I provide honest ratings and reviews on tech, toys, and consumer home goods that I've purchased and used. Reviews are based on hands-on testing and personal observations. All opinions and comments are my own.
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Takeaway: Connectors wiggle a bit but decently secure; signal transmits fine. The cable comes with a female Toslink to male mini Toslink adapter. The cable outer layer is made of a plasticky heavy braided nylon and measures 6.5' long. The thick and stiff but flexible cable helps protect the fiberglass core from breaking due to being twisted or bent. On the end of the connectors are rubber caps that need to be removed before use. The adapter is easy to install/remove on end end of the cable.
I use this cable with my soundbar to hook it up to my TV. At the connections there is a tiny bit of wiggle, though it does successfully snap into place. I think this is because the connector is on the short side; when compared to an Amazon Basics Toslink cable, the connector is about 1 mm shorter with more of the pin showing. However, it stays in the optical ports securely and hasn't fallen out on its own. It takes pulling firmly to remove the cable. The cable transmits the audio signal fine from the TV, and I didn't notice any garbled audio or pops and crackles.
Takeaway: Okay sound for a budget unit, loud enough for a small room, lacks bass but sound is clear. The soundbar comes with a 5' power cable, 45" RCA audio cable, remote control, and an instruction manual. The speaker measures 34" across, 3" wide, and 2.5" high. The front is wrapped in a simple mesh cloth. On the back there are two centrally located hanging holes for wall mounting and cutouts with the input ports and power input. On the right side of the speaker is an AUX input port, but it doesn't come with a cable for this connection. The on-board touch controls are along this gray strip in the middle. On top you have the power button, then volume control and then input selection. The LED indicators are for standby, Bluetooth, Aux in or RCA, and Coaxial or Optical. The only setup up required is to plug in the power cable. Then if you'll be using the RCA input, plug that cable in the white and red ports respectively. The black coaxial port is for digital coaxial connections (cable not included). If you'll be using an optical cable (not included), make sure to remove the tip protector first, then align it with the optical port before plugging it in.
The remote control is pretty basic. It's got the power button, a button for each input mode, track navigation, volume control, play/pause, and mute. The remote requires 1 AAA battery which is not included. To connect to the speaker over Bluetooth, touch the Power button to turn it on. You'll see all the LED indicators light up and then shut off one by one. Then press the 'Input' key until you've selected BT mode and you'll see the LED indicator blink blue. Select ‘Taotronics Soundbar' in your device's Bluetooth menu to pair with the sound bar. A couple of folks said that the LED indicators are confusing, but I guess I never really thought about how it's weird to have one LED do double duty by changing colors. Also the Standby/On button just means the unit has the power plugged in, but it's actually 'Off' and won't be outputting any sound.
So far I've used the optical input with my TV, which was confusing at first because the light was green but in coax mode, so pressing the input key again changed the light to red which was optical mode. I was also able to try AUX-in mode while plugged into the headphone jack of my phone; just remember this light should be green as red is used for RCA. I wasn't able to test RCA with my TV because it lacks this type of output. Make sure you are NOT trying to connect the red/white RCA cables to any of the input RCA ports on your TV because, of course, there would be no sound transmitted out of any input ports. I also did not try out the digital coax since I don't have this output on any device either.
However, with the inputs that I did try, they worked fine including Bluetooth and the sound from the speaker is clear and crisp. It tends to lean on the bright side adding extra sibilance to the trebles, and it doesn't have a lot of sub bass response. You'll get a little mid and high bass, enough to elicit tight drum beats, but not enough for a feel-it-in-your-bones kind of rumble. The soundbar does get pretty loud for its size, but the sound tends to crackle at max volume and vibrate the housing a lot. You may also hear an electronic whisper during quiet passages, so it works much better at moderate volumes.
When using the optical output with the soundbar hookup to my TV, there was a very minor delay between what was happening onscreen and the sound coming from the soundbar. With the TV speaker on, you could tell they weren't in sync (slight echo), but with the TV sound off, the delay was almost imperceptible. Overall, the soundbar has decent quality for a budget unit and definitely projects and has better sound than the one built into the TV. It can't compete with higher end soundbars of course, but works well in a small room.
Takeaway: A solid dual camera dashcam, high quality front/rear video, decent audio, easy to install. You'll receive the rearview mirror camera/DVR, an instruction manual, microfiber cleaning cloth, 2-port USB cigarette lighter power adapter, an extra set of mirror attachment bands and clips, the backup camera, two mounting screws and sticky pads, 16gb microSD card, 33' video input cable, a 33" microusb cable, and a 12.5' miniUSB power cable.
