Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've used Xantech receviers and repeaters quite a bit in multiple rooms in the house but ran into issues after purchasing a plasma tv. All of the IR receivers I had were rendered near useless by the plasma TV and could not reliably detect a remote control signal as a result. Since these receivers were not purchased before the term "Plasma Friendly" came to be, it was time to get new equipment. Xantech charges ~170 for a plasma friendly surface mount receiver (ouch). I tried the Vista Acoustics since it looked very similar, cost about a third, and claimed to be plasma friendly.
The unit comes without the 1/8" plug that connects to a lot of receivers but that really wasn't a problem since my Xantech IR amplifier has screw terminals for bare wires. You could always add a $3 plug if you preferred that type of connection. The cable for the unit is a bit shorter than expected (3 - 4 ft) but that was enough to easily reach around the back of my equipment and connect to the IR amp (receiver now sitting atop center speaker at front of entertainment center). The unit's constuction felt very sturdy with a powder coated black metal casing just like the expensive units from Xantech.
Be aware the wiring diagram provided with the unit has an error. The +12V and IR In wires are switched in the wiring diagram that shows the device connecting to a terminal block and then to the terminals of a Vista Acoustics IR amp. The close up of the bare wire terminals are correctly labeled however. I had to reverse these two wires to get everything to work. The unit only uses three of the four available terminals on my Xantech amp but everything works as I would expect.
The unit picks up my remotes accurately everytime and is not set off by my plasma display. Its internal LED lights up on each command to let me know it's in action. I love the fact I was able to reuse my Xantech amp and repeaters and saved about 110 over the competition to make it all work with the new tv.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Vista Acoustics RS31.1 Plasma Friendly Surface Mount IR Receiver with Talk Back LED
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