Denon AVR-689 7.1 A/V Receiver

It amazes me that what passed for a premium feature in A/V receivers two or three years ago can now be found on entry level models.  That is the beauty of progress!  Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the Denon AVR-689.  At an MSRP of $399 it is hard to believe that this unit is so jam packed with bells and whistles. Now this is what I call an affordable - and good - receiver. Read our review to see more.

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.

Movie Renter’s Guide – November, 2008

Tinker Bell (Blu-ray), Sleeping Beauty (Blu-ray), Transsiberian (Blu-ray), Hellboy II (Blu-ray), The Strangers (Blu-ray), Magagascar (Blu-ray), Wall•E (Blu-ray), Tropic Thunder (Blu-ray), Wanted (Blu-ray), The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian (Blu-ray), TV Series - Hannah Montana (SD DVD), Prison Break (Blu-ray), Lost (Blu-ray), Grey's Anatomy (Blu-ray)

JL Audio Fathom f212 Subwoofer

JL Audio's new Fathom f212 subwoofer is an astonishing product. Their years of building car audio subwoofers that you can hear a block away have paid off in this subwoofer meant for audio and home theater applications. It is expensive, but notwithstanding, even just one of these subs will satisfy the most critical of home theater aficionados. The f212 is one of the finest subwoofers in the world.

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THIEL Unveils Signature Edition CS2.4SE Loudspeaker

October 30th, 2008 ( Lexington , KY ) â€" US loudspeaker company THIEL Audio (HUwww.thielaudio.comUH) has announced the introduction of the CS2.4SE loudspeaker, a limited production version of THIEL's popular CS2.4 floor-standing speaker.  The THIEL CS2.4 has been the loudspeaker of choice for thousands of audiophiles worldwide and has received much praise by both audio critics and enthusiasts since its unveiling over five years ago. The CS2.4SE (Signature Edition) raises this already beloved loudspeaker to an absolute apex of both visual beauty and sonic performance. 

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Paradigm Cinema Series Audio Systems Optimized for Gaming

Toronto, ON â€" October 28, 2008 â€" Paradigm Electronics Inc., an international leader in speaker design and manufacturing, today announced its first foray into the gaming industry with the launch of four new audio systems for gamers. The net result of Paradigm polls of industry press, gamers and even employees about the ideal audio system for gaming applications, this new series of affordable systems is designed to deliver dynamic audio performance optimized for gaming, as well as suited to meet the demands of movie audio and music playback.

Denon AVP-A1HDCI Surround Sound Processor and POA-A1HDCI Power Amplifier

Denon's new AVP-A1HDCI sports 12 configurable XLR fully balanced output channels. It handles all the newest codecs, including DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Using its Denon Link, along with a DVD player that also has the Denon Link, you can play SACDs with the native DSD bitstream being sent to the processor for decoding (no conversion to PCM like most other systems do).