The mirror is quite large, it measures 12" by 3.5" and the LCD screen in the middle has a 5" diagonal which is a lot bigger than my car's rearview mirror. The mirror is darkly tinted a deep silver color. While the dark coating does help reduce glare, it tends to look a bit dim and at night. The lens for the camera is on the windshield facing side as well as an external speaker (for playback) and it comes pre-installed with two rubber bands that strap onto your existing rear view mirror. The lens on the camera is adjustable because it's on ball joint. This will help you orient the camera after you've adjusted your rearview mirror. On the top is the miniUSB power port, A/V out port, microSD card slot, and microUSB port for the backup camera (also can be used for power and data transfer).
If you're upgrading from the pervious Z2 model, note that you will not be able to re-use its backup camera (if you were thinking you wouldn't have the run the wires again, you do). The input cable is completely different and the power connector is a 5-pin vs. a 4 pin. However, the new backup camera has a higher resolution and its angle can be adjusted so it's worth swapping out.
I installed the back camera above my license plate with the adhesive foam sticker but didn't use the two mounting screws because I didn't want to drill two holes in my trunk. The sticker I used with the previous camera held up well for over a year so I'm confident I won't need the screws. I also hooked the rear camera into the reverse light power connector so that it comes up automatically when the car is put in reverse gear and throws up the reverse guide lines. It's really important that the camera is center, angled downward, and perpendicular for the guidelines to look correct on the screen. The reverse guides are pretty accurate, though depending on the placement on your vehicle, it may look like you're right up against the curb but you'll actually be about 4-6 inches away. Hiding the cables under the trim and ceiling panels was the trickiest part, but only takes about 15 minutes and can be done with just a screwdriver (or nylon spudger) to lift the trim.
At 1920 x 1080p quality, a 5 minute clip from the front camera takes up about 575 MB and similarly the 2304 x 1296 video takes up about 600 MB (I noticed very little difference between 1080p and 1296p). The video is clear and crisp with realistic colors, good saturation, and white balance that is a bit on the bright side. The rear camera footage averages around 400 MB per 5 minute clip and only records in 720p, but again the video is nice and clear and you can see plenty of detail. It's a lot better than the resolution of the rear camera from the original Z2 model. When watching the rear camera feed on the computer, note that it is a mirror image. At night everything is darker, but I would say still relatively clear. There does seem to be a bit of HDR enhancement going on as the light sources stand out in the video. With the rear camera you don't quite see as much detail until there's a lot of ambient light and the image is much more grainy. The audio in the video is always going to be the same for the front and rear camera feeds over the same period of time. Strangely enough the 720p at 60 frames per second was actually less clear than 720p at 30 frames per second.
Note that if you turn on the unit without an SD card installed, the date and time will reset; so if you take the card out to transfer files to a computer, you may have to update the date and time after you reinstall the memory card. This happened to me because I had park monitoring mode on and every time I took the card out to take in the house, when I closed the car door on my way out the camera turned on, effectively resetting the date which was a minor inconvenience to change back each time.
There are plenty of other features that work decently well like the g-sensor, park monitoring mode, and motion detection. The quality of the video and audio are really good and the camera works about as well as I expected.
Takeaway: Compact/portable, works great w/Android TV and powered antenna, mini antenna not as strong. The mini TV receiver comes with a pre-installed antenna and optional coaxial connector. The unit is super tiny measuring 2" x 1.25" x 0.25" thick. The antenna on the unit measures 1.5" when retracted and 6.5" when extended. The unit has a male microUSB connector that can plug into an Android phone charging port that supports OTG. On the other side is a micoUSB in port that you can use with a standard microUSB cable to connect to a full sized USB port like a PC or Android TV box. Swapping the connectors is pretty easy.
I was able to use the device with a microUSB to USB-C adapter for my LG G5 phone. With this receiver is that you don't have to use your WiFi or data plan to receive the content. It's completely free since it's over the air waves. I verified this by receiving content with my WiFi and Data turned off.
You'll need to download the LiveStation Player app to your phone which is available in the Google Play store. If you need the PC software, the manufacturer can email it to you on request. Scanning for channels takes about 10 minutes. With the mini antenna (indoors), I was able to find 11 TV stations and 1 radio station. If the signal isn't strong you might end up with a lot of digital noise and distortion in the video and audio. I wasn't able to get channel information like station name or program info. I also received some foreign language programming in my local area. The one thing that I didn't like is that the input USB cannot be used for pass through power. That means this device will eventually drain your mobile device of battery if you don't have a splitter for the OTG.
