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Why it’s a best pick : Midland WR100 Weather Radio

This Midland WR100 Weather Radio is a must for every homeowner to have as a safety warning device.
I purchased mine in January after a tornado hit a town in indiana at 3:00 AM and caught many who were sleeping off guard and since then it has given us piece of mind at night and while we are sleeping. on most occasions the warnings are always 7 to 10 minutes ahead of the tv and radio alerts.
The LEDS advise you if theres a warning or a watch and it also scrolls along the screen along with a very loud auduble alarm, it also has the S.A.M.E. programming so you can pinpoint the correct NOAA weather station for your town or county eliminating false alarms that may alarm you from another area or town.
After having this radio I would not be without one and this radio performs great. There is also a red strobe light that you can purchase optional that also inhances the warnings at night to catch your attention should you be sleeping this also has performed well.
Overall this radio has performed great and has alerted us of a couple of tornado warnings and has given us ample time to react and prepare.
I hope this reveiw may help you this Midland WR100 Weather Radio is a bargain for the price.

Why it’s a best pick : Reecom R-1650 Weather Alert Radio With AM/FM Clock Radio

Worth the extra money, I originally bought the Midland WR300 Weather Radio, and was so disappointed in its performance, that I went and read more of the 500+ reviews on that product. Based upon a few of the reviews, I ended up purchasing this item from Reecom, and returning the Midland.
Much better backlight (green vs the Midland’s blue), and the biggest and most important difference is its simple setup and programming compared to the Midland.
Don’t be fooled by the Midland’s high ratings.

Why it’s a best pick: Pioneer VSX-1020-K 7.1 Home Theater Receiver

I picked up a Pioneer VSX-1020-K over the weekend. I have been building custom cabinetry and needed a slimmer (and cooler) receiver for our secondary viewing room and the 1020 seemed to fit the bill in large part based upon a pleasant experience with the 919/1019 and the elite 21.

For reference, the 1020 is replacing an Onkyo 1007, which I really enjoyed, but was a bit big for the cabinet and largely unused with a baby’s bedroom nearly adjacent to the area. Keep in mind, the Onkyo weighs 52 lbs and draws nearly 11 amps – not a fair fight between the two.

In comparison to the 1019/919 (which powers my second and third zones), the Pioneer VSX-1020-K looks very similar, but Pioneer removed the blue led power button (they did the same with the bdp-320 from the 51fd last year as well). The front panel buttons have been reconfigured slightly, but overall the two look very similar.

I have the 1020 configured as 5.1 plus wides. The speaker setup was pretty easy, but it appears that setting it up as normal plus wides would prevent you from operating Zone 2 despite the manual saying the contrary.

In terms of audio quality, the receiver sounds very good and similar to the 1019/919. That said, when turned louder (say -5db), it appears to lose its legs a bit sooner than the 1019. I heard a bit more distortion in playing music loudly (i was alternating the same speakers and source via speaker switch before I had the two connected). That said, I would think most folks would not be able to tell a difference at normal volume levels, but the power draw cut from last year does seem to manifest itself at loud levels in my amateurish testing. Please do not try to pull every thread in my comparison – just an average guy comparing the two side by side.

Running MCACC was as simple as other pioneer models, but the system did seem to be a bit too generous as to the speaker size of the speakers in my setup (audyssey classified them as small and set the individual speaker crossovers at 100hz). I have been using the wide listening mode and have found it reasonably effective in providing a broader sound array for the wide room. I will need more critical listening time to compare it to Audyssey DSX’s wide presence processing mode. Overall, I am pleased with the sound quality of the 1020, but it could benefit by a bit more power. I would caution about tying to drive large or inefficient speakers with this receiver if your listening preferences are very loud.

The remote is an improvement in that it is learning, but a step back in dark room navigation. Yes the keys glow in the dark, but labels are small and difficult to quickly identify. It is miles ahead of Denon’s odd remotes, but lacks some of the simple and easy to identify buttons of Onkyo.

The Pioneer VSX-1020-K has run cooly, which is an improvement from the space-heater my Onkyo could be.

The Pioneer VSX-1020-K does offer a really good listening experience for a very light (and presumably efficient) unit. That said, I do lament a few things: onscreen osd – at least volume/source/audio codec; a slightly ergonomic remote; and assignable speakers to let you customize presence and zone 2.

Overall, I am happy with the unit and pleasantly surprise how cooly it runs.

Where to Buy

Why it’s a best pick: Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System

Paired with the inexpensive, high-quality Monoprice 16 gauge speaker wires, these speakers provide amazing sound at a price that can’t be beat.

I recently installed an entirely new media center consisting of the Samsung LN46B650 LCD TV, an Onkyo TX-SR606 AV Receiver, these speakers (with the Monoprice 16 gauge speaker wires), these inexpensive speaker mounts, HDMI cables that cost less than a dollar each, and a PS3. All I can say is “WOW”!

I am so glad I didn’t buy more expensive speakers than these, because these sound awesome. I was a little hesitant at first because I had never heard of the Energy brand, but after reading the reviews here and on CNET, I gave it a shot and I’m so glad that I did!

Crisp sound, powerful bass… I couldn’t ask for anything more. The only complaint I have about these speakers is that the positioning, size, and angle of the 5-way speaker wire connections on the back makes it difficult to use regular sized banana plugs. But I didn’t even deduct a star for that because the sound was excellent when I just twisted the wire ends and inserted them bare.

Regular TV sounds awesome. Movies sound awesome. PS3 games like Rock Band sound awesome. Music streamed from my PC to my PS3 sounds awesome.

I recommend Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System to everyone!

Additional specs you may find useful:
- Satellite speakers weigh 2.9 lbs. each, center speaker weighs 3.2 lbs.
- Speakers are all magnetically shielded
- Recommended crossover frequency on receivers is 100Hz-120Hz. Satellite speakers have frequency response of 115Hz-20kHz, and center speaker 110Hz-20kHz
- Speakers rated at 8 ohms, 100 watts
- Speakers have 1/4″-20 TPI threaded inserts AND old school keyholes for mounting
- Tweeters in all speakers are 3/4 inch Hyperbolic aluminum-dome
- Woofers in all speakers are 3 inch poly-titanium
- Crossover points are 2.9kHz, efficiency room rated 89dB
- Subwoofer has separate volume level, low-pass filter 40Hz-150Hz @ 18dB/octive, Phase setting 0 degrees to 180 degrees, and a power mode switch for ON/OFF/Auto-Off
- Subwoofer is 200 watts with an 8″ MPP Cone

Where to Buy