Ross Jones

Affordable Projectors for Non-Dedicated Home Theater Rooms – Mitsubishi HC5500 & Elite Cinema Screen

I am continuing my journey into the world of affordable front projector systems, with a special emphasis on systems that are suitable for multi-use rooms.  My first foray, the Sanyo PLV-Z2000, was a success. But I didn't have anything to compare it to, at least in my own home environment. Now comes the first challenger, the Mitsubishi HC5500, another affordable 1080p projector. These projectors use the same basic display technology (LCD panels), so provide a pretty good apples-to-apples comparison. We also review the Elite Screens ezCinema Plus Pull-up Projection Screen.

Hsu Research ULS-15 Subwoofer and HB-1/HC-1 MK2 Speakers

Hsu Research is an A/V company selling only online, and which continually produces superb products at affordable prices. Until recently, Hsu sold nothing but subwoofers. I bought one of the original Hsu Research VTF-2 subs, which had incredible performance for a $500 price tag. I've since upgraded to the VTF3-HO with Turbocharger. Like the rest of the Hsu's line, those subs had a ported design.

Now comes Hsu's first sealed-box subwoofer, the Hsu Research ULS-15. It's one of the first subs to hit the market with wireless connections (RF), and it has four separate channels, so you can have several discrete wireless subwoofer channels if you like (e.g., front left, right, and LFE).  Along with the ULS-15, Hsu also sent their newly redesigned HB-1 Mk 2 bookshelf speakers and HC-1 center channel speaker, for a complete 5.1 system. I had heard good things about the HB-1's, but never had a chance to audition them in person. Plus, I was very curious to see how Hsu's experience with subs would translate into full range speakers.

Affordable Projectors for Non-Dedicated Home Theater Rooms – Sanyo PLV-Z2000 1080p Projector

Front projectors have been the gold standard in home theater for many years. But until recently, front projection meant a CRT-unit the size of a coffee table mounted to the ceiling. It only looked good if you turned your room into a bat-cave, was very finicky about set-up, needed regular calibration, and probably cost more than the family sedan. Well, now front projectors are very affordable and are small and easy to set up. Perfect for that family room that has other uses than just home theater. Secrets takes a look at the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 as the first in our series on affordable projectors that you can use in just about any room of your home.

Canton Chrono 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System

The Canton Chrono speaker system proves that you cannot judge a book solely by its cover (although I thought the front baffle lacquer finish was pretty slick looking anyway). It provides a realistic soundstage, with imaging that is particularly well-suited for film reproduction. If you're looking for a 5.1 system in this price, you'll definitely want to put the Canton Chrono series on your audition list.

Halcro MC70 Seven-Channel Power Amplifier

Halcro's MC series amplifiers come in two, three, five and seven channel configurations (designated the MC20, MC30, MC50, and MC70). The MC70 lists for $7,000, but compared to the Halcro Reference DM88 monoblocks, which will set you back more than $40,000 per pair, the MC70 is quite the bargain. So what kind of amp do you get for a kilobuck per channel?

Integra DTR-7.8 A/V Receiver

The Integra DTR 7.8 seven-channel A/V receiver has cutting edge features such as HDMI 1.3a, and internal processing of the latest hi-resolution audio codecs. It offers THX Ultra2 certification at an amazingly low price, and most importantly, produces the clean, neutral sound that we've come to expect from Integra products. Integra has produced another winner here.

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SVSound PC13-Ultra Subwoofer

One of my favorite nerd-words is "disintermediation." It's a polite economics term for "cutting out the middleman." A company manufactures products and sells them directly to the customer, cutting out the intermediaries in the supply chain and passing on the cost savings to consumers.