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Michael G.

Michael G.

Joined on 01/19/02

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Most Favorable Review

Great Low Cost Photo Scanner

Epson Perfection V550 Photo Scanner
Epson Perfection V550 Photo Scanner

Pros: Fast start up and scanning. Works well with slides, negatives and film. Allows scanning of multiple photos at one time creating a separate file for each. Optical resolution up to 6400 dpi. Automatic color restoration and dust elimination work OK for most scans. Software works well once you figure out how to use it.

Cons: Took 6 days for my 3 day shipping. I don't think it was actually in stock yet. Price dropped after I purchased it. Front panel buttons don't work but that is probably because I installed just the basic scanning software and drivers from the Epson website and didn't load all the other software that came on the CD.

Overall Review: I haven't had this scanner long but I have scanned over 500 photos since I received it. The automatic picture detection is hit or miss and sometimes detects multiple photos correctly and other times it needs to be done manually, but is easy to do in the scanning software. I tested negatives, slides and one film negative that I had and it worked great with all the formats. I didn't install what is on the CD, I downloaded the latest driver and scanning interface software from Epson and used only that to install it. It installed easily and I haven't had any issues with the software or hardware on my system. I am running Windows 7 64 bit. I experimented with different scan settings and found that 600dpi works well for most old photos. I did scan some smaller ones at 1200 to bring out some detail. Many of the photos I scanned were very old and ranged from extremely damaged to mildly faded. It worked well fixing some of the faded photos, either grey scale or color. If you have a lot of old photos to scan I would recommend this scanner, for the price I don't think you can beat it. Being able to scan multiple photos at once helps speed up the process. I've done up to 9 at one time with no issues.

12/16/2013
Most Critical Review

Updated review

ONKYO TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver
ONKYO TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver

Pros: Good amp. Nice features. Great GUI. Looks pretty.

Cons: HDMI board is still fragile just like the older Onkyo line. I originally gave this 5 eggs, but it doesn't deserve it in the long run.

Overall Review: I still like the thought of this receiver, but I don't trust it anymore. I have had to get the HDMI ports repaired twice under warranty. I bought a low cost Samsung receiver to use while this one was being repaired the first time. I'm glad I still had the Samsung since the Onkyo went out again. The Samsung has never had an issue with the same components hooked up to it. I used it for a few months before I sent the Onkyo back the second time since when it broke again I just left it in a corner for a while. I am selling the Onkyo and Samsung and I have purchased a Yamaha RX-A700 as a permanent replacement since the Onkyo will not be put back into service at my house. I hate even looking it.

Great case and lots of room.

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower PC case | ARGB | 3 Pre-Installed Pure Wings 2 Fans | Tempered Glass Window | Black
be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower PC case | ARGB | 3 Pre-Installed Pure Wings 2 Fans | Tempered Glass Window | Black

Pros: Very well made case, lots of room to build in. The top and bottom filters are easy to get to and clean...see cons. Fantastic air flow. I put the included 3 140mm fans in the front (yes, you can fit 3 140s in the front) and stuck an Arctic F140 on the back. My idle temps dropped about 5-6C from my old case (Fractal Design Focus G) and my peak temps dropped about 3C. I'm very happy with my purchase.

Cons: There's no HDD LED so I connected the power LED to the HDD connection. I'd rather have the HDD light than a power light. The entire case is the power light, why do I need a dedicated power light? You have to remove the front case panel to get to the front air filter. Maybe it should slide out of the bottom like the bottom filter does? I would have to tilt the case to get it out but I wouldn't have to rip the front off. At least make the front easier to remove and feel a bit sturdier. I'm afraid after a couple of years of ripping the front off the little weak looking plastic pegs might break or loosen up. Just a thought.

Overall Review: I would not hesitate to recommend this case. Make sure your motherboard has the correct connector for the front USB C port. Mine does but quite a few boards do not.

Great case for the price but corners were cut.

Fractal Design Focus G Mystic Red ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Fractal Design Focus G Mystic Red ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Looks good, nice paint job Easy to build out, lots of space Includes all hardware in black to match the interior Room for full size graphics card Plenty of drive space Good cooling ability and filters Will accommodate a water cooling system easily

Cons: Metal is very thin in some places Audio in/out cable was not long enough (Asus MB) Window is plastic so easily scratched Went on sale right after I purchased it Threads aren't cut well due to cheap sheet metal and you need to use a screwdriver on the thumb screws, so not toolless Front frame is plastic with plastic pegs holding it on

Overall Review: Overall I'm very happy with the case. It has typical cheap case feel but high end case features. I have used lots of cases in my life and it feels like a budget case but they did a good job of sprucing it up. The paint is nice and it has plenty of room inside. I did not need the lower hard drive bay and it is easily removed and not riveted on. I still have an optical drive for ripping so I needed the 5.25 bays. They are implemented nicely and you can still mount 2 140mm fans in the front. The audio cable would not reach the header on my MB so I didn't use it since I never use the headphone/mic plugs anyway. All of the other cables reached fine and were able to be run behind the tray out of site. All in all I'm happy with it. It needed to be done, the case I had was an old Antec and this was the third build using it. It was time to replace it. Upgraded the fans that came with it with RGB and added a rear fan. Be careful with the window, if you scratch it you'll see that forever since it's just plastic. If you're on a budget and want a case with good cooling possibilities that's ascetically pleasing with 5.25" bays, this one is worth taking a hard look at.

Good router, lousy wireless range.

TRENDnet TEW-811DRU AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Router- 4 Gigabit port, Broadcom Chipset, DD-WRT Open Source support
TRENDnet TEW-811DRU AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Router- 4 Gigabit port, Broadcom Chipset, DD-WRT Open Source support

Pros: Good wired router. Never had to reboot during the week I had it. Software is good and it was easy to setup. DD-WRT support. It matched my Motorola modem.

Cons: Horrible wireless range. I got this to replace an old Dlink router and was very disappointed. I have a small house and the Dlink covered all of it, the TN would drop around the perimeter. My phone was constantly dropping off in my bedroom or the signal was so low it wouldn't work and I would have to shut off the wireless and use 4G. I reconnected the Dlink and even with it's age it solved the problem.

Overall Review: I own a few TN products, 2 wireless cameras at home and 2 APs at work. The 2 TEW-638AP access points at work have great range and are rock solid never needing rebooting. I'm not sure how TN dropped the ball on this product so badly. I rarely do reviews on here and I buy a lot of products for a consulting business, so believe me when I say steer clear.

Does what expected.

MTX RE-Q Volume Sensing Bass Restoration Device
MTX RE-Q Volume Sensing Bass Restoration Device

Pros: Got this to match my MTX powered sub and full range amp to my factory unit. For its intended purpose it works great. My unit has no sub out so I have the left and right channels hooked up and am using the xover in the re-Q and by passing the ones in the amps. xover is set at 80~90Hz and system sounds great. It includes a sub-sonic filter as well as low pass xover and gains on all channels. I have the remote wire going to the re-Q and it turns on the amps. So far I am extremely happy with it. And Newegg had it for 1/2 the price of another online retailer.

Cons: Inputs are speaker level only, no line level inputs, so if I do change my head unit I will may have to buy a new xover.

Overall Review: If you have a factory unit that does all it needs to do but lacks power, this unit and some good speakers and amps will fix that.