Tech Purchase Thread
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@Kiwiwomble said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
Don't spend TV money on the 'smart' functions, spend it on the picture and sound.
I would say spend on what you find valuable, Mrs womble and I aren't audiofiles, never had a sound bar or even seperate speakers for a TV, havent seen a TV i would't call clear since HD became the norm or at very least since LED...where as an easy to use app built into the TV that Mrs womble can navigate with easy is invaluable
everyones different
I'm not a sound person either, I actually find mate's with audio set ups too loud. Not an old man thing either as I've always found tvs too loud when flatting.
The apps can be different with their sound too. Netflix I have tor turn up on both my TVs, whereas Stan, Apple, Disney all remain much lower.
An Apple TV (or a Chromecast, spit) can become useful if your TV doesn't update apps in the future but the picture etc is still good, saves buying a whole new TV.
You'll be able to watch the US rugby in the Samsung digital channels on the Frame.
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We're having a bit of fun going through old photos from travelling, working out which ones are high enough res and trimming to be the right ratio
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I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
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@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
I would be interested in suggestions too. I have tried a few times to buy one but I am overwhelmed by all the choices. A bit like when I tried to update my stereo a few years ago. I gave up.
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I’ve never owned a soundbar. And I’ve never noticed how “deep the blacks are” in a movie.
But it shits me to tears when I’m watching sport and there is the slightest bit of lag when tracking the ball. If a tv could just focus on that and do it perfectly, I’d be a customer for life
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@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
i also wondered about a projector, considered a short throw projector but chickened out
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@Crazy-Horse said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
I would be interested in suggestions too. I have tried a few times to buy one but I am overwhelmed by all the choices. A bit like when I tried to update my stereo a few years ago. I gave up.
I know people have views on Sonos (a bit like Apple) that they appear expensive and you potentially buy into a whole system but their build and sound quality is excellent as is the user friendliness with set up. You will find better (and worse) but these are no gimmick. Options for different budgets provide different features. If you simply want a speaker then the basic model may suit (but you might get better bang for buck elsewhere) but take a step up and you get something with various 'smart' modes and an ability to tune itself to the room.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
i also wondered about a projector, considered a short throw projector but chickened out
This essentially functions as one, but gets its power from the light fitting (it is also a light).
The ultra short throws are just a bit too much money for me. This was a third of the price of them and gives us the wall back.
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@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
That’s useful thanks, where do you reckon is the sweet spot for someone who wants that tuning but isn’t a super audiophile? We are in an apartment so I cant lift the roof either.
Not sure what you mean but if you look at the design of these the basic model is front facing, designed for simple use in a shelf unit or under a TV (not your need I guess)
I have no idea how you deal with a soundbar in a projector space but they are usually designed as either front facing or front and top (with some sound being bounced off the ceiling at angles for an Atmos like effect)
The room tuning on Sonos is like a self tuning Equaliser that will adjust frequencies to avoid an unbalanced sound due to room shape. It sends out sound then analyses it as it bounces back.
Getting back to what I think you are asking you would probably need to place it roughly facing where you sit. If you had a shelf or unit under the projected image that would be ideal. -
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crazy-Horse said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
I would be interested in suggestions too. I have tried a few times to buy one but I am overwhelmed by all the choices. A bit like when I tried to update my stereo a few years ago. I gave up.
I know people have views on Sonos (a bit like Apple) that they appear expensive and you potentially buy into a whole system but their build and sound quality is excellent as is the user friendliness with set up. You will find better (and worse) but these are no gimmick. Options for different budgets provide different features. If you simply want a speaker then the basic model may suit (but you might get better bang for buck elsewhere) but take a step up and you get something with various 'smart' modes and an ability to tune itself to the room.
I have Sonos arc, sub and 2 ones as rear speakers. Used for tv and music. Very happy with it.
If you want a soundbar but not too pricey I suggest Sonos beam.
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@Billy-Tell said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crazy-Horse said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
I would be interested in suggestions too. I have tried a few times to buy one but I am overwhelmed by all the choices. A bit like when I tried to update my stereo a few years ago. I gave up.
I know people have views on Sonos (a bit like Apple) that they appear expensive and you potentially buy into a whole system but their build and sound quality is excellent as is the user friendliness with set up. You will find better (and worse) but these are no gimmick. Options for different budgets provide different features. If you simply want a speaker then the basic model may suit (but you might get better bang for buck elsewhere) but take a step up and you get something with various 'smart' modes and an ability to tune itself to the room.
I have Sonos arc, sub and 2 ones as rear speakers. Used for tv and music. Very happy with it.
If you want a soundbar but not too pricey I suggest Sonos beam.
The Beam 2 is good value, I agree. If you drop the Ray, you'll get nice sound but could probably get an equivalent other brand for less.
There is a Bose priced the same as the Beam which I would guess is just as good in build/sound quality but I like the the TruePlay function (the room acoustic thing talked about above),
Another good function on the Beam is Nightplay which will mean you can watch at lower volumes and have the quiet sounds enhanced but the loud sounds softened. -
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Billy-Tell said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crazy-Horse said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
I would be interested in suggestions too. I have tried a few times to buy one but I am overwhelmed by all the choices. A bit like when I tried to update my stereo a few years ago. I gave up.
