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Reviews

ZVOX Z-Base 550 Surround Sound Solution (Sound Bar)

Jim Clements

ZVOX is an e-tailer based in New England. They currently manufacture and market seven different models of sound bars. Their products are available on-line direct from the manufacturer. All purchases carry a 30-day no-risk guarantee.The low profile Z-Base 550 is one of their products. It is designed to support a stand-mounted flat panel display. Will a compact 20-pound single box surround system prove worthy of recommendation?

Soundbars

Velodyne SC-600 In-Wall Subwoofer

Jim Milton

The name Velodyne is practically synonymous with subwoofers. They have been creating innovatively designed subs since the 1980's with such features as high gain servos, anti-clipping, dynamic driven control systems and digital drive accelerometers to produce high volume, low distortion sound. Their latest product is part of their SubContractor Series. The SC-600 IW and SC-600 amp are a smaller, more affordable version of their SC-1250 in-wall design. Does this sub live up to its slogan of "Cut, Plug and Play"? Can a subwoofer that is less than 4 inches deep produce powerful bass?

Subwoofers

Furman IT-Reference 20i Power Conditioner

Rick Schmidt

I've been suspicious of power conditioners ever since they first appeared – sometime in the Jurassic Park period I think. Just like the science in that movie is a little glossed over, so is the science of AC power glossed over by wild claims for power conditioning products.

Power Conditioners

Cadence CSX-15 Subwoofer

Richard Stevens

I remember building my first home theater system many moons ago. I can still feel the agonizing pain of shopping for a subwoofer. Of all the components in my system it was the one item I obsessed over the most. Being the newbie that I was I had two basic requirements, big and loud. Over the years as my tastes refined I started to care less about size and subwoofers that go "boom" and began to care more about detail, finesse and accuracy.

Subwoofers

Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 A/V Receiver

Jim Milton

Onkyo has recently added a new line of receivers to its already long list of stellar audio/video equipment. The new TX-SR606 is the latest upgrade to the well reviewed TX-SR605.In one-upmanship, it has the added features of 4 HDMI (1.3) inputs and Audyssey 2EQ. SIRIUS and IPod docking are available, too. This is my first foray in using Audyssey and I was anxious to take it for a test drive in my upstairs, dedicated media room. MSRP is $599, which puts this receiver in the entry to mid range in price (though I have seen a street price as low as $399), and for the money, the 606 comes very well equipped!

Receivers

AV123 ELT 525 Surround Sound Speaker System

Secrets

To say I was excited about the prospect of reviewing AV123's new entry-level surround sound system is an understatement. For those that don't know, AV123 is one of many companies that sell loudspeakers from their website only. The drawback is that one cannot audition the speakers before you purchase them. However, these companies usually offer an “audition period” where you can listen to them in the comfort of your own home without any pressure to buy as the company will refund 100% of your payment (these particular speakers carry a 3 year warranty with a 30 day trial period

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

MK Sound M Series Speakers

Ross Jones

They're baaaaack! A long time ago (1973 to be exact), Walter Becker of Steely Dan asked Ken Kreisel to design a reference subwoofer suitable for mixing their Pretzel Logic album. For more than three decades, Miller & Kreisel was the name in speakers for music and motion picture studios. M & K also developed a tremendously loyal following in consumer audio, the MK 150 series speakers in particular creating fanatical devotion among owners.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Denon DVD-1800BD Blu-ray Player – Benchmark

Tyler Stripko and Adrian Wittenberg

The Denon DVD-1800BD is Denon's newest and least expensive Blu-ray player. For the $599 MSRP you get a Bonus View (profile 1.1) compliant player with HDMI 1.3a and component video outputs, bit-streaming (not decoding) of all the latest lossless surround formats, a front panel SD card memory slot for the playback of MP3 and JPG files, and full Divx and Windows Mediaâ„¢ Audio playback support.

Blu-ray Players

Bel Canto S500 Stereo Power Amplifier

Walt Meger

Let me first state "I like this amp, I really do." What does "Class A, A/B, D, ICEpower" mean to the average audiophile? Will there be an audible benefit by upgrading to the newer technology? If I am making an initial purchase will this technology satisfy me? Does the amp du jour really make a difference in the listening experience for the average listener?

Power Amplifiers

Definitive Technology Mythos STS Supertower Speakers

Piero Gabucci

Definitive Technology made a big splash with the introduction of the innovative Mythos ST tower speaker back in 2007 - its sleek elegant design and proportions along with some serious technology and integral powered race-track shaped subwoofers made it an instant hit. And oh boy it sounded smooth! Of course this was nothing new for current President Sandy Gross who founded DT back in 1990 and introduced one successful speaker after another.

Floor Standing Speakers

Onkyo TX-SR706 7.1 A/V Receiver

Matthew Abel

At $899, the Onkyo TX-SR706 is Onkyo's least expensive THX certified model and an interesting product within Onkyo's range of receivers. It is the lowest priced receiver in Onkyo's line-up that offers all the features I want in a receiver including HDMI 1.3 inputs, HD audio processing, Audyssey room equalization and pre-amp outputs. With its solid feature set and reasonable price, I was excited to see how the TX-SR706 would perform.

Receivers

Earthquake Sound iQuake IQ-52B iPod Dock

John E. Johnson, Jr.

There are plenty of iPod Docks out there for you to plug in your iPod and listen to your music using speakers instead of earphones. Some of them are very inexpensive and others somewhat more, but what sets the Earthquake Sound iQuake IQ-52B apart from the rest are its sound quality and features. Read our review to see how flexible this little package really is.

Portable Audio

Denon AVR-5308C1 7.1 A/V Receiver

Piero Gabucci

When Denon finally made good on their promise to deliver to market a separate processor/amplifier, (the AVP-A1HDCI and POA-A1HDCI) I wondered where the receivers at the top would fit in.  The last flagship receiver I'd reviewed was the AVR-5805 in May of 2005 and I wished it was in two components. But there are those that still want one box, saving space, wires and some money too.Now that the pre/pro/amp is out, the receivers can be downsized, thankfully. The new AVR-5308CI weighs 35 pounds less and stands 3 inches shorter than its predecessor 5805.  But feature-wise, the 5308 is substantially ahead of the 5805, which is why it's here for me to review.

Receivers

SVSound PB-12 Plus Subwoofer

Chris Eberle

In today's economy, good value in audio is more important than ever. To that end SVSound (SVS) has created a line of subwoofers that address every possible need in home theater and music listening without breaking the budget. I recently spent some quality time with their big box model, the PB12-Plus. This superbly-built sub includes quality amplification, a sweet-sounding 12-inch driver and plenty of adjustability. I would venture to say that most bass issues can be resolved with the PB12's tuning and EQ controls.

Subwoofers