Average customer rating:
|
Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 Floor-Standing Loudspeakers (Maple, Pair)
Manufacturer: Wharfdale ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Product Features:
ASIN: B00005IA33 |
Product Description
The Diamond 8 series is the result of over three years intensive research and development into virtually every aspect of acoustic design. Firstly, the tweeter in all models is a 25mm textile dome, ferrofluid cooled unit powered with an ultra-strong neodymium magnet for the fastest, most accurate response International Audio Group has ever achieved. Next, the woofer cone is made from a bi-directional KEVLAR weave - self-damping in nature, reducing resonant frequencies to virtually negligible levels. The impetus for rapid movement here, is a dual layer, vented voice coil which transmits the signal information with the highest levels of accuracy. The cone is mounted on a nitrile rubber 'Flexaural surround rim'. A profiled phase plug improves the off-axis performance to project an excellent stereo image across a wide listening area. All the stereo models are front ported to enable positioning close to a back wall. Gold-plated bi-wire terminals are used for connection and you should take advantage of the increase in openness this offers, even if using an amplifier with single connections. The final test though, of any loudspeaker is not how much technology is used in the constituent parts, but how these react together to form a coherent package. It's more about the kind of music synergy that can be created between the various elements to ensure the overall result is much more than the sum of the parts. It is this elusive element, the 'musicality' that separates the Diamond 8 from all the competition and you will not believe the results.Amazon.com Hands-On Review
Wharfedale's Diamond 7 series was a marvel of quality and affordability. With the Diamond 8s, however, the UK speaker manufacturer took both characteristics to the next level, enhancing sound quality and improving on the speakers' looks while keeping the prices remarkably affordable. The floorstanding Diamond 8.3 (also available in black ash) is a typically solid entry, taking the punchy and dynamic 8.2 bookshelf design and giving it greater mass and accordingly deeper bass. The speakers derive extra low-end heft from their ability to push air from their tuned, front-panel ports.Our listening revealed taut, punchy sound with dramatically smooth midrange frequencies and detailed but never excessive or harsh-sounding treble. So you'll hear all the nuance of sticks on cymbals, but the crashing won't rip your ears off. Fittingly, voices and acoustic instruments sounded especially lush and realistic owing to the 8.3s' beautiful midrange, while the bass ran surprisingly deep for speakers using only a single 6.5-inch woofer each (the rated frequency response is 40 to 20,000 Hz).
The speakers owe a lot of their clarity and openness to their textile tweeters and woven Kevlar woofers. The tweeters are 1-inch silk-dome, ferrofluid-cooled drivers powered by a strong, neodymium magnet for speed and accuracy. Kevlar is said to be self-damping, a fact that would grant the woofers high rigidity and easy movement--a terrific recipe for dynamic sound from even wimpy amplifiers. And, indeed, it doesn't take much to make these speakers sing. Anything from 20 watts-per-channel integrated amplifiers to 85 wpc surround receivers will make a good fit, though be warned that the speakers are rated for use only to 120 wpc.
An especially choice feature of the 8.3s is their dual, gold-plated speaker terminals, which let you power each driver independently if desired, a process known as biwiring. (The speakers come with jumpers to allow standard wiring; remove the jumpers to biwire.) Whether you use separate mono-block amps for each speaker or merely use your receiver's A and B speaker outputs to power the tweeters and woofers, respectively--with set A for the tweeters, set B for the woofers--extra cable required!--you'll hear a little extra clarity, openness, and even frequency extension since the amplifier is focused only on a given driver's needs at any given moment. (Think: division of labor.)
The speakers' low end was not as rich, powerful, or as even as you'd find in a more expensive speaker with additional drivers or more sophisticated engineering (Wharfedale's wonderful Emerald 97, for instance)--but for at this price, the performance is exceptional. We recommend placement at least one foot from any room boundary, and the closer you can get to putting three feet between the 8.3s and your walls, the better, in our experience--though the port's front-panel positioning allows closer wall placement than would a rear port.
Each of the speakers in the Diamond 8 line uses the same tweeter and cone material for perfect timbral matching, so you can use the 8.3s for either stereo or surround-sound applications, enlisting Diamond 8.1s or 8.2s as surround speakers and the Diamond Center for a center-channel speaker.
--Michael Mikesell
Pros:
Cons:
What's in the Box
Two speakers, speaker grilles, speaker-terminal jumpers (for non-biwired applications), wood-plate "feet," a user's manual, and warranty information.
Customer Reviews:
Great for the price.......2005-08-22
Excellent speakers.......2004-01-12
I wanted our speakers to do double duty: movies and CD's. The speakers perform admirably in both. For the price the sound is superb; the highs and mids are crystal clear and the bass is punchy and fast.
