Innholdsfortegnelse for Sep-13 i Home Theater

At any given moment, our crew at Home Theater is usually working on six to eight test reports among various staffers. Of those, perhaps two or three products might be the “latest and greatest” while the rest falls more into the bread-and-butter category—another $600 or $1,000 receiver, maybe another bookshelf speaker system. As I looked over the table of contents for this issue, I was indeed struck by how conventional the mix appears to be. And yet, as I dug a bit deeper, I came to see how well this issue represents new technology trends that have come to define the audio/video space, circa 2013. Let’s start with our cover story on the Scandinavian-designed Opalum on-wall speakers. These are not like any other speaker system we’ve ever tested. Putting aside…

Gibson Guitar and Teac are now yoked with the home of the Les Paul, taking a 54.6-percent stake in the Japanese electronics brand and its Esoteric and Tascam subbrands. Gibson already owns a 51 percent stake in Onkyo USA... Aereo Cloud DVR Pricing has been reduced from five tiers to two, axing the one-day and full-year plans. $8 buys you 20 hours per month and records one channel at a time, while $12 buys 60 hours and records on two channels at once... Netflix’s Share of Internet Traffic in North America declined for the first time, dropping from 33 percent in November to 32.25 percent in early 2013. But YouTube’s star is rising, from 13.8 percent to 17.11 percent in the same period... Toshiba TVs are getting DivX Plus Streaming…

A home theater display is more riveting and safer to operate than any mobile screen, yet tech pundits are abuzz over Glass, Google’s high-tech eyewear. Indeed, the spectacles’ first-generation specifications are compelling. Glass includes a 5-megapixel camera and 720p video recorder. Audio is delivered through a bone conduction transducer. The frame contains 16 gigabytes of flash memory, and it embeds both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Glass can operate for a full day on a single battery charge, and it comes with a micro USB cable and charger. Intriguingly, there’s a tiny square display in the upper right corner that the wearer perceives as a 25-inch high-definition screen 8 feet away. With Glass ($1,500) targeted initially at developers, the digital wags have been lobbing a frenzy of desires and prejudices onto…

Longtime Amazon customers may already be surprised to find CD purchases from years and years ago appearing in their Amazon Cloud Players. Their eyebrows are set to move even higher now that Amazon is extending the courtesy to LP purchases. Buy an AutoRip-eligible disc—analog or digital—from the online retailer, boot up the Cloud Player, and there it is. If your computer or tablet of choice lacks a disc drive, as increasingly many do, you’re also free to download a free 256-kbps AutoRipped copy. The feature is available to U.S. customers only, for titles displaying the AutoRip logo.…

PRICE: $7,000 AT A GLANCE: Four times the native resolution of standard HD • Advanced color technology • State-of-the-art 3D Sony XBR-65X900A 3D LCD Ultra HDTV Sony XBR-65X9000A 3D LCD Ultra HDTV 2D PERFORMANCE 4.0/5.0 3D PERFORMANCE 5.0/5.0 FEATURES 4.0/5.0 ERGONOMICS 4.5/5.0 VALUE 3.5/5.0 With the introduction of its new 2013 XBR sets, Sony has shown that it’s serious about bringing Ultra HD, popularly referred to as 4K, to consumers at prices that, while still high, are less seizure-inducing than the $25,000 sticker on its 84-inch XBR-84X900 (Home Theater, June 2013). Technically, 4K is shorthand for a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels—the professional 4K format. Consumer 4K sets, on the other hand, have a resolution of 3840 x 2160, exactly four times the pixel count of full HD 1080p.…

PRICE: $3,348 AT A GLANCE: Distinctive enclosure shapes • Strong build quality • Satisfying, balanced sound SVS Ultra Speaker System PERFORMANCE 5.0/5.0 BUILD QUALITY 5.0/5.0 VALUE 5.0/5.0 The debut of the SVS Ultra speaker line prompts me to reconsider a question that’s been lurking at the back of my mind for years: Is SVS one of the great American speaker brands? As a company founded in Ohio and initially operated out of a garage, SVS has all the right narrative elements of a great speaker brand. The company has built a reputation for making brilliantly unorthodox subwoofers and pretty good speakers—versus the scads of respectable brands that put most of their brilliance into speakers and treat subs as an afterthought. In the past few years, the story has added a…

