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Music Disc Reviews
Nellie McKay: 21st Century Renaissance Woman
Ken Richardson  |  Feb 08, 2011  |  0 comments

Photo by Rick Gonzalez

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Audio Video NewsCustom Installation Equipment ReviewsCustom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
All-in-One 12TB Blu-ray 3D Server
Kim Wilson  |  Feb 08, 2011  |  0 comments

Combine a 3D Blu-ray player with a 12TB hard drive and you have the Mozaex Solo 2. With USA retail pricing less than $6,000 for up to 12TBs of media storage, the Solo 2 is more affordable than many other media server systems, providing a highly scalable solution. Up to four additional Blu-ray Players may be added for $2,495 apiece.

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Surround Processor Reviews
Integra DHC-40.2 Surround Processor
David Vaughn  |  Feb 08, 2011  |  3 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1,200 At A Glance: THX Ultra2 Plus certification • Seven HDMI inputs • Dual HDMI outputs • Home network and Internet audio streaming

Four years ago, Integra rocked the A/V world when it released its well-reviewed DTC-9.8 surround processor (HT, May 2008) for an unprecedented price of $1,600. It boasted a bevy of cutting-edge features and was one of the first processors on the market that could decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Since that time, the company hasn’t rested on its laurels. It’s offered yearly upgrades with the DHC-9.9 (HT, July 2009) for $2,000 and DHC-80.1 (HT, May 2010) for $2,300. Each subsequent year, the processor has offered additional improvements to justify the price increase. However, those seeking out separates on a budget were being left behind.

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Audio Video News
Plasma Rebounds
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 08, 2011  |  1 comments
What hot new video display technology grew in every quarter of 2010? Well, plasma isn't new, but aside from that, there's your answer.

"2010 was a great year for plasma TV panels," reports DisplaySearch. "Growth seems to be supply-limited."

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Premiere Design
PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 5 & 10 Power Regenerators
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 07, 2011  |  6 comments
When you think about home-theater gear, what usually comes to mind are things like displays, source devices, processors, amplifiers, and speakers. But these are nothing more than very expensive boat anchors without AC power—and that power had better be clean if they are going to perform at their best. This is where PS Audio comes in with its new PerfectWave Power Plant 5 and 10 AC Power Regenerators.
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In-Wall Speaker Reviews
Episode ES-HT700 In-Ceiling Speaker System
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Feb 07, 2011  |  0 comments
Price: $6,190 At A Glance: Fully enclosed in-ceiling speakers • 45-degree angled baffle • Pivoting tweeter with catenary-shaped dome

Hitting the Class Ceiling

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with the ability to watch any movie they want (even Avatar in 2D), and that they should never, ever use in-ceiling speakers for a home theater. After all, you want Sigourney Weaver’s gravelly, “Where’s my god damn cigarette?” to sound like it’s coming from the screen, not the light fixtures above your head, right?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
You Again (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Feb 07, 2011  |  0 comments
High school can be the best of times or the worst of times, depending on your experience. For Marnie (Kristen Bell), it was the latter. Teased throughout her years because of her acne and not being part of the "in" crowd, her memories are anything but fond. Years after graduation, she heads home to see her brother tie the knot and discovers he's marrying her nemesis (Odette Yustman) from high school.

With a cast that includes Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, and Betty White, one would assume these stars wouldn't attach their names to anything but a surefire hit. Wrong! The laughs are hard to come by, the slapstick is anything but funny, and the ending is vomit educing.

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Audio Video News
Today's TVs Are Energy Efficient, You Fools
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 07, 2011  |  0 comments
The next time you hear someone complain that today's TVs are energy guzzlers, feel free to say "shut up, you don't know what you're talking about." A study by the Consumer Electronics Association on TVs made since 2003 shows that video displays have only become more and more energy efficient during that time.

It makes sense. While screens are getting bigger, the waning of the direct view and rear projection categories in favor of more energy efficient flat panels means you can get more picture size out of fewer watts. Moreover, today's LCDs and plasmas are more efficient than earlier generations.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ray (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Feb 06, 2011  |  0 comments
A remarkable story about one of America's great entertainers, Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx). From his humble beginnings in the South through his meteoric rise to the top of the American music charts, Charles overcame many obstacles to become a music icon.

I'd always had been a fan of Charles' music throughout the years, but it wasn't until I saw this biopic in 2004 that I realized how high a mountain he had climbed to become a success. He never wanted any special treatment because of his blindness, but his stubbornness led him to drug addiction like so many other entertainers.

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Vote
How Many Speakers Are Too Many?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 04, 2011  |  12 comments
At CES this year, there was a lot of talk about 3D audio and expanding the speaker array beyond 5.1 or 7.1 with extra width and height channels. Of course, Dolby Pro Logic IIz does this already by synthesizing two height channels, and Audyssey DSX can synthesize two height and/or two width channels. DTS demonstrated its Neo:X algorithm in Las Vegas last month with native 11.1 mixes as well as 5.1 soundtracks expanded to 11.1 with width and height channels.

Such an system sounds remarkable, with smoother pans to the sides and a much more hemispherical soundstage that gives new meaning to the term "surround sound." But during the show, I heard one question asked over and over—will consumers be willing to expand their home theaters to include 11 main speakers? Obviously, this requires a greater financial investment, and very few non-enthusiast spouses would be willing to accept a room crammed with speakers.

Of course, one could even go beyond 11.1—I've heard systems with as many as 45 speakers in the walls and ceiling, and the Iosono system (profiled here) places literally hundreds of speakers around the periphery of a theater. So at what point does this game go too far? How many speakers are too many for a home surround system?

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

How Many Speakers Are Too Many?
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