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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
WallMart oxymoron..................Durabrand
"b" wrote in message om... I am constantly amazed at what weird /unheard-of/ downright cheap 'n' nasty-sounding "brand" names continually pop up on the front of 'brown' goods like TVs,Videos and stereos. Most of the culprits appear in large national supermarket and electrical stores. So, here are some of the tackiest I have found so far (UK and Europe). (NB. Most of the equipment also lived up to its tacky name by being either of low quality or impossible to find service / & parts info.) Anyone else got names to add to the list? Sonitron (TV VCR) Roadstar (TV VCR) SoGo (TV / audio) Kniessel (TV/vcr) Unisef (portable audio) shan (car audio) Cathay (portable audio) Mikachi (clock radio) Artech (portable audio) Yokan (TV) Playsonic (TV) Beko (TV) Ansonic (TV) Vistar (TV) JRC (TV) gran prix (portable audio) silvano (portable audio) MX Onda (portable audio) Blue sky (Tv, audio) Saivod (TV, audio) SEG (TV/VCR/Audio) Oskar (portable audio) Radiotone (TV/portable audio) Gelhard (car audio) Schneider (TV/VCR/audio) Shinko (vcr) Shintom (vcr) Sanwa (vcr) Pershin (audio) Basic line (TV/VCR) Firstline (TV/vcr) Redder (TV) AR systems (TV/ portable audio) Crown (audio) Binatone (TV/audio) Fidelity (TV/audio) Alba (TV /VCR /Audio Matsui (TV/VCR/Audio) Hinari (TV VCR/ Audio) Saisho (TV/VCR/Audio) Proline (TV/VCR/Audio) (Konka, Funai - from the US I presume) ----- Looking forward to your contributions! Ben |
#2
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
"b" wrote in message om... I am constantly amazed at what weird /unheard-of/ downright cheap 'n' nasty-sounding "brand" names continually pop up on the front of 'brown' goods like TVs,Videos and stereos. Most of the culprits appear in large national supermarket and electrical stores. So, here are some of the tackiest I have found so far (UK and Europe). (NB. Most of the equipment also lived up to its tacky name by being either of low quality or impossible to find service / & parts info.) Anyone else got names to add to the list? Sonitron (TV VCR) Roadstar (TV VCR) SoGo (TV / audio) Kniessel (TV/vcr) Unisef (portable audio) shan (car audio) Cathay (portable audio) Mikachi (clock radio) Artech (portable audio) Yokan (TV) Playsonic (TV) Beko (TV) Ansonic (TV) Vistar (TV) JRC (TV) gran prix (portable audio) silvano (portable audio) MX Onda (portable audio) Blue sky (Tv, audio) Saivod (TV, audio) SEG (TV/VCR/Audio) Oskar (portable audio) Radiotone (TV/portable audio) Gelhard (car audio) Schneider (TV/VCR/audio) Shinko (vcr) Shintom (vcr) Sanwa (vcr) Pershin (audio) Basic line (TV/VCR) Firstline (TV/vcr) Redder (TV) AR systems (TV/ portable audio) Crown (audio) Binatone (TV/audio) Fidelity (TV/audio) Alba (TV /VCR /Audio Matsui (TV/VCR/Audio) Hinari (TV VCR/ Audio) Saisho (TV/VCR/Audio) Proline (TV/VCR/Audio) (Konka, Funai - from the US I presume) ----- Looking forward to your contributions! Don't you have to be careful condemning various makes of appliances out of hand, especially when in many cases they are just a brand name that can turn up on virtually anything? I'm surprised you haven't included companies such as Hitachi and Toshiba in the list, considering that some of their models use the same Vestel chassis as Beko. Over the years I have also found that Matsui and Saisho receivers and VCRs could incorporate anything from Panasonic to Grundig and Orion chassis, to name but a few of the various permutations that one is liable to encounter, you'll also find a lot of Goodman's stuff is manufactured by Philips. I own a fairly cheap w/s Crown TV receiver, which uses a nicely made chassis, very similar to one found in some Grundig receivers, it also uses a Panasonic CRT. Ben |
#3
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
Don't you have to be careful condemning various makes of appliances out of
hand, especially when in many cases they are just a brand name that can turn up on virtually anything? True, too. I've seen some cheaper model Toshiba TVs turn out with an Orion chassis. Also, many of the cheap companies can only afford to hire an OEM source for their products instead of manufacturing their own stuff. - Reinhart |
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
WallMart oxymoron..................Durabrand
Heheh. How about Best Buy's "Classic" or "Audiophase" brands. Another one: Venturer - Reinhart |
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
