Audioholics
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Lexicon busted passing Oppo off as a $3500 Blu-ray player
If Lexicon is your favorite brand then here's a shocker, the company figured if it isn't broke, then don't fix it and grabbed an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player and encased it into a high end chassis and listed it for $3500 -- a $3000 case, wow? We know this type of thing goes on all the time in the world of electronics, but wow, this is just unbelievable. The folks at Audioholics didn't believe it either, so they stripped the two players down and did some bench testing to reveal that indeed both were identical -- other than the case that is. Now to be fair, we realize that companies like Lexicon probably sell this to distributors for $1000 and the rest is all retailer markup, and of course Lexicon insists it has made upgrades beyond that of the Oppo, but come on, this is just wrong.
Audioholics overviews entry level receiver choices
Take one sagging economy, add in advancing technology, bake them with some economies of scale and serve up to consumers hungry for this newfangled digital, HD AV craze -- it's a winning formula. When it comes to AV receivers, however, the pool is so crowded that picking a winner in the entry level category (remember that sagging economy) is daunting enough to push people to HTIB simplicity. The truth is that there's no single "best" entry-level receiver, but Audioholics has gone through the trouble of putting appropriate models from Denon, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, Onkyo and Pioneer into a feature comparison grid. The answer that emerges on which receiver is the "best" is a definite "it depends" -- you basically get to pick two out of three: audio features, video features and price. So the bad news is, you've got some choices to make; the good news is, you've got some choices to make.
Audioholics peels back the lids on the current crop of ICEpower-based amplifiers
Typically devoid of fancy lights, knobs, and switches, amplifiers typically don't get a lot of marketing hype; heck, most people who own a receiver aren't even aware of the amplifier section. Bang & Olfusen's Class D ICEpower switching amplifiers wrinkle that a bit -- the compact footprint, light weight, energy efficiency and impressive specs are enough to make the newer technology marketable as, well, new. Sadly, from Audioholics' examination of many samples, it also looks like the newness stopped there and several manufacturers have slapped crazy price tags on an essentially "reference design" implementation. There's plenty of good technical info about the test bench performance of these amps in the link, but with several happy ICEpower users it's hard to say that the subjective performance is unsatisfactory; the wide price range for essentially the same amp is what's troubling. If nothing else, let it serve as a cautionary tale of not falling for the latest thing just because it's the latest thing -- when you're shopping for an amp, take your ears along with your wallet.
As receivers pack more features per dollar, Audioholics questions the trade-off
One welcome trend in AV receivers is the addition of more features at lower price points. Modern, full-featured AV receivers are signal processing powerhouses, and we've come to expect HDMI switching, video processing, on-screen UIs and room correction as de rigeur features. Everyone loves these conveniences, but there's a catch -- in many cases, sound quality is what's getting left behind in the transition. Audioholics has put its hand to enough receivers to know this, and without crying foul, the linked article does a good job of keeping you informed of the tradeoffs. Bottom line -- software-laden silicon keeps getting cheaper and lighter, but the (largely analog) componentry used for audio amplification doesn't. So if your latest receiver is lighter, cheaper and sports a longer spec list, you have a good idea where designers trimmed; and it's not the S-Video ports. The differences may not be audible, but if current trends in audio are any indicator, the limit of what is "good enough" is headed for market testing. Meanwhile, take your ears along with the spec sheets if you're shopping receivers.
Elemental Designs' A7S-450 subwoofer is Audioholics tested, basshead approved
Physics being what they are, getting seriously low bass out of a speaker requires either a large driver/enclosure backed by a lot of power or a smaller driver/enclosure with a ridiculous amount of power; either approach tends to get expensive as things dip below 30Hz. But maybe not as expensive as you feared -- Audioholics put the circa $800 (exact price varies depending on options) A7S-450 subwoofer from Elemental Designs and found a lot to like for both music and movie lovers. The large basic black box may not be easy to hide, but it will probably match your decor better than the company's 12-sided contraption. Quit your snickering over the unfortunate references to Elemental Designs' self-imposed "eD" moniker, the 18-inch driver teamed up with the 1,300-Watt amp to deliver serious bass. Hit the link for the review, but if you buy one, be sure to leave it on -- at least until Elemental Designs adds "soft-start" circuitry that will keep your circuit breaker from tripping when you cycle power.
MCM Custom Audio's $100 5-channel speaker system gets the nod from Audioholics
It's easy to lust after multi-kilobuck speakers, but when it comes to audio, most people are pretty happy grabbing a HTIB system off the shelf, running some lamp cord and calling it a day. No doubt, convincing people of the value in good, discrete multichannel speakers is an uphill battle. Kudos to the MCM Custom Audio 50-908 5-channel speaker system, which comes in at just over $100 bucks -- for all five channels! This little system made up of four 50-9085 bookshelf speakers and one 50-9080 center earned itself a pretty favorable review at Audioholics. When used within the limitations of its faux-metal plastic drivers and sealed MDF cabinets (as opposed to blow-molded plastic), the small speakers filled a modest sized room with a wide soundstage and good tonal balance at moderate volumes. Before you put that HTIB in your cart, check out the full review; the $100 entry ticket might just get you hooked on this whole audio thing, but at least you'll have a good place to start upgrading from.
DALI's bold-sounding LEKTOR 8 speakers garner a positive review
You might not have noticed from the press shot of the LEKTOR LCR on-wall speakers, but the Danish DALI company's coated paper woofers have a deep red color to them. Based on the review at Audioholics, the treated paper used in the foorstanding LEKTOR 8's 8-inch woofers isn't just for show. Striking a contrast to what we've heard from other, more well-known Danish speaker companies (like, say, Dynaudio), the LEKTOR 8s turned in a big and bassy performance. That's not a slight on either company, and it's nice to know that you can have both Danish styling and bigger sound if that's what you're after. The wood grain vinyl wrap was the highest quality the reviewer had ever seen, and the metal accents definitely give the LEKTOR 8s a touch of class you'd expect at $1,800 per pair. Hit the link for the full review and seek out a nearby dealer if your interest is piqued.
Audioholics puts nine bookshelf speakers head-to-head
Generally speaking, loudspeakers should enjoy a relatively long life in your system. That's doubly true for budget bookshelf models -- you can pick up a pair for front channel duty when you start out your HT system, migrate them to rear-channel surround duty on your first speaker upgrade, and then move them to another room when you dive into whole-home audio. Audioholics took seven budget (and a couple of higher-priced) bookshelf speakers and had a showdown based on sound quality alone in a series of head-to-head matchups. We won't spoil the outcome for you, but it turns out that you can score some good performance for not a lot of dollars -- and that's always good news, right?
Klipsch's Icon V speakers get tested, deliver on movies and gaming
The Klipsch Icon V speakers were created in cooperation with Best Buy, so of course the big blue and yellow box has them on its shelves, but Audioholics put them to the test to see how they fared in a more real-world setting, away from the car stereos and boomboxes. The review was pretty favorable overall -- in home, the speakers pumped out a lively sound that was a treat for movies and games, but the the horn-loaded tweeters plus a lean midrange weren't exactly a ticket to sonic bliss when listening to music at louder volumes. Still, build quality was solid, and at least you can listen to these in an everyday store (you do stop by Best Buy every day, right?), so let your own ears be the judge. Just make sure that what jumps off the shelves as "detailed and extended" doesn't wind up "screechy and fatiguing" to you in the long run.
Audioholics puts Mitsubishi's LT-46149 LCD with iSP to the test
If you're dead set on getting all your video and audio delivered from a single device, you could do worse than Mitsubishi's LT-46149 LCD and its iSP (Integrated Sound Projector) -- at least judging by the Audioholics review of the unit. The 16 beaming speakers across the bottom of the bezel proved more than just a toy and actually could be dialed in to create a real soundfield, albeit lacking in ultimate SPL output and bass. The lack of discrete input codes wasn't really solved by the automatic input selection and the backlighting could have been more even, but those problems faded away when watching movies. Some annoyance was laid at the feet of the 120Hz processing, consistent with other opinions (including our own). Keep in mind the "convenience with good performance" target for this set and hit the link for the full review.
