Receiver & Amplifier Reviews

In September 2000, full production began of possibly their most significant valve pre/power combination since the first QUAD II rolled off the production floor over fifty years ago. The system comprises one valve pre-amplifier and two mono valve power...

3 expert reviews

PS audio began in 1975 as two guys' effort to create affordable high-fidelity audio equipment. Paul McGowan and Stan Warren (the P&S) parted ways after a couple of years with Paul continuing PS and Stan going on to Superphon. After a good run Paul sold...

2 expert reviews

Imagine what it would be like if shopping for a new car involved the same number of decisions we must make when buying a home theater system. First, we would pick an engine, then we'd need a chassis to mount it in, and, to top it off, we would hire a...

2 expert reviews

The VSi55, ARC's lowest priced tube amp/preamp combo at $2995, demonstrates that high-priced technology can trickle down to a more affordable price point in the hands of a manufacturer who really cares.

3 expert reviews

Cutting Edge rates this amplifier at 1,000 watts into one ohm. The amplifier can be bridged with a second CE1000M to achieve...

2 expert reviews

Boston Acoustics has been perfecting the art of speaker design for 26 years, so I guess they're ready to try something new. For 2005, the company set their sights on the fiercely competitive A/V-receiver market and released a classically handsome,...

2 expert reviews

That lead and the rest of the review had to be delayed because by the time it was ready to run, the Ultimate II version was announced. It adds Pro Logic IIx and video upconversion, from composite to S-video to composite. Otherwise, as far as I can...

2 expert reviews

Most human beings have 10 fingers and 10 toes. Therefore the number 10 is a big deal to us. We use a base-10 number system, bestow honors in top-10 lists, and think in multiples of 10. So it's inevitable that makers of surround receivers have fixated...

3 expert reviews

The first thing that you notice about the Planet Audio PA2500D is that it is a substantial power amplifier. The unit weighs...

2 expert reviews

The amplifier market has a lot of good things going on these days. In addition to incredible technological advancements,...

2 expert reviews

Many consumer-electronics pundits may deny it, but sound matters in a high-end home theater. How much? I would hazard to say that the sonic character of a home theater is even more important than its picture quality. To give you an example, let me...

2 expert reviews

Choosing the Sherbourn PT-7010A and 7/2100A as your home theater audio electronics is like hiring a contractor who with a few simple instructions on your part does a fantastic remodeling job on your kitchen—and as you’ll note if you read the...

2 expert reviews

Unpacking the 2800E reveals an unusual looking power amplifier. The amplifier is finished in either a chrome plate or bright...

2 expert reviews

While specialist manufacturers can still make a good case that their separates maintain an edge in sound quality, the gap separating them from the best receivers is not nearly as big as it was in the early days of the still-young home theater market....

2 expert reviews

The End Of 2004 MP101, however, gets a Recommended from me. It's not the perfect lounge room music stream receiver, but the price is right

2 expert reviews

An impressive combination of classic/vintage concept, modern cosmetics and no-compromise construction, both mechanical and electrical, the T+A V10 integrated stereo amplifier establishes a new standard for audio excellence. The V10 builds its unique perfo

3 expert reviews

After making and refining tube amps for several years, Stronczer began to explore the possibility of making a solid-state model. After examining and discarding conventional solid-state designs, Stronzer learned about a new circuit: the Tripath...

2 expert reviews

For $3,400 you can acquire a beautiful, 68-pound music machine decked out in a rosewood-looking base, chrome top and front plates, and accents to complement the big-ass tranny covers. Like the Diavolo, it's a zero-feedback design but does not offer an...

2 expert reviews

When the dust settles, Lexicon's CX-7 won't simply be known as the LX-7's little brother. It has plenty of power, plenty of design and build quality, and plenty of swagger to forge its own identity in the amplifier arena. I expect it will grab a...

3 expert reviews

The Parasound Halo C 2 is a 7.5-channel controller offering coonventional 7.1-channels output needed for the latest soundtrack formats, plus four user programmable auxiliary channels. Two of the auxiliary channels are intended as subwoofer outputs (one...

3 expert reviews

There's no doubt that having a high-end manufacturer produce receivers does a lot of good for the genre. But when a high-end manufacturer makes a receiver that truly lives up to the standards that people have for these companies, it does a lot more....

2 expert reviews

André takes a slow, methodical approach to audio design, making sure to get it right before a product is released to the public; as a result, YBA products remain available a long time. (The Integré integrated amplifier, which I reviewed in the June...

2 expert reviews

Reach for the Sky The first feature of the Outlaw 950 pre-pro that you'll appreciate is its understated front panel. I normally cringe when confronted with the 101 similarly sized buttons crammed onto typical mass-market receivers, "secret" drop-down...

2 expert reviews

You can't please everybody, especially in the home theater world. Lexicon came close in 2000 with the release of the MC-12, an end-all pre/pro that carried on the company's tradition of performance but also addressed the few issues that people had with...

2 expert reviews

While it may always get second billing in the parade of human emotions, don't forget about anticipation's potent influence. This is the force that has been linked to Parasound's Halo C1 pre/pro ever since its trade-show debut a few years back, and it...

2 expert reviews