Latest Additions


  • Our Top Picks section reveals the best gear HT has reviewed.
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  • The Yamaha RX-A1010 AVR offers a lot of bang for the buck.
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  • The Red 4K laser projector and player could be game changers.
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  • HT's Top Picks of 2011 are the best of the best we reviewed last year.
    • Is Your Flat Panel Wall-Mounted?
    Vote
    Scott Wilkinson • May 18, 2012 • 8 comments
    I'm starting to commission more reviews of soundbars from long-time home-theater writer Lawrence Ullman. Recently, he asked me how many people wall-mount their flat-panel TV and would therefore want to wall-mount a soundbar, which is easier said than done in some cases. The last time I saw any stats on this, the vast majority of flat-panel owners did not wall-mount their set, but rather attached the stand and placed it on top of a sturdy cabinet of some sort.

    But I don't really know, so I'm asking you—is your flat-panel TV wall-mounted? If so, is it close to seated eye height, or do you have it mounted higher—say, above the fireplace? Did you do it yourself, or did you hire someone to do it? How did you hide the cables? Let us know in the comments.

    Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

    Is Your Flat Panel Wall-Mounted?
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    A Bullet for the General, The Aggression Scale, We Need to Talk About Kevin
    Out of the Blu
    Chris Chiarella • May 18, 2012 • 0 comments
    Spaghetti Westerns don't come more delicious than this edition's lead title, while audiences partial to contemporary domestic thrillers won't be disappointed with the little-seen Aggression Scale, either. But seriously: No Oscar love for Kevin?
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    Dreaming the Not-Impossible Dream
    Complete System Reviews
    Michael Fremer • May 18, 2012 • 3 comments
    Do you dream in surround sound? Since you’re reading this magazine, the answer is probably yes. Psychiatrists say dreaming is good for you. Thumb through any issue of Home Theater and you’re more likely than not to encounter components, systems, and lavish, dedicated rooms equipped with the latest 4K projectors and high-powered, surround-sound systems that most of us can only dream about.
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    Sony D-5 Portable CD Player
    Vintage Gear
    Steve Guttenberg • May 17, 2012 • 2 comments
    Sony introduced the world’s first portable CD player, the D-5, in late 1984, just a year after its first home player, the CDP-101, revolutionized the audio market. In the 1970s, Sony Walkman cassette players were as ubiquitous as iPods are now, and the new Discman players were poised to be the next big thing.
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    Are Smart TVs a Dumb Idea?
    SmartStream
    Barb Gonzalez • May 17, 2012 • 9 comments
    In a recent article by Patrick Nelson on the Tech News World blog, he makes the case that Smart TVs are a dumb idea and that they will go the way of the LaserDisc. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a "Smart TV" refers to a TV that connects to the Internet and your home network, using built-in apps for streaming video, music, photos, games, and more.
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    Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 55 Speaker System
    Compact Speaker Reviews
    Darryl Wilkinson • May 16, 2012 • 4 comments

    StudioMonitor 55 Speakers
    Performance
    Build Quality
    Value
     
    SuperCube 6000 subwoofer
    Performance
    Features
    Build Quality
    Value
    Price: $2,494 At A Glance: Top-mounted, passive radiator • Dual binding posts • Enhanced phase plug

    Whether you think a decade is a long or a short period of time depends on your perspective. If you’re discussing cosmology with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the word “decade” probably won’t even make it into the conversation. If you’re Apple, you crank out more than 300 million iPods in that period of time. If you’re a momma elephant with a particularly frisky elephant husband who likes to party, you might be able to birth five elephant progeny. (Although the stretch marks will simply be impossible to get rid of after that third one, no matter what exercise club you sign up with.) At the Glenmorangie distillery in the Scottish Highlands, you’re trying to decide whether or not to bottle the batch of single-malt scotch that’s been aging in the barrels for the last decade or to wait another eight years and ship out cases of Glenmorangie 18 Years Old instead. But if you’re Definitive Technology, you take your sweet time and eventually come out with…wait for it…three (as in one more than two) totally redesigned monitor speakers.

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    Matching Front and Surround Speakers
    Ask Home Theater
    Scott Wilkinson • May 16, 2012 • 11 comments
    I've heard you say, "Make sure your surround speakers are the same brand as the fronts." I have Hsu Research speakers for the front left, right, and center, Axiom dipole surrounds, and a JBL 12-inch subwoofer. I've been told by lots of audio geeks that I don't need to match the surrounds to the fronts. But after I heard what you said, I got confused. Help!

    Mark Hudson

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    Podcast 111: Juergen Herre
    Home Theater Geeks Podcast
    Scott Wilkinson • May 15, 2012 • 0 comments
    Juergen Herre, chief scientist at Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits and professor at Erlangen University in Germany, discusses the development of the MP3 audio format (technically called MPEG-1 Layer 3), how lossy audio codecs work using psychoacoustics, how higher bitrates yield higher audio quality, constant versus variable bitrates, more recent audio codecs such as MPEG-2 AAC and surround MP3, 3D audio, object-oriented audio, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

    Run Time: 1:02:14

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    Mile-High DIY
    AV Interiors DIY
    Robert Roberts • May 14, 2012 • 4 comments
    Photos: Sarah Fischer

    Like most readers, I always dreamed of having my own dedicated space for a home theater. Unfortunately, while living in Southern California, we never had enough space. Then came a job opportunity in the beautiful state of Colorado, and our new home had a basement that was the perfect size and location for a home theater. I have a demanding job in the aerospace industry, so my available time to work on the theater was extremely limited. The process of design, prep, construction, and finishing took about two and a half years to complete. Outside of blowing insulation into the walls and ceiling and installing the carpet, I did all the work myself.

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    Large TV for Well-Lit Room
    Ask Home Theater
    Scott Wilkinson • May 14, 2012 • 13 comments
    I would like to buy a TV with a 65-inch or larger screen. My budget is $3000 to $4000. Unfortunately, the room it will be in is very bright with a 15-foot floor-to-ceiling glass window behind the set facing east. I watch a few DVDs, but mostly just cable TV in HD when available; 3D is not important to me. Obviously, I am concerned about light reflection off the screen. What do you suggest?

    Orrin

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