The unit performed better with a powered antenna connected through the coaxial connector. The picture and audio quality was a little more reliable but the initial loading of each channel always took about 15 seconds for the audio to catch up to the video. I tested the antenna with the computer software and received about 45 channels with fairly good quality for the video and audio overall. The difference here is that since my computer is powered, I don't have to worry about it running out of battery as I would using it with OTG on a mobile device.
Overall, the receiver worked a lot better than I thought it would using the indoor powered antenna and I think it could be a great supplement to my Android TV box since I no longer use cable service as most of my content is streamed via the internet. The mini built in antenna is more of a novelty but that could be nice to have for a picnic and it's something you can carry around easily.
Takeaway: Strong magnetic hold, easy and fast connect/disconnect; doesn't work with all phone cases. You'll get a 40" rubber cable with aluminum connectors and two magnetic swap-able tips for microUSB and Lightning ports. The small connectors are designed to stay plugged into your device for a quick and easy magnetic connection. Bringing the magnet end close to one of the tips causes them to stick together and make a connection. If it doesn't seat right, just press gently on the connection and it will snap into place. It works the same way for both magnetic tips and the magnet works from either side so you don't have to worry about which side is up. The metal casing on the connectors seems durable and below them is a thick strain relief to prevent breakage and wear.
With the USB cord plugged into a power source, the LED on the magnetic connector shows green; when it snaps onto a tip to make a connection, it changes to red to show you that it is charging. The magnetic hold on the cable breaks away smoothly with a firm tug making connecting and disconnecting to the magnetic tips pretty quick.
Removing the tip is simple too, there's a notch on either side so you can get your fingernail between the tip and the edge, and you just pull straight out. With the Lightning tip I ran into a few issues with different phone cases. You'll need a little extra clearance in the charging port cutout to be able to use the cable, at least 1/2". The best case I found for use with the iPhone 7 is Moshi's Kameleon case, which has a pretty wide cutout for the Lightning port. It's got just enough extra leeway for the connector to fit in over the magnetic tip.
Overall, the cable works pretty well for charging and is easy to connect and disconnect, but if you'll be using a case, make sure the opening for the port is at least ½" in order for the connector to make the connection properly.
Takeaway: Travels well, lightweight/compact, tastes plasticky at first, outside attracts dust/lint but easy to clean. When the water bottle when is collapsed, it measures about 3" tall and 4" across. Empty it weighs 3 oz. On the side is a small carabiner clip for tethering to a bag or belt loop and a silicone elastic band keeps the bottle rolled up. The bottle is semi-transparent and measures 7" tall when expanded. Inside the drink spout there is an integrated mesh filter. The drinking cap is made entirely of plastic and is watertight when the lid is closed. The bottle is somewhat squishy with a soft rubbery feel and impressively doesn't leak any air or liquid when squeezed.
This water bottle can hold 11 oz of liquid and is pretty easy to fill. At first the water does have a bit of a plasticky taste to it, and I find this to be true of most silicone bottles and water bladders. It does take a few uses to dissipate so you may want to fill up, leave overnight, and discard the water in the bottle several days in a row before first use. Other than that the bottle is easy to carry around and drink from and is great for travel since it rolls up compactly.
Takeaway: Budget friendly IEM w/ decent sound quality, clarity, and comfort. The earphones come with 3 sets of eartips, and an instruction manual. The earphones come pre-installed with the medium size tips. The earpieces are made of machine aluminum and have a bullet-style body with a shiny, brushed metal finish. The cord is about 4' long and consists of a tangle-resistant silicone wrapped wire with a copper core and gold-plated headphone jack. There is a reinforced rubber strain relief at the base of each ear piece to prevent the cord from breaking or separating at the joint. On the wire coming off the right earpiece is an in-line mic with a call answer button for hands-free calling. You can also use this button to start and stop track playback when listening to music. Double-clicking it will skip to the next track on some devices.
The overall sound quality is pretty clear and clean, though there is noticeable sound sculpting. In general the bass is over emphasized making it feel heavy and dense; the trebles are somewhat thin sounding and can sound too bright at louder volumes. However, the eartips do a fine job isolating external sounds, so you won't need to increase the volume to uncomfortable or damaging levels to enjoy your music. The sound overall is pretty good considering this is a fairly low budget pair of earphones and they're fairly comfortable to wear.
