soundbar Archives

The $15 gadget that cuts your electricity bill

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It’s only March, and we’re nearing 100 degrees in Phoenix. I’m already sweating, dreading my power bills. It got me thinking about the stuff in your house that’s sucking up electricity 24/7, even when it’s turned off.

Phantom power may not seem like a big deal, but those little energy leaks can add hundreds of dollars a year to your power bill. The fix? A smart plug. It’s one of the cheapest smart home upgrades you can make, and it starts saving you money the second you plug it in.

💡 Smart plug 101

These tiny devices go between your wall outlet and whatever you’re powering — a TV, lamp, fan, coffee maker, you name it. Connect it to your Wi-Fi, then you can control the power from your phone or with your voice, using Alexa or Google Assistant.

You can set timers, monitor energy usage or just kill power completely when you’re not using something. Sweet.

💸 Here’s how it saves you money

Shuts off phantom load: Stops electronics from quietly draining power all night. Your TVs, microwave, game consoles, chargers and even that Keurig that only brews one cup a day are guilty.
Scheduled shutdown: Automatically turns off items like heated blankets or air purifiers after bedtime or when you leave the house.
Remote access: Forgot to turn something off? Don’t want to get your butt off the couch? Open the app and do it from anywhere.
Energy monitoring: Some models show exactly how much electricity a device uses, so you know what’s worth unplugging.

🔌 Best budget smart plugs (all under $20)

I did the hard work to tell you which ones are best and for what purpose. These are Amazon’s Big Spring Sale prices. So get ’em now before the sale is over!

Kasa smart plug (2 for $14, 25% off): Plug it in, download the app and setup is basically done. Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Amazon Basics (2 for $14, 15% off): Super simple setup on this one, too. Good buy if you have Echos around the house.

EIGHTREE (4 for $20, 33% off): Sleek round design, and compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant.

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We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Elevate your home theater with these 5 great soundbars

Amazon

Your home theater isn’t complete until you add those final touches — an LED light string behind your smart TV, blackout curtains and, of course, a fantastic soundbar.

There are tons of great soundbar options on the market right now, so how do you decide which is right for you? Tap or click to learn how to turn your spare bedroom into a home theater.

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Pump up the volume

🔈 A good soundbar enhances dialogue clarity so you don’t miss a word. Here are three solid choices.

Budget-friendly: The super-compact 40-watt Saiyin soundbar delivers big sound for smaller spaces, and it’s under $30 (22% off).
Powerfully simple: This easy-to-set-up Sony S100F 2.0ch soundbar (25% off, $98) gives you rich, room-filling sound in a slim, mountable package.
Best overall: For ultra-clear voices and robust audio, this Bose TV speaker/soundbar (22% off) is a smart pick. Plus, it comes with just one cord to connect to your TV.

🚣 Amazon Resale: That’s what they call used and open-box items. If you don’t mind that it’s not brand-new, you can save a boatload. Pro tip: Check the condition so you know what to expect.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Hidden HDMI hack: Look at your TV. Spot an ARC port? You can use the Audio Return Channel to connect a soundbar or AV receiver with just one cable. Sweet — better audio quality and no extra wires.

Samsung broke your soundbar: And they know it. A bad software update they pushed last week left a bunch of soundbars unresponsive and inaccessible. It gets worse: It’s so severe, it can only be fixed with a physical repair. Samsung’s offering to fix it for free, even if you’re out of warranty. The least they can do.

Review: Klipsch Cinema 1200 Sound Bar System

Buy a new TV these days and you’ll be amazed by any number of advancements from screen technology and size to colors and number of pixels. But if there’s always been one constant, it’s that the built-in speakers just don’t cut it.

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Buy this, not that: Best and worst tech of 2020

Credit: Amazon.com

With each year comes brand new or otherwise updated tech. But just because those gadgets get more advanced doesn’t mean they’re all good ideas.

Some are poorly constructed or just aren’t that useful, while others pose a huge risk to your privacy. Tap or click here to see which tech products made Mozilla’s annual “Privacy Not Included” report because some might surprise you.

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Useless $2,000 soundbar: This is big. Turn off automatic updates now if you have Samsung’s flagship HW-Q990D Dolby Atmos soundbar. A recent update just bricked them all over the world — no sound output and unresponsive. The HW-Q800D and HW-S801D models have had similar issues. What a mess.

Deal alert: Amazon's Fire TV Cube is at its lowest-ever price

If you haven’t joined the streaming TV phenomenon yet, you’re missing out. People all over the country have fallen in love with binge-watching their favorite shows over a relaxing weekend.

With so many great streaming services out there, finding amazing programming is a breeze. But which service is right for you? Tap or click here to find out as we compare Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and more.

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How to buy the perfect sound bar and not waste money on useless features

Flatscreen TV displays are getting more amazing each year it seems. With each generation of upgrades, we see incredible screen technologies like 4K resolution, HDR and OLED make their way to the mainstream TV market with increasingly affordable prices.

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