusion. Why they would put such a device on a water resistant unit is beyond me. Obviously the seals cannot be made sufficiently water resistant. The second issue is where the power cord plugs into the unit. This is a standard plug arrangement, and not in the least water resistant. The metal portion of the plug remains visable upon installation.

Admittedly, the environment I use the unit is very harsh. I leave it on the deck of my sailboat where it receives light rainfall and ocean spray. I have been unable to find any water resistant unit other than Sony products. Sony used to make a Sports boombox that was yellow and extremely well built. It lasted me five years on the sailboat! That unit stayed on deck all the time. Even in heavy rainfall and sailed through a Tropical Storm while playing CDs!! It also came with a DC power adapter which is convenience for plugging in the boat. The new models do not.

The answer may be the expensive option of installing a complete audio system. However, that is expensive, requires wiring to be run through the boat, and, worst, requires putting holes in the boat to mount speakers.

In the meantime, I will purchase one more Sony Sports boombox because I like the price and the product before if fails to the elements. A hundred bucks a year for having tunes on the boat is worth it. This time, however, I am going to try the cheaper version without the jog switch, and treat the power connection with water resistant electric grease.

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Geneva Sound System Model M All-in-One Stereo (White)

• The Model M cabinet is a strikingly seamless design statement that disguises the power and versatility of the hi-fi system hidden inside. The cabinet's woodworking features traditional intarsia techniques to create the subtle radius corners
• TouchLight controls full menu of iPod
• Digital radio with alarm; easy to program and control
• Stereo-mini input for all auxiliary audio
• Piano lacquer wood cabinet, available in three finishes
• A robust yet compact complete stereo with four speakers (4" woofers, 1" tweeters) individually powered by 100 (4x25) Watt Class D Digital amplifier and EmbracingSound DSP.
• Digital radio with alarm; easy to program and control.
• Piano lacquer wood cabinet, available in three finishes.
• TouchLight controls full menu of iPod.
• iPod/iPhone dock for all iPod models and Embracing Sound DSP microchip to greatly enhance compressed iPod and MP3 files. This has a 30 pin dock that will work with iPhone 4S and earlier

I honestly expected better performance from the unit. The bass is lacking and the treble/bass control does not really give the sound any dynamics.

The thing looks amazing, like someone put good thought into it. It's pretty heavy. The remote looks well designed also but seems a bit cheaply made. The iPod interface is cumbersome with the changing of the dock inserts for different iPods, although not a deal breaker.

For some reason, the volume when using the line feature with my CPU has a very low volume ( & yes I turned the CPU volume almost all the way up)

All in all. It's nice. Worth the price?? depends on what u r paying for. For me the sound lacks depth and come across mostly flat, but I must admit the sound fills the space very well.

Hope this is helpful.

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Have had the product for 6 months. Bought it for iPod dock to be used at the cottage to live stream my favourite radio station (Jazz.FM) and to listen to all my music on iPod. Have not been disappointed. Beautifully made in gloss black. It does not reproduce the lowest octaves of bass (what do you expect for 4" speakers), but the sound is well balanced and solid and bass reproduction is good. Music and voices are reproduced clearly with no distortion and musical instruments are clear and well differentiated so you hear all the nuances in the music. The overall effect is very, very good. Good stereo separation and very nice spatial room filling stereo effect. Would buy it all over again in a minute. A great product. Very pleased with the sound reproduction of this unit. P.S. I love jazz.

Update: the other night I had Lord of the Rings on the TV with the sound coming from the Geneva and I was sitting to the side of the speaker and could hear the sound beautifully. That is when I realized the purpose of the dimple design of the Geneva. It has two woofers and two tweeters clustered together in the centre of the speaker unit and the metal grill has a 6" convex dimple in the centre that covers half of each speaker. Why you ask? This design allows half of the sound from each speaker to project directly into the room while the other half is reflected off the inside of the dimple to the sides as well as up and down. That way you get the best of direct and reflected sound that gives you a much more natural listening experience. The more I listen to this speaker unit the more I like it. It provides a very, very satisfactory listening experience.