It is true that you won't get copious amounts of bass from the 6.5 inch woofers. However, what you will get is accurate sound reproduction. Our music tastes range from AD/DC to jazz and classical. We can "crank" the volume to an almost uncomfortable level on our AC/DC and have ample bass, as can we on our classical, jazz etc. The key is to not adjust the bass control on the receiver beyond the mid or neutral point. Beyond that there is too much bass anyway. In addition, speaker placement makes a difference too. We experimented for a few days before finding the best distance from the corners and furniture.
Where the bass is somewhat inadequate is in surround sound movies, but then that is what the subwoofer is for. In the first two Lord of the Rings DVD's there are parts with deep and prolonged bass. Again the speakers can do the job, but they really benefit from the subwoofer for the lowest, house shaking lows.
In the end, you can probably buy cheaper, higher bass producing speakers than the 8.3's. However, what you gain in bass you may likely lose in accurate and clear sound. These are excellent consumer level speakers with a very reasonable price (in fact, all 6 speakers cost less than some of those cubes/subwoofer sets). If you don't want to take up huge floorspace with giant towers, but still want a quality sounding speaker, these speakers should be on your potential purchase list. The longer we have them, the better they sound.
I am surprised and happy with it.......2003-12-31
P.S.: Sorry for terrible english, not my native language.
Highly over-rated 8.3's.......2003-12-21
bang for your buck.......2003-01-19
Average customer rating:
|
Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 Floorstanding Loudspeakers, Pair (Black Ash)
Manufacturer: Wharfdale ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Product Features:
ASIN: B00005IA32 |
Product Description
The Diamond 8 series is the result of over three years intensive research and development into virtually every aspect of acoustic design. Firstly, the tweeter in all models is a 25mm textile dome, ferrofluid cooled unit powered with an ultra-strong neodymium magnet for the fastest, most accurate response International Audio Group has ever achieved. Next, the woofer cone is made from a bi-directional KEVLAR weave - self-damping in nature, reducing resonant frequencies to virtually negligible levels. The impetus for rapid movement here, is a dual layer, vented voice coil which transmits the signal information with the highest levels of accuracy. The cone is mounted on a nitrile rubber 'Flexaural surround rim'. A profiled phase plug improves the off-axis performance to project an excellent stereo image across a wide listening area. All the stereo models are front ported to enable positioning close to a back wall. Gold-plated bi-wire terminals are used for connection and you should take advantage of the increase in openness this offers, even if using an amplifier with single connections. The final test though, of any loudspeaker is not how much technology is used in the constituent parts, but how these react together to form a coherent package. It's more about the kind of music synergy that can be created between the various elements to ensure the overall result is much more than the sum of the parts. It is this elusive element, the 'musicality' that separates the Diamond 8 from all the competition and you will not believe the results.Amazon.com Hands-On Review
Wharfedale's Diamond 7 series was a marvel of quality and affordability. With the Diamond 8s, however, the UK speaker manufacturer took both characteristics to the next level, enhancing sound quality and improving on the speakers' looks while keeping the prices remarkably affordable. The floorstanding Diamond 8.3 (also available in maple) is a typically solid entry, taking the punchy and dynamic 8.2 bookshelf design and giving it greater mass and accordingly deeper bass. The speakers derive extra low-end heft from their ability to push air from their tuned, front-panel ports.Our listening revealed taut, punchy sound with dramatically smooth midrange frequencies and detailed but never excessive or harsh-sounding treble. So you'll hear all the nuance of sticks on cymbals, but the crashing won't rip your ears off. Fittingly, voices and acoustic instruments sounded especially lush and realistic owing to the 8.3s' beautiful midrange, while the bass ran surprisingly deep for speakers using only a single 6.5-inch woofer each (the rated frequency response is 40 to 20,000 Hz).
The speakers owe a lot of their clarity and openness to their textile tweeters and woven Kevlar woofers. The tweeters are 1-inch silk-dome, ferrofluid-cooled drivers powered by a strong, neodymium magnet for speed and accuracy. Kevlar is said to be self-damping, a fact that would grant the woofers high rigidity and easy movement--a terrific recipe for dynamic sound from even wimpy amplifiers. And, indeed, it doesn't take much to make these speakers sing. Anything from 20 watts-per-channel integrated amplifiers to 85 wpc surround receivers will make a good fit, though be warned that the speakers are rated for use only to 120 wpc.
An especially choice feature of the 8.3s is their dual, gold-plated speaker terminals, which let you power each driver independently if desired, a process known as biwiring. (The speakers come with jumpers to allow standard wiring; remove the jumpers to biwire.) Whether you use separate mono-block amps for each speaker or merely use your receiver's A and B speaker outputs to power the tweeters and woofers, respectively--with set A for the tweeters, set B for the woofers--extra cable required!--you'll hear a little extra clarity, openness, and even frequency extension since the amplifier is focused only on a given driver's needs at any given moment. (Think: division of labor.)
