Home Audio News

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity has posted 46 pages of pictures and descriptions from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Enjoy the Music has also posted CES coverage that is more focused on the high-end audiophile market.
View Secrets CES 2006 coverage
View EnjoytheMusic CES 2006 coverage

Ed Mullen of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity has reviewed SVS’s latest box subwoofer, the PB12-Plus. The SVS PB-12 Plus features a recently upgraded 12in woofer (dB12.2), a 525 watt Indigo BASH amplifier, variable tuning (20hz, 16hz, 12hz), and a single band parametric equalizer on the premium finish models. The review includes a number of objective measurements including frequency response, output compression, total harmonic distortion vs frequency at a max of 10% THD, group delay, impulse response, and spectral decay. Each objective measurement was performed at two tuning frequencies (20hz and 16hz). The objective tests are accompanied by subjective listening impressions including both movies and music. Based on this thorough battery of tests Ed Mullen concludes,

Since the PB12-Plus performed very well in the objective tests, its strong performance in home theater applications was no surprise. In my mid-size room, the 20 Hz tune provided impressive dynamics and authority, with useable extension to 17 Hz. Maximum output in the 16 Hz tune was somewhat more sedate, but extension improved to a subterranean 13 Hz.
For music, I found the PB12-Plus exhibited good detail, excellent deep extension, and well-preserved pitch. I preferred the 16 Hz tune over the 20 Hz tune for music applications, likely due to its flatter in-room FR and marginally better phase and decay behavior.
If you have the space for a large subwoofer, the PB12-Plus offers class-leading performance value at the $1,000 price point.

View Secrets SVS PB12-Plus Subwoofer Review

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity has recently posted a review of Denon’s latest entry in the high end receiver market, the AVR-4806. The Denon AVR-4806 shared the preamp section with the AVR-5805 while reducing the number of amplifier channels to 7×130w. This THX Ultra2 certified receiver features 1 DVI input, 3 HDMI inputs, and one HDMI output; the HDMI ports are version 1.1 so DVD-Audio can be passed in the digital domain in addition to video, Dolby Digital, and DTS. The AVR-4806 also sports a Denon-Link port which is a proprietary digital connection that supports passing both DVD-Audio and SACD in the digital domain. Like the flagship AVR-5805, the AVR-4806 utilizes the Audyssey MultEQ XT Room EQ software which can be setup with the included microphone. The AVR-4806 features video upconversion and scaling from the analog inputs to the HDMI output. John E. Johnson, Jr. writes:

The Denon AVR-4806 is a superb receiver. It has nearly all the features that a receiver can have, plenty of real RMS power, sounds terrific, is easy to set up and use, and the Audyssey MultEQ XT feature turns bad rooms into good ones.
At $3,500, this receiver is a tremendous value. It’s upgradable to the latest software, so I think any consumer who purchases this product won’t need a new one for a long, long time.

View Secret’s Denon AVR 4806 Review

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity has recently posted a review of Sceptre’s latest entry into the HD LCD TV market, their 37″ 1920×1080 model. The Sceptre 37″ LCD is the first and only (so far) 1080P LCD in the < $2000 price range; this 1080P LCD sports a wide range of available inputs including HDMI with HDCP, component, s-video, composite, and VGA. The reviewer found that the higher 1920x1080 resolution (1080P) offered a noticable advantage compared to the lower 1280x720 resolution (720P) available on most other LCD TVs. It will also accept a 1080P source from current upscaling dvd players and future HD dvd players. John E. Johnson, Jr. writes:

The Sceptre 37″ LCD 1920 x 1080 HDTV is terrific. Perhaps there are other 37″ brands that have better black levels, additional RGB gamma adjustments, and less contrast falloff on the sides. But, this is the winner in its price category, because there are no other such TVs (with HDMI connectivity) in that category, yet. I bought one, and am very happy with it.

