A couple of years ago I visited the Sonos headquarters in Santa Barbara, CA, for a sneak peek at the company’s new PlayBar, a networked soundbar speaker that can be part of a wireless whole-house audio system. It’s very cool product, and you can read more about it here and in my PLAYBAR review. While […]
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Soundbase vs Soundbar: Which Speaker Style is for You?
Soundbars and sound bases are excellent alternatives to full surround sound systems.
Get the GuideThe Best Home Theaters for Football Parties
The best football parties are held in the best home theaters. These football fans combined two great passions in their favorite rooms.
Serious football fans will want to watch their favorite teams play in the most impressive room they can. What gets a sport fanatic excited : more than watching their team win? Watching that win on a 120-inch or bigger home theater screen in a room custom decorated with awesome sports memorabilia. The best home theaters […]
Get the GuideCommon Compromises in Home Theater Design, Ideas and Products
Designing a home theater is a hobby based more on guidelines than rules. Go ahead and break them; it's your house.
I won’t say I’m a snob about home theater design or equipment, but I’ve probably been heard to make a comment about friends’speaker systems or a poorly set-up TV now and then. That said, designing a home theater is a hobby based more on guidelines than rules. Often those guidelines are bent to accommodate things […]
Get the GuideHigh-end Audio Cascades in New York’s Waterfall Mansion
The tug of war between design and performance is no more pronounced than in the world of high-performance audio. However, the stereotype of the stereo—a set of oversized black boxes and nest of boa-constrictor cables, is only a stereotype, at least when implemented by a design-minded dealer and installer. Dave Lalin, owner of the high-end […]
Get the GuideEditor's Note: Turning the Smart House Inside Out
For many homeowners, it starts with the media room. It’s here that those bitten by the technology bug often indulge in their first taste of high-tech, smart home Kool-Aid, accoutering the space with a big-screen TV and a surround sound system. Later, after countless trips from the couch to the light switch on the wall […]
Get the Guide6 Tips for the DIY Home Theater Builder
by Phil Lozen There’s not many things quite as satisfying as building something yourself. For home theater enthusiasts, that means taking that bonus room upstairs, the corner (large or small) of the basement, or maybe even the whole garage and transforming it from an empty, dank, dark space into something magical, ready to whisk you […]
Get the Guide5 Best Home Theater Receivers Under $500
Despite the growth of powered soundbars and sound bases (or stand speakers—whatever you want to call them) that have been replacing traditional surround sound speaker systems, the home theater receiver is still the master of the media room. Home theater receivers, or AV receivers, range in price from under $200 all the way up to […]
Get the GuideDTS:X Unleashed on Home Surround Sound Systems
DTS:X is designed to replicate a real-world sound environment in home surround sound systems and home theaters.
You’ve probably already heard of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D, both new home theater audio formats based on audio objects rather than audio channels (as in 5.1 or 7.1 channels). Now, a new object-based format is here from DTS called, DTS:X. DTS had actually hinted about this format in late 2014 and even gave fleeting demos […]
Get the GuideTop AV Receivers for a Dolby Atmos Home Theater
Dolby Digital (as well as DTS) 5.1 surround sound was one of the best things ever to come to the home theater world. A surround sound system, combined with an impressively large high definition display (preferably a home theater screen and projector) turns movie watching into a total sensory experience. That experience is getting an […]
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