Of course, if the HD5 had the performance to merit its design choices, we'd praise its innovation in a stagnant industry. In a sea of thin, unobtrusive products, it does manage to stand out-as pretty bulky. But the HD5 requires tabletop space or a more robust mounting solution. Most of the other antennas on the market are easy to mount to a wall. The Monoprice Curved HD5's curved shape and hard plastic construction also offer something different, but we're not sure that's a good thing. We’ve even praised some antennas for offering something different in terms of their design. We've alluded to the homogenous landscape of flat black rectangles in the indoor HDTV antenna space earlier. But that increased range comes through poorly and raises the cost into the neighborhood of our top pick. As an amplified indoor antenna, it can pick up channels from further away. Overall, the FL5500A is a solid device that is a little on the expensive side. We appreciated having more options for placement fresh out of the box (and without the need for extension cables). Being able to position the antenna further from the TV is helpful. It may seem like a small bonus, but we appreciate it. The FL5500A came with the longest coaxial cable out of all the models we reviewed. There’s no point in “having” a station if it looks like a garbled mess. However, if those stations have spotty reception, we award far fewer points. When we test and score indoor antennas, we reward the ability to tune into a higher number of stations. Unfortunately, the consistency of its reception doesn’t match up to the antennas in our top spots. The FL5500A ties with the Leaf Plus in terms of pulling in the most channels of the group. The Winegard indoor HDTV antenna is an above-average performer, but its performance will cost you. Given the mixed results other amplified indoor antennas gave us, that may or may not be a good thing. It promises to boost the range from 35+ miles to 50+. We didn’t get hands-on with that model, the ClearStream Eclipse Amplified TV antenna. If you want to boost the signal even further, they offer that option. Though you'll pay a slight premium for it, the Clearstream Eclipse is a winner for home entertainment, and quite handsome to boot. We think you'll also appreciate its detachable cable, which not every antenna includes. The included "Sure Grip" adhesive strip provides a mounting option that's strong enough to grip the wall without needing screws or pins, but not so strong that it peels off your paint when repositioning. The device also features a black side and a white side, so you can choose which fits better with your home decor. In a sea of black rectangles, its elegant, circular aesthetic is a breath of fresh air. It's clearer and more consistent than other antennas on our list.Īlong with its performance, the Eclipse differentiates itself from the crowd thanks to its usability and cool design. In our testing the Eclipse was able to capture a good number of channels, but where it really stands out is in its TV reception. Of the best TV antennas we’ve tried, the Clearstream Eclipse is a consistent top performer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |