Info and forum posts by 'GSM'

KEF Q Series - Any good ?

Im looking at getting some Kef Q1`s (x4) and a Kef Q series centre.

Anyone got any better recommendations ? ( £200 a pair )

Kef Q3`s ( Now Discontinued ) are also available for about the same price - but they get critisied - anyone get and real experience of them ?

Or Know where the Q1`s are available for less than £200 :-)

Regards

G

6.1 Speakers Wanted..

Hi All

Im after some advice. I about to buy a Yamaha 440 ( £200 ) to go with a Tosh 330 ( £80 ) and im finding it hard to find a decent set of speakers.

The obvious choice Mission M7x series have been stoped and replaced with M3x which look horrible and arent getting very good revies. They have to be available in a pine or silver colour to please the wife. I would prefer conventional speakers as opposed to sat sub and aim to run the system without a sub, thus reduceing the risk of annoying the neighbours too much.

The system will be used for stereo aswell as surround and am debating buying a set of floor standing speakers then rears and a centre - in order to get a better overall package...

I like the B&W803`s and the Kef Q`3 ( but the Kef`s get a naff review esp if not using a sub )

Any Help in choosing either a set ( £500 ish ) with the option of buying a 6th speaker or which combinations to go for over a couple of months ie the 803`s


Kind regards

G

RE: Novatech 2MB Digital Camera

happy - Maybe you should look again

640x480 is NOT 1 meg ;-)

It is infact 300K or 0.3 Meg ish

So only buy if you fancy printing postage stamp or emailing your pictures.

G

RE: ADSL Micro-Filter question

As there only £5 get one for each socket that u use. Basically if you plug a phone or a computer into a socket in needs a filter. Else when u hang up the phone it will disconnection your adsl modem ( high probability any way ).

HTH

G

RE: Pc problem - hellllllllllppppp

How Many Beeps ?

Basically this is a primative way of telling you youve got a hardware problem. The beeps correlate to different peices of hardware.

Generally this type of problem is memory related but until you say how many beeps i cant be sure.

HTH

G

RE: Car Radio with Smartmedia

So far only Sony ( as far as i know ) Have produced a solid state "card" reader head unit. And its only compatible with "Sticks".

That leave you with few other options...

1) An MP3 CD based unit

2) A HardDisk Based Unit - V pricy and reliability is unproven

3) Link you MP3 Player via a suitable input on your/a new head unit

Hope thats of some use.

G

Svideo to Scart

Hi all

I know this is similar to previous questions but i can tfind a definate answer searching the archives.

Im trying to connect a laptop ( Svideo ) to my TV ( Scart ) - So ive borrowed a scart plug with an SVideo socket and three Phono sockets. After connecting an SVideo Cable to the scart adapter and laptop the image is Black & White ! The Svideo cable has 4 pins.

Any idea what im doing wrong ?

And wheres the best place to buy an Svideo->Scart cable ?

Hope you can help

Thanks in advance

G

RE: OK Player Broken Want A New One

Definatley Multiregion - There no "Key Hax" for Toshibas its hardware only - so pay £20 now ( ish ) rather than £50 ( ish ) later

RE: Half Price High end digi-cam

Nice find - It got great reviews when it first came out. However its the size of a proverbial brick and is now not a "wizzy" as when it first came out.

Nice Camera but strictly for the SLR user - Or HUGE pockets ;-)

G

Sony DAV-C770 DVD Home Theatre 5 Disc Changer DTS SACD

How many more kits are Sony going to roll out ! .....

In fairness this one looks to be crammed with goodies - making it even harder to justify separates !

Progressive-scan video, Pro Logic II decoding, MP3 playback, 5 Disc Changer all at around £500 !!!

This item was edited on Friday, 20th December 2002, 11:10

RE: Non Scart TV

You "Can" buy converters but i wouldnt recommend it - you "Will" loose clarity and there Not cheap - expect to pay around £50. Personally if buget permits get a new TV - a 28" widescreen is only £199 now a days !

