home theater | here's the thing https://heresthethingblog.com Making sense of gadgets and technology Mon, 22 Jan 2018 20:24:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.2 https://heresthethingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FB_icon_500x500-copy-130x130.jpg home theater | here's the thing https://heresthethingblog.com 32 32 Rarely-on-sale Sonos Wi-Fi speaker streams tunes from Apple, Amazon & Spotify https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/05/09/rarely-sale-sonos-wi-fi-speaker-apple/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/05/09/rarely-sale-sonos-wi-fi-speaker-apple/#respond Tue, 09 May 2017 16:29:05 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=22934 They’re not cheap, but Sonos’s smart wi-fi speakers have top-notch sound quality. They put the tinny sound from cheaper Bluetooth speakers to shame. Indeed, my ears were pretty happy when I reviewed an older Sonos system a few years back. You don’t often see Sonos smart wi-fi speakers on sale, but this Sonos PLAY:1 speaker […]

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]]> They’re not cheap, but Sonos’s smart wi-fi speakers have top-notch sound quality. They put the tinny sound from cheaper Bluetooth speakers to shame. Indeed, my ears were pretty happy when I reviewed an older Sonos system a few years back.

You don’t often see Sonos smart wi-fi speakers on sale, but this Sonos PLAY:1 speaker is currently selling for $180, down 10 percent from its usual $200 price tag.

Unlike a Bluetooth speaker that streams tunes from your phone, this smart wi-fi speaker (Sonos PLAY:1 Smart Speaker) connects to your home Wi-Fi network and streams music directly. You can use streaming digital music services like Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music Unlimited, Spotify and Pandora.

Setup is a snap for this smart wi-fi speaker, and once the PLAY:1 is connected to your wireless network, you can control it from anywhere using an iOS or Android app. You can also add a second speaker for a stereo pair, or add more speakers in other rooms. You can even create different music “zones” within your house. Sounds good to me.

Check out the Sonos PLAY:1 Smart Speaker on Amazon!

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]]> https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/05/09/rarely-sale-sonos-wi-fi-speaker-apple/feed/ 0 Upgrade your HDTV’s sound with Sony’s single-speaker sound base https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/04/26/sony-sound-base/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/04/26/sony-sound-base/#respond Wed, 26 Apr 2017 17:52:14 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=22875 Sure, we’ve seen plenty of sound bars that will boost your TV’s audio with a minimum of fuss. But Sony is taking a different route with its sound base. What’s a sound base? Well, it’s a single stereo speaker that acts as a slim TV stand. On sale for $118 (its original list price was […]

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]]> Sure, we’ve seen plenty of sound bars that will boost your TV’s audio with a minimum of fuss. But Sony is taking a different route with its sound base. What’s a sound base? Well, it’s a single stereo speaker that acts as a slim TV stand.

On sale for $118 (its original list price was $300), this all-in-one sound base is a 2.1-channel speaker system, which means it combines stereo speakers (the “2” in the “2.1”) with a built-in subwoofer for bass (that’s the “.1” part).

Unlike sound bars, which generally sit in front of your TV, the sleek-looking HT-XT2 sound base sits beneath your TV. Just plug in the power cord, hook it up to your HDTV with a single HDMI cable, and enjoy the supple sound. The speaker also boasts a virtual surround-sound mode, and it can stream tunes from your iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth.

Check out the Sony HT-XT2 2.1-channel Sound Base on Amazon!

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]]> https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/04/26/sony-sound-base/feed/ 0 This $180 Yamaha all-in-one sound bar has never been cheaper https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/01/19/yamaha-sound-bar/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/01/19/yamaha-sound-bar/#respond Thu, 19 Jan 2017 16:02:20 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=22077 Delivering “wide-open sound that is great for movies and surprisingly good with music” (so says CNET), the YAS-106 sound bar by Yamaha makes for one of the easiest ways to upgrade the sound in your living room. Just three feet wide and on sale for $180 (the best price I’ve seen for this particular sound […]

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]]> Delivering “wide-open sound that is great for movies and surprisingly good with music” (so says CNET), the YAS-106 sound bar by Yamaha makes for one of the easiest ways to upgrade the sound in your living room.

Just three feet wide and on sale for $180 (the best price I’ve seen for this particular sound bar), the Yamaha YAS-106 is a snap to set up: just plunk it in front of your TV, connect it via HDMI or optical cable, and crank the volume. Thanks to its built-in subwoofer, the YAS-106 doesn’t skimp on the bass, while the Dolby and DTS decoding will make your TV shows and movies sound crystal clear.

Check out the YAS-106 Sound Bar on Amazon!

Read the review: CNET

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