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SoCalPaul
 
 
 
SoCalPaul's stats
 
  • Review count
    23
  • Helpfulness votes
    486
  • First review
    August 8, 2011
  • Last review
    June 27, 2017
  • Featured reviews
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  • Average rating
    4.9
 
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  • Answer count
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  • First answer
    December 7, 2016
  • Last answer
    December 7, 2016
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SoCalPaul's Reviews
1 2 3 >>
 
Relax and listen with these Master & Dynamic wireless over-ear headphones. The 45mm neodymium drivers blast sound straight into your ears for up to 16 hours, yet they remain comfortable thanks to the padded ear cups. Connect these Master & Dynamic wireless over-ear headphones to your compatible smartphone or laptop via Bluetooth 4.1 to enjoy easy streaming.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Awesome Bluetooth Headphones
on June 27, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
The MW60’s are super high-end headphones with fantastic sound and quite possibly the best build quality of any electronic device I’ve ever used.
Extremely stylish over the ear headphones with a stainless steel construction, in a very cool brown leather color. Headband is made from padded leather with stainless steel components. Ear cups are made with lambskin and are very comfortable. All the components are made to fit together well and work as they should. The on-cup playback and pairing controls are easy to learn and positioned perfectly to locate them easily by touch.

The headphones do collapse for storage and include a pouch but portability is not the major take away here. The MW60’s are somewhat heavy and bulky and not really headphones you would want to take outside on a run or work outs. More for sitting in your house or doing things inside when you want to listen to music. That being said they are very comfortable to wear for a couple of hours at a time without becoming a distraction.

Bluetooth range is fantastic. I can roam all over my house on two floors without any signal loss at all which is quite impressive. I can be sixty feet away from the source device and they work fantastic.
Battery life so far is quite good, used them for over seven hours on a few different occasions and still have over 50% battery life remaining.
Sound quality of the MW60’s is very impressive as they should be considering the cost. Music was very good with a balanced clear sound to them, not overly bass heavy like some headphones but a good well defined sound without the highs, midrange and bass falling over each over to be heard.
Movie soundtracks are really great, voices are clear and easy to understand over the rest of the soundtrack. Even used them with Xbox games and they were great.

I didn’t really hear much of a difference in sound quality using Bluetooth or the provided 3.5mm cable but wireless is about being free of the cables so it’s not an issue for me. These headphones don’t have noise cancelling technology but not a deal breaker in my opinion.
All in all a fantastic pair of headphones with great build quality and really good sound. They are a bit on the heavy side for use outside or activities but for the purpose they were designed for I don’t think there’s a better set of over the ear headphones available right now.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Meet your large household’s high-bandwidth requirements with this tri-band Linksys Max-Stream Wi-Fi router. It performs at up to 4 Gbps for high-speed Internet access, and its MU-MIMO technology lets everyone at home enjoy smooth, simultaneous gaming and media streaming on multiple devices. This Linksys Max-Stream Wi-Fi router has six adjustable external antennas for maximum area coverage
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Linksys EA9300 is FANTASTIC!!
on May 11, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
I've used a number of Linksys routers and all have had excellent speed and range, good build quality and easy set up.
The Linksys EA9300 Max Stream AC4000 router is the latest in the Max Stream line and it doesn't disappoint one bit.
The EA9300 is about average in size for a high end router with six adjustable antennas, five Ethernet ports, a USB port, and a simple LCD display on the front. Kind of sleek looking.
The EA9300 is a tri-band (2.4Ghz+5Ghz+5Ghz) router that supports 5Ghz band steering and MU-MIMO.
As for performance it's one of the fastest routers I've used with amazing speed. I have 350/25 service and I get every bit of those speeds with the EA9300. Every device gets excellent speed and AC clients that are MU-MIMO enabled are crazy fast.
The EA9300 easily handles my 25 devices with ease. Everything from iPads, Arlo Cameras, laptops, Rokus, 2 4K HDTV's, Xbox, all run without a hiccup.
Wired clients also are really fast, transfer speeds on wired clients have been in excess of 900 Mbps. I have an Ethernet switch hooked up with four devices attached to it with no slow down at all.
As for signal strength and range I'm currently using the router in a 2 story 2400 sq. ft. house and have zero dead spots anywhere with full speed all over. Easily outperformed a couple of mesh systems I used for a lot less money. Signal easily reaches my back yard, heck I streamed music at my neighbors house four houses away from me, that's pretty impressive.
Bottom line if you want a great router with excellent speed and range that doesn't cost $500 than the EA9300 is the way to go.
This is an excellent router and highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
+14points
23of 32voted this as helpful.
 
