Sound Advice
By Don Lindich
Week 25, 2019
Q. I need to put a small and discrete security camera in my office, something that can record in the dark and is motion activated. What would you recommend?
-J.M., Atlantic City, NJ
A. I recommend the $19.99 Wyze Cam, which has just about everything you could ask for in a small security camera. The Wyze Cam is a small cube about 2 inches on each side, mounted on a foot with an extending leg. It has motion sensing, can see in the dark, has a microphone and speaker for two-way communication, and does not require a paid subscription. It is easy to set up and use, works with Amazon Alexa and can be viewed on your smartphone. Please note that 5 GHz networks are not supported and it must be used with 2.4 GHz networks.
At the price it seemed a little too good to be true so I ordered one myself to check it out. I expected it to feel flimsy and cheap, but it is surprisingly solid. The 1080p video looks very good and the night vision is surprisingly clear and color-accurate. All the features were easy to access and worked as advertised. In short, it’s a winner. I suggest visiting wyze.com to see the camera and its functionality firsthand. It’s quite impressive, especially for under $20.
At only $19.99, the Wyze Cam is another one of those amazing values I get excited to tell readers about. It’s more than a good inexpensive camera. It’s a good camera, period.
Get your Emotiva products before July 1: Emotiva president Dan Laufman recently emailed his customers about an upcoming price increase on Emotiva products, effective July 1, 2019. Dan explained that the past few times new tariffs were introduced, the company absorbed them without increasing prices. A new 25% increase in tariffs will make this impossible, even on Emotiva products made in the USA because some of their parts are imported from China. It is obvious the company regrets being put in this position and I give them credit for holding the line as long as they did. Visit https://emotiva.com/blogs/info-hub-1/upcoming-prince-increase to learn more.
The $399/pair Emotiva Airmotiv T-Zero tower speakers have been a huge hit with readers, so if they are on your shopping list you might want to order them before July 1. If you have been thinking about putting together a sound system you may want to buy the speakers now and put them away until Amazon Prime Day rolls around in July. On Prime Day a different manufacturer will be selling an excellent amplifier for a mere $100, an amplifier that will work very well with these wonderful speakers. The $399 speakers combined with the $100 amplifier will create the foundation of a really great audio system with high-end style for $499. Just add sources like a turntable, CD player or Bluetooth receiver to finish the system. I agreed to keep the exact details of the deal confidential until the week before Prime Day, so I can’t provide any more information until then. Stay tuned!
The $429 Emotiva TA-100 receiver and $399 A-300 amplifier are two other great products I heartily recommend. I have been testing the A-300 with the new $650/pair Magnepan LRS speakers and it drives them effortlessly, delivering very impressive sound. For any $399 amplifier to work so well with such exotic, demanding 4-ohm speakers is quite an accomplishment. I will have more about both products in an upcoming column but for now.