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This product reached my expectations succesfully. It also surprised me with some functions that geneva has. But the most important of this product is the powerfull speaker that it brings inside of it.

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Naxa NCA-697 Detachable PLL Electronic Tuning Stereo AM/FM Radio MP3/CD Player with ID3 Text Functio

• AM/FM 2-Band Radio w/ Auto Loading MP3/CD Mechanism
• LCD Digital Display, RCA Line Out Jack, Full Stereo System, LO/DX Control & Treble/Bass/Balance Control with AUTOMATIC Disc Insert/Eject feature
• Repeat/Intro/Random feature with preset EQ, Fader Control
• Aux In Jack for external MP3/MP4 Players, USB Input, SD/MMC Card Slot, Electronic Shock Protection & ID3 Text Display Function
• Remote Control Included

This stereo was cheap. That is why I bought it. That and I wanted one with a SD card slot. My only complaint is that there is a "click" through the speakers when you change the channel or select a different song from the card. Other than that, the sound is good. If you can handle the "click" this is a real great buy!!!

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I have had this radio for 6 months. It will not read any cds Warranty is ONLY 90 DAYS!! The remote control is a joke. AUX and radio work fine. Cant scan radio stations without remote

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I have two of these. I bought one for me and one for my daughter. The price is great and they seem to be a very good product. I am not sure about the sound quality though. I think maybe the more expensive radios may have a better sound. There are a lot of variables; speakers, amps and the quality of the cd or what ever media that is in the player. I am overall very happy with this product.

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it was here days early! 2 thumbs up or 5 stars 4 your side of the deal! thanks :-)

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Good morning I'm from Peru and made the effort to buy a car stereo Naxa Model 697 and what I got was a car radio 675 Naxa model is more basic, after making every effort to bring it to Peru I noticed with surprise that it was not the model had asked. I think it will be cumbersome to do all the paperwork for the claim but leave in writing what happened.

the store is TheDeepDiscount.

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Philips DS7650/37 Fidelio Docking Speaker

• wOOx technology for rich yet precise bass without distortion
• Elegant, slim and compact design to fit into any briefcase
• Crushproof and shockproof for safe transit
• Dock any iPod/iPhone, even in its case
• AUX-in for easy connection to almost any electronic device

The Philips DS7650/37 Fidelio docking speaker works with an iPod or an iPhone, and even though it's not meant to be used that way (I guess they're too heavy for the device), you can plug an iPad into it too. We tried, and it works just fine. It produces amazing sound for such a small device.

This is my second portable Philips iPod speaker. While I loved the first one I had--the Philips Fidelio SBD7500 Portable Speaker Dock for iPod/iPhone (Black)--for its equally excellent sound quality in an elegantly designed compact package, I did have a few minor issues with it in the long run. The small piece of plastic that works as a stand on that other speaker wasn't the most stable thing, and after a while the power cord started to wobble in the place where it connected to the device, so it wouldn't always power the device correctly. This meant that it would sometimes run off of the batteries, which weren't rechargeable. I found it best to just remove the batteries, so I could be sure they weren't needlessly getting drained.

The Philips DS7650 Fidelio docking speaker has none of those issues.

It continues to deliver excellent sound in a small package, but this time the front cover opens and folds over to provide a very sturdy stand--and it's a protective cover too! The stand also locks the power cord into place, so there's little chance it will wobble. And the internal battery is rechargeable, so you never have to pay for batteries. There are only two buttons on top, instead of three, and they seem to be larger, which is a plus. I also like that they're red, which makes them easier to find.

There are visual instructions, which couldn't be easier to figure out. Plug your device in the first time, and the software will automatically load onto it. Although you can use that software for a variety of things, it's unobtrusive, so you don't have to look at it again if you don't want to. If you're like me, you'd rather use other apps to listen to music and so on.