Audioholics breaks out Marantz SR4003 receiver
The Audioholics store has lifted the lid on the new Marantz SR4003 receiver. Right up front, you'll notice the design borrows from Marantz's Reference series of components, so now you can satisfy your champagne-like tastes without breaking your beer-like budget. Joe Six Pack won't feel robbed by the feature set either -- the SR4003 is a seven-channel, 80-Watt number with a triplet of HDMI 1.3a inputs and a single output. With some 16,000-microfarads in the amplifier section's capacitor banks, those are pretty generous 80-Watts, too. Of course, there's an array of video upconversion and autocalibration niceties for you, too. For Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, you'll have to use LPCM, but something had to be cut out to fit the budget. In all, the generous package of specs behind the nice-looking face and a $550 price sound like a good formula to us.%Gallery-30434%
Audioholics sets loose Yamaha BD-S2900 Blu-ray player for less than $1,000
Happy surprise -- there's no need to wait for next month's CEDIA show to get details on Yamaha's BD-S2900 Blu-ray player, since Audioholics released them from its own stockroom. The online store that goes alongside the site has them in stock and ready to ship next week. The pricing is a good example of "under-promise, over-deliver" joy as well -- the MSRP on the deck is $1,200, but you can get one on your doorstep for just a nickel under $1,000. That's still not cheap, especially for a Profile 1.1 unit, but we don't expect many potential buyers are seriously weighing the BD-S2900 against a Funai NB500 (or one if its variants), or even a PS3. If you want to get in on some gloating in the comments, break out that credit card and prepare a spot in your equipment rack!Read - Audioholics announcement Read - Yamaha BD-S2900 store page
Denon's AVR-5308CI receiver reviewed, price and value high
For most folks, it's hard to think of any $5,500 receiver as a "value purchase," but as we've seen before, "value" can get pretty slippery at the high end. Audioholics has put up a very detailed review of Denon's flagship AVR-5308CI receiver, just to test the value of the unit. If you want need a reference-quality centerpiece to your HT setup, we'd be hard-pressed to disagree with the analysis. First, think of the unit as a top-of-the-line Denon AVP-A1HDCI preamp/processor and a seven-channel amplifier that share a power cord, all in one tidy (and massive) chassis. Now consider the $7,500 price tag on that AVP-A1HDCI -- that's $2,000 more than the receiver, and you still have to shell out for an amplifier (or seven). Of course, maybe after the first $5,500, you won't feel the additional $2,000. Somehow we don't think that's true -- check your bank balance and hit the link for the review, not necessarily in that order.
Emotiva ER 5.0 speakers get reviewed
There's udio lot to be said for speakers that are designed to work well together in your AV setup. And if you hang around internet forums for a while, you'll come across internet-only speaker companies that promise tremendous value; but can you trust the interwebs? Judging by the full and exhaustive review by Audioholics, you can when it comes to internet-direct vendor Emotiva's upcoming ER 5.0 speaker system. They may not have been wowed by the aesthetics, but once the lights went down and the sound went up, the system acquitted itself quite nicely. For $1250, you get three monitors across the front and two bipolar/dipolar speakers in the back; well-assembled and including real-world usable features like boundary compensation and tweeter response adjustments. The system did well on the test bench, too, turning in some respectably flat curves. It's always refreshing to see what good design can do with 5.25-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters and sealed enclosures. Hit the link for the full review.
The true CES experence
CES is filled with tons of demos and things to play with. Not everything goes as well as planned however. (think Bill Gates and Windows 98)Audioholics has a great list of their experiences with less then stellar demos. Of course Monster Cable is on the list with their "Our cable vs their cable routine." Even big name players like Toshiba's demo of HD DVD did not work. A Microsoft boy put in a HD DVD disk and nothing happened! (Once again, think of Bill Gates plugging in that scanner to demo Windows 98). Some things on the list will just make you smile and shake your head.[Thanks for the tip Akia!]
