SRS-RF90RK - Listen to TV at your computer, or wherever!
Written: Sep 21 '02 (Updated Dec 12 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Convenient! Handy! Superb sound! Easy to install & move around. Requires very little room.
Cons: Not always easy to determine what is causing interference.
The Bottom Line: If you want a remote speaker that has excellent sound and ease of use, this is it!
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| sherry111's Full Review: Sony Walkman SRS-RF90R Radio |
Update on Dec 9, 2002:
Having used this for a few months now, we can't imagine not having it. As I mentioned in the original review, this may be considered a luxury item, but we still don't regret having bought it. And it has proven to be tough - we carry it around from room to room; it sits in the kitchen while we cook and wash dishes, and it has held up very well. It still looks good - no dings, doesn't look dirty. I have found one area in our house, however, that it does get interference. If I use it in our back bedroom, I am extremely limited on where it can be placed. I am not sure why, although there is a deep freezer in there. But we have not had any other problems with it, and are completely satisfied.
Original review:
Do you need (or just want) to be able to listen to your television, or another audio source, while you are doing something in another location? This is the ideal product for that!
When I get home from work, I go to my computer to catch up on all that email that piles up and to check out some web sites (since they frown on doing personal stuff at work). I also catch up on my taped soap and the evening news, but it was a pain to listen to a TV with the volume up SO high. I know the cats sure didn't like that loud intrusion into their normally quiet world.
So I searched for a good solution. I believe that I have found it in this product. I purchased the Sony SRS-RF90RK system (which is the speaker shown above, in addition to the transmitter, so it cost $179.). You can supposedly use it up to 150 feet away from the transmitter (we haven't experimented with this yet.)
We got it home, hooked it up to our television, and listened. Unfortunately, there was a lot of static that I just couldn't get rid of and even with the volume on the speaker turned up all the way, it was hard to hear the words. I was very disappointed...until we started experimenting. Instead of connecting it to the "monitor" output jacks on the back of the TV (where we had initially connected to), we used the output jacks on our VCR (would have used the output jacks on the satellite receiver, but that wouldn't have given me the audio from my taped soap).
Now I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe how good the sound was - crystal clear, sharp, and I was hearing sounds that I hadn't heard before because of the distortion due to having the TV turned up so loud and the fact that I was sitting in another room.
Both my husband and I have been very impressed by the performance of this little speaker and have decided that this was a good buy. It is so convenient. And it also means that I can listen to late night TV without disturbing my sleeping husband (yes, I am on the computer a lot!) because the TV can be turned down all the way and I can still hear the program while at the computer.
So far, the only interference we have experienced is from my body. It seems to be a factor of having both computers on and me moving around between the two. Otherwise, there is no static, despite having the speaker in an area that is surrounded by electrical influence (computers, printer, radio, halogen lamps, uninterrupted power supply, etc.).
A bonus -- there is an internal battery that recharges when you are not using the speaker. You can simply unplug the power cord (very simple to do!) and carry the lightweight small speaker with you. I use it when making supper so I can hear the news.
There are three different frequencies you can try if you are experiencing interference, or just to see which one gives you the most clarity and best sound. This is the hardest thing to do with this unit, only because the switch on the back of the transmitter is small, and hard to see which position (1, 2,or 3) that you have it on. The speaker button is easy to use, but you can't tell which position you are on. If the reception is good, you can receive the audio no matter which position the speaker is on.
If you can hear the source audio in addition to this speaker, there is NO delay in the speaker sound, which would be very annoying.
We have only had this unit a little over a week, so it is hard to say if it will hold up to use over time. But I fully expect the Sony tradition of long life to hold true, so do not expect any quality problems with the unit.
There is a blue light that you can turn on or off, which illuminates the transparent reflector on the back of the speaker. It is quite pretty, but not something we will regularly use. If you have a sparsely decorated room where the speaker will be placed, it would add a nice atmosphere.
The only real pain of this unit is that both the transmitter and the receiver must be plugged in to a wall socket. But keep in mind that the speaker can be unplugged and used without external power when the internal battery is charged up (for about 3.5 hours according to the literature).
Everything that you need to install this comes in the package. The power adapters for the transmitter and the receiver, and an audio cord to plug the transmitter into the audio source unit (TV, radio, stereo, MP3, headphone jack, etc.). However, the audio cord has only one lead at the source end (like what you plug into a headphone jack). We used our own audio cord which has two leads (right and left) at both ends.
Even though there is only one speaker, the sound is not compromised. It doesn't sound "mono." You can separately purchase a second speaker, which might be useful if you are primarily listening to music. For our use, the one speaker is more than adequate, because (as I keep reiterating) the sound is very good!
In fact, both my husband and I have automatically turned toward the speaker to see the action when something caught our attention. Because the sound is so clear, you expect the video to be right there too!
Do I regret this purchase, even though it is a luxury item and not a necessity? Not at all!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sherry111
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Location: Layton UT
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
A true Montanan; cat and nature lover; book-reader; Air Force retiree; technical writer.
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