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AV Receiver Reviews
Pioneer Elite VSX-52 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 05, 2011

Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $900 At A Glance: Elite build quality • AirPlay, control app, iDevice USB • Great sound for under $1,000

Do you prefer wine sold in a box or in a bottle? Boxed wine does have its advantages: It’s available in a greater variety of package sizes, it’s easier to carry to a picnic, and the lighter packaging reduces manufacturing cost, shipping cost, and carbon emissions. Yet most oenophiles prefer bottled wine for quality and selection. One is more practical, the other more aspirational. In theory, boxed wine can be as good as bottled wine—and here, as the knowledgeable oenophile is aware, our metaphor is in danger of breaking down over warring factors such as oxidation and shelf life. But in reality, the best wine producers and their most discerning and passionate customers prefer the bottle.

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Tower Speaker Reviews
Review: Magnepan Mini Maggie
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Dec 05, 2011

“This is the worst listening room I’ve ever heard,” Magnepan’s Wendell Diller said, half joking. It might have been less than half.

Honestly, I couldn’t disagree. We were sitting in my office, facing my computer and a newly setup Mini Maggie system. I don’t review speakers in my office, for good reason. It’s basically a cube with mostly bare walls: one of the worst acoustic environments possible.

And with any speaker — especially a planar magnetic speaker — the room is a huge part of the deal. So began my quest for a better room, better sound, and the perfect setup.

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Vote
Does Power Consumption Influence Which TV You Buy?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 02, 2011
Yesterday, Tom Norton posted a blog about how much power is consumed by plasmas and LED LCD TVs, and the difference is staggering. With TVs of similar size, the plasmas he measured consumed more power on average than the LED LCDs by roughly a factor of 5!

In general, plasmas carry a lower price tag than LED LCDs of comparable size. But if plasmas consume five times as much power, they cost five times as much to operate, so those initial savings can easily be wiped out and then some over years of use. Then there's the whole "green" argument, which I won't get into here.

Is power consumption of concern to you? Does it factor into your TV buying decision?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Does Power Consumption Influence Which TV You Buy?
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Ask S&V
Replacing CRT RPTV with Flat Panel
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 02, 2011
I currently have a Sony KP-51HW40 51-inch CRT rear-projection HDTV. I find the picture quality stunning, with great contrast and solid blacks. Since it is a CRT-based display, I believe the black levels are better than most plasma sets. Is this correct? I ask because I'm thinking of upgrading to a 60-inch plasma, most likely the Panasonic TC-P60S30. I see from your review of the TC-P50S30 that it has what you call "reasonably good blacks" at 0.009fL. Is this black level much inferior (less black) compared with my Sony CRT? I am afraid of buying the Panasonic and having poorer blacks than what I am used to, because black level is very important to me. I am also curious about how the overall picture quality compares between both sets.

Daniel Hebert

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Tech2
What's a Winner?
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Dec 02, 2011

I need your help. Maybe you can explain something to me.

Why do we need winners? I'm not talking about sports and such; I mean with A/V gear, movies, video games, etc. How many articles and forum posts have you seen that proclaim one object the winner over another?

What is behind this desire to declare a winner when there's no competition being fought?

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Wireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Creative Labs ZiiSound D5x Wireless Speaker and DSx Subwoofer
Michael Berk  |  Dec 01, 2011

High-quality Bluetooth audio? I know what you're thinking.

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A/V Veteran
Watt's Up, Doc?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 01, 2011
In response to my review of the new 60-inch Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD LED-backlit LCD TV, a question arose in the online comments as to the power it consumes relative to the 60-inch Pioneer Elite PRO-141FD Kuro plasma I compared it to. The answer surprised me.
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Music Reviews
Slacker Radio: Giving Streaming Music a Human Face
Michael Berk  |  Dec 01, 2011

Love radio? Tired of Internet radio's algorithmic bent, and long for the days when a flesh and blood DJ put a lifetime of obsession into picking that next track? Slacker Radio just might be what you're looking for.

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Grace Notes
Stereomood: Internet Radio for Every Mood
Leslie Shapiro  |  Dec 01, 2011

Seems like a new way to listen to music over the Internet pops up everyday.  Pandora might have a lock on the market, Slacker has the coolest name (and real-live DJs behind the scenes), everyone's talking about Spotify and MOG, but there's another website that does something most others don't. Stereomood designs playlists based on your mood or activity. Yup - music to suit your every mood.

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HDTV Tech
4K is Here!
John Sciacca  |  Nov 30, 2011

Today, 3D has become a de facto feature on almost every higher-end TV and even many projectors, and it continues to make headlines. But the biggest news to come out of the CEDIA Expo trade show this past September wasn’t of the three-dimensional variety. The news that took many attendees by surprise was 4K.

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