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Description
A Beekeeper’s Life by Ed ColbyA collection of 60 essays written by Ed Colby taken from Bee Culture magazine written over the years. With a blend of humor and pathos, Colby shares not only his remarkable adventures with God's favorite insect but also reflects on friendship, love, death and the fickle winds of fate. His longtime editor at Bee Culture, Kim Flottum, has this to say of the Colby's Bee Culture column, this book and the author:"He's in the top three of who gets read
A collection of 60 essays written by Ed Colby taken from Bee Culture magazine written over the years.
With a blend of humor and pathos, Colby shares not only his remarkable adventures with God's favorite insect but also reflects on friendship, love, death and the fickle winds of fate.
His longtime editor at Bee Culture, Kim Flottum, has this to say of the Colby's Bee Culture column, this book and the author:"He's in the top three of who gets read every month. That's saying a lot. Let me give you some background on this guy. He started with bees in 1996, writing for the magazine in 2002. There are a lot of stories. Hundreds. Some of the best are here..."
"Like a lot of beekeepers, his little darlings have taken him a lot of places, Mexico, Ukraine, Cuba, even Medina to visit me. And he's done most of the things a lot of the bigger guys have done. Bees to almonds, selling splits, beeyards in odd and grand places...He's learned a lot of things the hard way. His dad told him to follow his heart, and Ed thinks because he did just that it's worked out OK for him. Most of the time anyway. His stories show a Beekeeper's Life worth knowing about."
This is a book sure to amuse and inform fans, beekeepers, people who love bees, and anyone else who enjoys good writing.
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4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 328 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Does exactly what I wanted, sounds perfect for the price.
Style: R-S202BL, Configuration: receiver only
I'm kind of an audiophile, really picky. I got this while on sale for $150 and I am really surprised with how good it sounds, it doesn't compare to the Niko amp I was using in the barn, but it powers my KX12 speakers really well, shakes the walls of the barn. I'll be taking those speakers inside for the winter along with the Niko amp and be using the YAMAHA NS-6490 speakers I bought at the same time as this. I'll be reviewing those speakers soon, they also surprised me.
The bluetooth connected easily.
I had to use a 3.5mm Aux to 2 RCA Adapter Audio Cable to connect my laptop to it. Some stereos come with a 3.5mm input, this doesn't, but neither did my Niko Beta 30 preamp, so no big deal, the adapter was less than $8.
The tuner is really good, I have this in my pole barn that is all metal, including the roof and 18 miles out of town yet it picks up several stations with the supplied antenna, my portable stereo doesn't pick up anything when in the barn.
The specs say it plays 10 Hz – 100 kHz, that seams a little much, the best ears can hear is up to 20kHz, and nothing you connect to it will go higher than 30 kHz, so why would this play up to 100? I use an equalizer to shape the sound and it does play to my satisfaction for the price, both sound quality and volume.
For the $150 I spent, this is a really good deal.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023
★★★★★ 4
Excellent, But I Returned It...
Style: R-S202BL, Configuration: receiver only
I have been a pro musician all of my life and have owned and still use a variety of high quality recording gear. It was time to simplify my setup for the benefit of others. Although my setup sounded great, it was too confusing for friends and family to use with my separate power and mixing console, etc. The solution was to buy a self contained stereo receiver that was easy for everyone to use. Being on a budget, and having owned a myriad of Yamaha instruments and audio gear over the years, I felt confident in buying this receiver without hearing it first.
The bang for the buck is great, and this could easily be a five star rating. I will avoid commenting on specs, etc., as those can be easily compared at anyone's leisure. The Bluetooth feature is very nice, as I am often streaming songs my band is covering and learning from my phone or iPad and it sure is convenient to connect wirelessly, and the sound is great, btw. Even better than a wired connection. Build quality is excellent. It's a fine device, no question.
Despite the many reasons for liking this receiver I returned it after several weeks of daily listening. Bottom line, in my opinion, I did not like the audio quality. Although it can produce more than enough volume to fill my 12' x 18' listening space, there was a lack of fullness and warmth to the sound. True, this receiver is certainly at entry level pricing, but my primary need was to obtain the best sounding 2-channel unit within my budget.
I have ordered the Onkyo TX-8020, which I believe will be a better sounding receiver for my needs. Although the Onkyo lacks Bluetooth, it does offer a separate subwoofer output (which is something I might add down the road), and has a built in phono preamp input, eliminating the need to purchase a separate turntable preamp should I have kept the Yamaha, as I own LPs.
A comment about wattage. The Yamaha claims 100w /channel, while the Onkyo, only 50w /channel. Power amp designs vary widely, as do power amp ratings and and measurements. For example, the guitar player in my classic rock band plays a 15 watt amp, and at a loud concert may get turned up to 3, with lots of headroom to spare. Google the subject if you're interested in learning more. I should mention that speakers vary widely in design and performance too, and it's possible the Yamaha will come alive and sound to my taste with other speakers.
I believe many people will really enjoy the Yamaha BL202. It's a fine receiver. Bottom line, if YOU like it, that's all that matters.
I will amend this review soon after I receive the Onkyo.
UPDATE 6-28-16: I received the Onkyo TX-8020. I like the amplifier better. To my ears, the bass is tighter, more defined and warmer. Mids and highs seem smoother, and the soundstage in well defined and natural. The overall sound is "fuller." Sound is subjective, and in the end your ears decide what you like to hear. The Yamaha sounded great too. Although I don't have Bluetooth with the Onkto, I can stream YouTube and my internet radio stations from my phone or iPad to my Roku player, which is connected to the Onkyo, so I will have somewhat similar wireless capability. There is a wireless add-on accessory to connect an IPad , iPod or iPhone that I may consider.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2016
★★★★★ 5
Great features and impressive quality for the price!
Style: R-S202BL, Configuration: receiver only
Got this for my classroom. Not an audiophile by any means and certainly didn't need the latest greatest features (along with accompanying higher cost). For what I paid, $150 on Amazon before sales tax, I'm very impressed with what it offers and can do. Installed it in my classroom today. Connected it to a pair of old Sony bookshelf speakers which I got around 10 years ago. Specifically got this receiver because the old Onkyo I previously used (still working even though it must be from 1980s or 1990s) was unable to handle audio input from my classroom desktop computer even though I had gotten an adapter cable that had a 3.5mm jack on one end and two RCA (red/white) plugs on the other end. Wanted to use the bookshelf speakers instead of the weak external speakers provided by school for whenever I would need audio during a lesson, video clips, etc. to be heard by students at the back of the classroom. After setting up this receiver and putting it through its paces, I am pleased with its overall performance.
I connected my classroom's desktop computer to the receiver using that adapter cable previously mentioned and this receiver had no problems at all picking up the signal and transmitting it to my bookshelf speakers. Tried out the radio tuner and was pleasantly surprised by both how clear the sound quality is for many local stations (compared to the Onkyo I had previously been using) and for even decoding signals from distant stations (I'm using a spare cheap external FM radio antenna, not the wire antenna provided with this unit) which the previous Onkyo receiver (and even my car radio) can't pick up clearly if at all.
The Bluetooth feature is nice. There's a cheaper version of this receiver without the Bluetooth feature but I decided that the extra $20 was worth it for providing additional possibilities. Had no problem pairing this receiver with my Nexus 6 smartphone. No problems streaming music from my smartphone to the receiver.
So far, I've only encountered one problem. I thought about docking one star off for this problem but in the end decided not to do so because the overall functionality and performance of the receiver isn't significantly impaired by this issue. When I first powered up this receiver (after making all the necessary audio connections to speakers and computer), I thought I might have had a defective unit because I couldn't hear anything even though the volume was clearly set at 40 (out of a 0-99 scale). After some trial and error, what I discovered was that any setting below 45 is practically impossible to hear coming out of my speakers. Once I cranked up the volume to 50-55, sound was clearly discernible to anyone near the speakers. From 55-65, sound fills up my entire classroom nicely. From 65-75, it gets loud in my classroom and when I walked out into the hallway (and then continued walking down the hallway) I could hear the sound clearly from several classrooms away. I can only imagine how loud it might be (and how far the sound may travel) if I cranked up the volume beyond 75. So, for all intents and practical purposes, the sound on this unit works but I'm essentially navigating between 45 (quiet) and 80 (really loud) instead of the full range of 0-99. Like I said, functionality and performance doesn't seem to be impaired by this discrepancy, so I ultimately decided not to knock off a star. Not sure if this issue is particular to the specific unit I received or a recurring pattern in more units beyond mine. Not a deal-breaker and not worth going through the hassle of a merchandise exchange since it gets the job done.
