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AVR Choices
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 27, 2012
My girlfriend and I just moved into a new home, and I get to upgrade my system! I'm looking to pick up the new Panasonic TC-P55VT50 plasma, Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player, and the RSL 5.1 speakers. Now, I need to choose an A/V receiver to get the best out of the equipment listed above. For reference, I'm looking at the Marantz SR7005 or the Anthem MRX 500 or 700. I want something that will give the best audio and video quality; I don't care about the extra crap I won't use anyway. If any of these would be perfect, or you can think of any other great solutions (even separates), I would really like your opinion.

Aaron Dragoon

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3D Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Review: Titanic 3D
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 27, 2012

I had no intention of seeing Titanic in 3D. This wasn't a "Hmmm, should I" type decision. At no point was the option of going to a theater and seeing this movie in faux-3D a valid option in my brain. It was up there with "run marathon," "time travel," and "read Twilight" on the list of things I know I will never do.

Well, last night I saw it - James Cameron's retrofitted 3D masterpiece. And you know what, I expected to hate it. . . and didn't. As someone who reviews 3D crap - sorry "stuff" - for a living, here's my take.

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Tech2
Review: Titanic 3D Page 2
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 27, 2012

I had no intention of seeing Titanic in 3D. This wasn’t a “Hmmm, should I” type decision. At no point was the option of going to a theater and seeing this movie in faux-3D a valid option in my brain. It was up there with “run marathon,” “time travel,” and “read Twilight” on the list of things I know I will never do.

Well, last night I saw it — James Cameron’s retrofitted 3D masterpiece. And you know what, I expected to hate it. . . and didn’t. As someone who reviews 3D crap — sorry “stuff” — for a living, here’s my take.

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Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
Atlantic Technology AT-2 Loudspeaker
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 26, 2012

Performance
Build Quality
Value
Price: $900 each At A Glance: Comprehensive bass optimization in a small cabinet • Compelling midrange • Speckle gloss finish

As a surround-oriented magazine, we rarely review speakers in stereo. But when Atlantic Technology offered a pair of its AT-2 H-PAS speaker, we couldn’t resist a listen. This loudspeaker uses an intricately constructed stand-mount enclosure to deliver bass comparable to that of an equivalent conventional floorstander. Does anyone want it?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Contraband
David Vaughn  |  Apr 25, 2012

The trailer for this movie showed a lot of promise and the star power of Mark Wahlberg had me eagerly awaiting its release on Blu-ray. Sadly, the screenplay is a predictable mess, the acting inconsistent, and the twists and turns have been done countless times in Hollywood that the ending couldn't come soon enough. At least the AVC video encode is loaded with detail and other than some occasional black crush, there isn't much to complain about, but the best aspect of the entire production is the fantastic DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack the features plenty of frequency response and some pinpoint imaging.
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Signals
To Have and Have Not
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 25, 2012

I recently received a thoughtful e-mail from S+V reader Michael Kiley. He commiserated with my perception that the general level of sound quality has declined. Like me, he worried that the rise of mobile phones as our preferred playback source, the popularity of listening to compressed files stored or streamed (and through earbuds), isn't exactly making for audiophile heaven. Mr. Kiley's letter provided some perspective and got me to thinking…

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CinemaStyle
A Prop To Top It Off
Jamie Sorcher  |  Apr 25, 2012
You’ve picked out your flat panel, sound system, and universal remote, but what about the other important details that make a home theater your own? By adding some well-appointed extras, you can transform your space from staid to standout in just moments. One way to make over a media room is to take the movie poster idea up a notch by including props or replicas from movies, TV, and video games. There are quite a few options for finding these items, but keep in mind that part of the process—and the fun—is in the hunt.
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Ask S&V
Projector Behind the Screen
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 25, 2012
I have designed and framed out a dedicated home theater with a separate room for a projector to project the image onto a translucent screen to be viewed in the theater room. I spoke with both projector and screen manufacturers before construction, and I asked them which would produce a better image—traditional front projection or rear projection such as I have in mind. The answer was unanimous: rear projection would produce a better image. I realize that the market for this type of setup is much smaller than traditional front-projection because of the obvious design considerations. But there are many advantages over front-projection, primarily and most importantly a better picture as well as no projector noise or heat in the viewing area. I would love to see some discussion on this type of projection in the magazine.

Duane Clemens

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Review: NAD Viso 1 Wireless Digital Music System Page 2
Brent Butterworth  |  Apr 25, 2012

I don't want to call Paul Barton a brilliant speaker designer, because that might imply that he lucks into occasional flashes of inspiration. No, Barton - founder and chief engineer of PSB Speakers - succeeds because he does the complicated and time-consuming work of building his products using the best science and engineering available. He doesn't base his design decisions on pet theories, casual observations, or the latest line of B.S. circulating among online audio forums. And to my knowledge, he's never allowed market trends, cosmetics, or form factors to ruin the sound of his products.

This is why I was so excited to find out last year that Barton was designing a new iPhone/iPod Touch dock for NAD, PSB's sister brand.

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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Review: NAD Viso 1 Wireless Digital Music System
Brent Butterworth  |  Apr 25, 2012

I don’t want to call Paul Barton a brilliant speaker designer, because that might imply that he lucks into occasional flashes of inspiration. No, Barton — founder and chief engineer of PSB Speakers — succeeds because he does the complicated and time-consuming work of building his products using the best science and engineering available. He doesn’t base his design decisions on pet theories, casual observations, or the latest line of B.S. circulating among online audio forums. And to my knowledge, he’s never allowed market trends, cosmetics, or form factors to ruin the sound of his products.

This is why I was so excited to find out last year that Barton was designing a new iPhone/iPod Touch dock for NAD, PSB’s sister brand.

Continue Reading »

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