I know people have views on Sonos (a bit like Apple) that they appear expensive and you potentially buy into a whole system but their build and sound quality is excellent as is the user friendliness with set up. You will find better (and worse) but these are no gimmick. Options for different budgets provide different features. If you simply want a speaker then the basic model may suit (but you might get better bang for buck elsewhere) but take a step up and you get something with various 'smart' modes and an ability to tune itself to the room.
I have Sonos arc, sub and 2 ones as rear speakers. Used for tv and music. Very happy with it.
If you want a soundbar but not too pricey I suggest Sonos beam.
The Beam 2 is good value, I agree. If you drop the Ray, you'll get nice sound but could probably get an equivalent other brand for less.
There is a Bose priced the same as the Beam which I would guess is just as good in build/sound quality but I like the the TruePlay function (the room acoustic thing talked about above),
Another good function on the Beam is Nightplay which will mean you can watch at lower volumes and have the quiet sounds enhanced but the loud sounds softened.I'd have that on all the time, the number of movies you watch that the dialogue is so quiet nek minute your eardrums are gone with an explosion
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@Machpants said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Billy-Tell said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crucial said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@Crazy-Horse said in Tech Purchase Thread:
@gt12 said in Tech Purchase Thread:
I’m looking at a soundbar so accepting suggestions.
We recently replaced our tv with this:
Apologies for the annoying brat but its the only one in English.
We were having heaps of trouble with the TV being impossible to see (we are up high with heaps of light) and strangely the projector is better than a TV. The speaker is less than ideal though so I’m looking for a Bluetooth soundbar
I would be interested in suggestions too. I have tried a few times to buy one but I am overwhelmed by all the choices. A bit like when I tried to update my stereo a few years ago. I gave up.
I know people have views on Sonos (a bit like Apple) that they appear expensive and you potentially buy into a whole system but their build and sound quality is excellent as is the user friendliness with set up. You will find better (and worse) but these are no gimmick. Options for different budgets provide different features. If you simply want a speaker then the basic model may suit (but you might get better bang for buck elsewhere) but take a step up and you get something with various 'smart' modes and an ability to tune itself to the room.
I have Sonos arc, sub and 2 ones as rear speakers. Used for tv and music. Very happy with it.
If you want a soundbar but not too pricey I suggest Sonos beam.
The Beam 2 is good value, I agree. If you drop the Ray, you'll get nice sound but could probably get an equivalent other brand for less.
There is a Bose priced the same as the Beam which I would guess is just as good in build/sound quality but I like the the TruePlay function (the room acoustic thing talked about above),
Another good function on the Beam is Nightplay which will mean you can watch at lower volumes and have the quiet sounds enhanced but the loud sounds softened.I'd have that on all the time, the number of movies you watch that the dialogue is so quiet nek minute your eardrums are gone with an explosion
They also have a function to enhance dialouge without dulling the big noises if you so wish. Then you could be deaf in both ears
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Question:
Is a phone like a Samsung Galaxy A54 or a Google Pixel 7 going to be fast enough to last for 3 years? Both have only 8GB RAM, and moderately fast chipsets.
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@Tim said in Tech Purchase Thread:
Question:
Is a phone like a Samsung Galaxy A54 or a Google Pixel 7 going to be fast enough to last for 3 years? Both have only 8GB RAM, and moderately fast chipsets.
I'd expect so - I only replaced my phones every two years, and that was solely because I was given them. Otherwise I'd expect I'd have stayed with my Pixel 4.
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@antipodean Thanks!
OnePlus Nord 3 5G will be in stores soon, so might get one of those.
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I've had the Google Home / Nest / Mesh Wifi for just over 3 years now, and as a first step into Mesh, it was good.
The interface is fairly simple, allowing me to set up timers on the kids wifi (the purpose of which is now almost redundant as they're both late teens now and will just burn mobile data if they're up past their bedtime
) and it does what is says on the box. Has the advantage of the 2 nodes being Google home speakers as wellHowever, the simple interface can also be fucking infuriating when I actually need to look under the hood (traffic detail, logs, detailed configuration, ARP tables and routing etc).
I also picked up a few months back that it isn't full point-to-point relay on the wifi signal - it actuallly requires the router (master) to sit between the two nodes.
It is also starting to behave a bit shit when it comes to speed. I've noticed this more and more since I upgraded to a 500/50 connection (we got fibre at long fucking last). e.g. service to my PC via Ethernet will occasionally be a bit crap for web browsing, loading sites slower than I'd anticipated.
I put this down to routing issues and maybe some double-NAT problems with the router. Speaking of which, current topology below. It is set up this way so everything is on the same subnet which is easier for having wifi devices (wife's work laptop) talk to things like the printer and NAS.
So, what's the ask? Basically to replace the Google Wifi with something else. There are a range of options out there, and last time I looked the tp-link Deco got a bit of love here. Additionally there is Wifi 6 out there now.
Has anything changed in this regard? Anyone tried newer stuff like Netgear Orbi?
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