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Subwoofer Reviews
Review: Sunfire Dynamic Series SDS-12 Subwoofer
Michael Trei  |  Nov 10, 2011

Bob Carver has always been a speaker designer who thinks outside the box, and also one who tends to ignore so-called experts when they tell him something can’t be done. As the founder of Phase Linear in the 1970s, Carver in the 1980s, and, more recently, Sunfire, Bob has been proving “experts” wrong for over 40 years.

A great example of his unconventional thinking is the Sunfire True Subwoofer, first launched some 15 years ago. Using a brute force approach, this design bent the rules that traditionally defined how much bass you could get from a given size of driver and enclosure, in the process creating what has gone on to become one of the most imitated subwoofers of all time. Now that same mindset has been applied to creating the Dynamic Series SDS-12 — a lower-cost brother for the True Subwoofer, with an asking price 75% less than the original.

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3D Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Toy Story Trilogy 3D
David Vaughn  |  Nov 09, 2011
The wizards at Pixar discovered that when left alone, toys come to life. In Andy's room his favorite is Woody, an old-fashioned cowboy doll whose status is usurped when Andy is given the latest and greatest space toy, Buzz Lightyear. With the social dynamics thrown into chaos, Woody and Buzz end up in the clutches of any toys worst nightmare—Sid, the crazy young lad next door who loves to blow things up.

In Toy Story 2—arguably one of the greatest sequels of all-time—Woody is kidnapped by a greedy toy collector who plans to complete his collection of the "Woody's Roundup" gang and sell them to a museum in Japan for big bucks. Buzz and the gang come to the rescue and remind Woody what being a toy is about.

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TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD 3D LED LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Nov 09, 2011
Editor's Note: Home Theater is pleased to bring you this exclusive first look at Sharp's groundbreaking Elite LCD HDTV. As you'll read in Tom Norton's superb and thorough review, it is the first LCD that can truly go head-to-head with the now-discontinued Pioneer Elite Kuro plasmas for the title of Best TV Ever. Enjoy, and please post your comments.—Rob Sabin


2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $6,000 At A Glance: Class-leading blacks and shadow detail • Superb resolution • Bright, vivid 3D

When Pioneer announced it was dropping out of the HDTV business in 2009 (its remaining sets were available on a limited basis until early 2010), the video world shuddered. While there were sets at the time that could at least match Pioneer’s Elite-branded Kuro models with respect to color, resolution, and video processing, most independent observers—and most A/V reviewers—agreed that no other sets could equal the Pioneers’ black level. But in an era of dropping flat-panel prices, Pioneer couldn’t hope to match the competition’s stickers while retaining the quality it was known for, and they succumbed to market forces.

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Ask S&V
Audiovox vs. Onkyo HTIB
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 09, 2011
I just bought a refurbished Audiovox 5.1 home-theater-in-a-box made in 2002 for $144 (original price $299). I can still return it and wonder if there is a better option at this price point. I found a refurbished Onkyo HT-S3300 for about $300 and wonder if it is worth the extra $150? I have a new LG 42-inch flat-panel LCD TV in a medium-size family room. I have no idea if the Audiovox for $144 is a good deal or not. I couldn't care less about Blu-ray or 3D, but I want good sound. Can you give me any tips or suggestions?

Sheridan Long

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Subwoofer Reviews
Review: Monoprice MSUB-A122 Subwoofer
Brent Butterworth  |  Nov 09, 2011

Check it out: 12-inch driver, 150-watt amp, and a really nice-looking curved enclosure, all for a mere $84.10 (plus $9.72 shipping and handling). If you asked me how inexpensively someone could sell a 12-inch subwoofer—and I’m talking everyday prices, not blowouts on eBay or Amazon — I’d have probably guessed $200, and that would be for something really ugly and cheap-looking.

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Tech2
Setting Subwoofer Phase the Easy Way
Brent Butterworth  |  Nov 08, 2011

The "Bass Management Boot Camp" article about subwoofer setup that I wrote for the November S+V inspired an in-turn inspiring e-mail from reader Bruce Erwin. Bruce recalled his days setting up sound systems when he'd use a 1.5-volt battery to test subwoofer phase. If the sub and main speakers were in phase, he'd hear a single thump when he connected the battery to the wires leading to the sub's terminals. If they were out of phase, he'd hear a double thump.

That's with passive subwoofers, though. Almost all of today's subs have built-in amps, so this method wouldn't quite work with them. Still, it got me wondering if I could come up with a simpler phase check than the ones I suggested in the article, which required either measurement or careful listening. My e-mail convo with Bruce gave me some ideas and, ultimately, a method that's simpler than my original. And all you need to do it is a piece of free software and a meter you've either already got or can get for nothing.

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A Look at the World's First Eye-Controlled Video Game
Karl Tennant  |  Nov 08, 2011

Science fiction often shows people in the future controlling games - and plenty of other things - with the power of their minds. We're not there yet, but baby steps: the first arcade game that can be controlled with just eye movements is here now.

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Music ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
This Week in Blu-rays and Music, November 8, 2011
Josef Krebs  |  Nov 08, 2011

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 86: Rob Sabin & the Chat Room
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 08, 2011
Home Theater editor Rob Sabin and I answer questions from the chat room, including the new Sharp Elite flat panel, cheap versus expensive HDMI cables, home-theater-in-a-box systems, 4K, how much to spend on a home-theater system, projectors versus direct-view TVs, LED LCD TVs, rear-projection TVs, THX versus Dolby and DTS, and much more.

Run Time: 1:02:27

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Music Reviews
Welcome to the Machines
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 08, 2011

The genius of Pink Floyd's music is intertwined with the genius of the recording of the music. And the innovative studio techniques used by the band and its producers and recording engineers are integral to the music. It's impossible to imagine The Dark Side of the Moon without vital creative touches such as the sound of clanging money or thumping heartbeats. Perhaps no other band has pushed the technical envelope so aggressively, or profited from it so enormously. The catalog of their works is one of innovation - both musically and sonically.

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