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My uncle is building a ranch style fence himself, staraight forward vertical posts with horizontal beams.
Does anyone know any useful websites that give the "tricks of the trade" as to how to build these?
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Ranch-Style Fence
Tools and Materials you need:
Square posts, as many as you need for your project
Post spikes
Small piece of post that fits into the post spike and is taller than the metal box
Sedge hammer
Planks, about 4-inches to 6-inches wide and 6-feet long (these become your horizontal beams between posts)
Nails or screws, should be rustproof
Spirit level
Post caps
Design Tip: Make a ranch-style fence using round posts and rails. For this fence the posts need to have a hole drilled through them. Then the rails are tapered so that they fit inside the hole. Use post spikes that are round or tighten the square post spikes to hold the round post. Another way would be to knot the rails to the posts. This can be done if you are using a light material for your fence, like bamboo.
(1) Drive In Post Spike and Place Post
Position the post spike every 6 feet. Drive the spike into the ground with the sledge hammer. Make sure that the post spike is level by using the spirit level. Check the level at periodic intervals when pounding in the spike. When all of the spike is in the ground, that is, all you can see is the square where the post goes, stop. (See Figure in Step 1.) Insert the post and adjust the post spike, if necessary, so that it holds the post securely. Check the level again to make sure that the post is straight.
Tip: To keep from hitting the post spike and distorting the metal, use a small piece of post and place it in the post spike. That way when you are hammering the post spike you are hitting the wooden post piece.
(2) Fasten Horizontal Planks
When all the posts are in position, you then nail or screw the horizontal planks between the posts. Use the level to position your planks horizontally, unless that isn't the look you're going for.
Tip: Join the planks end to end so that the joint is in the center of the post.
(3) Put on Post Caps
Protect the posts and make the fence look nicer by nailing post caps to the tops of the posts. This is a nice finishing touch to your ranch-style fence.
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Guys, many thanks for your input, I have passed these on to my uncle who is very grateful.
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The ignition spark on a gas cooker in the house is stuck on, so that the sparks are firing regularly all the time every half second or so.
The button that should operate the spark is sticky, so I suppose something has been spilt on it and stuck the switch closed internally.
Is there some sort of spray solvent that might penetrate the thing and unstick it, without causing any secondary electrical problems?
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A good squirt of WD 40 up its innards should clear it. Give it a good wiggle (the button) to loosen any dirt inside it and squirt again. If this doesn't work you may have to resort to the Far Kit response and replace the whole thing.
--
e Prof - Another Recycled Teenager
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WD 40 has worked for me with the same problem. Make sure that you turn the power off to the igniter unit first, though, it won't care whether its igniting gas or WD40!
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Thank you eProf and mjm. I got some WD40 today but the cooker had cured itself and is now functioning normally.
Perhaps I should put the unused can of WD40 on eBay.
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Our gas cooker's knobs can easily be pulled off for cleaning or for clearing out the grease that can build up on the spindle - I presume the knob had become stuck at or near the bottom of its travel.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Perhaps I should put the unused can of WD40 on eBay.
Sell it to me, Lud! There ain't nothing that WD 40 can't fix! Flickering lights, creaking doors, squeaking gates (not Bill), damp ignitions, cards in computers; the list is endless! In fact it is so good that the EU are considering banning it!
--
e Prof - Another Recycled Teenager
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You can buy the equivalent of WD40 for about half the price..:-)
Personal preference is for EasyGrease or Silicon51 equivalent - these are "dry" lubricants and are equally efficient, but don't mark clothes etc.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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See:
tinyurl.com/35w9g7 for EasyGrease details.
Motorcyclists are probably familiar with such products for use on chains, but EasyGrease is more versatile.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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WD40 can also ease arthritis and rheumatic pain. I've tried it and it works! It probably also induces dematitis...
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Well done eProf. They must be dozing!!
MD
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Where can I find interest payment dates (day and month) and redemption dates for gilts please?
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Bintang:
Try this link www.dmo.gov.uk/index.aspx?page=Gilts/Gilts_In_Issue then click on the link for gilts in issue. The Debt Managment Office homepage at is www.dmo.gov.uk/
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The DMO site is exactly what I wanted. Thanks for the lead.
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Anybody know how to ?
The telephone service is fully automated, does not offer the option to cancel a card or speak to a human being.
The web banking has no option to close an account, the help function does not know the words 'close' or 'cancel' !