This speaker is a little heavier than the other one I own, but I think that's probably necessary to make it sturdy enough to safely take it with you.

I just love this iPod speaker. It provides amazingly good sound for something so small.

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I will begin this review by saying I am comparing this unit to the Philips Fidelio DS7550 Rechargeable Portable Docking Speaker for iPod/iPhone that I used prior to this one. The pros to the newer model you are looking at here are that it has a built-in cover, sleek black design, and smaller width than the DS57550. It also has a rotating plug-in/adapter that will fit any of your home outlets with other things plugged in. The downside is I don't find the sound quality to be quite as clear. It isn't overly muffled, but I sense a slight murmur-ish additive to the sound it produces compared to my first unit. On the whole it is more useful for its ability to be covered and safe from external dirt and dust.

Update: 7/2012. After having this speaker for 5 months it stopped working. Just quit. It would still charge and indicated it was on. Called customer service and they walked me through trouble shooting but the dock was not producing sound. They sent out a replacement immediately and were very apologetic, but I will have to go from 4 stars to 3 stars due to the short life span of this product. Hopefully the next one will last longer. I don't play it loud, I didn't drop it... it just stopped working.

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Simply stylish speaker that's compact enough to fit discreetly on the entertainment center but still have good sound. I like that it charges up the iPod, which some of the other speakers I looked at didn't offer. Without the charging feature, the iPod would be dead every time I'd try to use it, thus greatly disappointing small children :(

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When I saw the Philips DS7650/37 Fidelio Docking Speaker being offered via Amazon Vine for review, I decided I had the perfect test subject for it... my iPhone-addicted son. He's always listening to music or books, so I set it up in his room to see how it would pass judgement in his eyes. All in all, it did.

Design-wise, it's very well done. The flip-up clamshell design is very stable, and the phone easily hooks into the docking slot. In a closed state, it's narrow enough that I could easily see this going on in the travel bag for trips. The sound was richer than I expected from something of this size. He thought it was a little lacking there, but then again, he's possibly judging it against his full-sized computer speaker setup, which this isn't.

The speaker comes with a battery and a power cord, so you can charge up the speaker and take it around with you. That hasn't happened too much here, as he prefers to just leave it on his nightstand. There's an iPhone app that comes along this this speaker, so you can play internet radio and run some controls through it. Again, nice idea, but not something that came in to play too much in our actual day-to-day usage.

The Philips docking speaker is a good choice for this type of external iPhone speaker arrangement. It's a bit towards the higher side of the price range, but not enough to cause you to wonder if you had completely overpaid for it.

Disclosure:

Obtained From: Amazon Vine Review Program

Payment: Free

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We had an older Philips docking speaker that we enjoyed but had issues with the stand broke off after only a month. It didn't hold a charge as well as we would have liked, and after a while the ipod started falling forward.

I held off reviewing this for a while to make sure that none of the same problems occurring with this version. The look of this portable speaker is far sleeker and much more attractive. I love the look of the speaker, it's slimmer than our previous one. The stand is far sturdier and has yet to break after several months of use. Also the cover on the speaker has kept it cleaner than our other one.

The sound is fantastic for such a small speaker and it works well with both our I-pods and I-phones we don't have an I-pad to try it with but it appears that at least the smaller I-Pads would work fine.

For the price and the size the sound and durability are all I could ask for. This has been used to listen to music in the garage, back yard, shower and has been taken to work for listening to audiobooks.

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PURE VL-61793 Sensia 200D Connect- Portable Wireless Music and Radio System (Black)

• Music streaming from your computer
• Internet radio, on-demand programmes, podcasts and evocative Pure Sounds, plus FM radio
• Companion Pure Lounge website makes it easy to discover new content and create playlists and favourites
• Instant and timed record of live internet to USB memory stick (not supplied)
• Apps for Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, RSS feeds and more

No matter what your interest , this Internet radio has everything. Great features that allow you to record podcast.