Takeaway: These ratchet belt buckles are easy to use, solidly constructed, and provide a perfect fit; full-grain/genuine leather is easy to shorten. The belts came packaged in a drawstring bag and includes a sizing card to help you shorten the belt properly. The belt buckles arrive detached from the belt, so you can customize the length to best suit your waist size. The Trakline belts don't have holes in them and that's because the end that goes into the buckle has a 10" plastic ratchet along the inside that allows you to find your exact fit down to the ¼" rather than the traditional 1" spacing for ordinary belt holes.
I got two of the Kore belts, one in brown and one in black with two buckle styles: the Intrepid and the Express. The two belts have slightly different edge styles on the leather. On the black one which comes with the Intrepid buckle, the edge is burnished and finished with double stitches so you'll two neat little rows of stitches on each edge. Then the brown belt that came with the Express has a simple finished flat edge. The Intrepid buckle is a bright shiny brushed stainless steel. It's a medium sized buckle measuring 2.25" across and 1.5" tall. The Express is the same size but looks like a traditional belt buckle complete with a false prong in a gunmetal finish.
The belts are 1.25" wide and are delivered at the factory length of 51.5" which is long enough to accommodate a 44" waist. You'll see sizes indicated long the inside of the belt towards the buckle end. To properly size the belt, start with your pant size then add 3-4" and cut along that line. In my case, I have a 28" waist, but decided to cut the belt closer to 30-31" for a shorter tail past the buckle. That's just my personal preference. If cutting for the first time, err to the long side and remember that you can always make the belt shorter, but not longer. Once cut, take the belt buckle and open the belt receptacle, the part that says 'Trakline' with the teeth on the inside; insert the flat end of the belt until it's flush with the inside of the receptacle and then close the clip. You wear the belt in the regular fashion, feeding from left to right and then insert the end of the belt into the buckle and tighten until it is comfortably snug.
Typically the end of the belt to runs about 3-4" out from the end of the buckle. The ratchet system creates a perfectly fitting belt that's neither too loose, not too tight. Loosening and removing the belt is easy too. Squeeze the release lever towards the bottom right corner of the belt and pull the strap out of the buckle. Trakline also has a special hanger you can use which can hold up to two belts and utilizes the same ratchet system to hang the belts up by the buckle.
The leather in the belts consist of a few layers of blue leather. The black is supposedly dyed full-grain leather while the brown is merely genuine leather with a finished surface. Time will tell whether or not the belts will last or crack and fray with consistent use, so I'll update this review sometime down the road after I've had a chance to use it more frequently. Although KORE isn't the first nor the only company to use this technology in their belts, they have a nice selection of buckle styles and the belts overall appear to be well-made.
Takeaway: Stylish metal exterior, durably constructed for portability, good sound and clarity, though light on bass response. You'll receive the speaker, 48" microUSB cable, 40" male-to-male audio cable, 17" leather carrying strap, two sets of aluminum bolts, and an instruction manual. The unit is small and compact, measuring 7.75" W x 4.75" H x 1.5" D and weighs about 1.5 lbs.
The outer grille is made of aluminum with a brushed finish and comes in gold or silver. The leather strap is optional and can be attached easily by feeding the ends into the slots on the sides, then installing the two small bolts. The speaker has two 5 W drivers, one on either side, and a passive radiator in the center. On top of the speaker are the controls set within a faux wood panel. From right to left you have the power button, track selection and volume keys, play/pause button, and mode key. Then off to the left are indicator LEDs for mode, charging, and battery life. On the right hand side of the speaker you have the microUSB power port, Aux in port, and USB output port for charging a mobile device.
When you plug the unit in, the battery indicators will blink while charging and show you how much battery is remaining in the unit. When full, all three lights will be a solid red. To turn the unit on, press and hold the power key. Then, to connect with your mobile device over Bluetooth, select ‘BX200' in your device's Bluetooth menu. Or you can connect to the unit using the included Aux cable with your phone's headphone jack.
The overall sound quality is clean and clear. The focus for these speakers seem to be in the mid ranges since you lose a little bit of the detail in the trebles. The bass response is fairly shallow though and you won't hear much of any lows or deep lows. That said, at max volumes the sound manages to get fairly loud without distorting at all.
The USB power bank option is useful so you can charge your phone while streaming music to the speaker on the go. The 2200 mAh battery will give most phones about 1 full charge or music playback up to 6 hours depending on your volume level. Overall, this unit has decent sound and is durably constructed. It is a little heavy for frequent travel but small enough to carry in a backpack or purse when you need it.
