Blogs -

Canon takes it up a notch with the 7D

With the 7D, Canon has taken the crop-sensor camera to new heights. Photographers using Canon's "prosumer" xxD line of cameras are trained to expect sequential upgrades with each new model. In some cases, photographers were passing on the...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by ZakB on Wed, Nov 18 2009

Filed under: Zak, Canon, digital camera, 7D, SLR

How I made my own photo softbox for less than $10

I read a great (as always) post on Strobist about building your own softbox for less than 10 bucks, and I was instantly intrigued. A softbox is used for taking those nice product photos you see on Crutchfield's website and in catalogs. But the word...

Posted to Use & Enjoy Your A/V Gear by ZakB on Tue, Nov 17 2009

From many to one: a review of the Universal R50 remote control

I recently brought home Universal's R50 , hoping I could replace the five remotes cluttering my home theater room with a single, smarter remote. All those remotes were a pain to manage — to literally keep from disappearing between the sofa cushions...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by Jim Ralston on Wed, Nov 11 2009

Filed under: Jim Ralston, universal remote, R50

Rear speakers, amplifier, and subwoofer

Now that the front door speakers were in -- and we could ably demonstrate the difference between the front aftermarket and rear factory speakers -- it was time to install the new rear speakers. Matt and I decided that this next phase would be big; not...

Posted to Building a Mobile Listening Lab by MLS on Mon, Nov 9 2009

Filed under: GMC, wiring harness, Yukon, Hi-Fi 2.0, GMC Yukon, power cable, Dynamat, StreetWires, car amplifiers, Matt Freeman, woofer, JL Audio, Sokoband, Mike Sokolowski, high fidelity, Keith Jarrett Trio, Gary Peacock, ProWedge, 12-gauge speaker wire, JL Audio CLS110RG-W7, EOS Digital Rebel XSi SLR camera, Outfit My Car, Jack DeJohnette, acoustic bass, symphony, HD 900/5 five-channel amplifier, upright bass, UltraFlow, electronic beats, piano, subwoofer, capacitor, JL Audio C2-650X

The Canon EOS 7D: First Impressions

Wow! That was my reaction after checking out the new Canon EOS 7D . At a recent Canon product training session I had an opportunity to get my hands on a 7D. I had been patiently waiting this day for quite some time after hearing about this new DSLR, and...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by Elijah on Tue, Nov 3 2009

Filed under: Canon, digital camera, Elijah, 7D, SLR, EOS

Ugrading to the Logitech Harmony 900 remote control

The Logitech® Harmony® One has been reborn as the Harmony® 900 . This new remote features the same great ergonomics and features of the highly rated Harmony One, and adds RF compatibility. I already own a Harmony One and a Harmony 1000 , so...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by Harley on Thu, Oct 29 2009

Filed under: remote control, Harley, harmony 900, Logiitech

Out-of-place Beauty

Our fifth photo topic was somewhat hard to define, so it went by a few names -- "Ugly Beauty," "Out-of-place Beauty," "Urban Decay." Basically, the idea was to find objects without traditional visual appeal, and find a way...

Posted to Photo Club by Amanda on Tue, Oct 20 2009

Filed under: Amanda, out-of-place beauty

The vinyl records comeback from the musicians' POV

About this time last year, Jim R. posted his thoughts on why vinyl records appeared to be making a comeback . Jim outlined what he thought were three reasons for the return: The sound of vinyl The ritual of listening to a record Vinyl as artistic expression...

Posted to Use & Enjoy Your A/V Gear by Ralph on Thu, Oct 15 2009

Filed under: Jim R., vinyl records

Crutchfield Signature -- It's About the Experience

Have you visited Crutchfield Signature yet? The tagline says "it's all about the experience." And that's just what we mean. The site features the best products we carry. And it provides more detailed — and reader-friendly —...

Posted to Use & Enjoy Your A/V Gear by Ralph on Wed, Oct 7 2009

Filed under: Crutchfield Siganture

Video: Samsung TL220 & TL225 Digital Cameras

When Samsung loaned us two TL225 digital cameras to try out, we knew just what to do. We rounded up some Crutchfield employees, headed to a local eatery, and let them have some fun. The Samsung TL225 and TL220 cameras are designed for easy use, and their...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by Crutchfield Video on Mon, Oct 5 2009

Filed under: digital camera, Crutchfield Video, Samsung, TL225, TL220

Reflections

The fourth topic in the photo club was “Reflection.” The idea was to have the subject in a mirror image on a shiny object, or where the main subject would be reflecting a pattern or a background. In the photo at left, the focus is on a spoon...

Posted to Photo Club by Travis P on Thu, Oct 1 2009

Filed under: photo club, digital photography, reflection, Travis

Shadows

Our third photo topic was "Shadows." The focus of this assignment was to think of the negative space and/or "shadow" as the main subject. Below is an example of a shot that not only uses the shadow as the subject, but also uses the...

Posted to Photo Club by Christopher on Mon, Sep 21 2009

Filed under: photo club, digital photography, shadows

Video: factory vs. aftermarket speakers

OK, so we finally got the video formatting worked out. It's very informal; Matt sat in the back seat with the Canon XSi camera capturing our back-to-front-and-back-again fading demo by moving the camera's built-in microphone forward and backward...

Posted to Building a Mobile Listening Lab by MLS on Mon, Sep 14 2009

Filed under: GMC, Alpine, CDA-9887, Yukon, Hi-Fi 2.0, GMC Yukon, Matt Freeman, Jiriki, video demonstration, woofer, C2 components, JL Audio, Sokoband, Michael Sokolowski, Mike Sokolowski, tweeter

Sony KDL-40XBR7: High Re-definition

Generally speaking, there are two types of electronics enthusiasts — audiophiles and videophiles. I've always defined myself as an audiophile, but that may be changing now. I listen to music all the time, but I watch much less TV and fewer movies...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by Dave H on Fri, Sep 11 2009

Filed under: Sony, HDTV, XBR, upgrade, videoeophile, KDL-40XBR7, Dave H, Special Offers Guy, Accessories Guy, audiophile, 1080p

A review of the Logitech Harmony 700

My fiancé and I have been using the Logitech® Harmony® 550 universal remote in our home for a little over a year now. And while it's performed exactly how we've needed it to, I was thrilled to exchange it out this past weekend for...

Posted to Crutchfield Staff Reviews by Kristen S on Wed, Sep 2 2009

Filed under: Logitech, remote control, universal remote, Harmony 700, KristenS

Blogs

Tags