Let me know if you need a link to a converter - but its not the best option imho

G

RE: Non Scart TV

Have you got a video player with a scart socket ? As far as im aware you can use that to convert the signal ( Ive not physically tried it but theroetically it should be possible )

G

RE: Speeding

Just a FYI for DustyBin - Laser defusers are great ( except you need another device for Radar / Gatsos etc ) anyway the police are aware and getting annoyed with laser diffusers and a traffic cop mate has informed me there is now a database of cars that the police have been unable to lock onto with a laser - they will soon operate a 3 stricks and your out - As far as im aware Laser Defuser are illegal too - The only reason Radar detectors are not illegal is that they only recieve the signal they dont interfer with it.

RE: Which is better?

The Mission 77DS were ( as far as im aware ) one of the first bipole speaker designs to hit the mass market - as such more ppl will naturally have them. Also they recieved rave reviews from such mags as What HiFi , Home Cinema etc etc.

Another reason would be that Eltax arent the best manufacturers in the world and missions range means people wanting matching "manufacturer" speaker sets will usually plump for the 77DS or no M7DS ( slightly new - not aware of any diff apart from the name )

As for sound, sorry after all this i cant comment - personally ill be buying the missions as they got great reviews and "some" are Eltax`s range totally sux so im not going to risk it.

Hope that explains the popularity if not the sound - maybe someone else can explain that one

G

RE: Speeding

If the NIP - ( Notice of Intent of Prosectution ) came more than 14 days after "said" offence then you can get out of it vvv easily. If it came within this period then itll be a fight and a half. 60 in a 40 should only result in 3 pts & a £40 fine so your proabably best just to stomache it.

PS - By a Radar Detector OR Drive VVV Slowly 8-)

All the best

G

Best Place to Buy .....

Ok Im loking for a Toshiba SD520 Multiregion - Best price so far £199 inc vat

A Yamaha 430 Reciever in SILVER - Best Price so far - £199 inc

and a set of Mission M72 ( Beech fronts and Silver rear and centre ) - Best price £265 inc

Anyone got any better prices / places theyd recomment for getting this kit ? Any comments as to its "Compatibility / Suitability" It meant as an affordable entry level system to last a year or two.

Cheers

G

RE: Need help deciding which surround speaker package to buy

Ok Amp wise id go for the Yam 630.

Sat Sub Package - Well the KEF`s are rated VERY VERY Highly however a friend has got a set and i have to say im not very impressed - Hes driving them with a Denon 1602 so in a similar class to the amps you sugest.

If it is mainly for movies the Mission FS1`s are said to be great - im yet to listen myself but are generally a movie only speaker with medioka stereo performance - There the next Gen ( 3 i think ) Flat Panel jobbies so there nice and small. Otherwise id go for the Mission M72 Cinema set. All ALOT cheaper than the KEFS at around £300 a set online.

Thats my 2 pence worth anyway

Regards

G

RE: Here is a tough one!!

Yup you advised her correctly in the first case. Buy a DV Camera - Tansfer via Firewire to the PC - You will need a LARGE HardDrive though. Us any number of editing software ( Inc in Windows XP ! ). Then burn using either a CDR/W or DVD Burner - Depending on whats available. CDR/W`s are from £35 and DVD Burners are From £200 the choice is yours ......

G

RE: S3 Savage 4 16MB Won`t work on Win 98se

Depends on the rest of your system. XP seems pretty stable ( NT Kernal - shock horror ) However if your still playing with 16mb S3`s then i guess the rest of your system is pretty old to so XP probably isnt the answer - Min Spec PIII, 256mb to make it any use at all and its 1.5GB once installed ( all approx & imho )

So your left with either Windows Millenium or Driver issues - If youve downloaded the latest Drivers then it should work. Try removing and disabling as many other devices on your system - I could well be a conflict issue - I dont know how computer litterate you are - Are there any errors in the System properties->Device Manager ?

