ZyXEL 2-Bay High-Performance Digital Media Server and Network

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $147.14
Today's Bonus: 41% Off

Reviewed: Zyxel NSA325. It supports 2 x 3.5" SATA drives, has 2 USB2 ports (back) and a single USB3 (front) & has Gigabit Ethernet. 1.6GHz Marvell processor is faster than older NAS devices (faster than the 800MHz CPU in the D-LINK DNS-320 or the 1.2GHz CPU in the DNS-325) and 512MB memory allows multiple functions at same time.

DRIVE INSTALLATION:

Drive guide rails must be attached to each drive via screws. Note that the pointy end of the rails must face INWARD (i.e. on the same side as the SATA connector). The quick install sheet doesn't mention this and it's easy to overlook from the diagram. The reason for the specific orientation is that you use a tool (located behind the drive cover) to remove an installed drive from its bay and this tool clips onto the exposed end of the drive rails. Also when installing be sure to insert the drive so that the SATA connector will mate with the drive (it will not if you insert the drive the wrong way and you could cause damage). ZyXEL needs to have better instructions. The front door is a little flimsy though, be careful when removing/installing to avoid breaking the tabs that keep it in place.

Note that drives are NOT hot-swappable, do not remove/insert with the power on. Drives up to 3TB are supported with newest firmware (note if you have old firmware you will need to temporarily install a smaller drive, create a volume, then use the firmware check function in the web interface to update firmware before installing 3TB drives).

RAID:

RAID 0/1 are supported. RAID 0 uses the combined storage space of both drives but has no redundancy. RAID 1 mirrors contents on both drives so if one fails your data is still safe.

POWER MANAGEMENT/UPS:

+ You can connect a (APC brand) UPS to the NAS via one of the USB ports and it will auto-shutdown when UPS battery is low (you can adjust when the shutdown occurs based on the UPS reported capacity remaining). A nice touch and one that will help prevent data loss. I tried it with a Tripp-Lite UPS and it wasn't recognized so it looks like only an APC will work.

+ You can set the UPS to always power on after a power failure, useful if acting as networked storage.

+ You can spin down drives if no data transmission occurs in a specified time (adjustable in minutes)

+ Supports "wake-on-lan" so device can turn on and service incoming requests even if powered off.

+ NAS uses external 12V 5amp power adapter. This is better than an internal power supply as it is easily replaceable if it fails.

+ Interestingly the NAS has an internal clock (powered by a CR2032 battery) and can be set to power on/off via time schedule.

THE BAD:

There is no "network activity" LED at the front panel (the LED is on the Ethernet jack). I would have liked to see a front panel LED. This is important as use of one of the back USB ports will block the network LED on the jack.

I do not think there is a way to migrate to larger capacity drives without backing up/replacing drives/recreate RAID/restoring the array.

Download Manager feature (more on this below) cannot download files that require authentication from websites (i.e. files that require login). This is a shame as this would been much more useful.

This NAS takes LONG to boot. This may cause a problem if used as network storage as PCs may boot quicker than the NAS!

For some strange reason the CPU temp is reported incorrectly (12 deg Celsius) on the NSA status page after some time in operation. It still seems to work correctly so this may be a minor bug.

OTHER:

+ Front panel USB connector is USB3 for fast copy from/to external USB3 devices. This is just for copying data from/to an external drive, I don't think connection to a PC is supported.

+ NAS has CPU temp sensor.

+ The fan is a 3-wire fan (has RPM sensor so the NAS can determine fan speed). The fan label mentions that has a hypro bearing, which supposed to be a long-lasting bearing. The fan is very quiet, practically silent.

+ Web-based interface is nice and clean, with attractive icons. The admin setup webpage is logically organized. You can check the CPU temp/CPU load/free memory from the admin page.

+ ZPilot feature allows you to drop files/folders to an "always-on-top" icon to copy to the NAS. Optionally you can have the NAS sort files into specific folders based on the file type.

