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Streaming Device Reviews
Review: Aperion Audio Zona Home Audio Link 2
Michael Berk  |  Dec 15, 2011

Interested in testing the wireless whole-home audio waters but want to do so with an absolute minimum of fuss? The latest version of the Home Audio Link (HAL, for short) from Aperion Audio will probably fit your needs just fine.

Consisting of a pair of puckish little rubbery objects with retractable USB tails (replacing the little blocks that made up HAL 1), the system lets you stream uncompressed digital audio (up to 16-bit/48-kHz resolution) from one place to another, simply and inexpensively.

What's not to love?

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Ask S&V
Fixing Plasma Image Retention
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 14, 2011
I have a Panasonic Viera TC-P42G15 plasma TV, and there is some ghosting in the bottom-left corner; I had a news channel on pause for over an hour with the contrast set to 100. I don't think this was during the break-in period. Now, in bright or snowy scenes and during older movies in which blacks are noisy and brownish gray, I can see three streaks where the station's logo was. Will I be stuck with this, or is there a way to remove it?

Matt Sutherland

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Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsStreaming Device ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Cutting Loose: Connected TV for Everybody
Michael Berk  |  Dec 14, 2011

Cable cutting. You've probably begun the process already, even if you haven't gone all the way - think about how often you turn to Netflix, or Amazon, or Hulu Plus. And despite the panicked efforts of networks and providers nationwide, when are you watching live TV, exactly, aside from sports?

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AV Receiver Reviews
Yamaha RX-V871 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 14, 2011
Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $900 At A Glance: Clean, smooth amplification • Direct USB input and app for iDevices • Bluetooth, DLNA media access

Some manufacturers of audio/video receivers offer two different lines. There’s a value-oriented line for the hardheaded consumer who wants as many features per dollar as possible. And then there’s a higher-end line for the consumer who also wants a full feature set but is willing to pay more for better build quality and higher performance. Yamaha goes a step further, dividing its 13 receivers into three lines.

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3D Blu-ray Player ReviewsBlu-ray Player Reviews
Pioneer Elite BDP-52FD Blu-ray 3D Player
David Vaughn  |  Dec 14, 2011
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $400 At A Glance: Solid build quality• Speedy loading • Plays SACD, DVD-Audio and Blu-ray 3D • Streams Netflix, Pandora • Possible connection issues

Pioneer’s involvement in optical-disc technology started with the development of Laserdisc late in the 20th century, and the company has continued the tradition with CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. Surprisingly, despite the company’s background and solid history of new product development, it hasn’t been at the forefront of Blu-ray player innovation. The last player I reviewed from Pioneer was in 2009 (the BDP320). It offered fantastic audio and video, but its load times were poisonously slow and it offered no add-on features like streaming or DVD-Audio and SACD support.

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Custom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
Panama Escape
Octavio Vallarino Arias  |  Dec 14, 2011
This theater is located in our beach house in Punta Barco, a popular vacation spot in Panama. Resources in Panama aren’t as abundant as in the U.S., so I consulted with Chris Huston of Rives Audio in Coralville, Iowa. I was very impressed with his simple solution. My first priority was to ensure the room was treated for optimum performance. Following Huston’s design, I gathered materials locally to build the theater.
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How We Test
How Do You Review 3D, Anyway?
Joshua Zyber  |  Dec 14, 2011
Those of us who’ve spent a lot of time reviewing movies on video discs (from Blu-ray to DVD and, for some of us, even back to Laserdisc) understand that the process involves its share of both objective and subjective criteria. The exact balance varies depending on the content under review. Every movie—and every disc—is unique. Nonetheless, certain rules and standards hold true in most circumstances. While Blu-ray Discs provide vastly better quality than DVDs, and we in turn have gotten a lot savvier over the years in detecting the nuances of what makes a good or bad video image, the fundamental process has remained unchanged in the transition from standard definition to high definition. That is, until now. The introduction of 3D has thrown things for a pretty big loop. The more 3D content I’ve watched (on Blu-ray or other sources), the more questions I have about exactly how 3D should be evaluated. It turns out that reviewing 3D is a lot trickier than reviewing standard 2D.
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Headphone Reviews
SOL Republic Amps HD Headphones
Brent Butterworth  |  Dec 14, 2011

After hearing the enthusiastic sales pitch from SOL Republic, one of the latest of many new entrants into the headphone biz, I was disappointed when I heard the company's first model, the Tracks $99 on-ear. While the Tracks is beautifully made and incredibly comfortable for an on-ear model, its extremely bass-heavy balance made me feel like I was locked in the trunk of a Honda Civic with two 12-inch woofers and the complete works of Deadmau5 cranked way up.

When I received the company's first in-ear monitor (IEM), the $99 Amps HD, I wondered if the company would be able to achieve the blend of design and sound quality it originally promised - or if it'd be another well-crafted but sonically intolerable product.

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Music ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
This Week in Blu-rays, Dec. 13, 2011, and This Year in Christmas Music
Ken Korman  |  Dec 13, 2011

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 91: Tyll Hertsens, Part 1
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 13, 2011
Tyll Hertsens, editor of our sibling site InnerFidelity.com, talks about his recently posted "Celebrity Headphone Deathmatch," in which he evaluates some 15 celebrity-endorsed headphones, finding some to be superb and others, well, not so much. Tyll also discusses how the headphone market has changed over the last 10 years, including the surprising trend toward higher prices as everything else in consumer electronics gets cheaper. Plus, answers to chat room questions and more.

Run Time: 1:00:53

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