Crutchfield Staff Reviews

The Canon EOS 7D: First Impressions

2009-11-03T22:39:00Z

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 I was not disappointed. The first thing that caught my eye was the new layout of the camera's menu buttons. I've used Canon products for a couple of years now, and have always been a fan of their menu design. But this new menu layout goes...(read more)

Ugrading to the Logitech Harmony 900 remote control

2009-10-29T14:45:00Z

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 I was glad to have an opportunity to try out the Harmony 900. Simple online setup As with any Harmony remote, setup was extremely easy. I just plugged the remote into my computer’s USB port using the remote’s transfer cable. I then went...(read more)

Video: Samsung TL220 & TL225 Digital Cameras

2009-10-05T18:46:00Z

(Please visit the site to view this media) 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 front LCD screens let you frame self-portraits and group shots easily. We took a lot of pictures with the two cameras, and shot a fair amount of video with them, too. You'll see a goodly portion of it...(read more)

Sony KDL-40XBR7: High Re-definition

2009-09-11T18:40:00Z

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 than most of my friends. In fact, I had planned to keep the 27" tube TV I bought in 1996 until it died. I might have made it that long, but now that I make the special offers show up on our website, I couldn't miss the deal we have going...(read more)

A review of the Logitech Harmony 700

2009-09-02T14:41:00Z

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 the new Harmony 700 . The Harmony 700 is Logitech's improved version of their 670 remote, and thus a vastly improved version of our old 550. It's amazing how much of a difference there was between the 500 and the 700 (see the photo at right...(read more)

PS Audio Duet Power Center

2009-08-27T20:11:00Z

I recently had the opportunity to try out the PS Audio Duet Power Center for a couple of days with my home systems. Power conditioning with the living room home theater system My primary TV is a Panasonic 50” TH-50PZ800U 1080p plasma HDTV plugged into a Panamax M8-HT power line conditioner and surge protector . I usually keep the TV set in the THX mode for the most accurate picture reproduction, but even so, the image can be a touch on the dark side when it comes to white levels. I plugged...(read more)

Video: Linksys by Cisco Multi-room Systems

2009-07-02T16:13:00Z

(Please visit the site to view this media) In our new Crutchfield Linksys® by Cisco multi-room systems video , Tara and Malcolm outline some of the options available with Linksys® by Cisco multi-room wireless music systems . Tara had an opportunity to take one of the systems home, and shares her experience with the simple setup. She also demonstrates how to navigate through the menus on the touchscreen DMWR1000 Controller. Malcolm explains how the various components, such as the DMP100 Player...(read more)

Video: Linksys by Cisco WET610N Ethernet Bridge

2009-06-30T16:11:00Z

(Please visit the site to view this media) In our new Crutchfield Linksys® by Cisco WET610 Ethernet Bridge video , Tara explains the workings of the bridge. While lots of components have Internet access, not many have built-in Wi-Fi. The Linksys® by Cisco WET610N plugs into your Internet-ready component and provides that Wi-Fi® link. Tara demonstrates how easy it is to connect. She points out that the bridge uses dual-band Wireless-N, protocol to maintain a strong and fast connection...(read more)

Video: Linksys by Cisco Media Hub

2009-06-25T16:10:00Z

(Please visit the site to view this media) In our new Crutchfield Linksys® by Cisco Media Hubs video, Tara present some of the advantages of these units. She explains how they're great for storing music, photos and videos for use in your home network. And both the 500GB Media Hub and 1TB Media Hub have automatic backup, and allow you to remotely access your media. You can find all of our videos in our Learning Center Video Library , or subscribe to our YouTube video channel at YouTube.com...(read more)

Video: Alpine IXA-W404 Digital Media Receiver

2009-06-19T18:35:00Z

In our Crutchfield Alpine IXA-W404 Digital Media Receiver video , Zak outlines the key features of this remarkable in-dash unit. The Alpine IXA-W404 fits in a double-sized dashboard opening, and features a USB input for an MP3 player or thumb drive. Zak connects his iPod nano to the receiver and shows how you can control your player from the IXA-W404. He mentions that it works with most iPods and iPhones, too.The system bypasses the iPod's DAC (digital-to-analog converter) so the signal can be...(read more)

Video: JVC KW-NT1 Navigation Receiver

2009-06-17T19:54:00Z

In our Crutchfield JVC KW-NT1 navigation receiver video , Zak puts the unit through its paces. He points out that its a double-sized stereo receiver with a generous 6.1" touchscreen. In the video Zak demonstrates how easy the touchscreen is to use with three key features: GPS navigation, Bluetooth® phone operation; and iPod® control. The built-in GPS navigation system features text-to-speech functionality, with turn-by-turn directions — it can even tell you what lane to be in....(read more)

Video: Kenwood KDC-HD942U CD Receiver

2009-06-02T17:53:00Z

Ken takes center stage in the Crutchfield Kenwood KDC-HD942U CD receiver video. He explains that this versatile car receiver gives you plenty of listening options. In addition to an AM/FM tuner, the KDC-HD942U also plays CDs and burned MP3 discs as well. As Ken notes, that's just the beginning. He produces his iPod nano , and shows how you can control the player through the HD942U. The receiver bypasses the iPod's digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which allows its own high-performance 24...(read more)

The Fuji FinePix F200EXR digital camera takes Manhattan

2009-05-28T12:58:00Z

Working at Crutchfield has its perks. For example, I recently went to New York City and was able to borrow a brand new digital camera, the Fuji FinePixF200EXR . I would normally have taken my own camera, but I'm pretty hard on them and at the moment, I'm between cameras. So, the offer to take the Fuji, and write a review afterwards was pretty sweet. I'll tell you a little about my trip first. My dad, my cousin, and I drove to NYC and rode our bikes around the city, to see the sights. My cousin has...(read more)

Video: Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Player

2009-05-22T19:47:00Z

Crutchfield's Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray player video features Julie and Steve. They talk about some of the benefits of this player, such as full 1080p resolution and the ability to decode lossless audio formats. Julie mentions that the BDP-S360 has Sony's advanced Precision Cinema HD processing which can deliver a remarkably clean picture from DVDs. And Steve points out that the player supports the BonusView and BD-Live features found on a growing number of Blu-ray movies. You can find all of our videos...(read more)

Video: Samsung BD-P3600

2009-05-21T19:26:00Z

Crutchfield's Samsung BD-P1600 & BD-P3600 video features Julie and Steve discussing these two new Blu-ray players. Both players feature full 1080p resolution, and can handle high-resolution surround sound formats. Steve notes that both include an ethernet jack in the back, and Julie starts the discussion of the web capabilities of these two players. Both the Samsung BD-P1600 and BD-P3600 have the built-in capability to stream movies from Netflix. Both players can also access Pandora, the Internet...(read more)