BAsically 3 options IMHO

1) Disable other devices and try Driver again Also try a different PCI slot ( I guess the S3 is a PCI not AGP ? )
2) Reload / Clean install Windows 98se - It could be previous drivers messing it up.
3) Upgrade you computer so it can run XP ? Or get a different Graphics Card.

HTH - Sorry if it sounds a bit harsh - its hard to solve issues like this without actually being there. Good luck

G

RE: <<Just Got Busted for Speeding>> :-(

Neiliboy - Seriously if the NIP took longer then 14 Days and you were not stopped at the time it will be thrown out of court ! its that simple. If your in the AA or RAC they have a Free legal service that you can probably use - or simply ring a solicitors to find out what to do next. ( mine came within the 14 days so i dont have any experience of the exact process you need to follow hence the advice to seek help elsewhere )

RE: <<Just Got Busted for Speeding>> :-(

You will probably need to consult a solicitor but it wont cost much and it will keep them from putting points on your licence. Basically its the "LAW" ( well us it in your advantage this time ;-) that you HAVE to receive the NIP within 14 days of the offence.

Do a quick search on the web or check out http://www.speed-trap.co.uk/Accused_Home/Rules_useage/The_Law.htm

This will tell you all you need to know. Looks like your lucky this time - get yourself a radar detector - i dont fly around like a luney but i dont want points on my licence there are statistics out there saying Drivers with Radars are safer etc - basically im happy with mine ( Bel 550 ) the cheaper ones are almost usless and false alarm too much.


Here the jist of the rules:-

"In the case of a number of moving traffic offences, the driver, if not stopped and interviewed by the police at the time, may experience considerable difficulty in recalling the circumstances some weeks after the event. For this reason, the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 1 states that, in relation to certain named offences, a person shall not be convicted unless:

he was warned at the time of the possibility of prosecution for the offence;
or
he was served with a summons for the offence within 14 days of its commission;
or
a notice of intended prosecution specifying the nature of the alleged offence and the time and place where it is alleged to have been committed was served within 14 days on him or the person, if any, registered as the keeper of the vehicle at the time of the commission of the offence. (In the case of dangerous or careless cycling the notice must be served on the rider.) "

Hope that helps

G

RE: <<Just Got Busted for Speeding>> :-(

Unless you were going over 100 and there nothing else like dangerous driving ( which from what you said i doubt ) then it will be 3 points and a £60 fine - The points remain for 4 years and are then totally removed ( after 3 they are removed from you licence if requested but still count until the 4th year ).

Take a look at the Radar Detectors there totally legal and provide you with a useful reminder to check your speed - Also as the police only do checks at "accident black spots" then it will make you driving safer too.


G

RE: <<Just Got Busted for Speeding>> :-(

Nice to see the usual response the guys just venting - they do far too many speeding checks to line there own pockets these days whilst serious crime goes unpunished.

The reason for my previous ( admitidly harsh ) response was it was not helping the thread starter who was requesting help - that is of course the idea of a forumn !

After all just because your caught speeding doesnt mean you MEANT to be over the limit. Modern cars are powerful machines and its easy to drift over the limit. Dont tell me non of you guys have ever Never broken the speed limit !

Neiliboy im affraid what i thought was a freidly forum has taken he typical approach to these matters and gone for the lets slat him approach and im holy than thow - instead of the more helpful get the facts see if we can help.

Best of luck with it

G

RE: <<Just Got Busted for Speeding>> :-(

Maybe she was who knows ! - Thats not what he asked ! or sugested SO BACK OFF

Roads are for cars not people - The world is a dangerous place a $hit happends LIVE WITH IT.

neiliboy - What speed limit where you in - and an NIP ( Notice of Intent to Prosecute ) should have hit your doormat within 14 days of the said offence - if it didnt then there your first get out of jail free card.

