Science & Technology
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Sound Advice: Some great gifts to enhance grooming, traveling, viewing and listening
This week has a lot of great gift ideas under $100!
Amiro M2 LumoCube Portable LED Bag Mirror, $89.99: This high quality LED mirror with rugged and stylish traveling case is perfect for grooming on-the-go, providing outstanding illumination and visibility in a single self-contained package with onboard storage for cosmetics and grooming ...Read more

Sound Advice: Don't table this tablet gift idea
Just one gift recommendation this week, as next week I will have a lot of them, all under $100!
TCL Tab 10s 10.1-inch tablet, $199.99: This excellent Android tablet provides a lot for the money, with a very high-quality display that is excellent for displaying photographs, good battery life and the ability to expand the memory up to 256GB with ...Read more

Sound Advice: Wood pellet grill a sizzling gift idea
Regular readers know I love to cook, and this week’s gift recommendations will be sure to be loved by any home chef.
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 pellet grill, $1,199.99: I have had good (actually, great) experiences with Camp Chef pellet grills, having purchased one for both myself and then later for my sister as a gift several years ago. The ...Read more

Sound Advice: High-end turntable makes great gift for audiophiles
If you are looking for a turntable for yourself or someone else, you will love this week’s gift recommendation!
Cambridge Audio Alva ST turntable, $499: This British belt-drive turntable is incredibly solid and reeks of quality. It weighs 20 pounds with a beautiful brushed aluminum top plate, heavy synthetic base and a high-quality tonearm ...Read more

Sound Advice: Thrifty, splashy holiday gift ideas with discount
One of this week’s gift recommendations is a reader favorite for under $100. The other is a prime example of go big, or go home!
ZVOX AV100 TV Speaker, $89.99: ZVOX TV speakers are very popular with readers of the column because they make television audio sound better while making dialogue easier to understand. This popularity makes sense ...Read more

Sound Advice: Some early holiday gift ideas and cartridge stylus upgrades
It is November already and with it, the holiday season. Through the end of the year I will have a few gift recommendations at the beginning of each column, featuring products from many different categories and price ranges. Hopefully there will be a little something for everyone, and I will frequently have recommendations under $100.
Kicking ...Read more

Sound Advice: A smart projector deal for Amazon Prime members
A Goldilocks projector — Cibest is just right! Over the past few years I have shared my love of video projection and the big-screen experience for movies, sports, video games and even general TV watching, enjoyed both indoors and outdoors.The projectors I have discussed have typically cost $400 and up, and I recently mentioned an adequate ...Read more

Sound Advice: Smaller RF skin tightening device an outsized bargain
Q. I have not seen you write about radio frequency skin machines in a while. Have you tested any new models or alternatives to what you have recommended in the past?
—T.B., Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
A. Many readers have asked me for recommendations for a smaller RF skin machine that is suitable for travel. After years of searching I ...Read more

Sound Advice: Bluetooth adapter options for listening to music in the car
Q. We just purchased a 2005 Acura TL for our son and he would like to be able to play music from his phone over the car audio system. I received a $350 quote from a car stereo shop to install a device that will play the music from his iPhone over Bluetooth, using the auxiliary port. Do you think this is a good buy and do you have any experience ...Read more

Sound Advice: Consider these printers for home office needs
Q. I occasionally (and by occasionally, I mean not often at all) need a printer to print out documents. Do you have a recommendation? I saw your 2019 column recommending the Epson EcoTank printers. Is this still the best choice? I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I also don't want the ink to dry up or spend a lot of money on cartridges. I...Read more

Sound Advice: Good turntables, speakers for an entry-level record player
Q. I'm in the market for a beginner record-playing system with a turntable and speaker. I'm a grad student in my late 20s and fairly transient, so I don't want to invest in an expensive setup with too many components. I was thinking about a $149.99 Audio-Technica AT-LP60X turntable and a $249 Sonos Era speaker.
What do you think? Any advice on ...Read more

Sound Advice: Best home theater receiver and finding good deal on equipment
Q. I read your column about matching speakers to a receiver and have some questions. I currently have a Rotel RSX-1067 receiver powering a surround system of five speakers and a subwoofer. The speakers are small home theater speakers made by Bowers & Wilkins. The receiver is quite capable in terms of power and sound quality, but limited in terms...Read more

Sound Advice: Educators can take advantage of Samsung discount program
Q. Which sound bar do you think would be best for my 2020-vintage 85-inch Samsung Q80T QLED 4K TV? We mainly watch sporting events and movies with the kids, and the room is about 20 feet by 20 feet. My budget is $1,200 or under but I am willing to pay more based on your recommendation. I am not sure how the Samsung sound bars test out, but I can...Read more