The only postal address on the website is dept 'customer satisfaction dept'
They certainly won't be getting any more business from me
--
Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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As an Abbey customer, if you ignore the automated prompts you eventually get to a call centre - Irish Republic judging by the accents. Don't konw if it works the same for other MBNA brands.
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I had one of these cards, but stopped using it when my other credit card starting giving me airmiles. After a while (might have been a year) MBNA automatically closed the account through lack of use. As the card costs nothing, why not stop using it and wait until they close it for you? It might be worth destroying the cards in the meanwhile so that noone else can use them on your behalf...
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\"Archie\"
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I closed my MBNA credit card account, I call their customer services and told the first person I spoke to, regardless of dept. that I wanted to close it, they gave me a another number to call as it was out of office hours, called that number the next day and bingo! No more account.
----------------------------------------------
Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
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Anyone know a good weather forcast on the internet for the UK?
BBC site is a joke and the Met office cant get it right 24hrs in advance.
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S
I agree about the BBC. It's not over endowed with information either. I've been using the metoffice site, but select your region then put in your post code.
Weather forecasting in general is a bit of a joke. I rely on our cat. If she wants to go out for the day it's likely to be fine, if she can't be bothered, it's not going to be too good!
JH
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Floydie,
I ended up witha Yahoo" widget" on my desktop, this seems to be uncannily accurate for local condiotions at the time and for the next 24 hrs. Part of weather.co.uk
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Look out of the window if you cant see a good few yards its raining if you can it will rain soon.
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rustbucket (the original)
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www.metcheck.com
You can set it to your postcode and get 2, 7 or 14 days ahead.
It's one of my favourites!
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I find it best to use a combination of "surface pressure charts", "latest satellite images" and "rainfall radar" from met office site. each of these can be animated so that you can see what is coming your way. Satellite and rainfall radar are good for 24 hours or so, pressure charts for 4 days or so (updated 07.30 every morning)
www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/surface_pressure.h...l
www.metoffice.gov.uk/satpics/latest_uk_ir.html
www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/index.html
It's been pouring down here in Midlands since mid-morning but should stop by midnight to be replaced by clearer skies and showers for Monday with winds from South-west, therefore mild, 10-12degrees. Winds strengthening during the afternoon and evening so that Monday night will be windy and wet. Tuesday not too bad, showers , gentler winds from SW again. Wed, cloudy, chance of drizzle, light rain but not windy. Probably about 10 degrees again.
But then, what do I know, and if pressure charts are wrong, so am I! (Well, that's my excuse!)
--
Phil
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www.meteorologica.info/
It also has current lightning strike info too, great if you're like me and love thunderstorms.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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The Met Office is my favourite. In fact I have the Met Office weather forecast website, set to our area, as my internet home page. tinyurl.com/38nal7
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L\'escargot.
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You can get a decent pressure chart for UK and europe from www.prognoza.hr/prognoza_karte.html.
You'll need your Croatian phrase book for the rest of the site though!
--
Terry
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I have an air rifle and I need to sell it, what is the best way to do this in a responsible manner , keeping within the law.
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www.airguns-online.co.uk/you_and_the_law.htm
Should give you some guidelines. I would make a note of the buyer's details in case it's involved in something it shouldn't.
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I have a Belling cooker hood (CHIM600SS) and am having a hard time finding anywhere that can supply replacement filters. I've emailed Belling themselves, and been resolutely ignored, and I can't find any suppliers via Google.
You guys are generally fantastic at things like this, so I thought I'd post and see if anyone can help.
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Putting ´Charcoal filter belling´ into ebay.co.uk got some results Baz.
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Cheers BM, none for the model I own unfortunately. Can't be that old, the house was only built in 1990, and I doubt it's the original spec, the kitchen certainly looks to have been re-done since then.
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You're a hero BM! Thanks!
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We have 2 chef´s knives that we regularly use, a big Fiskars on and a smaller WMF one. Both have lost their initial lethal sharpness, and I can´t seem to get it back with our IKEA knife sharpener rod thingy. Is it my technique in the slish-slash sharpening that´s at fault, or should I get another sharpening rod? I think I saw ceramic rods the last time we were at IKEA - maybe try that?
Any advice gratefully received, as always.
Barchettaman
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I've never done well with the sharpening rods, where as I seem to get on with the flat stones pretty well. You can get largish ones shaped with a handle that are quite comfortable to use.
