Pinnacle T1 PBAR 2000 Powered Sound Bar

Glen Young

Don't you often wonder why expensive televisions are sold with speakers that sound like they're made of tissue paper and powered by a cell phone? No matter what the price of the set, it always seems that sound quality receives little of the design budget. This results in predictable audio quality – tinny, prone to distortion, and adequate only for the most basic of dialogue. The good news is that there ARE alternatives! Pinnacle Speakers offers an array of high quality powered sound bars, surround speakers, subwoofers, and in-wall/in-ceiling speakers that can bring your television's sound to life!

Soundbars

Black and White Movies: How to Calibrate

Chris Eberle

I have a KURO display that has the ISF-Night mode calibrated to 30 foot-Lamberts with a 6500 K white point. I also had the Pure mode calibrated with a 5400 K white point for black and white movies. Should I use the 5400 K calibrated Pure mode with black and white movies on Blu-ray? I have always wondered which is the most accurate white point for black and white movies. Do they always correct the white point of black and white movies so that it looks correct on displays calibrated with a 6500 K white point?

- David A.
Dublin, Ohio

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

M&K Sound X12 Subwoofer

Robert Ebeling III, M.D.

The new "X" line of M&K Sound subwoofers consists of three models: the X8, X10, and X12. When asked how the new "X" line subwoofers were different from the previous generation, Claus Glaesner, President of M&K Sound USA, replied, "These subwoofers are a major step up in every way from our previous subwoofers. The build quality, driver quality, and sound quality represent a new reference level of subwoofer that was previously not available on the market."

Subwoofers

Anthem MRX 710 7.1 A/V Receiver

Robert Kozel

Anthem's second-generation MRX receivers now offer more HDMI inputs, dual HDMI outputs, 4K upscaling and pass-through, faster HDMI switching and come in three models with the primary difference being the amount of amplification and number of channels. The entry level receiver is the MRX 310, which offers 80 watts per channel for 5.1 channels. The MRX 510 is the middle receiver in the MRX lineup and offers 100 watts per channel for 7.1 channels. The flagship model is the MRX 710, reviewed here, which offers 120 watts per channel for 7.1 channels. As for other differences between models, the MRX 710 and MRX 510 allow the front left and right speakers to be bi-amped. The MRX 710 and MRX 510 have seven rear and one front-panel HDMI input, while the MRX 310 has seven rear HDMI inputs. All three models support software updates via USB.

Receivers

Marantz PM6005 Integrated Amplifier and CD6005 CD Player

Don Disbennett

Marantz is one of the legendary names in audio and has remained a brand noted for high quality audio devices from power amplifiers to CD/SACD players, integrated amplifiers, home theater receivers and processors. The PM6005 integrated amp and CD6005 CD player are part of Marantz' Slim Line components and are updated versions of the PM 6004 integrated amplifier and CD 6004 CD player reviewed by Secrets' writer Jared Rachwalski in May, 2012.

 

Integrated Amplifiers

OmniMount PJT40 Projector Mount

Chris Heinonen

Compared to mounting a flat panel TV, installing a projector is a pain. You need to get the screen perfectly level and flush with the wall. Then you have to mount the projector to precisely line up with the screen. It has to be perfectly parallel to the screen or you'll see distortion. Getting the projector perfectly level usually means lifting it up to make small adjustments to the feet, placing the projector down, and checking again. Since I review multiple projectors every year, I do this dance too many. By the time I get a projector perfect it's almost time to box it up and send it back to the company. The PJT40 projector mount from OmniMount is designed to make this easier than before and so I decided to install one in my home theater to find out.

Audio Accessories Misc

M&K Sound

Secrets
Put simply and in all modesty, no other loudspeaker manufacturer in the world can rightfully claim the title of...
AV Directory

ADE-24.1 Analog Digital Enhancer

John E. Johnson, Jr.

The ADE-24.1 Analog Digital Enhancer is an accessory that has been around for a long time. It works at low voltage (e.g., RCA analog output from CD player, iPod, etc.) and manipulates the harmonics. I got one of these units at the California Audio Show and the demonstration definitely indicated that it could improve sound (make it sound more appealing, and widen the sound stage), so I decided to bench test it to see what it does.

Audio Accessories Misc

Which AVR Should I Choose: Anthem 710 or Pioneer SC-79?

Brian Florian

My dream of owning a Statement ended when I woke up realizing it wasn't going to happen. So, now I have narrowed my choice of AVR down to two. It's between a Pioneer SC-79 or the Anthem 710. Which would you recommend I go with. I would be looking for whichever one to be able to handle a medium to large size room. Bells and whistles don't mean a whole lot just the sound. I'm not a big music guy so most of its use would be for gaming and movies. I currently own the VSX-84txsi and have enjoyed it for seven years, but the 710 is very interesting to me (not to mention the fact, it's a thousand dollars cheaper). Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated and please keep up the good work. Thanks SECRETS!

- John Z.
Cockeysville, Maryland

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A