LATEST ADDITIONS

Acoustic Sounds, the Salina, Kansas-based company that sells audiophile recordings and operates the vinyl reissue label Analogue Productions, has launched a music site that offers music downloads in a variety of high-resolution formats, including Direct Digital Stream (DSD). The company recently signed a deal with Sony Music and has begun making back catalog DSD recordings available.

Price $1,099

At A Glance
Plus Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth • Audessey Mult EQ Room Correction • THX Select 2 Certification • Excellent video processing
Minus Lean sonic character can be fatiguing

The Verdict
Chock-full of the latest features and connectivity, the TX-NR828’s less-than-warm sound was more suited to movies than music in our auditions.

Onkyo is like that kid in elementary school. You remember: The one whose hand went up first in response to every question from the teacher.

“Who was the first presi–”

“George Washington!”

“Onkyo, I haven’t even finished asking the question.”

When it comes to features, Onkyo aims to be there firstest with the mostest. Name a feature, and Onkyo’s usually got it, typically in a licensed version with a hip logo, and quite often before anyone else. For the consumer who wants the latest features and wants them now, Onkyo is generally an excellent choice.

In October Panasonic will begin selling the first Ultra HD TV based on HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2a specifications. Part of the Smart Viera line, the 65-inch TC-L65WT600 is THX-certified and accepts 4K 60p video signals.

Peter Jackson gave the world a beloved, wildly successful film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, culminating in a record-breaking Oscar sweep, so of course, he was the obvious choice to helm the Hobbit prequels. But whereas the Rings trilogy made a newbie like me love it with its epic thrills and fascinating characters, An Unexpected Journey seems to be in love with its own familiar world and everyone in it. We meet a younger Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit happily minding his own business when the wizard Gandalf drafts him for a dangerous quest.