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Sony HX929 or Panasonic VT30
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2012  |  10 comments
I have an old Samsung LED-illuminated RPTV and I want to upgrade. I am stuck between the Panasonic TC-P65VT30 plasma TV and the Sony XBR-65HX929 LED-LCD TV. I move a lot, so the room it is in will vary at least once in the next two years. I watch tons of sports and lots of moves, and I also do some gaming. I have no interest in 3D, just picture quality. I'm torn between the two after playing with them both at Best Buy, and I hope you have something encouraging to say that may steer me to one or the other.

Bear Brown

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Sony KD-34XBR960 CRT TV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 14, 2011  |  8 comments
Do the current high-end and mid-range LCD, LED, or plasma TVs equal the picture quality of Sony's KD-34XBR960 CRT TV?

Dave Butler

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Sony STR-DA5400ES & TA-N9000ES in BTL Mode
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 11, 2012  |  9 comments
I have a B&W 600-series 5.1 speaker system and a Sony STR-DA5400ES A/V receiver and TA-N9000ES power amp. I am running the power amp in BTL (bridge-tied load) mode for the front left and right speakers and normal mode for the center channel. The surrounds are connected to the surround-speaker outputs of the receiver directly. Putting aside calibration and room size, am I doing the right thing regarding compatibility, connections, and power?

Jørgen

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CES 2016Ask S&V
Sony “4K HDR” UHDTVs Light Up the Grid
Al Griffin  |  Jan 08, 2016  |  0 comments
For Sony’s CES exhibit, the company put the focus on its proprietary TV technology, rather than trot out an extended lineup of 2016 models. The model it used for the demos, which encompassed its new Slim Backlight Drive, 4K Processor X1, and X-tended Dynamic Range PRO, was the XBR X930D.
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Soundbar in the Center
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 14, 2011  |  6 comments
I have the opportunity to update my home theater audio system and have decided on the Marantz SR7005 AVR. My room is small, and when I remodeled 10 years ago, I installed four Paradigm in-wall speakers and a large center-channel speaker for my 5.1 system. It occurs to me that if I replace the center channel with a 3-channel soundbar, I could use my existing in-wall speakers for the surround and have a full 7.1 system.

What do you think of this approach? Paradigm makes a 3-channel soundbar, the Millenia 20 Trio (shown above). I like my Paradigm speakers, but I thought that looking at other brands might be a good thing to do.

Byron Servies

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Soundbar, TV Setup, Multichannel Music
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 03, 2010  |  2 comments
Ill-Advised Combo
I have a very large room with high ceilings and a loft, and I have a 5.1 system with satellite speakers. Will a Polk SurroundBar 360 work together with the speaker system I have, or does it work only by itself?
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Soundbars, 60 vs. 120Hz, DVRs
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 06, 2010  |  3 comments
Clutter Cutter
We have a budget of about $600 for a sound system to go with our new Panasonic TC-P54G25 plasma TV. We are looking for a system without a lot of clutter. Is there something with a subwoofer and just a couple of speakers, or do we need many speakers? Our TV room measures 22x22 feet.
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Speaker Matching
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 28, 2011  |  3 comments
I am in the process of upgrading my home theater. I just bought the Panasonic VT25 plasma TV and Marantz SR6006 A/V receiver, and I want to get the right speakers. I bought the B&W CM2 center channel, so my challenge is now the in-ceiling speakers. I am considering Martian Logan, B&W, and Current in-ceiling speakers. If I stay with the B&W center, should I go with B&W in-ceiling?

The Martin Logans cover more of the highs, while the B&Ws cover more of the midrange. With music, the B&Ws sound more realistic, but with movies, the Martin Logans sound better. I was told that matching manufacturers is key to maintain the same tonal character. If I don't, will there be an impact to movies and music? Any feedback on these speakers in general and/or matching manufactures would be very helpful. I am willing to go listen to other speakers that you suggest.

Mike Perrone

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Speakers, Switchers, Kuro
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 04, 2009  |  16 comments
Decisions, Decisions
I want to get a new pair of main speakers for my Pioneer Elite SC-27 A/V receiver. I can't decide between the Klipsch RF-83 and the Polk RTi A9. Is one better than the other?
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SRS iWow 3D
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 12, 2011  |  0 comments
I just bought an audio dongle recommended by Dick DiBartolo and Leo Laporte on the GizWiz podcast. It's called the iWow 3D by SRS, and it makes the sound seem three-dimensional. I can't explain it, but I'm addicted to it. It's available as a hardware dongle for headphones and earbuds and as software for computer speakers. Have you heard about this technology and how it works? I'm interested in what you think.

Adam Davis

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Streaming Audio to a Pre/Pro
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  0 comments
I just bought an Integra DHC 80.2 and want to stream music and movies from my HP laptop (or create a separate server) to it with a hard-wired Ethernet connection. However, I want the best possible sound. How can I do this?

Dale

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Streaming DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 08, 2012  |  13 comments
When one streams a movie from Netflix or other online services, the video probably looks good, but will I get the sound of DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD through my system, or just Dolby Surround as one gets from cable?

Wolf

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Streaming from Multiple Components
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 19, 2011  |  3 comments
With so many components now able to connect to the Internet, how do you choose which one to use (TV, Blu-ray player, AVR, etc.)? Do you have to connect all of them?

Art Jacques

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Streaming, Switching, Sweating
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 05, 2009  |  5 comments
Gently Down the Stream
I'm not a PC guy, and ease of use for my fiancé and me is key. I'm planning to rip all my CDs to some 1TB drives and access the files via my Mac and iTunes. I was going to use the Denon AVR-3808 A/V receiver, as I've had a long, happy history with the brand, and I want decent amps and HD radio.
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Sub Hum
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 20, 2011  |  0 comments
I have a Pioneer VSX-1019 A/V receiver and a Paradigm subwoofer. When the receiver is turned off, I hear a slight hum from the sub when a certain volume is selected. I have to turn the sub volume all the way down to get rid of it. The sub is supposed to have an auto-on feature, but I'm not sure if that is working or not.

I have tried different cables from the receiver to the sub. I have used a 3-conductor AC power cord. I have tried different power strips, but I still get the hum when the receiver is turned off. How do I get rid of the hum?

Douglas Dye

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