The speakers' low end was not as rich, powerful, or as even as you'd find in a more expensive speaker with additional drivers or more sophisticated engineering (Wharfedale's wonderful Emerald 97, for instance)--but for at this price, the performance is exceptional. We recommend placement at least one foot from any room boundary, and the closer you can get to putting three feet between the 8.3s and your walls, the better, in our experience--though the port's front-panel positioning allows closer wall placement than would a rear port.
Each of the speakers in the Diamond 8 line uses the same tweeter and cone material for perfect timbral matching, so you can use the 8.3s for either stereo or surround-sound applications, enlisting Diamond 8.1s or 8.2s as surround speakers and the Diamond Center for a center-channel speaker.
--Michael Mikesell
Pros:
Cons:
What's in the Box
Two speakers, speaker grilles, speaker-terminal jumpers (for non-biwired applications), wood-plate "feet," a user's manual, and warranty information.
Customer Reviews:
Great for the price.......2005-08-22
Excellent speakers.......2004-01-12
I wanted our speakers to do double duty: movies and CD's. The speakers perform admirably in both. For the price the sound is superb; the highs and mids are crystal clear and the bass is punchy and fast.
It is true that you won't get copious amounts of bass from the 6.5 inch woofers. However, what you will get is accurate sound reproduction. Our music tastes range from AD/DC to jazz and classical. We can "crank" the volume to an almost uncomfortable level on our AC/DC and have ample bass, as can we on our classical, jazz etc. The key is to not adjust the bass control on the receiver beyond the mid or neutral point. Beyond that there is too much bass anyway. In addition, speaker placement makes a difference too. We experimented for a few days before finding the best distance from the corners and furniture.
Where the bass is somewhat inadequate is in surround sound movies, but then that is what the subwoofer is for. In the first two Lord of the Rings DVD's there are parts with deep and prolonged bass. Again the speakers can do the job, but they really benefit from the subwoofer for the lowest, house shaking lows.
In the end, you can probably buy cheaper, higher bass producing speakers than the 8.3's. However, what you gain in bass you may likely lose in accurate and clear sound. These are excellent consumer level speakers with a very reasonable price (in fact, all 6 speakers cost less than some of those cubes/subwoofer sets). If you don't want to take up huge floorspace with giant towers, but still want a quality sounding speaker, these speakers should be on your potential purchase list. The longer we have them, the better they sound.
I am surprised and happy with it.......2003-12-31
P.S.: Sorry for terrible english, not my native language.
Highly over-rated 8.3's.......2003-12-21
bang for your buck.......2003-01-19
Average customer rating: |
JVC XL-PV370 Personal CD Player with Car Kit and Hyper-Bass Sound
Manufacturer: JVC ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Accessories:
Product Features:
ASIN: B000065UVZ |
Product Description
The JVC XL-PV370, complete with car cassette adapter and battery adapter, offers great portable CD player performance with incredible value. It features 45-second anti-shock that will keep your music playing under almost any conditions. Additional features include a heat-resistant casing, headphones & Hyper Bass for great sound.Amazon.com Product Description
The JVC XL-PV370 is a portable CD player which plays audio CDs, plus CD-R discs. The key feature to the PV370 is the included car kit. This kit comes with a cassette adaptor and a cigarette lighter DC adaptor, the two necessary accessories to make any personal CD player vehicle-ready. The forty-five second anti-shock system is a huge plus when using the player either in the car or at the running/walking track. In fact, this sort of anti-shock system is good for any user who may encounter surprise jolts and vibrations while commuting, sitting in a coffee shop or studying in bed. The PV370 runs via the DC adaptor, an optional AC adaptor, or batteries. You can expect twenty hours of playback using normal alkaline batteries. To help save precious battery life, the player contains an auto power-off feature. With four play modes (normal, repeat, shuffle and twenty-track program) there are many options to enjoy the CD listening experience. Other notable features include: hold, resume, hyper-bass sound and a 1-bit D/A converter. The color is a sleek and modern silver/blue finish; this housing is also heat-resistant.
What's in the Box
JVC XL-PV370 personal CD player, overhead stereo headphones, cassette adapter, cigarette lighter DC adapter, user's manual and a one year warranty.
Average customer rating:
|
Kodak KB18 35mm Camera Gift Box
Manufacturer: Kodak ProductGroup: Photography Binding: Electronics Product Features:
ASIN: B00005Q60T |
Customer Reviews:
Great inexpensive camera kit!.......2002-02-04
A Picture is Worth a THOUSAND WORDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-12-26
Average customer rating: |
HP DVD Writer 300xe Drive ( Q2111A#ABA )
Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Accessories:
Product Features:
ASIN: B00008AZ74 |
Product Description
The HP DVD writer 300xe is a product of the new "plus" era of DVD technology, in which compatibility obstacles are a thing of the past and data archiving is virtually error-free. Connect the HP 300xe to your PC and start preserving videos, photos, and data.