+ Add-on packages really expand functionality of the NAS. For example installing the SMART package allows you to see the status (temperature, SMART status, model & serial #) of the installed drives.

+ Firmware update is totally painless, one click will check for new firmware, another click downloads & installs it. You don't need to download it from a PC then upload it to the NAS. However note that you must have drive(s) installed and a volume created to use the auto-update feature as it needs to download firmware to the volume. If no drive(s) are installed it will not work.

+ Has "Download Manager" built-in file download function & bittorrent client. By logging into the NAS and either entering the URL of a file to download OR uploading a .torrent file from your PC you can have the NAS download files unattended without having your PC on and running. A nice feature, especially for downloading large files such as Linux ISO images.

OVERALL it's a good media server for the price and I recommend it. But also check out the ZyXEL NSA320 2-bay Network Attached Storage and Media Server as it is similar but about half the price. The NSA320 uses a slightly slower 1.2GHz CPU (but has the same 512MB memory), but doesn't have dropbox features or USB3 port. You probably DON'T want the older NSA2xx series because these use a much slower CPU/less memory and transfer performance is not as good.

UPDATE: I now have multiple NSA325s and the only thing I have found problematic is the web interface. There have been times when the NSA325 is still on and working but I cannot login to its IP address (to get the web interface to display). Other times the web interface will be extremely slow to respond or even stop responding entirely. Also, the "firmware upgrade notification" message keeps appearing even though I'm on the latest firmware (which is annoying, even though I click "do not remind me"). Power resetting fixes the web interface problems but I should not have to do this. These problems have persisted even through firmware updates and I am disappointed that such basic bugs have not been dealt with.

A more expensive and larger capacity NAS alternative is the Synology DiskStation 4-Bay (Diskless) Network Attached Storage DS413j. (See my DS413j review for more).

I hope this is helpful!

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Cavision Standard Shoulder Pad Package for DSLR/5D MII Cameras;

Customer Ratings:

I agonized over which shoulder mount to buy for my Canon 7D rig. In large part, I was agonizing over the prices some places like Redrock want. Ouch! Then I found this unit. Bought it, love it! This mount allows you to produce very stable shots. A minor issue for me is that I use a battery adaptor on the bottom of my camera. Apparently I must be the only video shooter in the world who does this because none of the accessory manufacturers seem to take the extra height into account! So, if you have a battery adaptor connected to the bottom of your camera you will not be able to use the nifty swing-away viewfinder that comes with this Cavision shoulder mount. No worries in my case, I have a Zacuto finder and wasn't sure I was going to use the Cavision finder anyway. I simply removed it. The results I've gotten with this shoulder mount are far superior to handholding the camera. Well worth the relatively small investment over the competing rigs. Paid for itself in one shoot!

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Nikon Coolpix S10 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Vibration

Customer Ratings:

I'm a rabid photographer of scenery, wildlife, friends, families and pets. I take pictures with tripods, while walking, from horseback, from the car, during parties, indoors, outdoors...whenever it strikes me to take a photo. I would estimate that I take at least 300 photos a month. I currently have an olympus 740 so I bought the nikon looking to get a little smaller camera with the same zoom capabilities but with image stabilization. I read the manual to this camera from cover to cover and it has lots of options to tinker with. I took more than 1000 photos in every situation I could think of and eventually ended up returning the camera because of the medium indoor low light issues.

The good:

The camera has a NICE brushed metal feel to it. Looks like it would hold up well and not show scratches easily and feels quite sturdy.

It's really comfortable and easy to hold the camera and either telescope the lens or press the shutter without straining your hand.

The LCD has great resolution and colors. Some people don't like that it doesn't have a viewfinder but I hardly use a viewfinder.

Rechargable battery (although the initial charging time is something like 8 or 10 hours, the later chargings are less).

The lens cap just flips back with an easy touch, no pulling it off and having it dangle and bounce into action shots.

The camera worked great for scenery shots during the day.

I took some great moonlight shots without the use of a tripod with this camera using some of the many, many features. My other camera could never take these shots.