Add an audio home theater experience to favorite programs with this 2.1-channel Sony sound bar. Its S-Force PRO Front Surround technology adds a cinematic feel to movie sounds, and it provides wireless control from your Bluetooth device via the SongPal app. Set the wireless subwoofer of this Sony sound bar on sofa mode to optimize bass details in under-the-couch setups.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Small Sound Bar, Small Sound
on May 8, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Sony HT/MT300 is a small form sound bar that would sound best in front of a smaller 32"-40" in. TV in a small enclosed area like a small bedroom or a den.
Sound bar itself is very small and compact compared with most sound bars on the market. Same goes for the wireless subwoofer, thin and square. Remote is pretty standard remote, I used my Harmony remote with no issues.
Build quality is up to Sony standards, everything fits and works well, super easy to set up. Note there is no HDMI input only digital optical and Bluetooth connections. Bluetooth worked perfectly, pairing was easy. Subwoofer comes already paired, just turn the power on and it paired right away.
As for sound the small form factor of the sound bar limits the power and output of the sound bar. In a larger room the sound kind of gets lost in the space of the room. Sound quality is good, clean and voices are easy to understand. Sound needs more punch but at only 100 watts of power it's going to limit the system. The system sounds much better in a smaller enclosed space than a large open area. But I'm sure that was the intention when it was designed.
Subwoofer is adjustable either horizontal or vertical so you can slide the subwoofer under a couch or piece of furniture to hide it.
The problem is the subwoofer is pretty underpowered and in a horizontal position under my couch it was barely noticeable and didn't put out much bass at all. It was a bit better vertically in an open space.
All in all if you have a small space with a small TV then the HT/MT300 will work fairly well in your situation.
If you have the space and a 40" or larger TV and have the room for full size sound bar in front it would be a better choice.
Recommended if your limited on space and have a smaller TV you want to use it with.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
7of 11voted this as helpful.
 
Deep. Loud. And immersive, too. SoundLink Revolve+, the best-performing portable Bluetooth speaker from Bose, delivers true 360° sound for consistent, uniform coverage. Place it in the center of the room to give everyone the same experience. Or set it near a wall so sound radiates and reflects. This wireless speaker is durable, water-resistant and easy to grab and go - with a rechargeable battery that plays up to 16 hours.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Excellent Bluetooth Speaker
on April 22, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Bose makes some pretty top quality products and the Revolve + is no exception. Well built, dark grey anodized, made out of a single piece of aluminum with no seams anywhere. All control buttons are soft touch and on the top of the speaker. Both the top and bottom of the speaker are rubber so if it's tipped over I don't think it would be damaged. On the bottom are the charging contacts for the optional charging pad and a place to attach the speaker to a tripod. The USB charging port is on the side of the speaker. As a bonus the Revolve + is water resistant so a trip to the pool is in the cards next week or so. Has a handle on top to make carrying around a bit easier.
Bose has also included support for Alexa and Google Assistant.
I used GA through the speaker while it was connected to my phone and it worked quite well.
The sound, in a nutshell is great. The Revolve + can get really loud, I mean I've had to turn it down every once in awhile, so if you like the volume high you won't be disappointed.
The omni directional design of the Revolve + really shines. Put it in the middle of the room and it's filled with sound. Not a directional type of sound from most Bluetooth speakers but a surround type of sound, really good. Highs are clear, midrange sounds are distinct and the base is quite good for a small speaker of this size. A well balanced sound that should work well for whatever you listen to.
The Bose Revolve + is easily one of the most innovative Bluetooth speakers on the market, well made with great sound and my new favorite Bluetooth speaker. Highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
+18points
23of 28voted this as helpful.
 