With a street price of < $1700, the Sceptre 37" 1920x1080 LCD looks like a solid performer at a bargain price; for those looking for an LCD tv that does your HD material justice, look no further.

View Sceptre 37″ LCD Review

Audioholics has posted a review of Panasonic’s latest HDMI upscaling dvd player, the DVD-S97. The DVD-S97 sports a HDMI 1.1 interface which in addition to video allows DVD-Audio to be transported digitally as 6-channel PCM data to any receiver with an HDMI 1.1 port; the Panasonic SA-XR70 is just one example of such a receiver. The DVD-S97 continues Panasonic’s trend of releasing inexpensive dvd players with excellent video quality thanks to the use of the Genesis FLI2310-LF to perform the deinterlacing and scaling duties. Audioholics seemed particularly impressed with the video quality and were somewhat dissapointed with the user interface responsiveness and the remote control. This dvd player does enhance macroblocking on some displays so if you’re display exibits this problem you may want to avoid this player but if not, the DVD-S97 is one of the top budget HDMI upscaling dvd players on the market.
View Audioholics DVD-S97 review

Kris Deering of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity has posted an updated objective evaluation of the OPDV971H’s video performance based on the changes from the latest firmware update. The update fixes a few issues with oppo’s Genesis FLI-2310 deinterlacer implementation and gives the OPDV971H an almost perfect score (98/100). This dvd player does show the macroblocking bug on some displays so that may be an issue for some but at $199 this budget dvd player does almost everything right.
View Oppo OPDv971H DVD Benchmark

Enjoy the Music has reviewed the latest revision of Slim Devices networked music player, the Squeezebox 3. Compared to the Squeezebox 2, the Squeezebox 3 sports a larger easier-to-read vacuum fluorescent display and an upgraded appearance. The internal hardware in the Squeezebox 3 is identical to the Squeezebox 2; the new case design in the Squeezbox 3 makes doing modifications slightly more difficult. The review includes listening impressions of internet radio and ripped cds using the Squeezbox 3’s analog output and an external dac; an inexpensive regulated power supply was also compared to the stock switching power supply and found to provide quite a noticable difference. Based on the overall build quality, attention to detail, and the outstanding support, the Slim Devices Squeezebox 3 looks like the top of the heap in network music players.
View Enjoy the Music Slim Devices Squeezebox 3 review

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity has published a review of SVS’s foray into the budget speaker market, the SBS-01. The reviewer seemed quite impressed with the SBS-01’s performance in movies and in music. The review also includes THD measurements at 100hz, 1khz, and 10khz at 100db; the overall frequency response of the system including a PB10-ISD subwoofer was also measured. Based on the subjective movie and music listening tests and the objective measurements, it looks like SVS has a hit on their hands. The 5.1 system is available for $899 through December and once it begins shipping it will change to $999; it sounds like quite a bargain at either price.
View SVS SBS-01 Review

On the heels of the AVR 635 firmware update, Harman Kardon has released a similar update for its slightly lower powered sibling, the AVR 435. The firmware update resolves the following issues:

*If the incoming data stream is stopped while a digital audio source is playing, the AVR will now remember the last used surround mode and return to that mode when the stream resumes.
*Text messages have been updated for improved ease of use.
*Other enhancements have been made to improve system operation, and performance.

There is a thread on the AVSForum discussing reader’s experiences with the new firmware on both the AVR 635 and AvR435.
Download Firmware update
View AVSForum feedback thread

AV123 has begun shipping their newest amplifier in the Emotiva line, the BPA-1. The BPA-1 has the ability to operate as a full range two channel (75w/ch into 8ohms) integrated amplifier, full-range monoblock amplifier (150w/ch 8ohm min), and a subwoofer amplifier with the included adjustible active low-pass filter (50-150hz 18db/octave). At $249 the Emotiva BPA-1 would be a great foundation for a budget 2-channel system as a single two-channel integrated amplifier or two bridged monoblock amplifiers. It is also an inexpensive way to power a passive subwoofer.
View Product Page