I liked that there wasn't an external telescoping lens and the lens did all its telescoping inside the cylinder.

I was impressed with the shutter speed and zoom capabilities.

Image stabilization was awesome in sunlight.

What I didn't like:

I found that ANY dust on the lens created an orb in the photo and I had to keep cleaning the lens because dust would easily get into the cool snap cover.

Low indoor light made for blurry (or sometimes grainy images), even with image stabilization and I had to tinker with a lot of the settings to get half way decent photos and even then they weren't great.

If I used a flash in low light, it often whited out people's faces. My friends thought that the flash was too blinding but I can't speak for this because I didn't see it. I used tons of settings (much to my friends' frustration) to try to find a good setting and I didn't find one.

Direct sunlight caused lots of sunspots (I think because of the lens angle because the same exact shot with my olympus had no sunspot and it was seconds between shots)but you could use polarizing sunglasses over the lens for a super easy fix.

The light from the flash doesn't always bounce as one would expect. I'm not sure if it's because of the angle of the turned lens cylinder or what but it the light didn't seem to spread naturally and would end up either too focused or weirdly casted shadows would appear. Again I'd take the same photo with my olympus which has a different flash placement and the photos would turn out fine.

I took some shots of my pets indoors and they didn't like the flashing red light the camera uses for measuring/focus in low light.

I had a lot of color issues (mostly a yellowing of the images) under flourescent lights in a lot of low light photos but I could fix them Adobe photoshop.

This could have been a bad camera but just in case you buy this and have the same issues, you'll know it's not just you :)

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Olympus EC14 1.4x Teleconverter Lens (for at f/2.8 on E-System

Customer Ratings:

I guess you sum up teleconverters as a way to get a little more out of your lens(es), but at a price. Olympus has not kept up on their "compatibility list" for this it turns out it works on alot of lenses that are not on the "compatibility list" even other (sigma) brands. So the five stars are for its compatibility in the system.

Before you buy it look at all your options. I did finally buy it but first I looked at a "better" lens. They were all slower than my existing 50-200mm + 1 stop. It ends up being a 283 mm lens with the OLY teleconverter, so it was the best solution overall. It's not exactly 1.4 but pretty close

I did not like loosing the 1 stop, and I did notice the darker image in the viewfinder as the 1 stop loss is not removed while focusing like any dialed in stops are, but that's the real price you pay you are just more aware of it. I use the converter on about 10% of my shooting with the 50-200 lens when I am outside and have a tripod or inside with a GN 50 flash. Remember it magnifies your movement too so a good tripod helps with the extra weight.

A last couple of notes keep in mind your photo size is 4 x 5.33" and not 4x6 so be sure to zoom out just a bit and leave a boarder for post processing into 4x6 standard prints. Having the extra zoom tends to make you want to fill the frame but then you must cut something later. Your camera's weight and balance will change too. Pick a decent tripod that can handle the combined weight of your lens, body, teleconverter, along with flash and extra power systems. A flimsy tripod will show in your 1:1 pixel reviews of your shots. Finally, the 1.2 x magnifier for the eyepiece seems to work really well with this in your optics line to aid in focusing with the extra 1 stop you can not take out of your lens.

This is a quality product from Olympus and extends your flexibility on many lenses, but at a price. If you own a "favorite" lens, this is probably a great add-on but ask around about compatibility first as new lenses are showing up all the time.

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Pioneer AVH-X2500BT 2-DIN Multimedia DVD Receiver with 6.1" WVGA

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $308.00
Sale Price: $244.72
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

First, for the money... This receiver is going to be exceptionally hard to beat.

Installation: The installation was very straight forward, as long as you have the appropriate Metra/Scosche mounting kit and wiring harness specific to your vehicle year/make/model. I did notice that the wiring harness for the receiver was very chincy and the wire gauge was smaller than what I have seen in other car audio receivers. I actually broke the plug on the harness when trying to disconnect the harness from the receiver. It didn't affect the receiver itself, but I was unable to unplug the harness, so I worked around it. Not a huge deal and not something I would dock a star for.

Sound: The sound quality of this unit is great. I love the graphic EQ for tuning. Much easier than previous units where I would have to +1 or -1 on things like Bass/Mid/Trebble. It's a lot easier to adjust the frequencies visually, from one screen. The sound field adjuster made it easy to find the vehicle's sweet spot as well. Overall, the sound is better than an older Alpine I had previously.

Video: I recommend getting the MicroBypass parking-brake bypass for use with video. After paying the $20 for the bypass and following the straight forward instructions, I inserted a DVD. The sound was good, the video was decent. I didn't buy the unit for its video capabilities... I bought it for its connectivity to my iPhone..... This is where it starts getting docked.

Iphone Functionality: I have an iPhone 5 with iOS6.1. This stereo is new for 2013, but doesn't cater very well to the newest Apple technology. The Lightning adapter was an afterthought. You cannot simply connect your USB/Lightning cable to this unit. It will not work. You have to purchase the Lightning/30pin adapter. STUPID. See here for the compatibility chart:

Even after purchasing the lightning adapter, you still cannot make use of the AppRadio functionality, unless you buy the $120 Pioneer CD-IV202AV adapter and the $50 Apple Lightning to VGA Adapter. That's another $170 to use the AppRadio functionality that allows you to interface with your iPhone with the receiver.

*IF* you have an iPhone 4, you can simply plug your phone into the USB cable and you're good to go!

WTF? How can a receiver that has come out in 2013, not support the iPhone5 functionality that the iPhone 4 does right out of the box? I understand perhaps, having to buy the lightning/30pin adapter, but to have to pay $170 for the Pioneer/Apple VGA adapters is ridiculous. If this is important to you (which many will be) you're $400+ at that point and I'd be willing to bet there were better options at that price-point.

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Samsung UN60C6300 60-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV, Black (2010

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $2,999.99
Sale Price: $2,499.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

We're very happy with this TV... it's picture is surreal, I mean literally surreal, it honestly seems 3D when watching movies, not even Blu-ray but regular DVDs or even HD TV broadcasts. It actually takes a little bit of getting used to, since it is so much clearer and more 3D-ish than previous plasma screens. But we really like the effect.

We did have a minor issue when watching some broadcast movie channels that the picture seemed just a little bit "jerky", but we found a forum that talked about how some movies have a different transmission or screen refresh rate that result sin the timing being a little off, and suggested changing one picture setting on the TV. we haven't had the problem since.

I saw one review that said that the edges were darker than the middle on LED TVs of this size, but I haven't seen anything like that on ours.

UPDATE 9/6: Yes, this TV is still incredible 2 months after purchase. A user asked me what setting we were referring to that we changed in the above review: it was the auto motion plus in the "picture" menu. Haven't had any problems or any jerky screens since.

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Toshiba Satellite C55-A5245 15.6-Inch Laptop (Satin Black in

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $449.99
Sale Price: $437.87
Today's Bonus: 3% Off

I am not fan of Windows 8 yet. This Toshiba Satellite C55-A5245 15.6 inch laptop is a deal at the price. Came with 4GB Ram. Opened the cover to look at the ram storage slots. There are 2 slots and only one is used with a single 4 GB Memory card. This laptop can expand up to 16 GB Ram.. Came loaded with Norton--I deleted it immediately and loaded Windows Essential Security which is fine and it is free. The satin black in trax horizon finish on this laptop is beautiful and somewhat like the Dell Matte finish that I have seen. So far, I am very pleased with this laptop.

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Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Zoom Lens - White Box (New) (Bulk

Customer Ratings:

I'm sure anyone who bought this has read an extensive review from the pro photo.

The white box include lens + leather carrying pouch + canon EW-83H hood + product registration on canon web flyer.

On my 60D (crop sensor), sharpness of the lens throughout the picture is amazing. It is fast even at low light. IS is better than I thought it would be; I can get a sharp shoot at 1/15 sometimes. I turned the IS off, put on tripod, and took some amazing detailed macro shoot stopped at f4/ f8/ f11. I am really impressed with the color as shoot even though my 60d is on neutral.

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Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18.0 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S

Customer Ratings:

I am not a professional photographer but I love how this camera handles itself. I have been slowly upgrading my camera preferences over the last few years buying a new one every other year. It takes wonderful pictures & I can't wait to learn how to use all the features. I haven't used the tripod yet but the other accessories are handy. The bag is the perfect size and is holding up well. I use the camera for family outings and get-togethers. I no longer miss the cute shots of my toddlers running around or smiling only for a moment.

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Fujifilm FinePix HS25EXR Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:

I have been an amateur photographer since I got a Asahi Pentax spotmatic II while I was in the army in 1971. I eventually had many lenses and accessories for it. When it was damaged beyond repair I got a Nikon autofocus 35mm. I was happy with that too. This is my 3rd Fuji digital camera, I loved the first one which I eventually gave to my son and replaced with an S1800 which I did not like. I did a lot of research before I settled on the HS25. The reviews were very good on the HS20 except for noise. The HS25 features a redesigned CMOS to improve that. I was not interested in RAW shooting and I like using AA batteries. Those were the main differences between the HS25 and the HS30 which is $100.00 more. I just unboxed mine last night and spent a lot of time with the owners manual starting to learn all the features available. First, I love the feel of the camera, the quality is first rate. I looked at the Canon SX40 and while the reviews were good, it felt and looked cheap.This camera looks expensive. I really like the manual zoom lens. It brings me back to the 35mm days and I feel like I have better control.It seems very smooth and natural. The autofocus is very fast which was important to me. I have only taken about 10 photos so far in my house at night without a flash and I am pleased with them. I can't wait to take some pictures of the hummingbirds in my back yard. I will come back and update this report. So far I am extremely pleased with my purchase. As always, Amazon had the best price and got it to me quickly.

UPDATE: I have taken a variety of pictures with my new camera and I couldn't be happier! Pictures of my grandkids that would have been blurred with my old camera are very good. I took some macros of flowers and a couple closeups of my dogs. All perfect. The manual zoom is now just intuitive, memories of my old 35mm days I guess. I recommend it completely.

NEW UPDATE: It's been a week now and as I learn more it just keeps getting better. There is a website: dpreview.com that has camera tests etc, but also has forums where camera owners share tips, advice and photos. It is very helpful.

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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Student and Teacher Edition

Customer Ratings:

I am a college student with very limited funds and there is no way I could fork over $300 for the regular version. As much as I loved this program during the 30 trial, I knew it would be years before I would be able to get it. Then I found out Adobe discounts it for students and teachers! This is the same as the regular version. When you get it in the mail you have to provide proof you are a student, or teacher or whatever, through a website and then they email you a serial #. I really do appreciate Adobe lowering the price for us poor folk. Thanks again.

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Creator NXT (2013)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $99.95
Sale Price: $36.94
Today's Bonus: 63% Off

I have used Roxio Creator for ten years on an older Dell Pentium 4 computer. I had no problems with previous versions. I recently purchased a new Dell computer with window 7 (up-graded to Window 8 Pro). Roxio 10 would not work on my new system and Roxio had no patches to make it work so I researched and decided to purchase Creator NXT after checking Roxio's web page they say it is compatible with Windows 8. I installed the software and My DVD and VideoWave programs would shut down when ever I tried to import a video to edit or burn to DVD. Roxio has virtually no support. on their web page they give a phone number for technical support. When you call it the message says to use their web site for technical questions. They sent an e-mail saying they would get back to me with in 48 hours. When they did get back to me the suggestions for the fix had nothing to do with the problem. They also suggested I sign up for their member discussion group -which I did.

A member suggested I shut down my firewall and anti-virus software and install Roxio's installation disc and "repair" the installation. It worked for about an hour. I was able to edit 5 videos and create one DVD, no problem. I tried to create two other projects and I would get the "Software not responding" screen it would freeze at 97% of encoding the project. I must have tried 6x.

Now the software won't even open. It shuts down every time I try to add a video clip.

I have spent too much time with this software. The company I purchased from is refunding my money since they assured me before the purchase via e-mail that the software was compatible with Windows 8. It is not compatible with my Window's 8 system!

I have order Cyberlink Media Suite 10 Ultra. I hope it works.

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Astell&Kern AK120 Mastering Quality Sound Portable Dual DAC

Customer Ratings:

[UPDATE 7/18/2013] Firmware update version 1.32 is now available to download; its main feature is DSD playback. I was a bit skeptical about this feature since WM8740 chips were not meant for DSD playback by hardware design. I was also afraid that this update would change the sound signature of AK120 which I love (see below). But I read many positive reviews from headfi and other sites for this firmware update and since I have a big collection of SACD (from which you can rip DSD files), I jumped in. I was so glad I did! The DSD playback is phenomenally good -even greater sound stage, dynamics, incredible treble and airy, musical feel. So I recommend version 1.32 update to all those who purchase AK120, especially if you own SACD discs.

When launching AK120, this company promised USB DAC and DSD playback would be available soon through firmware updates and it did keep its promises. I like companies that keep their promises; it says a lot about how they treat their customers. I hope they will keep improving the firmware.

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I currently own or used to own the following: AK100, AK120, Colorfly C4, Hifiman HM901, and iBasso DX100. That makes me in a good position to compare this one against the rest. (For my extensive review of AK100, see Astell&Kern AK100 Mastering Quality Sound (MQS) Portable System.)

I first had a chance to listen to AK120 in the 2013 Munich High End Show. I brought my AK100 to the Show to compare it with AK120 that was being showcased. I used my own FitEar ToGo 334 gear and initially no external amp. I was instantly hooked. The main differences between this one and AK100 were twofold: ease of sound (ie non-fatiguing, effortless, unforced) and three-dimensionality of sound. I brought my own MicroSD full of music at various compression levels, and in all of them the differences between AK100 and AK120 were clear, albeit some more than others. I found live recordings to have more pronounced differences, meaning you could almost "picture" the live sound in your head and separate the audience's coughs and noises from the artist's instrumental sound. For all its superb tonality, AK100 sounded rather flat and uni-dimensional compared to AK120. I tested Horowitz in Moscow (1986) WAV files (16/44), and the master's playing of Mozart Sonata in C major (K330) flowed with exceptional charm, ease and clarity despite less than perfect recording quality; the concert hall was full of noises made by the audience but the playing shone out loud and clear, exquisite and almost palpable the sort of qualities that put smiles on the listener. You would feel as if you were right in the middle of the historic event. When I tested Elly Ameling's Schubert vocal ALAC (Apple Lossless) files, I felt as if she was singing right next to me. When I switched to AK100 with exactly same IEM and same MicroSD for comparison, the magic was half gone. These things are so hard to describe in words, but the back-and-forth comparison listening assured me of the clear differences between the two models. I instantly decided to purchase AK120 after the experience.

Notice that the above-mentioned Horowitz and Ameling were not "Mastering Quality Sound" or "MQS" (ie 24 bit) files. Any CD quality files (ie WAV or AIFF) or ALAC files revealed the superiority of AK120 quite clearly, and even MP3 or AAC files with various compression levels (eg 320 kbps, 192 kbps, 128 kbps) were absolutely enjoyable same transparency and musicality albeit less "information." When I listened to severely compressed files (ie 128 kbps and 192 kbps) through AK120, I felt as if I was listening to the core bulk of the music, with the outer embellishments taken out. ALAC and beyond, I started noticing the "voluptuous body" of the music, especially for large-scale symphonies, concertos and operas. 24/96 and 24/192 files were not distinguishable even with my very sensitive ears and pro-caliber IEMs; I would think 24/192 may be overkills for me. So AK120 was not really only for MQS as its namesake; it was enjoyable with all types of files with all degrees of compression.