Fair comment. For example the name Sonitron
Another set of names come from those wonderful people who make those greatest high end speakers that are sold out of the back of white vans. :-p Grafdale, ripoff of Wharfdale Paradygm, ripoff of Paradigm Acoustic Response, ripoff of Acoustic Research Dahlton, Dogg Digital, and Theater Research are also other brands that are sold in the back of vans and are utter pieces of crap. These speakers are built with thin particle board with no bracing. There is no internal insulation. Shoddy drivers are typically used. Small gauge wiring is typically used. There is an underdesigned crossover circuit, if there is one inside at all. At least they look nice, but they aren't worth $200, much less the $1000+ these speakers are advertised for. You have to see the frequency response curves of these things, one person commented that it's like looking at a roller coaster ride at a Six Flags theme park, and I am forced to agree. There have also been instances where these speakers blow at moderate listening levels. Even a cheap $100 amplifier could blow these speakers before it reaches anywhere near clipping. - Reinhart |
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
Hi!
I've found the recent string of Hitachi-LG CD/DVD drives that identify themselves as "HL-DT-ST xxxxxxxxxxxxx" drives rather entertaining. It's not a particularly strange name like others have mentioned, but I'd still love to know what (if anything) it might stand for...and when you consider that many drives have quite a descriptive ID string, it is odd. William |
#7
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
"b" wrote in message om... Fair comment. For example the name Sonitron: Opening up such a VCR (in the 80s), I discovered it was a Sanyo (Fisher) clone. (in those days Sanyo still made some respectable low to mid-price goods). However, you can't deny that the name sounds tacky, (almost trying to evoke Sony) and as such deserves a place on the list! Ben 'Pacific' is a name I'm beginning to see more of, sold by Asda (Wal-Mart) although I haven't had the back off one yet, but picture wise, the ones I've seen so far, appear to have given a pretty good account of themselves. I automatically assumed from from your original list that you were based in the UK, however looking at the receiver fitted with the flimsy looking two pin plug, I'm now not so sure. "ivan" wrote in message ...! Don't you have to be careful condemning various makes of appliances out of hand, especially when in many cases they are just a brand name that can turn up on virtually anything? (snip) |
#8
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
"b" wrote in message om... "ivan" wrote in message 'Pacific' is a name I'm beginning to see more of, sold by Asda (Wal-Mart) although I haven't had the back off one yet, but picture wise, the ones I've seen so far, appear to have given a pretty good account of themselves. Yeah. Picked up one of their 40 pound dvd players to leave at my folks' place - seemed ok but then, I only used it once in the space of a year. As for their other products - can't say. I automatically assumed from from your original list that you were based in the UK, however looking at the receiver fitted with the flimsy looking two pin plug, I'm now not so sure. I live in Spain but am from the UK. And , yes, the spanish /european plugs are terrible! In my unbiased objective humble opinion, the UK 3-pin system is the best in the world . And you, are you another ex-pat from UK but living in Berlin? Electrical goods prices still seem to drop almost by the day, for instance I recently saw an angle grinder complete with two cutting discs retailing at £7.99...12 months ago I paid £5 'each' just for the discs. Also if one shops around, it's possible to find twin speed videos for around the £30 mark, and only last week, my brother bought a DVD player in Woolworth's for twenty-five quid. I'm resident in the UK, what made you think I live in Berlin? Mind you the way things have been going over here for the last few years, and with my mortgage paid off, I dream about selling up (before the the crash!) and buying something cheaper abroad and then living on the money thats left over, unfortunately however it will have to remain a dream, as my wife is so attached to her family that's it's a total non-starter. regards, Ben |
#9
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
I remember that affair well! One day years ago at university ,passing