Average customer rating: |
Kodak i150 Simplex Scanner
Manufacturer: Kodak ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Product Features:
ASIN: B000ANLDBC |
Product Description
All the scanning performance and flexibility your busy office or department needs. PRODUCT FEATURES: Simplex (i150) model for color, bitonal and grayscale imaging; Perfect Page Scanning with iThresholding delivers sharp, clean images without rescanning; Renowned SurePath paper handling that minimizes jams; Scans up to A3-size documents to handle your full workload; 3-D ultrasonic multi-feed detection lets you scan with confidence; Easy setup and operation; Worldwide service and support for your peace of mind.
Average customer rating: |
I150 SCANNER 40PPM SIMPLEX 200DPI
Manufacturer: EASTMAN KODAK CORP. ProductGroup: CE ASIN: B000A6JTMY |
Average customer rating:
|
Hawking Technology PN828ES 8-Port 10/100 Switch Desktop SOHO Model
Manufacturer: Hawking Technology ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Accessories:
ASIN: B000065941 |
Product Description
The PN828ES Mini Switch from Hawking is the ideal switch solution for the Small Office/Home Office user who needs high performance and seamless migration between 10BaseT and 100BaseTX network speed. This full-featured Mini Switch offers the same 10/100Mbps performance as full-size models but in a compact and efficient size.The PN828ES provides 8 auto-sensing RJ-45 10Base-T/100Base-TX ports to increase the performance of your network by bringing full Ethernet bandwidth to individual workgroups or straight to your desktop which will eliminate the need to share the bandwidth of a single network. It is also capable of connecting 10M, 100Mbps, half and full duplex simultaneously. The PN828ES provides a full Wire-rate 10/100Mbps Switch port for greater network performance. In addition, one "uplink" port is provided for easy connection to other Switches or Hubs for network expansion. Furthermore, the PN828ES' performance and hardware is guaranteed to be compatible with other switches and adapters.Customer Reviews:
Power supplies burned out.......2003-12-10
I would give it 1 star, except that I was so pleased with it when I got it; it was such a joy to have a switch that didn't care if I was using a crossover cable or not, and would connect to other switches as easily as to hosts. These days, though, that's a fairly common feature.
cheap and effective.......2002-11-08
Average customer rating: |
IBM THINKCENTRE A30 P4-2.66G/533 ( 819966U )
Manufacturer: IBM (Aap Misc Parts) ProductGroup: Personal Computer Binding: Personal Computers Accessories:
ASIN: B00024ENGQ |
Product Description
ThinkCentre desktops make power seem effortless. They feature steel-chassis designs for durability and serviceability and support the latest technology to help keep you ahead of the game.The ThinkCentre A30 desktop offers great technology and affordable prices. The A30 is designed with the best blend of essential features and technology, like Intel Pentium 4 or Intel Celeron processors, high-speed hard disk drives and integrated Intel Extreme Graphics.
Average customer rating: |
HP OmniBook XE3 - PIII 700 MHz - RAM : 64 MB - HD : 20 GB - DVD - Win98 SE - 13.3" TFT 1024 x 768 ( XGA )
Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard ProductGroup: Personal Computer ASIN: B00005KJMY |
Product Description
Whether you run your own business or work for a large enterprise, you need a notebook PC that helps you stay on top of it all. That's why HP created the HP OmniBook XE3 - a convenient, reliable notebook PC that comes with everything you need to do business, and have a little fun, too. Top performance, internetworking, multimedia, and instant access to your favorite applications - everything is built in by the company that understands businesses - no matter what size - better than any other!With totally new industrial styling and features that make it even easier to use, the HP OmniBook XE3 builds on the foundation that made its predecessor - the HP OmniBook XE2 - one of HP's most successful notebook PCs ever. And, of course, this notebook PC delivers the unmatched performance, value, reliability, and support that distinguish the entire HP OmniBook family.
Average customer rating: |
Farallon NetLINE PN579-TP Network Adapter
Manufacturer: FARALLON COMMUNICATIONS - ACADEMIC ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics ASIN: B00006BA78 |
Product Description
Farallon develops and markets reliable plug-and-play Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networking products designed to "Simplify Networking Through Innovation." Farallon is dedicated to providing complete, easy-to-use networking solutions and world-class technical support to the Publishing, Education, Small Business and Mobile communities.Farallon NetLINE 10Base-T Ethernet Cards are ideal for computers needing connectivity to Ethernet networks or cable/DSL modems. Its plug-and-play compatibility minimizes set up time and at-a-glance LEDs provide immediate trouble-shooting information. Windows drivers included.Electronics: