Rating: 
Summary: Book is ok... recording seriously flawed
Review: A linguist myself, I have taught Spanish for years. I have no quarrel with the book part of the course. It does reasonably well what it sets out to do. As for the audio part of it, I like the voices of the speakers and their pronunciation, both the English and the Spanish. The Spanish pronunciation is clear, elegant. But -- and this is a critical flaw in the mechanics of the recording -- the speaker of the English text sounds about twice as loud as the speaker(s) of the Spanish text. If anything, it should be the other way around. As it is, if you up the volume so that you can hear the Spanish clearly, the English is uncomfortably loud; if you set the volume so that the English is comfortable, the Spanish can hardly be heard. I became aware of the course because my wife borrowed a copy of it from the local library. When she complained that the English was too loud and the Spanish too soft, I listened to it myself and could not but agree with her. Told her to return the course to the library and to try a different one. Pity of it... for the course itself is not bad. But the relatively low volume of the Spanish part all but defeats the purpose of it. It positivly irritates. I would not recommend the course to anyone....-Respectfully, A. Prechtl
Rating: 
Summary: Tape Audio Quality was Extremely Poor!
Review: All you do is pop the tape in the player in your car, and then repeat after the orator. This is a great way to maximize the efficiency of your learning. I just wish I had these tapes back while I was taking Spanish in a formal setting. Besides the 6 cassettes, the books provided also spell out everything spoken on the cassettes. This way there is no confusion of what is being told and what you are trying to pronounce. I have really increased my ability to understand spoken Spanish as well as increased my confidence to speak it myself. And I am not quite yet half way through. Remember, after going thru these tapes again and again, you get to keep them, meaning if you forget, you can just listen to them again! Makes learning a new language easy while at the same time not having to consume any more time. That is what I love best, the efficient use of my time.
Rating: 
Summary: Great way to make learning Spanish easy!
Review: All you do is pop the tape in the player in your car, and then repeat after the orator. This is a great way to maximize the efficiency of your learning. I just wish I had these tapes back while I was taking Spanish in a formal setting. Besides the 6 cassettes, the books provided also spell out everything spoken on the cassettes. This way there is no confusion of what is being told and what you are trying to pronounce. I have really increased my ability to understand spoken Spanish as well as increased my confidence to speak it myself. And I am not quite yet half way through. Remember, after going thru these tapes again and again, you get to keep them, meaning if you forget, you can just listen to them again! Makes learning a new language easy while at the same time not having to consume any more time. That is what I love best, the efficient use of my time.
Rating:
Summary: Lean while sitting in traffic
Review: Although I feel that the concept and lessons were good, the quality of male's voice wasn't clear enough for me. I found myself rewinding a lot to pick up the missing sentence or word. I also think that it could have been translated into Spanish a little slower for me even at my intermediate level. Once you hear the full enunciation of the word or words, you then with repition can speak and understand more fluently.
Rating:
Summary: Did Not Like
Review: Audio quality was poor, parts loud, parts barely audible. Boaring, like listening to someone read a dictonary. I purchased the Pimsleur series after this and liked it very much, no compairison, Pimsleur much much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent program with some reservations
Review: I bought this audiotape program based on the recommendations of other reviewers on amazon.com and I wanted to share my experience after using the program for several months. First, I began studying Spanish with NO prior knowledge or experience of the language. I began learning it due to a sudden influx of Latin-Americans into my area. All of the criticisms leveled by earlier reviewers are valid at some point in the program. I found a point where the volumn of the Spanish portion was too low. I also found a point in the second tape where the delivery is entirely too fast and some slightly inconsistent translations. However, these programs were limited to relatively small sections of the tape. This program requires basic familiarity with Spanish pronunciation and grammar. I had to back up for about a month and study pronunciation with a computer program (Success In Spanish by Syracuse Language, which is excellent for absolute beginners) and a workbook (Spanish the Easy Way by Barrons Language). However, once I had the very basics, I loved this audio program because it allowed me to use the several hours per day I spend in my car in my work for a useful purpose. I would listen to the program once while reading along with the book, and then I was able to rehearse in my car without difficulty. In summary, I believe this program serves it's purpose very effectively, and I would recommend it highly as A PART OF A LARGER PROGRAM OF STUDY.
Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent Pace & Delivery
Review: I have been using this series during a 45-mile commute. I have not learned Spanish before. I found the lesson delivery generally good but inconsistent. The volume level of English and Spanish phrases is sometimes different. The pacing of the Spanish phrases and rephrases are often too fast--not enough of a pause between the phrase and rephrase for the new learners. Enunciation needs to be reinforced by looking at text in the script books since it is often not clear enough on the tapes. I am going to look at other products.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Approach to Learning Spanish
Review: I have several Spanish learning tapes, but this is by far the best. I actually look forward to long commutes and traffic. Combined with some reading, and a lot of Spanish TV and radio, these tapes are making me more fluent. Muy bueno!
Rating:
Summary: The learn in your car method is great!
Review: I have several Spanish learning tapes, but this is by far the best. I actually look forward to long commutes and traffic. Combined with some reading, and a lot of Spanish TV and radio, these tapes are making me more fluent. Muy bueno!
Rating:
Summary: Audio problem fixed on CD version
Review: I ordered the CD version of this book, and the audio problem mentioned by A. Prechtl was fixed. This program is exactly what I wanted. A system that works just with the CD. Others I've tried require you to refer to a book, which is dangerous when you're driving.
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