LATEST ADDITIONS

New Products
Pioneer's eco-nnected new receivers
Brent Butterworth  |  Mar 04, 2013

It's kind of amazing that a component that hasn't changed much outwardly for 20+ years can change so much internally in the course of just a couple of years. I'm talking about Pioneer's surround-sound receivers, which I first encountered in 1989 ... and which still looked almost exactly the same when I walked into the demo room at the company's Long Beach, Calif., headquarters last week to check out its four new affordable models.

But they don't work the same. The new receviers, priced from $249 to $599, are even more packed with technology than the generation they replace. Fortunately, though, Pioneer's taking some steps to help consumers deal with all that complexity.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Gear: Monitor Audio WS100 Wireless Multimedia System
 |  Mar 04, 2013

Monitor Audio have covered most of the speaker bases, from traditional towers and surround setups to miniscule desktop companions and docks, so it's no surprise that they've decided to enter the burgeoning wireless audio arena.

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Audio Video News
Top 5 iPad Apps for Movie Lovers
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 04, 2013
Movie maven Chris Chiarella recommends five killer apps for iPad-toting movie lovers.
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Soundbar Reviews
Review: Sonos Playbar
Brent Butterworth  |  Mar 03, 2013

I've evaluated at least 57 soundbars. That experience has taught me there are two attributes a truly great soundbar should possess. First, it should sound good. Second, it should work like it's part of your TV-i.e., it should power up and shut down when your TV does, your TV's remote should control volume and mute on the soundbar, etc.

By this measure, there's never been a truly great soundbar.

Sonos-known for network-based audio devices such as the Play:3-has attempted to create a soundbar that would meet my definition of "truly great." How confident is Sonos that the new $699 Playbar will work perfectly in concert with your TV? Pretty confident: The Playbar doesn't come with a remote.

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Out Of The Blu
Bite into Sushi Girl, The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and Little White Lies on Blu-ray
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 01, 2013
A trio of kinky, offbeat treats await the Blu-curious in this delicious high-def disc roundup.
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New Products
RBH Sound Introduces High-Performance Earphones
HT Staff  |  Mar 01, 2013
As a service to our readers, HomeTheater.com publishes selected manufacturer-supplied announcements and press releases for products that we think might interest you. Content is posted here exactly as issued by the manufacturer and does not imply endorsement of any kind by Home Theater or any hands-on experience by its reviewers or editors. Visit our Reviews area to browse test reports for products that have been formally evaluated by our expert staff.

RBH Sound Expands Personal Audio Lineup with New Model

Layton, UT – February 27, 2013 – RBH Sound, a manufacturer of high performance audio products, increased their personal audio products assortment today with the introduction of a new noise isolating in-ear headphone model.

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Song From My Soundtrack
Geoffrey Morrison on "Baba O'Riley" by The Who
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Feb 28, 2013

This is the first of what will be a reoccurring feature here on the Tech^2 blog. The idea is simple: pick a song that has had a significant impact on your life in some way, and describe why. I'm starting with me to get the ball rolling, but over the coming weeks and months I've got the staff of S+V lined up, plus various luminaries and heavyweights in the A/V and music industries, all with interesting stories and songs from their own lives.

Now before you say something like "Wow, Geoff, you're a genius. This is a brilliant idea!" Let me say yes, of course, but allow me to give credit where credit is due. The brilliant geniuses at RockPaperShotgun sort of came up with it first with their Gaming Made Me series. I highly recommend you check them out, not least because they have some of the best writing on the web.

So to start, here's me on "Baba O'Riley."

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Sweepstakes
V-Moda M-80 Headphones Sweepstakes
Jon Iverson  |  Feb 28, 2013
Register to win a set of V-Moda M-80 Headphones (MSRP $230) we are giving away.

"Masterfully tuned by a legion of legendary musicians, producers and DJs, M-80 packs unique materials, professional acoustics, natural noise isolation, ultimate ergonomics and military-level ruggedness into a design 53% smaller than its now legendary, over-ear sibling, Crossfade LP."

[This Sweepstakes is now closed.]

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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-2313CI A/V Receiver
David Vaughn  |  Feb 28, 2013

Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $900 At A Glance: Fabulous video processing • Audyssey MultEQ XT enabled • Apple AirPlay enabled

With over 100 years of history behind it, Denon Electronics has high standards for any product it releases. And in my experience, it generally delivers the goods. Its AVRs (audio/video receivers) are often among the best on the market and run the gamut from the budget category all the way up to high-end models that will set you back a few months’ worth of mortgage payments.

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Projector Reviews3D Projector Reviews
JVC DLA-X55R 3D D-ILA Projector
Kris Deering  |  Feb 28, 2013

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $5,000 At A Glance: Improved 3D performance • Quasi-4K performance at a lower price • Industry-leading contrast

JVC has been Home Theater’s standard bearer for reference quality, high-value displays these past few years, with one model or another finding its way into the reference systems of several members of our reviewing staff. There are projectors out there that outperform it in one way or another, but you’d be hard pressed to find any full line that performs as consistently well overall as JVC’s. This year’s lineup doesn’t introduce a lot of new features but does offer refinements to last year’s already strong line. For this review, I looked at the newest addition, the DLA-X55R. This is the only brand-new model, occupying a middle price point of $5,000 between the $3,500 entrylevel DLA-X35 and the more feature-laden DLA-X75R at $8,000. Notably, it brings JVC’s e-shift 4K technology to a new low price point.

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