Hi-Rez audio

I like big speaker and subwoofer products and have tested some absolute doozies in my time. Yet above a certain level, you kind of have to go visit them rather than have them visit you. So the recent Sound & Vision show in Bristol saw me driving to see the new stuff, and also to review a subwoofer so bloody huge it might have been a bit of an issue getting it installed in my house: The Paradigm Signature Sub 2.

Not because of its physical size but because it weighs over sixteen and a half stones - or over 100 kilos for you youthful types. It is a stumpy hexagonal spud with three faces with grilles and three that are woody panels. Under each grille reside two ten inch woofers, making this a six-driver subwoofer!

And that means that a megalomaniacal four and one half kilowatt continuous power amplifier can be hooked up to the speakers....

Read more reports from the 2010 Bristol Show in Home Cinema Choice issue 181, on sale April 8, and HCC's review of the Paradigm Signature Sub 2 in issue 182, on sale May 6.

Dolby will debut a new theatrical surround sound format, called Dolby Surround 7.1, in cinemas this Summer. The first movie to benefit will be the Disney/Pixar threequel Toy Story 3.

Dolby says that this latest cinematic iteration of its popular surround codec will better integrate with 3D imaging on the big screen, providing full 360-degree audio.  read more »

If you sat on the sumptuous leather sofa of power at Arcam HQ, what would you do to top the success of the AVR600 receiver?

It had all the major features required, consciously left out a lot of the trinkets and tinsel, and concentrated on sound quality. It is a true multipurpose hi-fi stereo and AV amplifier. Clearly, the answer was to punt up and down the Cam all Summer with a jugful of Pimms, and set about further improving premium-quality, style-tastic high-end audio...

Read the full review in Home Cinema Choice #177, out from December 17

In a surprise move, high-end home entertainment manufacturer Linn Products Limited has announced that it is ceasing production of CD players from the start of 2010.

In what the company is describing 'a testament to the supremacy of digital streaming technology', the company is shifting its focus onto Linn DS digital music streamers and the ability to download 192kHz original studio  read more »

At first sight, you could be forgiven for being slightly underwhelmed by the appearance of the Teufel THX Select2 Cinema set. You get two whacking great cartons with full-size subwoofers inside and five speakers no bigger than the regular bookshelves you might find in a kid’s room. But regardless of their Laurel & Hardy makeup they come with undeniable AV credibility.

Started, as the THX company now says, ‘by a maverick director’, THX was the brainchild of George Lucas, with audio whizz Tomlinson Holman being his main man. These days both George and Tom are no longer directly involved, but THX forges ahead. Its new versions of the ‘Big Room’ and ‘Smaller Room’ THX programs (which sprang from the original) are called THX Ultra2 and THX Select2, with Select2 intended for rooms up to two thousand cubic feet and viewing distances of ten feet. The Ultra2 specification is for the sort of bigger living space you find in American houses. There’s even a THX spec for home-theatre-in-a-box systems these days...

Taken from full review published in HCC #176, out from November 17

Onkyo is famed for being first out of the traps with desirable new features, and the TX-NR807 is certainly no exception. This is the first receiver under £1,000 to feature Dolby ProLogic IIz and Audyssey DSX processing.

Opinions on the merits of both formats and the need to move rear-back speakers to front-height or front-wide position are divided (largely between me and the HCC editor) but I am right and anyone who disagrees is wrong. Audyssey DSX and Dolby ProLogic IIz are a revelation in home cinema sound and a must have for any modern set up. And now Onkyo has made this available in a stunningly specified THX Select2 receiver all for £800. Thank you Team Onk!

Taken from the full review in Home Cinema Choice #176, out from November 19

This is a bit of a first for HCC TV as I took the office video camera with me to Berlin, on a press trip to meet the people behind direct-sales outfit Lautsprecher Teufel, fitting in clips where I could between catching planes and taking my boots off for security!

The only bit I didn’t put in was the conversation in the ‘Pan Am lounge’ about comedienne Pam Ann.

Nonetheless, I still managed to catch the unveiling of three new products - a set of cute but potent computer speakers with a sub, the company’s best ever top-flight stereo hi-fi speakers and, last but not least, Teufel's latest THX Ultra2 system.

The latter uses just one subwoofer to make the huge low frequency energy that the THX Ultra2 spec calls for and, up to now, has meant two woofer boxes. It's described by THX and Teufel as the most compact system yet made for the specification, world-wide…

Arcam has confirmed that it's launching a stripped down version of its highly-regarded AVR600 receiver. The new AVR500 model maintains the build quality and audio processing of its high-end predecessor but drops some functionality. Principally, the network card for internet radio, streaming and IP control capability has been removed, along with a number of  legacy video and audio outputs and multi-room connections.   read more »

Dolby Volume is the most significant new AV receiver feature of the year, according to Harman Kardon’s marketing manager and resident audio guru Mark Hockey.

Talking exclusively to Home Cinema Choice  read more »

Onkyo unveiled a hulking new power amp at the recent IFA tech-fest. The Japanese brand has been offering a high-end processor iteration of its popular AV receivers for a couple of seasons but has been surprisingly slow to partner it with a dedicated power amp.

The new 9-channel PA-MC5500 will plug that product hole when it’s released worldwide early next year.  read more »

It's a horror movie out there in AV land. As I type these words, retailers are reporting falling sales of home cinema systems, large-box speaker packages aren't shifting, and the once healthy flatpanel TV market has caught a cold. It's the same around the world: as the financial year came to a close, the combined might of the big Japanese brands showed staggering losses of £10bn and, over in Korea, Samsung registered its first ever quarterly loss. And, with manufacturers having a tough time, it means less R&D, which for you and I, means the slower evolution of home cinema kit.

 read more »

Onkyo is launching the world’s first 9.2-channel AV receivers featuring Audyssey DSX and Dolby IIz processing. The models, which also sport THX Ultra2 Plus certification and dual subwoofer outputs, are priced from £1,300.

Top of the range is the formidably specified £2,400 TX-NR5007. Attractions include eight HDMI inputs (including one front-mounted), with two outputs; DLNA 1.5 networking with  read more »

Onkyo has announced a new Blu-ray player for the US market, the $449 Profile 2.0 DV-BD507. The model sports the requisite support for hi-rez audio formats, can upscale to 1080p and has an SD card slot able play AVCHD clips from SD or SDHC cards.  read more »

Legendary American high-end AV brand Lexicon has announced the first Blu-ray player to be THX-certified. The Lexicon BD-30, which is currently undergoing certification, will also be compatible with Super Audio CD and DVD-A discs, and claims to load Blu-ray movies in less than 5 seconds. Image processing comes via Anchor Bay’s VRS technology.  read more »

Home Cinema Choice is after your views on Dolby Pro Logic IIz, Audyssey DSX, and the idea of expanding the soundstage to include extra front speakers and, even, adding height with elevated surround channels. This is for possible inclusion in a later issue of the magazine.

Essentially, would you be willing to add extra speakers to your set-up? Do you think that an elevated soundstage is a good idea? Does the idea of being completely immersed in audio excite you? Or would you rather save the pennies and focus on an amplifier that provides conventional 5.1?  read more »