Impressions aside, technically speaking, AK120 has output impedance of 3 ohm in comparison to AK100's 22 ohm, which makes it easier to drive wider variety of headphones. I found it could drive FitEar 334, Shure SE535, Westone 4R, Senn IE800, Triple.Fi 10, Beyerdynamic T5p and AKG K3003 beautifully; it could even drive HD800 somewhat satisfactorily without an external amp. However, as for Beyerdynamic T1, Audeze LCD-3 and Hifiman HE-6, you would need an external amp to obtain the volume level you want.

I initially thought the biggest weakness for AK120 was lack of true line-out. However, after extensive comparison listening with other devices with line-outs, I reached the conclusion that the headphone out was sufficiently good to the degree of rendering line-out almost unnecessary. When AK120 was connected to ALO Rx Mk2 through headphone jack, it had dead-silent background and dynamics to die for -the best sound from ALO Rx Mk2 I had ever heard. With most IEMs and headphones, AK120 sounds already great by itself, but when paired with the right amp, you will feel as if you are playing with sufficient residual power. Forget the line-out.

AK120's newer firmware version has USB DAC capability, which is convenient for PC-fi users. I have not upgraded to this firmware, as I was too fond of the current firmware 1.0 sound and was afraid it would change the sound characteristic. When you know you own the sweet spot, you are afraid to do anything that could possibly alter it. Since I have an Apple Macbook Pro, I do not need USB DAC; Macbook Pro's headphone jack also works as an optical out, which digital signal my AK100 and AK120 can take. Needless to say, when used as a DAC, AK120 produces magnificent sounds and I would think I am benefiting from its monoaural design with dual wm8740 chips.

In comparison to other "usual suspects", I would think the four are in the same league in sound quality and the choice boils down to your preference of sound signature. HM901 comes closest to AK120 in sound characteristic, but I find the AK120's separation of instruments and rendition of vocals more convincing. Colorfly C4 has always been one of my favorites as it is extremely musical but I must admit it falls behind AK120 in HD clarity. DX100 is perhaps the real contender for AK120 with perceptibly different characteristic; it is more "cold", slightly dry and analytical, the hallmark of reference device. AK120 has more tube-type sound and musical presentation, although it could be relentlessly revealing. If you listen to a badly recorded track, it will reveal how truly bad the recording is. It is to the credit of this company that they could condense such quality into such tiny size.

[Conclusion] For many people, AK100 should be sufficient, especially with its new Russian firmware (ie Listrid 2.0). There is always the law of diminishing marginal utility in the working and I can say with confidence that this one does not sound twice as good as AK100. But in the crazy world of high-end audio, there are people who dole out twice to gain 5% better sound, which sometimes amounts to tens of thousands of dollars. Choosing AK120 instead of AK100 will set you back by $600, but people like me consider it totally worth the extra $600 (I even bought this without selling my AK100) because it increases the total enjoyment by about 30%. Perhaps this explains why the expensive AK120 is currently selling like hot cakes in places such as Japan that has large segment of world's high-end audio fans. Perhaps I could have been totally happy with my AK100 had I not listened to AK120. But having listened to it, there is no going back for me.

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Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM Mulitpurpose Lens for Nikon

Customer Ratings:

i use this lens for sport, n the result, AMAZING, PERFECT, 4 thumbs up for this lens...

if u looking lens for sport, go n get it.. its worth it...

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Nokia C6-01 Unlocked GSM Phone with 8 MP Camera, 720p Video

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $379.00
Sale Price: $159.93
Today's Bonus: 58% Off

Surely you have read all reviews about this phone (GsmArena, PhoneArena, etc).

I want to emphatize just a few aspects that could help you decide:

1I was looking for a state-of-the-art cell (touch), but size is very important to me: I don't like iPhone or Galaxy-S size. I need to put my cell in my pocket, and operate it with just one hand; that's the first reason to buy Nokia C6-01;

2Quality: there is no people that could give you an opinion against the very good quality of this phone;

3Symbian is TOTALLY customizable: I understand Android could give you a very "update able" impression, but Symbian is too.