Despite some price overlap, Pioneer’s two receiver lines hew to different sets of values. Its Elite line offers more custom-install features, comes with a two-year warranty, and is sold through different distribution, primarily brick-and-mortar stores. The just-plain-Pioneer line, on the other hand, has more features per buck, offers a one-year warranty, and is sold both in stores and online. Scrutinize both lines closely, and you’ll find several cheap-and-cheerful-Pioneer models that are close equivalents of higher-priced Elite models. The just-call-me-Pioneer VSX-1123 ($600), reviewed here, has the same rated power and nearly all the same features as the Elite VSX-70 ($700)—including some brand-new features that will interest the smartphone-centric. If a price differential of more than a hundred bucks looks large in your household budget, read on. Woof Woof The VSX-1123 is…

STILL FEELING THE NEED FOR SPEED I was a senior in high school when Top Gun came out in 1986. After that, every guy in my class, including myself, wanted to be Tom Cruise. He just epitomized coolness in a way that transcended even his iconic turn in Risky Business. Our Navy recruitment officer was extremely happy that year because enlistment was at an all-time high. No, they didn’t ensnare me, thankfully. My admiration for Mr. Cruise and this film went only as far as the box office and not swabbing decks on some aircraft carrier. But I remember we drove an extra 20 miles out of our way to see Top Gun at a brand-new theater that was the first in the state equipped for THX sound. And it…

IF YOU’RE RICH, WHITE, AND GOOD LOOKING You know that old saying, “Life begins after 40”? Well, it’s true. That’s because it’s the exact moment when you become aware of your own mortality. In your twenties and thirties, you’re still technically invincible as far as you’re concerned and blissfully naive, but when 40 hits, it’s “Holy crap, I’m gonna die!” Suddenly you’re on numerous prescription medications and seeing far more of your doctor than you’d like; proctology exams, mammograms, prostate checks, pap smears, the works. Yessiree, that’s when you really start to appreciate your life and where it’s going—when every orifice on your body is being probed and prodded by the most sadistically invasive physicians your HMO will provide. This is your midlife crisis, and welcome to it. In This…

Visions of the Zenith (yes, Zenith) hi-fi console in the living room of my childhood home filled my head when I saw the Modern Record Console (MRC). The Zenith was simple in design with an AM/FM tuner and turntable under the lift-up top of a luxurious walnut cabinet with louvered speaker grilles. My parents listened to Herb Alpert and Dionne Warwick while I obsessed over Abbey Road, the album that launched my LP collection. My parents tolerated it—maybe even secretly liked it. Ah, but I digress… The brainchild of Blake Tovin and Matt Richmond, the MRC is a sophisticated update of the classic hi-fi console that is handcrafted at Symbol Audio, the company Tovin founded in 2012. But this is not your (or my) father’s console. With a price tag…

WE WELCOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. E-mail them to editor@hometheater.com. Please note: Be sure to check the FAQ page on our Website (HomeTheater.com) to see if we’ve already answered any questions you might have. Questions about the features and functions of a particular product are best directed to the manufacturer. Questions about what product you should buy are best directed to a dealer who knows all the details of your system, your preferences, and your personal habits. All submissions are considered the exclusive property of Home Theater magazine and Source Interlink Media. Due to the volume of mail that we receive, we regret that we cannot respond to every letter. Sitting 3D Pretty I am totally confused with attempting to find out the proper viewing distance for 3D TVs. For my…

Some people revel in the process of executing every single step in the home theater build process, painstakingly picking out color swatches and test-driving cup holders. And then there are those who have their eye on the prize: kicking back and enjoying their favorite flicks. First Impressions Theme Theatres is in the business of helping the latter group with its complete architectural and interior design-engineering services for dedicated personal cinemas. Its services include end-to-end building, shipping, and installation projects. The company handles all woodwork, upholstery, seating, and special effects packaged into a comprehensive, performance-based contract. “First Impressions Theme Theatres is a duly registered practicing architectural firm in the state of Florida with NCARB certification to work in other states and the only player in our niche industry with these credentials,”…