Keep your SoundLink Revolve or Revolve+ Bluetooth speaker charged and ready to go, with the SoundLink Revolve charging dock. It’s a convenient home base for your speaker, and you can play your music while it charges. Just plug the wall charger included with your speaker into the cradle. Available in Black.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Cool Charging Pad
on April 17, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Proprietary charging pad for revolve plus speaker. Really thin barely noticeable when the speaker sits on it. Same dark color.
Uses the USB charging cable and power plug from the speaker.
Nice accessory to have but it's quite easy to plug the power cable in the speaker to charge, but it makes it easy to just grab the speaker off of it and go.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Deep clean your carpets with this practical Dyson Ball Multi Floor vacuum, which comes with a self-adjusting cleaner head for great results on a range of floors. With a generous 30-foot cord length, this unit easily travels through large rooms and up stairs. The Dyson Ball Multi Floor vacuum’s HEPA filtration system makes it ideal for commercial or residential use.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
High Tech Vacuum
on April 5, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Been using the Dyson along with my wife and we both found it easy to maneuver around furniture and floorboards. Turns on a dime and rolls around easily. Oh, did I mention this thing is really yellow.
We have hardwood, carpet and tile in our home. Also a kid, pets, her friends, me, my wife, our friends, so it can get messy. The Dyson went across all three surfaces without missing a beat or loosing any suction power. The cleaner head is one of its best features, works really well.
Suction power is insane, easily the best I've ever used on a vacuum and it picks up everything on one pass without going over and back again, saves some time.
The instant release wand and hose is good for getting under furniture and the tops you can't really reach, works well and is a handy feature. Also the 31 ft. power cord keeps you from unplugging it and moving it. We can reach pretty much the whole house just moving it once.
Dyson has engineered a really great system to empty the canister when you're done. Hold the canister inside a trash can, push the button on top and the bottom opens and emptys itself. No reaching in the canister to clean it out.
All in all a really well built, well engineered vacuum that works as advertised and even comes with a five year warranty. Well worth the purchase price and recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Arlo Pro takes the worrying out of life with the 100% Wire-Free indoor/outdoor home monitoring system. Arlo Pro includes rechargeable batteries, motion and sound-activated alerts, 2-way audio, a 100+ decibel siren, and 7 days of free cloud HD video recordings. Arlo covers every angle to help keep you safe and protected.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Arlo is the bomb!!
on January 23, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Arlo Pro Security System was very easy to setup out of he
box. Install the batteries in the cameras (come fully
charged from Netgear). Install the base station with the
Power cord and Ethernet cable. Pair the cameras to the
base station and install the cameras where you wish.
Pairing process was fast, no hassle and the base station
picked up everything with no issues.
Batteries for the cameras are huge and last for months
with normal usage as opposed to the old battery setup.
Saves lots of time changing batteries. Camera build
quality is quite good with both surviving some pretty nasty
winter weather so far with no issues.
I have one camera pointed at my front door and the other
facing my front yard. If either detect any motion the app
sends me a message and records a ten second video clip
with sound of what's going on. I can check the video if
need be on the app or converse with whoever is at the
door through the camera and microphone.
Video recording is really good, very high quality and night
mode recording works well also. Also a scheduling feature
in the app to turn the cameras off and on, very handy.
So far the Arlo Pro Security System is working really well
for me. It allowed me to have a two camera security
system with out spending a fortune with a super easy
setup and maintenance program to keep it running.
Arlo Pro Security System is worth he purchase price if you
want a high quality product and a no hassle experience.
I highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Enjoy nonstop music while charging your iPhone with this Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar adapter. It keeps your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus fully functional while plugged in, and it's compatible with Apple MFi-certified cables and headphones. The 12W power pass-through of this Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar adapter provides optimal charging speed for compatible devices.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Simple Solution, Works Great
on January 14, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Neat little adapter that allows you to listen to lightning adapter equipped earphones and charge your iPhone or iPad at the same time.
No loss of sound quality using this and your iPhone or iPad charges just as quick as before. Eliminates the biggest headache of the iPhone 7 with no headphone jack.
One thing you need to know is this won't work if you don't have iOS 10 installed on your device. Used it with iPhone 7, iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 with no issues at all.
Well made, works like it should. I can recommend without reservations.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Make your home an internet haven with this versatile Linksys Velop wireless Wi-Fi system. Three identical tri-band dual-stream AC2200 routers, each equipped with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor, deliver lightning-fast internet. Equipped with Bluetooth 4.0/LE, this Linksys Velop wireless Wi-Fi system is simple to set up and pairs easily with computers, tablets and smart devices.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Simple Setup and Great Performance
on January 14, 2017
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
Linksys Velop contains three nodes, three power supplies, a Ethernet cable, a sticker and a very simple startup guide.
Nodes are white, square about 7x3x3 with a single LED indicator light on top.Two sides are
solid, top is vented along with the two other sides. Two Ethernet ports, a power port, a reset
button and power switch on the bottom. Cable management is a small cutout on the bottom
corner that allows everything to sit flat. No USB ports on any of the nodes. Tri band WiFi,
AC2200, MuMiMo with a dedicated backhaul channel that most mesh systems lack.
Setup is done through the Linksys Smart WiFi app, either iOS or Android. Just download the
app, setup a Linksys account if you don't have one and the app guides you through the initial
setup on the main node attached to your modem. Takes about ten minutes or so to setup the
main node, pick a SSID and a password and another ten minutes or so to add the additional two
nodes to the system. The app will tell you if you need to move the mesh nodes closer or not but
it wasn't an issue and everything setup perfectly. You can add a Guest Network easily later. Any
changes are done through the app and you can monitor your system remotely from anywhere.
I've had a chance to use a few WiFi mesh systems and so far the Velop has outperformed all of
them and some by a significant margin with way faster speed and range than anything I've used
in the past. I can include a system that looks like a couple of air fresheners and a 3 unit system
that looks like hockey pucks from a large tech company that begins with a G. I usually have
15-20 devices hooked up at a time including TV's, Roku boxes, tablets, wireless security
cameras, phones, you name it and the Velop has handled everything without a buffer or hitch.
Easily covers 3000 sq. ft. 2 story house with no dead spots and strong signal all over. Also
Velop does a great job of seamless handoff, you can walk all over your house on a phone call or
streaming something and the stream or call is solid everywhere, no buffering or stutters.
A couple of things to note. Since each node has only two Ethernet ports if you have a number
of wired devices you use you can buy a plug n play gigabit Ethernet switch to fix that.
The Linksys app doesn't provide a bunch of router settings to change things around the way you
want, so if you're a power user who likes to fiddle with your network you'll be disappointed on
what it provides. Also the Velop only sends a single SSID, no single networks. The Linksys app
is a bit buggy and lacks features but I'm pretty sure they'll fix that shortly with a few updates.
While the Linksys Velop is priced a bit higher than some other mesh systems available it's much
faster performance and range compared to the others justifies spending a few dollars more.
Latest WiFi tech installed makes this a state of the art mesh system that performs like you
expect it to.
If you're looking for a dead simple to setup and maintain mesh system with unparalleled speed
and range then the Linksys Velop system should top your list.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Revive your Apple Watch conveniently with this Belkin Valet Charger power pack. A single charge of its 6700 mAh battery refuels a watch up to eight times, and an embedded smart chip detects connected devices for automatic wireless charging. This Belkin Valet Charger power pack includes a USB port for simultaneously charging additional devices.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Convenient for a Traveler
on December 28, 2016
Posted by: SoCalPaul
from Los Angeles, CA
I recently used the Belkin Power Pack on a trip for the holidays. Best feature is if you own an Apple Watch it allows you to eliminate carrying the Apple Watch power adapter and cable as it's built into the pack itself. Also no wall charger is provided to charge the Power Pack but a USB charging cable is.
You can also charge your iPhone at the same time with an additional lightning cable (not provided).
I charged my Apple Watch three times over three days with the Power Pack with no issues at all on a fully charged Power Pack before I left. Also charged my IPhone twice over that period and still had about 1/3 of the Power left on the unit. It's not a fast charging unit by any means but does a good job albeit on the slow side.
Build quality is quite nice with a brushed aluminum finish. LED indicator lights work as they should.
All in all works well. You'll need a wall adapter, a lightning cable, a USB charging cable and the Power Pack if you're gone for any length of time but for short trips it's a pretty good option and in either case you can leave the Apple Watch charging cable at home. Short trips all you'll need is the Power Pack and that is worth the price.
My Best Buy number: 0559157781
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
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SoCalPaul's Answers
 
