Getting quality tower speakers on a budget
QMy 87-year-old dad saw your Q&A column in the paper and asked me to forward you photographs of his custom-built system. He built this whole system into a custom cabinet and would like you to recommend appropriate floorstanding speakers to purchase to get this old thing working again. I have a photo of the back of one of the speakers, and it has two terminals with two wires connected to it like any other speaker. — F.A.
AThe system looks to built from 1960s-vintage electronics of average ability, nothing special but not terrible, either. Good tower speakers under $200 are hard to come by, with one notable exception. The Dayton Audio T652-AIR tower speakers feature a Heil tweeter (similar to GoldenEar and Emotiva tweeters) for an airy detailed sound, and the two woofers make ample bass. For $162 per pair they are a steal, and perfect for your dad or any budget system. parts-express.com.
QI wanted to buy the TLOVII Sonic Electric Toothbrush you wrote about but both the toothbrush and the brushheads are no longer available. What other electric toothbrushes do you recommend for under $100?
— B.A., Atlantic City, New Jersey
AThe TLOVII (spelled tlovii) is back in stock on Amazon at the $29.95 price. The brushheads should also be in stock within a few weeks so if that is the one you want, go for it. It includes two brushheads and they last a few months each, so that will more than carry you over until refills are available.
It would be cost-prohibitive for me to continually purchase and test electric toothbrushes, especially since I found one that provides premium features and premium feel at a budget price. I’ve been using the $30 TLOVII for almost two months now and I am just as bullish about it now as I was when I first got it. I recently compared it over a few days to my entrylevel (yet pricier) Philips Sonicare toothbrush and I clearly preferred the TLOVII. Besides the multiple settings, USB charging and slender form factor that makes it easy to handle and maneuver, the TLOVII left my teeth feeling like they were cleaned to a higher level, just a bit more than the usual “just went to the dentist” feeling that sonic toothbrushes are known to deliver. It also provides a longer pause at the 30-second mark to tell you to change the quadrant of the mouth, which I appreciate as well. The Sonicare beeps and immediately starts the sonic action again. The TLOVII gives you a moment to get the toothbrush into position before resumes operation.
A pricier Sonicare model would likely deliver an experience equal to, or even better than the TLOVII. I don’t think it is necessary to review them as everyone expects an expensive toothbrush to do an exceptional job. It is more noteworthy to me is to find something so affordable that performs so well, and that was the point of my initial TLOVII coverage.
One model I found that merits a closer look is the
Colgate Hum Smart Connected Toothbrush. The Hum connects to your smartphone to monitor your brushing habits and style, helping you get to spots you may have been missing and do a better overall job of brushing. A toothbrush connected to my smartphone that is constantly coaching me may be a level of involvement beyond what I want or need, but at $69.99 for the rechargeable version the price is very reasonable. I just ordered a Colgate Hum and will report on it in a future column. http://hum.colgate.com.