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You need a proper steel, proper knives and be shown how to use them. I advise a trip to your local kitchen store (IKEA products are made for a price) and purchase a Henckels or similar - a good shop will show you how to use the steel properly. I bought a set of Henckels knives a few years ago - five knives, scissors, steel and block was about £100. A small curved knife to complete my requirements cost £28, but quality shows.
I sharpen the knives before every use to keep them sharp.
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The Ikea "knife sharpener rod thingy" or "steel" is rubbish. Had one once and its a waste of space.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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We have an Ikea sharpener which is a black plastic thing about 6" long with a ceramic grooved wheel inside, which you hold down on a worktop and run the blade back and forth through it. Seems to work very well as I assume it gets the optimum sharpening angle, and dead easy to use.
I suppose thats cheating though compared with a sharpening steel. ;o)
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I was surprised to see this business still thriviing. In the late forties it was operated from a converted icecream tricycle. (Human powered) Later graduated to a Box Van with rooflights and two workbenches. Always did a good job , used to call on us about twice a year
preview.tinyurl.com/3x34eg
Phil I
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Definitely moved on since those times
www.mowerspares.co.uk/aboutus/about.htm
Phil I
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Cheers all. We´ve spent the money on the knives and saved on the steel, obviously a false economy. I´ll get a proper sharpening rod and some advice then.
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Save money on a steel - sharpen one knife on another - bit of practice makes perfect!! Husband was taught by the chef in the first hotel he worked in I daren't say how many years ago Angle needed is about 75 degrees, action similar to using a steel rod.
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A steel is a steel. If you can use one, then it doesn't matter how good/poor it is. (I can't.) The back step is as efficient a method of sharpening a knife as a steel (if you can; I can't).
I have one of those devices that holds two steels in a v-shaped angle. It sort-of does the job. My knives are sharp-ish, but never as good as when they come out of the shop. Try sending htem away to be sharpened.
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Knife sharpening is an art. I have just counted eight knives, all Sabatier, in the kitchen, some of them over forty years old! Each one is still as sharp as a razor. My mother was a very good cook and taught me that the most dangerous thing in a kitchen is a blunt knife. Very true!
My father taught me the art of knife sharpening. If the edge is a total Far Cup, lay it at a 30° angle on the coarse side of the stone and lovingly sweep it across the surface, always in the same direction from handle to point. Turn over and repeat until the sound is sweet and smooth. Then repeat using the fine side until the sound is sweeter and the knife almost sings. It takes time, but if done with love, the knife will reward you with the sweetest cut you ever made.
The theory behind this technique is that when the knife is blunt, the edge is round. The 30°angle gives the best and longest-lasting edge. During the sharpening process little bits of metal peel off the edge and it is these that need to be taken off with care so they don't snap off and spoil the edge.
The final test is to take a paper kitchen towel, hold it up between forefinger and thumb and your knife should be able to slice through the paper with one clean cut!
The steel is used just to keep the edge honed. You should hear the knife blade sing as you give it that final sweep before you bear down on that which is to be cut. Used often and gently the steel will keep the edge keen for the finest slices you ever saw!
Happy Cooking!
--
e Prof - Another Recycled Teenager
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Just to correct my earlier post, our knife sharpener is a Fiskars one, not an Ikea one. Cant find a pic; its the same concept but a different design to this one: snipurl.com/1c54x
;o)
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I use the Furi Pro knife sharpening set shown in the lower image here: www.furitechnics.com.au/news_uk.html
Click the photo to see a video.
It works, and works well, but only after learning the skill of exactly how to hold /start / load / pull / finish each stroke according to the knife I am using and the fineness of the sprung fingers doing the sharpening. Get any of the components wrong and you'l get a completely blunt knife. Get it right and you'll get a razor sharp one. Don't be tempted for "just one more stroke" coz that's where over doing it, and a blunt knife, comes in.
I though this tool was going to be so simple to use it would remove all the skill.
Whack, whack, done.
Wrong, but having learned the skill, it's the best - and probably safest - kitchen knife sharpener I have used.
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Run the blade across the underside centre rim of a plate before using it. Best sharpener going.
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Again, thanks all. In true back room tradition I´ll let you know how I get on!
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I use a fine grit diamond honing tool. I think it is made under the name E Z Lap?
I can sharpen my knives quite well with this. A good piece of steel can take a good enough edge that it will shave the hairs off the back of my hand.
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Did anyone else see the first of the new CBBC series on BBC One "Shaun the Sheep" earlier today.
I've just watched it.
Aimed at small kids, but what a laugh!
Very clever and not the WaG ripoff it could have been.