To WiDi For Price: $70 At a Glance: Mirrors or extends PC desktop using WiDi USB connection and micro SD card slot DLNA certified for streaming of home media libraries Flingo App adds dozens of niche video channels “What’s the best way to connect my PC to my TV?” is a question I am frequently asked. While many TVs have PC connections and many laptops have HDMI outputs, there’s still the issue of controlling the computer while sitting on the couch. The NTV-300SL (aka the NeoTV 300 Max) is a great, relatively inexpensive solution that lets you keep your laptop in your lap. The NeoTV might have blended in with other media streamers had it not been for its unique ability to mirror your laptop to your TV. Netgear’s newest…

WREN SOUND V5AP/PF WIRELESS AUDIO SYSTEM Why mess with wires when you can wirelessly stream music from your smartphone or tablet? Wren Sound’s distinctively shaped V5 wireless music system is available in Apple AirPlay (V5AP) and Android Play-Fi (V5PF) versions, the latter of which is designed for devices based on Android 2.2 and higher; a Bluetooth model is also in the works. A D2 Audio 2 x 25-watt amplifier, which draws on signal processing to minimize distortion and boost bass, powers a pair of wide-dispersion tweeters and two 3-inch woofers. Built to Last: The bass-reflex cabinet rests on vibration-absorbing silicone pads and is made of half-inch-thick fiberboard that’s internally braced to prevent resonance. Bamboo and rosewood wood veneer finishes are available. Price: $399 Wren Sound Systems • (855) 438-9736 •…

PRICE: $3,900 (Panorama 2, $2,200; PV1D, $1,700) AT A GLANCE: Three HDMI inputs • Nautilus tube-loaded aluminum dome tweeter • Disappointing egg-shaped remote AUDIO PERFORMANCE 5.0/5.0 VIDEO PERFORMANCE 5.0/5.0 FEATURES 5.0/5.0 ERGONOMICS 4.0/5.0 VALUE 4.0/5.0 There are some things that absolutely ooze sophistication and class—products that, even if you don’t happen to be interested in or have much knowledge of that particular sort of thing—can spontaneously elicit a feeling of admiration. For example, I’m not a big fan of high-end analog watches, yet I can’t help but respect the craftsmanship and attention to detail of a Tourneau or TAG Heuer sitting in a jewelry store’s display case. Ditto the “whatever” sentiment for automobiles. As long as it reliably gets me from where I am to where I want to be…

PRICE: $4,747 as reviewed ($2,499/pair) AT A GLANCE: Transmits digital audio and power over 18-gauge wire • 24-volt DC low-voltage wiring • Can be used vertically or horizontally Opalum Flow.1010 On-Wall Speaker System PERFORMANCE 4.5/5.0 BUILD QUALITY 4.0/5.0 VALUE 4.0/5.0 I worked at an A/V shop back in the Middle Ages when customers actually drove to a local store and spoke with a salesperson face to face about the gear they were interested in. Every now and then during that golden era, a speaker manufacturer would come along with the “revolutionary” idea of building an amplifier(s) into a speaker. With all the benefits that came with such a design, it seemed like such a no-brainer. For example, the amplifier topology could be ideally engineered to work with the speaker’s specific…

In early November 1979, a mob of hostile Iranian extremists stormed the U.S. embassy and took 52 American hostages and held them captive for 444 days. Seconds before the Iranians seized control of the embassy, six American officials managed to escape and find refuge at the residence of a Canadian ambassador. When the absence of the six Americans is discovered, an intense search for them ensues. Once found, they will almost certainly be executed publicly as spies. Enter CIA operative Tony Mendez. The task of hatching a rescue plan falls to him, but all of their best options run from highly improbable to next to impossible, and the odds for success are even less likely. But Mendez devises a Hail Mary pass of a plan to get them out. The…

