My wife Susan loves to cook and spends almost as much time in her kitchen as I do in front of a computer (ok, maybe not quite that much time). I’ve asked her numerous times if she would enjoy having a radio in the kitchen and she has always declined saying that she isn’t interested in giving up the counter space. I even surprised her with an Onkyo iPod dock/radio but it was rejected (too big). But when she saw my Tangent Duo sample with it’s gorgeous walnut cabinet, it was love at first sight. In fact, my sample now resides right next to her beloved orange Le Creuset pot. While she loves it’s amazing sound and clarity, it’s the simplicity and ease of use that she most appreciates. And when she wants to listen to a podcast of Splendid Table while she’s cooking, she grabs the cable stashed behind the unit and simply plugs here iPod Nano in. I’m pretty sure that I’m never getting my sample back.

One of the most clever features of the Duo is one that I stumbled upon by accident. I was transporting the Duo in it’s box and it starting beeping…and of course it wasn’t plugged in. Turns out the clock and alarm operate from a single AA battery so if there is a power outage or interruption, the clock keeps perfect time and the alarm does it’s thing on time. What a clever feature.

As you can likely tell, both of us are so impressed with this little Danish radio. It is beautiful to look at with it’s real walnut cabinet and it’s a pleasure to use. It has a big, rich sound that defies it’s size. The Tangent Duo is proof that less really is more.

Best, Brian

PS – Like so many companies, Tangent Audio has been effected by the sluggish economy. They had too many Duos & Quattros and I made a (rare) deal with them: The Duo retails for $219 and usually sells for $199. While supplies last, enter coupon code WOOTRADIO and you’ll get $100 off bringing it down to $99 in your choice of finishes! And as always at WiredForLess, shipping is just $5 regardless of how many you buy. Remember…Christmas isn’t as far away as you think and everyone on your list would be thrilled to get one of these radios!

Like everyone, I love finding a bargain.  And this Carver TS-241s deal is the best bargain I’ve found in a long time. Recently, the parent company that owns Carver moved into a new warehouse and discovered a quantity of Carver TS-241s speakers.  Although a number of years old, they’re brand new and are a still a great sounding speaker.  They didn’t want to move them so they contacted me and I bought them all.

They were  designed to be used with plasma or LCD flat panels.  They come with wall brackets and look terrific sitting next to a tv on a wall.  But they also work great as side or back surrounds.  Although designed to mount vertically, I’ve had a number of customers mount them horizontally as center or surround speakers and it works fine.  The only glitch here is that you can’t re-orientate the Carver label.

And they sound as good as they look.  Good frequency response; wide dispersion and impressive power handling.  They’re bass response is limited but most people will likely use them with a subwoofer.

As always, shipping is just 5 bucks and your satisfaction is always our priority here at WiredForLess.  Check them out here.

Thanks – Brian