through the campus after returning from the town, having placed an order for a pair of wharfedale floorstanders at the local HiFi shop I was approached by some dodgy characters in - wait for it - a white van. Heheheh. Although, these days, they'll drive anything that can hold product, from a beat-up Chevrolet Astro all the way up to a pristine Lincoln Navigator. Or, for Europe, from a beat up Ford Transit to a pristine Range Rover. It is shocking that this appears to be a worldwide affar. Apparently, it started here in the 1970s in the States and then spread to other countries over the years. There have been instances in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and I think even in Germany with possibly many other countries. And, I am also sorry to say, that this foul business will most certainly not go away for quite some time. There are too many greedy suckers who think they will be bagging themselves a good deal, and the business runs to the point where the authorities can do almost nothing about it. Faces fell as I told them where I was coming from, and tried to convince me that the ones I had ordered "were Ok but what we got here is the real ****, know what i mean?" they then spun me some ridiculous story ... I said "no" and left them to it. Great feeling to dodge a bullet and look good in the process, yes? Week or two later on BBC watchdog or some similar programme, lo and behold I saw a trading standards report on the scam, they got a pair of these speakers from a disgruntled duped customer and ran an analysis on them. They came to the same conclusions as you said - pieces of crap with awful response curves, sensitivity, phasing, soundstage, build, crossovers...you name it. In fact I 'm fairly sure I still have a video of the programme somewhere..... I'd love to watch that, although the video would have to be sent through the net. I'm afraid I don't have the capability to play PAL recordings. Another thing I've heard about these white van speakers, they may not have serial numbers tagged on the product or labeled on the packaging. And, of course, common sense dictates that buying speakers out of a van from real pushy people telling an ethically questionable story should be avoided at all costs. - Reinhart |
#10
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
Often, "off-brand" machinery of any type is simply last year's model of a
name brand. I remember around 1970 opening up a Lafayette (house brand) cassette player and finding Pioneer parts. Other Lafayette tape recorders were Sony's previous year model. And some name brands (e.g., RCA) no longer correspond directly to any manufacturing facilities -- they are just names that have been sold. |
#11
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
b wrote:
Fair comment. For example the name Sonitron: Opening up such a VCR (in the 80s), I discovered it was a Sanyo (Fisher) clone. (in those days Sanyo still made some respectable low to mid-price goods). However, you can't deny that the name sounds tacky, (almost trying to evoke Sony) and as such deserves a place on the list! Ben OTOH, some of the more respected brands have names which would look/sound just as tacky if not for their reputation...like Awai (took years before I ever found out how to pronounce that one), Akai, JVC, LG, Sanyo...actually almost any of the oriental brands. jak "ivan" wrote in message ...! Don't you have to be careful condemning various makes of appliances out of hand, especially when in many cases they are just a brand name that can turn up on virtually anything? (snip) |
#12
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tackiest brand names/worst brands TV/VCR/stereo etc?
Samtron, Brocksonic, Zenith, ?? All about the same overall quality??
"b" wrote in message om... "jakdedert" wrote in message (snip)+ some of the more respected brands have names which would look/sound just as tacky if not for their reputation...like Awai (took years before I ever found out how to pronounce that one), Akai, JVC, LG, Sanyo...actually almost any of the oriental brands. I know what you mean. Often the name can sound cheesy yet the equipment is good. For that reason I tried to include brands which A) sound tacky but, more importantly B) I know produced junk, whether of low quality or poor design....from having personally had first hand experience of trying to repair it. To illustrate some of the worst cases, there are some pics on the website at: www.hometown.aol.com/worldoftack regards, Ben |
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