4I am a middle-age professional (44). Big hands, lot of work, very internet-dependent (for work), and travelling a lot by airplane. I need a cell phone to get email mainly through wifi networks, but I really do not have too much social-related activity (Tweeter, Facebook, and so), so I doubted when reading a lot of reviews referring to this aspects. I can tell you that customization is total: you can decide to put every icon related to screens as you want. I've cleaned my screens and setup the icons I needed.

5Connectivity in this cell is absolutly easy and user-controlable.

6Installing Ovi Apps is an easy and error-free process. I've installed Opera Mobile (it works like a rock!), Skype, a better calculator, QR barcode reader, etc.

7I've setting up my Hotmail account and a Gmail-corporate account without any problem: they are living in my cell exactly in the way they should be: each inbox separated from the other, and syncronizing just when I want (over wify or data operator link).

8Camera is VERY good. Of course it is not a full Nikon with a telex, but the photos are great for such a device;

9-Windows application to manage the phone is great. It works like a charm, easy installation, and very high quality presentation. I can control every aspect of the cellphone (You can even type and read sms in real-time using this app, provided your C6-01 is connected through usb cable !), do backups of your data, contacts, messages, and so.

10It is beautiful and very stylish. I've bought the silver one (it's very metallic: not "plastic-metallic"). Screen is REAL black, and touch operation is perfect.

So, I'm very happy with this purchase.

I hope this help you.

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Samsung Galaxy Camera Ek-gc100 8gb Black, Android Os, V4.1

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $699.00
Sale Price: $352.61
Today's Bonus: 50% Off

I took a bit of a chance buying this unlocked device. I didn't know for sure if it would work on the AT&T network and I can confirm that it does. One of the first things I did was remove the SIM card from my phone and place it into the camera. The camera booted right up and connected to the cellular network. I was able to send, receive texts and well as upload images to DropBox. That said, I will probably be using my wireless hotspot with this camera the majority of the time, but for those wondering whether it will connect to the AT&T network, I can confirm that it indeed will.

The stock rom is version 4.1.1 of Jellybean. This version will not support the remote viewfinder which is a great feature. It allows you to use your phone as the viewfinder, zoom in and out and actually snap the picture. You then have the option of saving the image to the camera only, the phone only or both devices. I sought out the upgrade file for 4.1.2 which is the version of Jellybean that supports this feature. First I checked for updates from "Settings"... nope, latest version is installed. Next, I downloaded Samsung Kies, plugged in the camera and there was no update available. Finally, I sought out the update file and found it on Hotfiles here

http://hotfile.com/dl/210290153/91452aa/GC100ZSBMC1_GC100OZSBMBC1_TGY.zip.html

Be patient, it is a huge file and the bandwidth is throttled unless you are a premium member. The upgrade file is flashed to the camera via Odin. For those who would like to undertake this upgrade on their own, here is a link to a page that gives step by step instructions on how it's all done.

http://www.ugrades.com/2013/05/update-samsung-galaxy-camera-gc110-to.html#chitika_close_button

I followed the steps and successfully flashed my phone to the latest 4.1.2 update. I can confirm that the remote viewfinder does indeed work using the 4.1.2 update and a Galaxy 3s phone. It's so cool it just tickles me to death.

For anyone on the fence, I would say go for it. This is a great camera, unlocked and ready to go. I have had loads of fun with it just in the past few days I've owned it. If you have any questions about upgrading the phone, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to help out.

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Nokia Lumia 620 Black Factory Unlocked Smartphone

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $369.99
Sale Price: $235.00
Today's Bonus: 36% Off

This phone is the best value for your buck. Runs like a charm, Windows Phone 8 is wonderful and it DOES have the quality and quantity of apps, don't fall for the anti Microsoft hype. The vendor shipped it on time and I had no trouble with the delivery. All in all, one of the best buys I have ever made, on anything!!!!!

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