Reviews Written by Paul W
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July 11, 2004
5640 has glitches
Pros: nice features, good value, decent sound
Cons: apparently has factory defects
This was my first foray into the world of home theater and I was pretty excited. The Best Buy salesperson told me that Yamaha equipment offered good value, so I purchased the HTR-5640 for just under $300. Guess value shopping was a mistake.
The unit has many nice features and the surround sound is totally wonderful....when it works.
From the beginning, when the receiver has sat overnight and then is turned on, the center channel and the left surround fail to work. If you just start a movie like that, they will not work for the whole movie.
Turning the receiver off and then back on brings back the center channel, but left surround still . But if the L. Surround is left in it's specific "test" position, it too comes alive in approx 12 minutes. Then it works fine for the rest of the day.
So, I can get my reciever to work properly on all channels, but I have to go through this annoying ritual with it. Yamaha's tech support has been VERY slow, and not much help. I will probably have to box the receiver and send it back to them, which will leave me without equipment for weeks.
I would suggest going to a more expensive receiver and not going budget on this purchase. ... -
April 7, 2003
Optio S travel cam
16 of 21 Yahoo! Users found this review helpful Great feature-packed tiny camera for a traveller like me. Lithium battery superior to NiMH bulky rechargables in my 3.2 MP OLY. But pics very comparable. Optio menus do require some time with the owners manual. And why dont these expensive cameras come with a case; the pretty brushed aluminum face scratches easily. Get the SD memory card, worth the extra money. ...
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don't get it
Pros: keeps accurate time
Cons: cheaply made, won't last
first of all, I bought it because I needed constant time zone display. But the analog hands that are big enough to read stay on "home" time and never change. The time zones are displayed in numbers too small to read without glasses unless you have 20/15 vision...lol, which I used to have.
The crystal is so cheap that the slightest contact with other surfaces will gouge it and make the face unreadable. Sigh, I kept wearing it anyway as I had already bought it.
Then, the entire band ripped out of the cheap plastic case so it cannot be reattached!! End of story...remains are in my junk drawer...still keeps perfect time. ...