Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow! What a great gizmo!, August 28, 2002
When I received the SoundLink for my birthday yesterday, I wasn't quite sure if it would work very well, but I just installed it in all of 5 minutes, and it sounds wonderful. I did not need to read the directions at all - the installation is quite painless and intuitive. Here's how things work:The system comes with two little black boxes - one is a transmitter and one a receiver. Each is clearly marked and powered by either batteries or a power adapter. I was afraid that the adapters would be the bulky kind and not fit on my power strips, but they were actually relatively slim and fit nicely. The transmitter plugs into your PC, Mac, or MP3 player through either the headphone jack or the audio out jack, where you'd normally plug in your speakers. The nice thing about the system, as another reviewer mentioned, is that the transmitter has an audio out jack into which you can now plug your speakers, so the music can be playing on whatever stereo you're transmitting to and at your computer as well. Or just your computer. Or just the stereo. No need to plug and unplug. The receiver sits by your stereo, plugged into a power source or running on batteries. Here you have a choice as well - you can plug the receiver directly into your stereo using the color coded audio cords which are provided, or you can tune your FM receiver to a choice of stations and the receiver will broadcast to your stereo (you'll notice it has a little antenna wire attached). I tried both methods and think the direct route works better for me, but others here have different preferences depending on their location. So far I've tried the unit with my PC (listening to the radio on the internet), on my iMac (listening to my MP3s on iTunes), and with my iPod. Each worked very well. Granted, as other reviewers have mentioned, the sound is not absolutely perfect, especially at louder volumes, but it sounds darned good. I also used my 900Mhz cordless phone while using the SoundLink, and did not notice any interference. For anyone wishing to listen to internet radio stations away from their computer (marvel of marvels), or wanting to listen to their MP3 collection, this is an inexpensive, cordless, and effective solution. I'm very pleased with my birthday present!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Does what it promises to do., March 14, 2002
I recently decided to convert my 300+ CDs to Windows Media format files so I could play them at work through my headphones. As I was recording them at home, I thought about how nice it would be if I could play my music through my home stereo. I then came across this product, which pretty much does the trick.It comes with two receiver type things that look like fat walkie-talkies. One of them plugs into your computer's audio-out jack. It also has an audio out jack so you can plug your existing computer speakers into it, which is nice. The other receiver goes next to your stereo receiver. You can then either plug it in using patch cords to an audio-in on your receiver, or tune your receiver to 88.1 or 88.3 and flip a switch to broadcast through FM. I personally, for some reason, get better sound in FM mode than through a direct connection, which I can't figure out. I would've thought it would've been the other way around. I have found that I have to switch the radio station it transmits on periodically for some reason. I have also found that when I first turn it on, sometimes the receivers have a hard time getting in sync with one another, so I just leave them on all the time. You have to adjust the volume knob on the receiver near your computer. If you have it too high, you will get distortion. Since these music files seem to record at different levels based on the source CD, I just leave it at a middle setting and use the volume on my receiver to make any necessary volume adjustments. I also am not thrilled that both receivers need to be plugged in. You can use batteries, but since it is all but necessary to leave them on all the time, batteries would be a waste. And they are those stupid big fat plugs that take up valuable space on your power strips. But what can you do. I guess this is the cost of listening to music from your computer. In summary, I think this audio system does well, and I would recommend it to others.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb; exceeds all my expectations, May 18, 2001
By A Customer
I've been using this absolutely splendid device for a couple of weeks now and I still can't get over how well it works.I'm astonished at the clarity of the reception on my bedside radio - indeed all the radios I've used it with (and I'm not even using the direct-connect feature to wire the transmitter to the radio - I'm using what for want of a better term I'll call the "local wireless broadcast option" - placing the transmitter within ten feet of the radio you'll be using). The battery or mains power feature is ultra-convenient. One unit has to stay connected to your computer, but the unit that broadcasts to your radio works on both battery and mains power, which means you can take it with you and listen to your Internet feed on any radio in the house. This is the best performing piece of electronics I've bought in years, and at around $100 it's an absolute bargain. For all those British expats like myself who even after 24 years still miss Radio 4, this device can't be beat. Take your browser to the streaming feed on the Web, and listen in hi-fi in bed, in the shower, in the basement - anywhere. Outstanding.
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