Perhaps you noticed the phrase that has been touting, among other things, the Neil Young Archives/Performance Series: "Because Sound Matters." It refers to the fact that each CD+DVD title includes 96-kHz/24-bit "high-resolution...
In the August issue I initiated a “bold challenge” for you to prove to me that you had more music files than I did. Well I was quite impressed with the number of and the numbers in the responses. And I thought I liked music. Here’s the highlights, in ascending order.
Saw the last U.S. show of this first leg of the Police's '07/'08 tour at Giants Stadium last night. Having never caught them back during their heyday, this was a must-see gig. (Geez, did I really pay THAT MUCH [take a guess] for these tickets back...
Despite the fact that U.K. residents are among the world's steadiest CD buyers, apparently they're also among the world's most avid illegal downloaders.
For years, Onkyo has been known for decent, dependable gear – nothing super fancy, mind you, just good, respectable, hardworking stuff. That's not to say Onkyo's AV receivers are plain-Jane, stripped-down jobs, however. The company's newest introduction, the $599 TX-SR605, is a perfect illustration of how the opposite is true. Sure, it sports a faceplate that, after you get past the various logos and (thankfully removable) stickers splashed across it, is not much different – and often less exciting – than that which you'll find on any of a hundred other receivers. But, as the logos and marketing stickers attest, behind the average-looking façade lies a feature and performance package that should put the TX-SR605 on the short list of anyone who's currently in the market for a mid-priced AV receiver.
I've come to appreciate that, when it comes to evaluating speakers, first impressions count—big time. Immediate gut reactions typically run from, "I like them," to, "Yuck, turn them off." The latter tend to instantly put the kibosh on any prospective speaker purchase, but initial positive responses usually get revised as you hear different kinds of music and movies—something along the lines of, "Wow, the bass is amazing," or, "The imaging is spectacular." My first brush with Boston Acoustics' new Reference E Series E70 speakers took place at D&M Holdings' facility in Mahwah, New Jersey. (D&M is the parent company of Boston Acoustics, Denon, and Marantz, along with McIntosh, ReplayTV, Snell Acoustics, and a few other brands.) I saw and heard a lot of cool products that day, but I was instantly smitten with the E Series' transparent sound and sleek good looks. The E Series lineup includes the flagship E100 tower speakers ($2,500 each); two L/C/Rs, the E70 ($800 each) and E50 ($500 each); and two monitors, the E60 ($600 each) and E40 ($400 each).
Break out that dusty case of champagne. Get the kids together. Give them each a bottle. No, don't do that. But yell out the window to your neighbors. Call all of your relatives. Throw a few shrimp on the barbie. Make popcorn. Stack your favorite DVDs and CDs in neat piles next to the equipment rack. If you have symptoms lasting more than four hours, alert the media. Something momentous has happened. I have found my favorite budget speakers of all time.
Spending a lazy summer afternoon running wires around the room to hook up a 5.1-channel speaker system is not a favorite family activity. Polls have shown, in fact, that most consumers who buy home-theater-in-a-box systems never even hook up the surrounds. Or if they do, they put them up front, further apart than the left and right speakers! Of course, that doesn't apply to owners of more advanced systems. Or does it?
Yet another high profile series is hitting HD on a disc this October 30th- the entire blockbuster <I>Spider-Man></I> trilogy is hitting Blu-ray, day and date with the DVD release of <I>Spider-Man 3</I>. According to the press release, while <I>Spider-Man 3</I> will be available as a separate two-disc Blu-ray Special Edition, the first two films in the trilogy will only be available in the <I>Spider-Man High Definition Trilogy</I>, which will carry an MSRP of $99.
