LATEST ADDITIONS

Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
Test Report: Atlantic Technology AT-2 Bookshelf Speaker
Brent Butterworth  |  May 09, 2012

If there’s any speaker spec that’s routinely bogus, it’s bass response. You see a lot of little speakers rated to deliver bass below 40 Hz, but that measurement is almost always taken at -10 dB, instead of the industry standard of -3 dB. Even if the little speaker does hit, say, 36 Hz at some level, it almost certainly can’t deliver any usable volume at that frequency.

There are ways, though, to get legit sub-40 Hz response from a little speaker. One is H-PAS, or Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System, invented by Solus-Clements and now used and licensed by Atlantic Technology.

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Tech2
The Kids are Alright
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 09, 2012

It is the job of every generation to complain that the younger generations are inferior, or headed for destruction, or whatever the latest cause célèbre is. Even in the lifetimes of those reading this blog, it's easy to point to the mass hysteria surrounding rock and roll, then heavy metal, then rap, then video games, as examples of one generation making mindless accusations about another.

In the audio world this is just as common, it's ongoing, and Harman has released a study that shows that the old people need to shut the hell up (I'm paraphrasing).

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Custom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
Home Theater Loft
Kim Wilson  |  May 08, 2012
Photos Chris Woolman

What do you do with an underused loft space? Why, turn it into a dedicated home theater, of course! That was the challenge entrusted to Wilshire Home Entertainment of Thousands Oaks, California. The open, 400-square-foot loft required an enclosure and special acoustical materials to prevent sound leakage. The project included a new, custom staircase and the preservation of a large bay window that extends from the bottom floor to the ceiling of the second floor. It wasn’t possible to just remove it in the loft area, so it is still located behind the drop-down screen. When the theater is in use, Lutron motorized blackout shades block the light.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 110: Avner Ronen
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 08, 2012
Boxee co-founder and CEO Avner Ronen talks about the new paradigm of online video delivery, image and sound quality versus bandwidth, integrating and unifying various online sources, the importance of the user interface, the trend toward encrypting basic cable channels, the founding and evolution of Boxee, the Boxee box and remote, online delivery of 3D and 4K, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:00:21

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New Products
New Gear: Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker
Michael Berk  |  May 08, 2012

Well, just when you thought AirPlay (and, to some extent, Bluetooth) devices had the stylish wireless desktop all-in-one music system market all to themselves, along comes Aperion's new Aris Wireless speaker to shake things up (and, possibly, to finally make Windows 7's AirPlayesque DLNA

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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
Review: Eton Rukus Solar Portable Bluetooth Speaker System
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 07, 2012

If you’ve ever tried to jazz up a party with the speaker built into your iPhone, you know how pathetic that can sound. These days, everyone is coming out with portable speaker systems (don’t call them boomboxes!) for MP3 players, but they all require one thing: Power. Now, we all love power, but AC power isn’t always available where we want to party (eg. poolside or the beach).

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Ask S&V
AVR with Digital-Audio & Component-Video Outputs
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 07, 2012
My Pioneer VSX-35TX A/V receiver just died. I'm looking for a new receiver in the $500 range, but I'm having a hard time finding any that have, among other things, a digital-audio output. Why is that important? I have a Pioneer TRE-D800 wireless headphone transmitter that does 5.1 audio, and it can accept either optical or coaxial inputs. Another consideration is that my Pioneer Elite PRO-510HD RPTV has no HDMI inputs, so I need a component-video output. I want a receiver that can grow from here, so 3D pass-through is a must, and 7.1 audio would be a bonus.

I'm interested in the Pioneer VSX-1122, but it doesn't seem to have all the outputs I need. The Pioneer Elite VSX-52 has exactly what I'm looking for, but it's $400 out of my range. What other brands of receivers should I be looking at, or am I just plain screwed at my current budget?

Chris Friebus

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Test Tool Reviews
Review: Datacolor Spyder 4TV HD
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 07, 2012

Somewhere between a simple setup disc and a full professional calibration is the Spyder from Datacolor.

Consisting of a small colorimeter you attach to your TV, some software, and a Blu-ray (or DVD) with test patterns, the package claims to let you "calibrate" (their word) your own TV.

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Vote
Are Blind Audio Comparisons Valuable?
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 04, 2012
In this week's Home Theater Geeks podcast, Home Theater and Stereophile contributor Steve Guttenberg argues that blind comparisons of audio products are meaningless for several reasons. First of all, he claims, most people cannot reliably discern the difference between similarly performing products, and perhaps not even between products that perform quite differently. As you can see in the graph above, listening tests conducted by Floyd Toole and Sean Olive reveal that blind comparisons of four speakers resulted in much more equal preference ratings than the same comparisons in which the listeners knew what they were listening to.

Also, Guttenberg maintains that the tester's ears are psychophysiologically biased by the sound of one product while listening to the next product. Finally, the conditions under which the test is conducted are rarely the same as those in any given consumer's room, so the results mean nothing in terms of deciding what to buy.

Do you agree? Are blind comparisons of audio products valuable? On what do you base your position?

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

Are Blind Audio Comparisons Valuable?
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Ask S&V
Choosing a 3D Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 04, 2012
I have a 140-inch, 2.35:1 screen, and I'd like to replace my existing projector with a 3D model. I've narrowed my choices to the Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 6010 and the JVC DLA-X30. What do you think?

Kamarul Ariffin

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