GAME CHANGER Ralph plays the bad guy in the decades-old video game Fix-It Felix, Jr. Each time the game is reset, he trashes the high-rise apartment building that serves as the game’s main setting, only to have Felix instantly repair the damage. It’s a living, but Ralph lives alone in a junk pile, the other characters in the game want nothing to do with him, and he finds relief only in a Bad-Anon support group. As another member of that group argues, he may be a bad guy, but he isn’t a bad guy. If he can just earn a Hero medal, however, Ralph is sure he can get respect. But he knows this will never happen in Fix-It Felix, Jr. So he heads for Game Central Station, where all…

WHEN MUSICALS GOT SERIOUS Four of the 10 Best Picture winners of the ’60s were musicals, but as Hollywood transitioned to a post–Easy Rider era, they had to make even song-and-dance extravaganzas more relevant. And so in 1972, Cabaret redefined what a movie musical could be. Drastically, brilliantly reworked from the hit stage play, it recounts the often-sordid lives and loves of a few pretty young men and women against the backdrop of Berlin, 1931. A serious-minded Brit (Michael York) enters the Bohemian scene, with free-spirited nightclub singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) as his guide, and they share love and lovers and provide shoulders for their lovelorn friends to cry on. That an entire movie set in pre–World War II Germany would make such melodrama the focal point—while the ranks…

The Welsh company REL Acoustics has been specializing in subwoofers for more than two decades and likes to do things a bit differently. In particular, REL believes a subwoofer must be connected to the main amplifier’s high-level inputs to make sure it receives the same signal as the main speakers—the company even provides a special cable to make the high-level connection. (See Darryl Wilkinson’s April 2012 review of REL’s R-328 for more on the hookup.) In a bold departure from the conventional boxy subwoofer, the Habitat1 is designed for inconspicuously mounting on a wall or, as designer John Hunter puts it, “to bridge the gap between the high-performance enthusiast and the customer who simply wants great performance without having to sacrifice style or even space.” To ensure a clean installation…

Price: $449 At a Glance: Stellar build quality • Folds up into a compact bundle AKG K267 Tiësto Headhone PERFORMANCE 4.0/5.0 BUILD QUALITY 3.0/5.0 COMFORT 3.5/5.0 VALUE 3.5/5.0 AKG credits producer, recording artist, and DJ Tiësto (Tijs Michiel Verwest) with the sound tuning of the headphones that bear his name, and that’s cool, but I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that’s not necessarily a good thing. I haven’t been swayed by any celebrity ’phones, but I try to approach every review with an open mind, and by first judging their look and feel, the K267 Tiësto doesn’t give off any overt DJ vibes. As soon as I started listening, I relaxed. It didn’t sound like a DJ headphone; there’s no pumped-up bass or zippy highs. The K267 Tiësto sounds, above…

Remember the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)? They’re the folks who spent years hammering out the digital broadcast television standard that has brought high def and standard def to antenna-loving TV addicts around the nation. Now the standard-setting body is seeking proposals to replace the core transmission system for ATSC broadcasting. The ATSC 3.0 standard will use the latest in compression and transmission technologies to accommodate ultra-def video, mobile video reception, and greater efficiency in spectrum use. The process is just getting under way with a call for proposals, and several years will probably pass before the new standard emerges in final form.…

When it comes to home theater, there’s the gear that we enthusiasts like to obsess over, and then there’s everything else: racks, cabinets, stands, mounts, seating, you name it. Beyond a perfectly calibrated TV and multi-speaker sound system, it’s the “everything else” that distinguishes a truly fine setup from one that’s just OK. So take a look around and ask yourself: What can I do to take my theater space to the next level? If you happen to be making plans for an entertainment space, even better. To help get the creative juices flowing, we’ve rounded up 10 products for your consideration—some distinctive, some just plain practical. We want to hear about your upgrade adventures, so drop us a line. Put Your Speakers on a Pedestal Sometimes the best option…