Diffulculty registering and set-up. Truly state of the Art technology. I have been disappointed in other internet

radios. Amazon shipped this product in the best way of an interior package safely inside a tough exterior. After I

received delivery Amazon asked what I thought of their shipping? How often does that happen? Amazon offered the best price even better than dealing directly with the company.

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My wife got me one of these for Christmas this year. I've been coveting a Sensia for years, and almost bought the original model when we were in England last year, but held off.

The radio is attractive, and the interface works well. I like the integration with Pure Connect. There are plenty of radio stations to be heard. I love being able to record programs with a USB stick. If the radio worked, it would be a wonderful product.

That's a pretty big if. I find that the radio crashes often. A relatively high bitrate station like Triple J from Australia or BBC 6 Music from the UK can cause the radio to crash every 10-20 minutes or so. A lower bitrate station like the BBC World Service can play for about 3 hours or so, but it too eventually crashes the radio.

I find the support team at Pure only sporadically responsive. I got a response to my original complaint within the specified 48 hours. I'm not sure he actually read my message, because he told me to do a factory reset despite the fact that I clearly mentioned that I had already done one. Nevertheless, I did one again, and the problem cleared up enough for BBC 6 Music to play for three hours. Then it crashed, and from there it crashed every 10-20 minutes again. When I detailed this in a response, I never heard back.

I really want to like the radio, but with this fatal flaw, I can't recommend that anyone purchase one. If it worked, it would be at least four stars. Pity it doesn't.

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Emerson iC2196 iPod Dock Alarm Clock Radio

• Clock radio with iPod docking station and CD player
• Compatible with all dockable iPod models
• Recharges iPod batteries while connected
• Digital tuning AM/FM stereo clock radio
• Top loading CD player

Hard to believe this is nearly the only item available when you search for "ipod dock & CD clock radio." The only one under $100, that's for sure. Trusty old Emerson, never innovating, but cranking out functional, well-made versions of established items.

This one is like a decent desk radio, plus a decent old-fashioned cd player, with a 2006/era ipod dock AND a line in (even more old school). Let's address each of those features:

1. The radio is am/fm/fm stereo. The unit itself is the antenna for AM, while there is an extendable wire for FM. Be sure to protect this, as it's needed for maximum reception. The dial is analog, but that's fine for me, as I've never know digital to give better reception. Compared to other clock radios I've owned, this one picks up weak singles and tunes in confidently, and the dial is responsive.

2. The ipod dock says it will even play (but not charge) the iphone. So far it strikes me like my Sony mini-stereo; it'll play more than it gaurantees, because it's a good one that was up to date at the time of manufacture. The unit controls also do a decent job of handling the iPod menus, once you realize what to transpose.

3. The CD player has a non-locking lid, but that's fine as this is a stationery unit. It plays home-recorded CDs as well as commercial ones, don't know if it can do MP3-CDs, as I don't make those. I'd guess not. It will play repeat, random, and even let you program in your favorite tracks. Pretty much exactly like a good discman from 2002 or so.

4. The alarm clock has TWO settings, which works for me as my partner and I get up at different times. Either can wake you to the radio, a CD, your iPod (if docked) or an insistent but not blaring digital bell. This is ideal. There's a 10 minute snooze, or you can turn it off with one touch. We keep it far enough from the bed that we have to get up, anyway.

5. Plus, that line in will accomodate whatever other device you might want to attach with a stereo cord. The speakers have a rather thick sound (the bass drowns out the treble), but many people prefer that. Vocals have been clear and the sound is the same no matter which function is playing.

6. The display is big and red, so it can be seen from yards away. Powering on or off doesn't affect it. There's no dimmer, so we cover it with a cloth at night.

All in all, this is a high-performing bargain, and if it looks a little cheesy in the photo, it's really made of heavy duty plastic and looks much more sturdy and slick in person. Great job, Emerson!

