Audio Video News

Sony STR-ZA5000 ES AV Receiver: $2,800

The new flagship in Sony’s venerable ES line, the STR-ZA5000ES is not your everyday top-line receiver. You might even call it a specialty AVR with impeccable build quality—including a vibration-defeating chassis—a hard-kicking nine-channel amp, and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround processing. But the ZA5000ES is special for what it lacks. It skips de rigueur wireless features such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to focus on features that provide maximum flexibility in a custom installation setting. Among them is an easy-to-configure eight-port Ethernet hub for interfacing with networked devices such as control systems, computers, and media players.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
CI focus, including eight-port Ethernet hub
9.1 channels for 5.1.4/7.1.2 surround
Redesigned setup mic
Minus
No Bluetooth, AirPlay, Wi-Fi, or DLNA

Full Review Here

 

PSB Imagine X Speaker System: $3,443 (as reviewed)

It’s got some stiff competition at and even below its price but the Imagine X series brings the magic of PSB’s near-perfect tonal balance down to a more attainable price while adding the option of object-based surround sound. Veteran speaker reviewer Daniel Kumin concluded: “If I’ve found barely a nit to pick from PSB’s latest mid-market system, it’s because there aren’t many. The X1T is a remarkably fine loudspeaker, the XC is among the best-matched horizontal centers I’ve heard, and the XB/XA combo works really nicely…Imagine X is outstanding in the typically quiet Canadian way: neutral, capable, dynamic, and uncolored, a textbook example of loudspeaker design and execution.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Brilliant octave-to-octave balance for musical playback
Exceptional center-channel timbral match
Effective and adaptable Atmos module design
Minus
Short towers may require tilt/angle manipulation
Limited subwoofer extension
A bit expensive relative to some recent debuts

Full Review Here

 

Denon AVR-X4200W AV Receiver: $1,499

If you’re looking for a solid performing receiver that can be had for well under two grand, Denon’s new upper-echelon AVR deserves a look. It does all of the most current modes, sources, and processing very competently, with ample audio power and fully up-to-date video abilities. Getting right to the heart of the matter, reviewer Mark Fleischmann wrote: “The AVR-X4200W boasts unimpeachable audio quality and full 4K video capabilities, combined with a deep feature set (among them nine-channel processing in a seven-channel AVR) and a host of multiroom and automation options (including an HDMI Zone-2 output), all at a fair (though not inconsiderable) price. At the end of the day, this receiver is an easy recommendation.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Very solid amplifier performance
DTS:X, Dolby Atmos on board with seven-channel power and nine-channel processing
Good streaming-audio client performance and ergonomics
Minus
Ho-hum remote
Firmware/feature upgrade process is clumsy

Full Review Here