So glad we've got two 5 month old twins that give me the excuse of recording each episode to disk for their future delectation! :-)
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So glad we've got two 5 month old twins
Ah.
Badly phrased.
How many other kids can come as a twin, and we certainly don't have four kids!
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Saw it this am, very funny, the sheep in the steaming sheep dip pool with towels etc ........ its not a W & G ripoff cos it is "based on an original idea by Nick Park".
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WaG ??
Wife and Girlfriend ?
Welsh Assembly Government ?
How did it compare with Top Gear.
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Wallace & Grommit.
Tim{P}
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Having just used a signicant proportion of a squeezy container of proprietary overpriced v-v adhesive (for sticking a border) I suspect that the contents are just plain PVA in a fancy container with integral plastic brush.
can anybody else confirm this. Bulk PVA would be about 5% of the price!
--
pmh (was peter)
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No
dont use bulk PVA it stains the wallpaper. The overlap or border adhesive does contain PVA but other stuff to prevent the staining,
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thanks for that info, probably saved me an expensive experiment.
The bottle makes no reference to contents other than 'contains a non-mercurial fungicide to inhibit mould growth'.
--
pmh (was peter)
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Me and my wife were told on Sunday that my brother in law has decided to leave my sister. They have been married for nearly 9 years and have a 6 year old son. As you can imagine my sister is in bits about this, but she is remaining as level headed as possible and getting on with sorting practicalities - she says herself she feels like she's been a single parent for the last 12 months with all decisions and household running being left to her. My BIL recent behaviour leads me to think he is going through a breakdown.
She has plenty to concern herself with sorting out finances etc, but when we saw her on Sunday she was really concerned how her 6 year old will take it - he is a very sensitive boy, but probably not old enough to fully understand.
She's going to need help and support over the coming months (financial and emotional) to come to terms with what's happened and try and lead a normal life - does anyone know of any good resources for advice on dealing with the situation?
Me and my sister aren't that close, but as her big brother I feel her and her son need looking after!
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I have no experience of this situation, but I do recall many years ago listening to a talk by someone from Gingerbread. This is an organisation for single parent families and feel sure they could be a mine of useful information for your sister.
--
Roger
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
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Mmm difficult one. Th family home needs protecting above all else at this stage including Mortgage payments etc. All Insurances need to be maintained especially anything linked to Mortgages, likewise she has to ensure the creditworthiness of the family. If BiL is having a breakdown make sure that all financial imperatives are looked after as these are either usually the cause or are effected by mental software issue. There are too many what why and wheres here to offer any other advice. Also if BiL perceives the faliure to be hers he could cause major difficulites with everything including the newspaper bill. Time for straight talking and close examination of matters fiscal. Money isn't everything but if the household budget unwinds that can make a bad situation a 100 imes worse !
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Mmm difficult one. The family home needs protecting above all else at this stage including Mortgage payments etc. All Insurances need to be maintained especially anything linked to Mortgages, likewise she has to ensure the creditworthiness of the family. If BiL is having a breakdown make sure that all financial imperatives are looked after as these are either usually the cause or are effected by mental software issue. There are too many what why and wheres here to offer any other advice. Also if BiL perceives the failure to be hers he could cause major difficulites with everything including the newspaper bill. Time for straight talking and close examination of matters fiscal. Money isn't everything but if the household budget unwinds that can make a bad situation a 100 times worse !
YOU PUGUG'' have just risen 10 fold in my estimation. (You wern't low before.) That is actually the most sensible, unemotional piece of advice I have ever heard on here.
V V BR.....Martin Devon.
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I think that you think right. Nuff said?!
MD
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Its common place these days. We remain friends with a large rump of my sons schoolmates ( all stem from the various toddler groups and NCT etc) and i would say 40% of them have split, Its no stigma at school anymore, children frequntly expect parents to break up these days, and to be honest most use it to their advantage
6 is young tho, make sure the father gets, and more importantly takes up all the access possible, to ensure the boy does not feel deserted.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I used to do a lot of wedding photography in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I reckoned, on average, that around one-third of the couples I photographed enjoying the biggest day of their lives were divorced around five years or so later.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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"6 is young tho, make sure the father gets, and more importantly takes up all the access possible, to ensure the boy does not feel deserted"
His dad is looking at renting a house nearby, but with his current state of mind he barely spends any time with him anyway and when he does he has little patience with him. We noticed at Christmas that dad refused to play any of his new games with him and setting up the train set had to wait until last month when mum had time to do it.
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She should go and get a really, really good lawyer. She should enforce every right she can imagine and then some. She should try to gain control of as much money, property and investment as she can.
If she says she wants to remain "good friends" then fine, go and get a judge to award you all the money and then give the ex back his 50% or whatever if you want to.
What she needs is control of her life. She will get that by getting control of all material goods and then using that wisely and fairly.
He will be more attentive to his responsibilities and children if he has to. And much as he might be promising to be nice, respectful, fair and to do all he should, that will fade with time - unless she has her hands on every string going.
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Further to the excellent advice already given, she should very quickly make an appointment with her son's head teacher so the school are aware - it would be the last straw for him if he was reprimanded for some behaviour at school which was a reaction to what was going on at home. Ditto other groups he attends ie beavers. Disruption at home for any reason has a strange effect on children - often they don't show fears at home as they know parent has enough worries, so troubles appear elsewhere.
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I have several friends who divorced with young children. Quite simply, where the parents behaved badly to each other, so the children were badly behaved and clearly suffering mental pain, which came out as unacceptable or immature behavior, even in young children.
In one case, the mother is still fighting (unnecessarily in my opinion) with the father nine years later. The father never sees his son (who clearly needs a gentle but firm father, but is denied access) and his daughters, who he sees reasonably frequently, are better behaved, but one suffered until 11 years old with bedwetting.
Another family had similar problems, but then the mother suddenly decided life was too short and now the ex-husband and wife and respective new spouses with whom they have had more children, communicate and interact like adults and the relevant child is similarly better behaved.
So, whilst your sister should seek good legal advice, it does no harm at all, if matters can be settled amicably without interference by lawyers who frequently make their clients more aggressive towards the ex, to increase their role and make more money (and I speak as a professional who has witnessed this).
Certainly access to the father must not be restricted, as it will cause pain and suffering, unless the father is clerly totally unwilling to share even a small amount of the childcare (say one night per week at Dad's?)
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"lawyers who frequently make their clients more aggressive "
I was too polite to mention it - but Mark said "find a good lawyer" there are plenty of very experienced family lawyers around who don't need to advertise their services. Word of mouth is enough.....
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If I can add my two penneth worth having been through a divorce recently but luckily with no children involved. It is a painful process with a lot of emotions involved and an overwhelming sense of all those wasted years. You have to be determined to be future focussed. I was absolutely skint due to my wife's overspending and couldn't hire the best family solicitor in the area as Mark advised. It just doesn't work like that for most people.
I found using a mediation service was a good way of sorting out the financial side of things in a calm non judgemental way and far cheaper than solicitors letters going to and fro until a judge has to rule. As PU said, keeping payments up to date on everything in the meantime, like I did, avoids a hideous mess with bad credit ratings to contend with when starting out again.
Here are some useful links where I found all sorts of useful information:
www.relate.org.uk/ It may not be too late and matters could be resolved
www.nfm.org.uk/ For mediation advice, there may be a local mediation service as well in your area
www.courtservice.gov.uk/ This give you all the forms and advice leaflets that the courts use.
Hope the above helps.
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My Daughters best friend went through the same procedure. Her husband was a business man who had assets as far away as Eastern Europe and much of this wasnt even known to anyone but himself.
The best advice she got from the bank where she worked was not to employ a solicitor from our small town as they would be out their depth and were only suitable for selling your house or giving extenuating circumstances for the local scumbags.
A divorce lawyer from a 20 mile away City was recommended and it didnt half pay dividends.
If it wasn't for him she would have been left with next to nothing. But this man by sheer persistence, threats and skill made sure that every assett was unearthed and she is now comfortable.
Use a good divorce lawyer it could save her money...
Hope it turns out well for your sister. This seems to happen so frequently nowadays. My neighbour (a Policeman) and his wife came back from holiday a little while ago. The next day he left her for another woman and it had been planned (unknown to the wife of course) before they went away. The mind boggles....
Family and friends support is so important when these things happen.
wemyss
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Through experience I say please try mediation first. There are plenty of good lawyers out there but unfortunately plenty of rubbish ones too though I'm sure none post on here ;-).
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Mrs AW asked me to leave almost 4 years ago, and to be honest leaving was the best thing I could do, both for me and my boys. I still see them (now 11 and 6) 2 or 3 days a week, and they stay with me often. There was no money to split up (we are both skint!) so we have only the boys welfare to concentrate on. I mean what is better:
Option 1. Parents are together, shouting, screaming and fighting all day, sleeping in separate rooms.