If you were going over 30mph over the speed limit then it will HAVE to go to court and youll probably get a short ban ( a few weeks ) and a medium fine. If not itll most likely be points and a small fine

Tell us a few more details and maybe we can help more.

Get your self a Radar detector if you do that sort of milage ( Like i do ) then you need it as its easy to drift over the limit without realising. The Bell 550 is the best ive found and is better than the GPS systems as it gets mobile traps too.

Best of luck with it - Let us know what the limit was - the NIP should specifiy your speed aswell - is unusual if it doesnt.

L8tz

G

RE: Panasonic DMR-E30 DVD recorder Only £408.90 Delivered!!

All this format talk......

Ok at the end of the day one will win - VHS vs BetaMax etc

But aslong as YOU can play what you burn what does it matter - Ok there are a few differences in Media - but how many times do you really lend a vhs tape to a friend - personally not very often so its only used in my house. Personally ill be getting a burner for my PC and using that with a compatible Standalone DVD player but thats just my requirments.

Go with what you can buy and run for the cheapest - as far as im aware there are no performance differences when using it to record TV anyway ( im sure someone will pick me up on that but either way its better than vhs )

( Also DVD + HD recoders are starting to hit the market and imho offer a much better solution although will be expensive to start with )

Just my 2 penth worth

Hope it Helps

G

This item was edited on Friday, 8th November 2002, 13:40

RE: Toshiba sd110 vs sd220

I guess you currently have a sd110 ?

If so personally i dont think its worth upgrading to an sd220. The 220 is better musically ( but you said you dont mind that ) and alot better asthetically but very few other changes.

Your also correct in it being an old model ( well almost ) the SD125 is due anyday - some shops are already selling it and no doubt a 225 will follow shortly.

If you looking for an upgrade and want to stick with toshiba then take a look at the newish SD520 - Progressive Scan + bells a whistles for £200 ish would make a much better upgrade.

Hope that helps

Regards

G

This item was edited on Friday, 8th November 2002, 13:42

RE: Which receiver do u suggest?

None of the Above ;-)

The Yamaha 430 is available for £199 elsewhere aswell - in Black AND Silver - Should firmly kick the Ar$e of all above recievers. Check for the full spec ( Phantom 6.1 etc ).

As for westys advice - ( hes normally on the ball ) the 4200 was good in its day - lacks the all important inputs and has now been superceeded by the 4300 hence its now cheap at richer sounds.

G

RE: Yamaha CDR-HD1300

Quote "You can aparently connect via a RS232 to your pc, go on line and label there. But do I want to be unpluging it from my Hi-Fi every time I want to do some labeling? "

According to your statment - What else are you plugging into the Serail Port ( RS232 ) !! Thats like saying you have to plug in your speakers each time you want to listen to some music !

Just run a serial cable to your computer ! AND LEAVE IT PLUGGED IN

Apart from that yup its "box" with nice functions - shame its such a huge nasty looking box ... ;-(

G

Toshiba SD125 DVD PLayer

So Toshiba have doen it again ! ...... Brought out a new model without saying a word.

All I want to know is how long befor we see an SD225......

The Toshiba SD125 is out NOW has the following spec ( IMHO it doesnt look as good as the SD120 from the outside )


Plays DVD, DVD-R, VCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3
Component video (Y, Pb, Pr)
60mm height
Variable zoom
Audio DAC: 192kHz / 24bit

Other features
Enhanced Audio Mode (EAM)
3D (Virtual Surround Sound)
Dialogue enhancement
Excellent performance
Video DAC 10bit/27MHz
Audio DAC 192kHz/24bit
Variable zoom (x4)
Icon On Screen Display
CD Text

Just in case anyone was thinking of buying the SD120 without realising a newer model has been released.......

G

RE: TiVo ?150 at Comet

Also DVD recoders with built in HD`s are slowing coming to market - currently in the £900 range but hteyll drop .......

This item was edited on Thursday, 3rd October 2002, 12:41