PRICE: $3,150 AT A GLANCE: Crisp, detailed picture • Superb color performance • Near reference-quality blacks and shadow detail Samsung PN60F8500 3D Plasma HDTV 2D PERFORMANCE 4.5/5.0 3D PERFORMANCE 4.0/5.0 FEATURES 4.5/5.0 ERGONOMICS 4.5/5.0 VALUE 4.5/5.0 When Samsung launched its new line of plasma HDTVs at last January’s CES, we were impressed. Those early demos indicated improved black levels and overall good performance. We were surprised to find later that the prices, though not exactly “Attention, K-Mart shoppers!” specials, aren’t Beverly Hills exclusives, either. From what we see here, these new Samsung plasmas, while unlikely to alter the market dominance of LCD, are welcome additions to the battle. Description Samsung’s 60-inch PN60F8500 is one of three models in the company’s 8500 flagship plasma line. There are also 51-inch and 64-inch…

Samsung BD-F5900 Blu-ray 3D Player PERFORMANCE 4.0/5.0 FEATURES 4.5/5.0 ERGONOMICS 3.0/5.0 VALUE 4.0/5.0 Every year a new generation of Blu-ray players hits the market from the major electronics manufacturers. While 3D was the last big advancement to hit the streets, the latest rage is 4K upconversion in the flagship players, but you won’t find that on the budget-friendly Samsung BD-F5900. What you will get for $150 is a 3D-capable player with a plethora of streaming options, a built-in Web browser, and Wi-Fi capability. With all these goodies, is there a reason to pay more for a Blu-ray player? Read on and see… Dainty One of the first things you sacrifice with a budget Blu-ray player is build quality. At 4 pounds, there are teacup Chihuahuas that outweigh this baby, but…

SCARING IS CARING James P. “Sulley” Sullivan is the pride of Monsters, Inc., the power company for Monstropolis. As Sulley and the other Monster scarers pass through doors leading into children’s bedrooms, the energy generated by kids’ screams is captured and stored. Sulley is the champion scarer, and Mike Wazowski is his coach, right-hand monster, and best pal. But the monsters are also terrified of the children, convinced that they’re toxic and deadly if touched. Things go terribly wrong when a toddler follows Sulley back through the door and into Monstropolis. Sound like a horror movie? Au contraire. Monsters, Inc. is exciting, hilarious, and surprisingly touching. Sulley names the little girl Boo and grows increasingly attached to her. But Mike (brilliantly voiced by Billy Crystal) is totally frustrated by the…

NO PIECE OF CAKE Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s “unfilmable” book is a hypnotic rumination on the nature of religion as a source of strength and inspiration but also exploring faith’s common tendency toward allegory as the means to an end. We meet a very spiritual college professor named Pi whose past comes alive in a series of flashbacks as he tells his story to a novelist eager to write his next book. Pi was once shipwrecked and lost at sea for 227 days, already a sufficiently fascinating tale, but to make the ordeal even more extraordinary, he had to share his predicament with a fully grown Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Their surprising relationship is masterfully dramatized in a series of indelible images, their odyssey recounted with an…

CHECK OUT THIS EXCLUSIVE LISTING OF OUR REVIEWERS’ RECOMMENDED GEAR FLAT PANELS ENTRY LEVEL Vizio E601i-A3 LCD HDTV, $1,000 Reviewed February/March 2013 Samsung PN51E550 3D Plasma HDTV, $1,200 Reviewed January 2013 Panasonic TC-P60ST60 3D Plasma HDTV, $1,700 Reviewed July/August 2013 MIDRANGE Sony KDL-55HX850 3D LCD HDTV, $2,600 Reviewed November 2012 SunBriteTV Model 4660 HD Outdoor LCD HDTV, $2,795 Reviewed July 2012 LG 55LM8600 3D LCD HDTV, $2,900 Reviewed February/March 2013 HIGH END Samsung PN60F8500 3D Plasma HDTV, $3,150 Reviewed September 2013 Sony KDL-55W900A 3D LCD HDTV, $3,300 Reviewed July/August 2013 Sony XBR-55HX950 3D LCD HDTV, $3,500 Reviewed February/March 2013 Panasonic TC-P65VT50 3D Plasma HDTV, $3,700 Reviewed October 2012 Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD 3D LCD HDTV, $6,000 Reviewed January 2012 Sony XBR-65X900A 3D LCD Ultra HDTV, $7,000 Reviewed September 2013 Samsung UN75ES9000…