Option 2. Parents are apart but seen regularly. Civil relations on both sides, two homes for the boys if they want them.
It seems to work for us anyway.
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If you were viewing a house would you want to look inside all built-in cupboards and wardrobes and integral appliances?
--
L\'escargot.
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Probably on a second or third visit if I was serious. Estae Agents know th bounderies.....I wouldn;t first time round.
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with PU on that. On second visit if serious buyer.
The reason for the built in wardrobes look is to check for damp & condensation.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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>>The reason for the built in wardrobes look is to check for damp & condensation.
Or in my case I found they were very badly fitted and wobbled. Still bought the house, but at a lower price - as I planned to rip them out. Ripped them out the day after moving in!
--
Roger
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
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On a first visit I do not think it unreasonable to have a quick peek inside a couple of cupboards, but a more detailed look should be reserved until another day.
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I've seen some major bodges behind many a good exterior - so yes, before making an offer, check the expensive bits - kitchen, bathroom, and such as you can see of the plumbing. I've recently stripped right back about 30% of my house, to find what I expected to see - total mayhem in the wiring, and some fairly iffy plumbing, and some really poor structural work. I was expecting it, as I'd seen the poor quality of other work done, but I'd be sad if I thought I'd bought a pearl. Remedial work by electricians and plumbers will be expensive, and you then have to re-finish, so it could get very expensive.
Some of the worst work I've seen recently is on new builds. The NHBC are going to be busy for years to come.
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Some of the worst work I've seen recently is on new builds. The NHBC are going to be busy for years to come.
NHBC...=...No house built correctly.....been saying it for years. They are a toothless Tiger pandering to the big boys. Pile of pants I say.
MD.
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Very true Martin. On new houses there is no Clerk of Works peering down cavities as they are built to ensure no fangs of mortar left. Nobody to ensure that best practise in construction takes place or that building regs are adhered to.
Once tried to get them into action and their response was to go back to the builders whose own response was that I should go to to the NHBC.
Local Authority said it was not under their remit and their inspections only went as far as DPC level.
Builders who are nearly all subbies have nobody looking over their shoulders.
I imagine that the only good quality housing nowadays are one offs where the client employs his own C.O.W.
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BUT they all seem to take their fees nonetheless!!
MD
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Has anyone experience of these? As a devotee of hi-fi separates I am suspicious of these "all in one box" devices. The price seems to be about £450, for which one can get some good separates these days, although the space saving is attractive. And what is "wave form"?.
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You need to listen to a Bose system to fully appreciate it...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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They are often demonstrating / selling this on the QVC channel (usually appears at least once a month) where you can send it back after 30 days if you don't like it
Jon Bently didn't think much to it when tested on the Gadget Show. I've not heard it myself so can't comment.
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I'm also suspicious of anything that advertises as much as they do, and even more so when they offer l o n g credit terms. The Gadget Show tried one out recently and it didn't come out well. I can't remember what the opposition was but it may be on the web site. You'd be better going with Cambridge Audio, NAD, Rotel and the like.
JH
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For the huge money IMO they are a joke.
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Go to Richer Sounds and get separates.
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Had seperates (still in the loft) needed more space when daughter arrived - bought a Bose Soundwave which sits on top of the TV and fills the room with sound just as well as my seperates sytem did. For the size of the unit and especially the speakers the sound is remarkable.
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Forgot to mention Bose outlets often have 'factory refreshed' systems for less than £400.
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For what it is worth and I suspect NOTHING, I am suitably impressed by the quality of the sound from my Toshiba laptop. Amazed in fact, but I don't s'pose it will last.
MD
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My wife bought a Bose wave radio a couple of years ago for the kitchen,we chose it more for it's appearance than sound quality and it does look good on black granite so she's pleased. The sound is very good but you can do much, much better for the money. Their aftersales service is excellent though, ours developed a fault just inside the 2 year guarantee period, a courier collected it the next day and a new one arrived within a week.
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Our kitchen sports a Denon D-M31 (tinyurl.com/yp2axz ) compact system to which we have added an Acoustic Energy WiFi internet radio (tinyurl.com/ydzvva ) predominately for my wife to listen to her favourite Czech stations. Whilst the sound isn't as breathtaking as the audiophile's kit in the lounge and it takes the higher stream rates for internet radio to rival FM, it is tight, controlled, and happily fills the 6 metre by 5.5 metre kitchen. Very happy and highly recommended.
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