Reviews

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector

Chris EberleNovember 10, 2011

Commenting on value in a review is always risky. The worth of a product is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. In the case of the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB, I have every confidence that you will agree when I say, this projector is one of the best values on the market today. For less than the price of many big-screen TVs, you can have the front projection experience with plenty of light, accurate color, high-end video processing, and all at full 1920x1080p.

Projectors

CEntrance DACMini USB DAC

Rick SchmidtNovember 7, 2011

CEntrance is a Chicago based company with engineering in the US and Moscow, Russia, design in Holland, and manufacturing facilities in Asia but final assembly in the US . Let's just say 'multi-national'. They got their start in pro audio making microphone/guitar pre-amps with analog to digital converters, the MicPort Pro and AxePort Pro in amazingly small packages. Designed to plug inline on the microphone or guitar cord with a USB output (the units are powered by the USB connection) they provide the smallest possible recording studio, enabling musicians to plug a microphone or guitar 'directly' into a computer as if they were plugging into tape deck. Here, we review the CEntrance DACMini.

DACs

Harman Kardon HK 990 Stereo Integrated Amplifier with Digital Room Correction and Dual Subwoofer Bass Management – Part III

David A. Rich, Ph.D.November 3, 2011

Circuit design and the tape recorder section are the focus of the final section of my HK 990 review. The topics are addressed to different groups. Those interested in the tape recorder section will find information on Page 9. The tape recorder interface section outlines matters of connectivity and usage.

Integrated Amplifiers

Martin Logan Theos Hybrid Electrostatic Speakers

Chris HeinonenOctober 31, 2011

At the CEDIA Expo in 2010, Martin Logan was giving one of the first demonstrations of their new Theos electrostatic speakers (ESLs) for the press and dealers. Though the conditions at shows are often less than optimal, when seated in the sweet spot of the room, the experience was nothing short of amazing. Sounds came from all around, causing me to check and make sure that there were no surround speakers setup in addition to the Theos.

Floor Standing Speakers

Harman Kardon HK 990 Stereo Integrated Amplifier with Digital Room Correction and Dual Subwoofer Bass Management – Part II

David A. Rich, Ph.D.October 27, 2011

This second part of the HK 990 review examines the signal flows in the HK 990 dual-domain integrated amplifier. This analysis is relevant to all units, including modem AVRs, with a DSP signal processing unit in the main signal path. The signal flow is more transparent in this stereo unit than a 7.1 multichannel unit; so, if you are interested in AVR, please stay tuned in to Part II.

Integrated Amplifiers

Paradigm Introduces Monitor Series 7 Subwoofers

Cynthia JohnsonOctober 25, 2011

Monitor SUB 8, Monitor SUB 10 and Monitor SUB 12, the first series of subwoofers designed specifically for use with the Monitor louspeaker line. Toronto, ON – ...

Subwoofers

Toshiba BDX5200 3D Blu-ray Player

Chris Eberle and Chris HeinonenOctober 24, 2011

To compare today's Blu-ray players with the very first models that shipped back in 2006, one would find those early players to be a mere shadow of what's available today. Early adopters had to live without full lossless sound support, no 24p, no Internet apps, terrible ergonomics, glacially slow load times, and of course, high prices. Now we have models like Toshiba's BDX-5200 that give you everything but the kitchen sink for under $180. Ain't technology great?

Blu-ray Players

Harman Kardon HK 990 Stereo Integrated Amplifier with Digital Room Correction and Dual Subwoofer Bass Management – Part I

David A. Rich, Ph.D.October 20, 2011

The HK 990 is a truly unique stereo component. It is a dual domain device capable of accepting analog or digital inputs, converting domains as required, and sending the results to the speaker.

Integrated Amplifiers

Anthem MRX 500 7.1 A/V Receiver

Jim ClementsOctober 13, 2011

Anthem released their highly-anticipated line of surround receivers in late 2010. Right out of the gate, Anthem's three entries into the surround receiver market really turned the audio world on its "ear" by essentially acing some of the most salient qualities for receivers; just some minor little aspects like build quality, sound quality and features. The Anthem MRX 500 is their newest 7.1 receiver, and it's very affordable at $1,499.

Receivers

Boston Acoustics A Series 5.1 Home Theater Speakers

Brian AlvarezOctober 10, 2011

Boston Acoustics has a well deserved reputation for delivery good sounding and musical speakers at reasonable prices. The very first pair of speakers I owned were Boston Acoustics. It was such a long time ago I can't remember the model number. All I recall are small bookshelf speakers in black ash. Sound wise they stood out at the time as the only speakers I could afford that sounded like music. The Boston Acoustic A Series set of 5.1 speakers is reviewed here.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Panasonic DMP-BDT210 3D Blu-ray Player

Chris HeinonenOctober 6, 2011

Sales figures for home theater components are not something I really pay attention to. I'd much rather own something that works great than to have what's popular, or to have my opinion influenced by sales numbers. However, I'd be willing to bet that Panasonic has done pretty well with their 3D Blu-ray players this year because of one huge advantage they have over everyone else: The ability to include Avatar 3D for consumers. And now, you can get a 3D Blu-ray player for $200: the Panasonic DMP-BDT210.

Blu-ray Players

ChromaPure 2.2 Video Calibration System and Lumagen Radiance Mini-3D Video Processor

Chris HeinonenOctober 4, 2011

If you've read the previous DIY calibration articles here at Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity, then you've seen us cover ChromaPure and CalMAN calibration systems, and the DVDO Duo video processor. This time we're going to look at the newest release of ChromaPure, version 2.2, as well as the Lumagen Radiance Mini-3D Video Processor, both individually and together.

Video Calibration

Toshiba 55SL417U 55″ Edge Lit LED LCD HDTV

Chris EberleOctober 3, 2011

With all the hoopla surrounding 3D, the other big innovation in HDTVs has been largely forgotten – LED backlighting. For an image-quality geek like me though, this is a far more significant advance in technology. LCD panels can now play in the same black-level arena as plasma TVs. In some cases, they even exceed. As anyone schooled in imaging science will tell you, dynamic range is the single most important factor in perceived image quality. Let's take a look at this Toshiba 55" HDTV with edge lit LED backlighting.

HDTV

LG 55LW5600 55″ 3D Edge Lit LED LCD HDTV

Stephen Hornbrook and Chris HeinonenSeptember 29, 2011

I first saw the passive 3D LCD displays at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and was immediately drawn in by their crisp bright displays and limited crosstalk. Fellow Secrets team member Chris Heinonen and I recently took a look at the 55LW5600, a 55" 3D Edge Lit LED LCD HDTV from LG.

HDTV

Channel D Pure Music High Resolution Music Server Software

Chris GroppiSeptember 27, 2011

Computer audio is quickly becoming the source of choice for high-resolution audio playback. A vast number of products focused on computer audio are available today, but most of the attention is paid to hardware: DACs and computer audio interfaces like the Bryston BDA-1 and Halide Design USB to SPDIF Bridge I reviewed last year. In all our reviews, we forget one key component of the playback chain: the software player. I have complained extensively about the difficulty of getting no-compromise audio playback from a computer.

Portable Audio

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