Create a reliable internet connection throughout your home with this Google Wi-Fi system. The convenient package of three connectivity points effortlessly covers even large homes up to 4,500 square feet. This Google Wi-Fi system eliminates uneven bandwidth usage among multiple devices, including cellphones and tablets, for an unimpeded connection that doesn't lag behind.
 

How Google Wifi does when compared with Netgear Orbi regarding to speed/range performance and stability?

I've used both and the speed all around on the Netgear Orbi is faster because it uses a dedicated 5ghz band for backhaul compared to to Google Wifi.
That being said the Google Wifi is pretty comparable in both speed and coverage and it costs less. I no longer use the Netgear because my Wife thinks it looks like a giant neighborhood air freshener.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
SoCalPaul
 
Create a reliable internet connection throughout your home with this Google Wi-Fi system. The convenient package of three connectivity points effortlessly covers even large homes up to 4,500 square feet. This Google Wi-Fi system eliminates uneven bandwidth usage among multiple devices, including cellphones and tablets, for an unimpeded connection that doesn't lag behind.
 

Can the units that are not physically connected to my router provide network access via a Cat 5 cable to non-WiFi devices?

No, the mesh units have to be connected to the base unit or they won't work. They don't work independently/
7 years, 3 months ago
by
SoCalPaul
 
Create a reliable internet connection throughout your home with this Google Wi-Fi system. The convenient package of three connectivity points effortlessly covers even large homes up to 4,500 square feet. This Google Wi-Fi system eliminates uneven bandwidth usage among multiple devices, including cellphones and tablets, for an unimpeded connection that doesn't lag behind.
 

Is there a USB Port to be able to install an external network hardrive?

There are no USB ports.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
SoCalPaul