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Reviews

Velodyne Optimum-12 Subwoofer

Jim Clements

I remember marveling at the sound being produced by a pair of small bookshelf speakers during a recent visit to a local high-end dealer's shop. I asked the salesman, "The bass extension on these speakers is amazing for their small size. How do they do it?" "Technology" was his reply. I sat there stone faced for a second while the wheels turned. Great bass extension with useable output is still governed by the laws of Newtonian physics. Technology can't violate those laws. The designer must work within the framework of the laws to produce a design that will fulfill their objectives. Velodyne has worked within these laws to produce a compact subwoofer that will surprise you with its amazing bass output. Read more about what Jim Clements has to say.

Subwoofers

DVDO Edge Video Processor

Ofer LaOr

Many years ago, CRT projector owners had an annoying problem, if they increased their projection area, scan lines would become visible. The idea of line doubling – duplicating the number of lines to avoid the empty spaces between the scan lines became the first consumer video processing technique available. Since all of our video sources at the time were video, but were originally film – Yvves Faroudja introduced the world to the concept of 3:2 pulldown de-interlacing. De-interlacers were able to double lines but effectively turned the image into a progressive one – a single image that contained data from both interlaced fields at once. Many video processors have come to market since that time to improve on this basic technology, adding many more features than simply de-interlacing. Anchor Bay Technologies has produced numerous processors over the years, and the DVDO Edge is their latest model. It is priced at only $799. Ofer LaOr dissects this new processor and gives us his views on its performance.

Video Processors

Aperion Audio Intimus 4T Hybrid SD Speakers

Jared Rachwalski

The question I am asked most often regarding stereo systems is “what speaker should I buy”? My answer is usually “the one that sounds best in your room”. If you have a good relationship with your local HiFi dealer, you just may be able to audition in your own home. Not all of the good speakers are sold in stores and sometimes to get the best value you need to purchase online. The problem is, you will have to at least pay shipping one way to get the speakers into your home. This can get pricey. What if you could audition in home, risk free? How about a ten year warranty? While we are at it, toss in a 100% credit trade up program.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Focal Chorus 700 5.1 Speaker System

L. Richard Stevens

While not sold in big box retail stores nor shipping Internet-direct to consumers, Focal has built and maintained a solid reputation in the audiophile community by offering top tier sound quality. Being very familiar with the brand, it was with great anticipation that I agreed to review the Chorus 700 speaker system. The Chorus 700 series is at the lower end of Focal's speaker lineup, and the review system consisted of a pair of 726V three-way tower speakers, a CC700V center channel speaker, a pair of 706V bookshelf speakers for the rear, and a SW700V subwoofer. At roughly $3,600 for the package, I was eager to see how the Chorus system compared to its mass-market competitors. Furthermore, can the 700 series live up to the reputation of its higher priced siblings?

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Denon AVR-2309CI 7.1 A/V Receiver

Gabe Lowe

The Denon AVR-2309CI is the entry level product in Denon's Custom Integration line, which includes receivers specifically designed with custom installers in mind.  It offers extras like an RS-232C port for integration with automation and advanced control systems such as Crestron, and a 12 volt trigger to automate things such as a front projection screen lowering when the system is powered on.

Receivers

Jaton Operetta 2300a Class A/B Amplifier – First Look

Jared Rachwalski

The Jaton company has been around for over 25 years. They started with manufacturing PC video cards, and have since branched into home theater and hi-fi gear. Lyra's HD-661 DX speakers were recently reviewed at Secrets, and their interesting design and great sound made me want to try out their amplification. George from Jaton was kind enough to send me a rather large and heavy Class A/B Stereo amplifier capable of putting out 300 watts RMS per channel into 4 ohms. Initial problems with the amplifier has required Jaton to redesign it, and the revised version will be sent to me for review In the meantime, here are some initial observations on the unrevised unit.

Power Amplifiers

Onkyo TX-SR576 7.1 A/V Receiver

Matthew Abel

Last year Onkyo introduced a truly stunning product, the TX-SR605, which offered HDMI 1.3 inputs, HD audio processing and a host of other advanced features at the amazing price point of $599. As 2007 has moved to 2008, Onkyo has now introduced their TX-SRxx6 series receivers and a new model, the Onkyo TX-SR576, that looks to move some of the TX-SR605's novel features to an even lower $479 price point.

Receivers

Denon AVR-689 7.1 A/V Receiver

Gabe Lowe
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.
Receivers

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

Ross Jones

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.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

JL Audio Fathom f212 Subwoofer

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Subwoofers

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

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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).

Processors