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Reviews

NextGen Copperhead Xtreme HDMI Cables

Chris Eberle

Ah HDMI. This now commonplace interface has had a storied history of controversy and confusion. Now evolved, it is still far from perfect but at least we A/V enthusiasts are living with it now. The most misunderstood part of the equation has traditionally been the cable. How long can it be and not cause signal deterioration, or even drop the signal altogether? NexGen addresses these questions with their Copperhead Xtreme HDMI Cable.

Audio Cables

Marantz AV7005 7.1 A/V Processor

Chris Heinonen

In 2009 I got to review the Marantz AV8003 processor and amp, and they helped to convince me of the benefits of separates over a receiver, and with how important it is overall to the performance of your whole system. In this review, we take a look at the AV7005 7.1 A/V Surround Sound Processor (SSP), which has an excellent feature set, including fully balanced analog audio XLR outputs for all channels.

Processors

Panamax M4320-PRO AC Power Conditioner

Jim Clements

The Panamax BlueBOLT version 1.2 Remote Power and Energy Management Platform really caught my eye at the 2010 CEDIA Expo. This newest version of the BlueBOLT AC power conditioner system expands on the energy management features and provides new control options. With BlueBOLT, custom electronics installers, integrators and end-users can remotely monitor and control power to their equipment by accessing power management components over the internet from anywhere in the world. Here, we review the Panamaz M4320-PRO AC Power Conditioner.

Power Conditioners

OPPO BDP-93, BDP-93NE (NuForce Edition), and BDP-95 Universal 3D Blu-ray Players

John Johnson, Chris Heinonen, Stephen Hornbrook

OPPO has just released its first universal 3D Blu-ray player, the BDP-93, and will shortly release the BDP-95, which adds a pair of balanced outputs (having their own dedicated DACs). At the same time, NuForce has released two upgrade boards that the consumer can install in a BDP-93 player, or purchase the player direct from NuForce with the card installed (Called the BDP-93NE and BDP-93NXE). This review will cover the audio performance of the three players (only the BDP-93NE, not the BDP-93NXE), as well as the video performence using our Benchmark tests. As you will see, OPPO has overturned price/performance expectations, and especially the BDP-95 is reference quality for less than $1,000.

Universal Players

Zikmu Wireless Speakers

Jim Clements

Parrot touts the Philippe Starck–designed wireless Zikmu speakers as "Next Generation Wireless Speakers". This all-inclusive powered speaker system features modern styling, efficient Class D amplification and flexible wireless connectivity. They look to be a progressive realization of current technology and style. Let us find out how they work and sound.

Bookshelf Speakers

Toshiba BDX-2700 Blu-ray Player

Chris Heinonen

During the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war, Toshiba was the main supporter of HD-DVD and producer of hardware. Beyond being just an HD-DVD player, their units were well known for being high quality standard DVD players with very good up conversion of legacy titles. The present review covers the Toshiba BDX-2700 Blu-ray player.

Blu-ray Players

OmniMount LEDP75 Wall Mount Kit for Flat Panel HDTV’s

Jim Milton

While at CEDIA last September, I witnessed a demonstration of the OmniMount LEDP75 wall mount kit and was fascinated with the ease of installation and the uniqueness of the design. From the initial cutting to mounting took the technician about 15 minutes. The fact that they were also giving away a free LCD flat panel from Samsung did not dissuade me from watching the demo either. (No…I did not win).

Stands/Racks/Furniture/Room Treatment

Toshiba 55WX800U 55″ LED Edge Lit LCD 3D HDTV

Chris Eberle

At the Consumer Electronics Show last January, every television manufacturer had at least one 3D-capable display in their booth. Over the next few months, new models trickled into the marketplace. Now that CEDIA has come and gone, the floodgates are officially open and every brand has at least one and in some cases multiple models to choose from. I attended CEDIA with the primary goal of securing as many 3D TVs as possible for review. Toshiba was kind enough to be the first to provide me a sample, the flagship 55WX800U Cinema Series 55" LED Edge Lit LCD HDTV.

HDTV

Paradigm Reference Seismic 110 Subwoofer

Ross Jones

I described the last Paradigm Reference sub I reviewed, the Reference Signature Sub 25, as the "Mother of All Subwoofers". Then Paradigm came out with the even more massive SUB 1 and SUB 2 models. So when I agreed to review the Seismic 110, a small barrel-shaped sub that measures barely 13" in any direction, my expectations were set accordingly.

Subwoofers

Furman F1500 UPS with Additional Battery Power

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Furman, long known for power conditioners, has introduced a series of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) that go into operation if your home (or office) AC power goes off due to storms or other factors. From the point that your AC goes off, and the Furman supplies AC power to whatever is plugged into it, you have a certain amount of time to shut down the components you have plugged into it. The amount of time you have depends on the current draw of the connected components. The Furman F1500 is rated at 900 watts load. The optional BATT1500-EXT battery pack allows additional time. The F1500 UPS was designed with home theater users in mind, and since a sudden loss of power can corrupt receiver settings and damage bulbs in projectors, the addition of a UPS to your home theater is something to consider.

Surge Protector/UPS

ClearStream Micron Over-the-Air Indoor DTV Antenna

Sumit Chawla, Ph.D.

A recent search on DTV stations in the San Francisco Bay Area listed all the channels within 100 miles of San Francisco. The list was long. Many transmitter locations were far away, so I was not going to receive all the channels. But still, the count was healthy. The site even listed several stations that are not broadcasting yet, but had either applied for or had received approval by the FCC. The ClearStream Micron Over-the-Air Indoor Antenna is designed to pull in those distant stations. Does it work?

Video Accessories Misc

Wyred4Sound DAC-2 AND STI-500 Integrated Stereo Amplifier

Secrets

Recently the external DAC has made a bit of a comeback in popularity. While they were once most commonly paired with a digital transport, now you're more likely to see them hooked up as part of a home media server. With disk space now cheap enough that anyone can keep their entire collection archived in a lossless format, and even keep a backup copy of it around, people are using their PC to serve up their audio collection. However, getting the most out of that lossless archive has been a challenge for many as most computer sound cards left much to be desired in the audio quality realm. In this review, we cover the Wyred4Sound DAC-2 and STI-500 Integrated Stereo Amplifier.

DACs

Pioneer VSX-1020K 7.1 A/V Receiver

Andrew Yang

The marketplace for receivers is undergoing a rather interesting transformation. In the early days, most of the pieces that went into a receiver were a result of in-house development. This was also a time when the audio components dominated. These days the audio specifications nearly show up as an afterthought behind a laundry list of audio formats. It seems the majority of manufacturers have accepted the reality that keeping in-house solutions competitive with third party solutions is difficult and costly. Pioneer's VSX-1020K is a 7.1 receiver with all the bells and whistles for only $549. It delivers very good performance for that price range. Read our review for the details.

Receivers