Looking forward to seeing how well this unit works out for this coming school year (and hopefully for many years beyond). If anything should arise to warrant editing this review, then I'll update as needed.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016
★★★★★ 5
200 Watts… More Like *2000 Watts!
Style: R-S202BL, Configuration: receiver only
This system is really nice and I mean it! Not a lot of information on this unit but what I can say is this system gets extremely loud to the point where you can lose your hearing from it. There is no distortion from this system even at max volume. I like music loud but this loud is on the next level and this is coming from a guy who has a lot of audio equipment and experience in the audio and FM broadcast industry! The nice thing is FM sounds wonderful on this unit. FM radio sensitivity is just wonderful like a high end receiver or like a good car FM radio. The wire provided to get radio reception wasn’t the best but a good tip is to put the wire next to the speaker wires to act like a ground plane but I highly recommend to get a good FM radio antenna that goes on your roof of your house for superior reception. AND no, the speaker wires don’t interfere with reception!!!
I was skeptical due to the lack of information on this Yamaha, but I took that risk. I always knew Yamaha always been a very premium brand for audio and receivers but then you watch videos online about this unit they hate on it for being a cheap system when this isn’t true. This unit is for someone who wants a: Basic Semi Audiophile Stereo (Left and Right Sound) FM Radio, Line In or CD Playback, if you buy the cd reader separate. The video I provide is this stereo shaking my cheap old school 80s 8 inch bookshelf speakers.
The only con is no sub out port.
Irrelevant information starts here:
The setup you see in the video is only temporary as we are remodeling the house and garage this stereo is currently in. Are new house is being currently being built in the country and after are new garage is built I’ll be putting this stereo in there and be setting this up with 2 outdoor Yamaha AW-350s on our back deck by the fire pit and the 2 old school 80s speakers in the garage. (Also a FM antenna mast for extreme FM radio reception.) The idea is the backyard would have good audio for music and are front yard would also get some good ported sound from the garage. Overall me and my family spends a lot of time outdoors no phones and little to no internet time just hanging out listening to music. The reason I am sharing this is because this is what I see a unit like this being used for.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2025
★★★★★ 1
Weak, Flat, Tinny Sound
Style: R-S202BL, Configuration: receiver only
My Insignia NS-STR514 suddenly died after a year of glorious sound (device still turned on, switch inputs, etc, just no sound), and I had to find another stereo receiver to replace it. Yamaha seemed to be a pretty popular brand, especially among musicians and home theater enthusiasts, so I figured I couldn't go wrong. Wrong.
From the minute I hooked this receiver up I noticed a significant drop in power, range, and overall quality. This device is advertised as having the same 100w of power per channel, so this is really surprising for a major brand. I used to have to turn the Insignia up to 20, but this device has to be turned up to 44 to get the same loudness. When you do get this device cranked up enough to hear something, the sound is very flat. There's no other way to describe it. There's no range. Even if bass cranked to max you can barely hear it. The treble is weak, flat, and distorts at high volume. This device is literally making my stereo speakers that cost $300.00 each sound like a boom box from the 90's. I was considering upgrading my turntable to a higher quality one, but now, what's the point?
On the flip side, the sound is clean, crisp. But man oh man is it flat. These days I mostly listen to music on high grade headphones and watch movies and streaming on my projector so it's not a huge loss (high fidelity sound on video games and movies isn't a huge deal to me), but don't buy this for your entry-level audiophile needs. There's got to be better options out there than this. The weak bass especially is unforgivable.
*Update 04/25/17*
My wife finally grew so tired of this piece of junk that I got rid of it and bought another Insignia Stereo Receiver. Unreliable as it is (dead after 2 years) it's still better than this garbage.
The bass response is absolutely horrible, and the neighbors started complaining about the "booming". That's pretty much the only bass you get from this device. A loud, cheap-sounding thumping. The frequency response of this device is so poor, and the sound so thin and tinny, that even my wife couldn't stand it! Do yourself a favor and avoid this one.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2017