Receiver & Amplifier Reviews

The Denon AVR-5800 offers the home-theater buff an impressive package. It has an excellent power-amp section, all the current processing modes one would likely need, and a good user interface that includes the AKTIS RC-8000 LCD touchscreen remote...

4 expert reviews

It's funny to me that so many people try to convince you that the high end is a relatively insignificant factor in the grand scheme of all things audio. Admittedly, if you put the sales figures of one large, mass-market manufacturer next to those of...

3 expert reviews

NVIDIA are worried. If anything their obviously desperate paper launch of the GeForce 9800 GTX+ should be proof of that. And they are right to be worried. Even the cheap HD 4850 is sniffing at the tail of the more expensive 9800GTX and even if NVIDIA...

4 expert reviews

Fast forward to Marantz' new SR8200 audio/video receiver, where users will find not only analog pass-through and tone-control-defeat buttons but also a ''Video Off'' mode to bypass video circuitry in the event that video is being routed around the 8200...

3 expert reviews

Introduction Rotel is a company long known for low frills, high quality, budget-priced audio equipment. Their new $699 RA-1060 integrated amplifier continues in this tradition. The RA-1060 is a 60-watt-per-channel stereo integrated amplifier and has...

2 expert reviews

Fortunately, the AV8 and P7 won't cost you a million bucks. The retail price of the combo is $9500 ($5000 for the AV8, $4500 for the P7). So, Arcam spent a lot of money. The question is did they get what they paid for? And more importantly, will you,...

4 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...

3 expert reviews

Halo is a new brand from Parasound intended as a step up in aesthetic design and performance from its traditional line, now called "Parasound Classic." A combination review with the P3 Preamplifier.

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...

3 expert reviews

Twin Towers is the first amplifier in the world to adopt exclusive INPOL circuitry. The absence of feedback induced the designer to use vacuum tubes with the double intention of obtaining a sound typical of tubes and, from a technical point of view, of...

2 expert reviews

Despite its conservative McIntosh combo is one hell-raising stack of gear.

3 expert reviews

Introduction Ahh, power amplifiers. Aside from loudspeakers, they are often the most touted products in the consumer electronics industry, and for good reason. Without them, there would be no music. They are charged with a great deal of responsibility...

2 expert reviews

Introduction A fact of life in the high-end world is that amplifiers are heavy, obtrusive square chassis with massive heat sinks. However, that is about to change with the release of Sharp's SM-SX100 1-bit amplifier. The stylish silver chassis with...

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...

3 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...

3 expert reviews

Ultimate Choice Premier Choice Budget Choice Reviews Recently Added Video Displays Video Projectors Flat Panel Displays Rear Projection TVs CRT Displays Speakers Speaker Systems Subwoofers Sources DVD Players/Recorders HD Disc Players/Recorders...

2 expert reviews

Introduction It wasn't long ago that the advent of Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES in movie theaters gave us hardcore movie buffs another reason to make the pilgrimage to the local cineplex to hear the best in movie sound reproduction. These new audio...

2 expert reviews

It can be a daunting task for some: dipping your toes into the deeper end of the home theater pool and crossing over the $1,000, advanced-swim rope. Sure, we all know that there are people in our little world who will spend thousands of dollars on...

4 expert reviews

Classic Orange sound, special style and rugged construction Heavy duty 15 inch Bass Driver Power Handling: 400 Watts RMS, 8 Ohm Speakon and 1/4 inch jack connections Constructed from 13 ply, high density 18 mm birch plywood Side ported design 62 x 51 x...

2 expert reviews

Classic Orange sound, special style and rugged construction Heavy duty 4 x 10 inch speakers with crossover and high quality HF horn Speakon and 1/4 inch jack connections Constructed from 13 ply, high density 18 mm birch plywood. 62 x 64 x 46 cm...

2 expert reviews

In case you hadn't noticed, the receiver market is proceeding at a breakneck pace. It almost seems as though new models are hitting the store shelves every month. Hardly a year goes by in which each receiver manufacturer doesn't introduce new models,...

2 expert reviews

While the VR-5900 decodes EX and ES, it doesn't include amplification for these formats' two rear "effects" channels, for which you'll have to supply an external 2-channel amplifier. Be sure to consider that when you compare the VR-5900's price ($3000)...

3 expert reviews

The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming! Arcam's first A/V receiver takes music reproduction quite seriously. After years of lagging behind the colonies, the British are finally taking home theater—er, home cinema—seriously, and British...

2 expert reviews

Probably best heard in the context of a Cyrus system, this amp has some great qualities

3 expert reviews

The new flagship from the creators of the form. Where's the first place you look when you saddle up to the bar at your favorite watering hole? Some may say the waitress station or the sorority party in the back room; but, when it's time for business,...

2 expert reviews