LATEST ADDITIONS

Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Arbitrage
David Vaughn  |  Jun 10, 2013
Picture
Sound
Extras
From the outside looking in, Robert Miller is living the American dream. He’s a Wall Street billionaire who lives a life of luxury, has a loving wife and family, and is financially set for life. Unfortunately for Miller, he’s living a lie, and the house of cards he’s built is about to come crashing down.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Pioneer Adds Entry-Level Home Theater Receivers to Elite Line
HT Staff  |  Jun 10, 2013
Pioneer has added two models to its Elite series of A/V receivers: the SC-71 ($1,100) and SC-72 ($1,400). The 7.2-channel receivers will be available this month and offer multi-zone and multi-source capability, 4K Ultra HD upscaling, high-resolution audio playback, wireless control via Pioneer’s free iControlAV2013 app (for Apple and Android device), and Pioneer’s Class D3 amplification...
Continue Reading »
Tech2
The kit I carried
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 07, 2013

I've been travelling a bunch this year, with two big trips to Europe and China. Like my 10 Tips to the Travelling Techy last year, I brought along a bunch of gear, some good, some bad, some invaluable. I guess you could call this 10 Tips to the Travelling Techy 2, except it's eight.

So if you're planning any trips this summer, check out this list of some tech gear to bring.

Continue Reading »
TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Sony KDL-55W900A 3D LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 07, 2013

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $3,300 At A Glance: Rich black level and good shadow detail • New color technology • Bright, punchy 3D

The new KDL-55W900A is Sony’s newest, top-of-the-line, non-XBR set. All of the XBRs, going forward, will be Ultra HD (4K) sets, but the KDL-55W900A, as all of the KDL designs, is firmly in the standard HD, 1920 x 1080 camp. It’s an edge-lit design with local dimming, but its marquee feature has nothing to do with contrast and black levels. Color is the plot here, and Triluminos, a term Sony has used in the past (see sidebar), promises a wider color gamut.

Continue Reading »
Gadget Gary
For What It's Worth
Gary Dell'Abate  |  Jun 07, 2013

Yes, I readily admit it: I I am a TV junkie. I watch a ton of shows, and I go through  different phases of what I'll binge on.

Continue Reading »
Ears On
In Defense of the AVR
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 07, 2013
Perhaps no product category is more misunderstood or maligned than the audio/video receiver. Within the home theater community, some deem it a deal breaker or bottleneck, despite its true status as the heart of a home theater system. Outside the home theater community, two-channel puritans regard the AVR as a morally flawed cluster of features that is inherently hostile to good sound. Won't anyone (aside from AVR manufacturers) speak up for a product that tries so hard to give the consumer so much?

Continue Reading »
Premiere Design
Bowers & Wilkins and Maserati Quattroporte “Seven Notes”
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 06, 2013

To celebrate their teaming up, B&W and Maserati enlisted the help of musician and producer Howie B to create the Seven Notes project. To celebrate that, they’re putting on a multi-city road show featuring live music, and a chance to check out the B&W system in the new Quattroporte.

Fellow Tech2er Brent and I trekked down to Hollywood to have a listen.

Continue Reading »
CinemaStyle
Concessions in Session
Michelle McCarthy  |  Jun 06, 2013
Let’s face it—everything’s better with snacks. If you want a truly authentic moviegoing experience at home, you gotta have your concessions in order. Plus, what’s a movie screening without the familiar sound of crinkling candy wrappers, the smell of buttery popcorn in the air, and a Milk Dud or two on the floor? Add in some professional-grade signage, and your guests will never want to venture to the local cineplex again. Better buy your Duds in bulk.
Continue Reading »
Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
Test Report: Jamo S 35 HCS speaker system
Daniel Kumin  |  Jun 06, 2013

Physicists have long postulated that an ideal sound reproducer would behave as a pulsating sphere. Ever since, the wish being father to the thought, speaker designers have been cramming transducers into balls, as if making the cabinet round would somehow magically make the sound spherical.

Continue Reading »
AV Receiver Reviews
Test Report: Onkyo TX-NR727 A/V Receiver
Daniel Kumin  |  Jun 05, 2013

How much would you pay for an A/V receiver? For a lot of people, the answer is “$899.” This upper-mid-price sweet spot has long marked the point at which AVR-manufacturers sell the most product. Consequently, it’s where they offer the most features, performance, and power for the lowest possible dollar amount.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X