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Reviews

WideaLab Aurender S10 Music Server

Jason Victor Serinus

Like most people I have some pet peeves. When I shop for televisions, I am always hoping to find one without speakers. I have a dedicated theater with speakers and electronics that are leaps and bounds ahead of what I could possibly get in a TV. I don't need speakers; I'll never turn them on. I don't want them! Simply having them adds cost, complexity, and size to my TV. I don't want to pay for what I won't use!

Media Servers

Pass Labs X1000.5 Monoblock Power Amplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

We have reviewed several Pass Labs products in the past, and I finally decided to get a pair of what they call "Room Heaters", i.e., the X1000.5. These monoblock power amplifiers are rated at 1,000 watts rms into 8 ohms. They are similar in physical design to the XA200.5, but the XA200.5's are biased into Pure Class A, while the X1000.5's are biased about 80 watts into Class A, with the rest as AB.

Power Amplifiers

Paradigm Monitor 7 Series Speakers

Brian Florian

Speakers however are one of the last bastions of long term value and investment. Simply stated, good speakers will never be obsolete. My father has a pair of Paradigm Monitor 7se speakers which are almost 25 years old... and not only are they in great shape, but are still an enviable, excellent sounding pair! Here, we review the Paradigm Monitor 7 Series, which includes the Mini-Monitor, the Center, and the Surrounds.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Pioneer BDP-52FD 3D Universal Blu-ray Player

Chris Heinonen

Of all the new equipment that I saw at the CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis in 2011, my favorite booth visit was to Pioneer. Showing me around their booth and their new products, it was obvious they had read our review of their last generation of Blu-ray players. So, here is another one, in this case, the BDP-52FD, which is 3D-capable, and will play DVD-A as well as SACD, making it a universal player.

Blu-ray Players

NAD T757 7.1 A/V Receiver

Kevin Lichterman

Like most people I have some pet peeves. When I shop for televisions, I am always hoping to find one without speakers. I have a dedicated theater with speakers and electronics that are leaps and bounds ahead of what I could possibly get in a TV. I don't need speakers; I'll never turn them on. I don't want them! Simply having them adds cost, complexity, and size to my TV. I don't want to pay for what I won't use! So, instead of TV's built-in speakers, a receiver will deliver much better quality sound, and surround sound at that. NAD's new T757 is reviewed here, and it does the job well.

Receivers

Pioneer SC-57 9.1 A/V Receiver

Chris Heinonen

I've reviewed a fair number of receivers, and owned a fair number of them myself as well. The unit that I was the most sad to part with was the Pioneer SC-27 a couple years ago. With its Class D amps, it was fast and powerful, but not harsh. The new SC-57 is a 9.1 receiver, with Class D amplification, but Pioneer has built the amplifier modules themselves rather than using ICEPower modules. Was the sound different? Read on . . .

Receivers

Screen Innovations Black Diamond Zero Edge Projection Screen

Chris Eberle

When designing a home theater, the screen is often the last consideration in the plan. After all, it's much more interesting to research electronics and their associated specs than to look through screen material samples and frame designs. Other than size, few of us think much about our choice of screen. Screen Innovations markets projection screens in all sizes, aspect ratios, and gain (screen brightness). In this review, we take a look at their Black Diamond Zero Edge projection screen.

Screens

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Speakers (5.1 System)

Jim Clements

Energy speakers have been around since 1973. They came into prominence with the Pro 22 and later with the Veritas v2.8 speakers which were a big hit in the mid 90's. At an MSRP of around $6,000, the Veritas v2.8's were known for an excellent price/performance ratio.  Here, I'll review their latest iteration of the Veritas line, the V-6.3's in an all-Veritas 5.1 system!

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

BenQ W1200 DLP Projector

Chris Eberle

With a steady flow of new models hitting the market since the CEDIA Expo, I've had plenty of projectors passing through my theater of late. When I got the opportunity to review the BenQ W1200, I realized it was my first time evaluating a product from this company. The W1200 is a full 1080p single-chip DLP projector.

Projectors

Definitive Technology BP-8040ST SuperTower Speakers

Piero Gabucci

Pssst….want to hear a really cool speaker, but you have to keep it a secret. The voice was familiar but I looked around for the white van, none to be seen. Sure, but they'd better not have fallen out of the back of a truck I replied. Nah he said just come up to my private room in this hotel. Up the exterior stairs we went to his suite, nice. Now I want to show you what's in this other room behind this curtain. Hmmmm. There they were, the Definitive Technology BP-8040ST SuperTower Speakers. And then they were here, for me to review. Review done. Read on.

Floor Standing Speakers

Onkyo TX-NR809 Wireless Network 7.2 A/V Receiver

Gabe Lowe

Having both reviewed and owned several Onkyo receiver models over the last few years, I have come to expect an excellent product that is both packed with features and performs extremely well. The Onkyo TX-NR809 network receiver was announced in May of 2011, and right away, it made me salivate. So, here is the review.

Receivers