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I have been looking around for a CD player/IPOD speaker combo for a long time now. Most others that I've seen were either too pricey, or too bulky, or had too many bells and whistles that I didn't care about, or had the IPOD speakers but no CD player, etc. I needed it to be compact so that it would fit into my home office space, but I also wanted good enough speakers so that I can fully enjoy the music.

I found this nifty little system and gave it a shot, and I've been very happy with it. It works well with my older version IPOD Nano (the system comes with several 'inserts' that you can sit on the IPOD base so that it holds your IPOD in place). As far as I know this should work with various versions and generations of the IPOD Touch, Nano, etc. Again, I have a 3rd generation Nano and it works great.

The system itself is very easy to figure out. This is a CD player, clock, radio and IPOD speaker all in one. You just push 'power' and a button to select what you want to play radio, cd player, Ipod. You can control your Ipod from the buttons on the system. The sound quality is pretty good I am no expert, but I like what I hear. This system is also compact and can fit easily on a nightstand, small desk, kitchen corner, shelf unit, etc. It plugs into an electrical outlet but can also be used with batteries if desired.

Again, for $50, this was money well spent for me. I'm very pleased with this and highly recommend it.

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The sound quality is good and you have your choice of playing a CD, radio, or iPod.

We wanted to set the two alarms so that first the iPod Touch plays one of our favorite songs for wake-up and then a few minutes later the AM radio plays. But when the radio comes on, there is a great deal of static. When the radio begins to play, the iPod Touch stays on, its song progresses from minute 3 to 4 etc. The sound from the speakers is from the radio, not the song from the iPod Touch, but the static was unacceptable. When the iPod is turned off by pushing the button at its top left, the static goes away.

There is a picture of the iPod Touch on the package, but the instruction book lists other iPods but not the Touch, and there is no plastic insert specifically for the Touch. So maybe other iPods work better with this unit.

This radio also has a tremendous amount of static from a nearby lamp with a compact flourescent light bulb, much more static than our old clock radio, which we have gone back to.

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I was hesitant about this unit before purchasing. I wasn't blown away by it's slightly dated look but I took the chance because so many of the other fancier-looking iPod radios are poorly reviewed.

I wanted something that gave me versatility for my desk at work, and this has achieved that perfectly. Just as advertised, I've got an AM/FM radio, CD player and iPod player all in one. I tend to listen to radio more than anything but like having the other options available. It works great with my 2nd generation Nano and I've never had any problems with any of the functions. The speakers are just fine and really I can't think of anything negative about this model. For the price, it's definitely worth it.

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Got one as a gift for Christmas. I don't have an iPod but I do have an MP3 player, and I can connect it or listen to CDs or radio so there's lots of listening options. Numbers are easy to see, and setting the time is really easy. Sound quality isn't bad--sounds like a small boombox but really the fact it's so versatile is why I like it. Small size is perfect for my bedroom because I really don't have room for a big shelf system or theater system. Overall a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Well done, Emerson!

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Revo BWT Blik WiFi Internet Radio (White)

• WiFi/FM Clock Radio in a Handsome, Modern Design
• Cross Search WiFi Stations by location and genre
• Audio/MP3 Input, Headphone Jack, clock with snooze, sleep timer, signal strenght meter, 8 presets
• Operates on AC Adapter or Batteries
• Free access to more than 11,500 Radio Stations worldwide ? No Subscription Fee!

This Internet radio is not the newest piece on Revo's product line. I have a black colored one, around 3 years of age continuous use, never ever experienced a problem. Before buying it I was aware of one problem noted by other user in form of a customer review: the display might begins to vibrate instead of glowing blue. I was lucky for the past by, but had to recognize the same issue applies to my iBlik too, no exception :-) the display when the unit is turned on acts like a strobe light. Reception, wi-fi connection is O.K. at the moment.

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