Recently Filed in Receivers

Home theaters in a box ain’t what they used to be. And more wattage isn’t the only thing making them more powerful these days. Just look at the new HT-S9100THX theater package from Onkyo—whose A/V receivers come highly recommended by the DIY theater experts over at AVS Forum. This theater package combines a 7.1-channel speaker system with an Onkyo receiver that delivers 130 watts per channel and a slew of high-performance goods. Among them: THX Loudness Plus technology Four HDMI v. 1.3a inputs Onboard Faroudja… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Speakers • Speaker Systems • Surround Sound • Home Theater • Product News

The name alone makes it sound like some sophisticated space station device. The Sherwood Newcastle R-972 with Trinnov Optimizer: it doesn’t optimize anything up in the stars, though, unless those are Hollywood stars you’re stalking about. The R-972 is the new flagship sophisticated A/V receiver from Sherwood Newcastle. The Trinnov Optimizer is a $13K room correction system used in professional studio mixing rooms, and the R-972 is the first receiver to incorporate its technology. Aside from the room correction, the R-972 delivers 100 watts per… View this story
AV Components • Multiroom Audio • Multiroom Video • Receivers • Audio • Product News

Q. I’m building a home theater system via the Internet. I’ve picked out a receiver (Onkyo TX-NR905) but I’m having a hard time getting a speaker system together. I’d like to keep it under $3K. What recommendations can you make? - Rueben, Portland OR A. The receiver you purchased is relatively new, on the high-end side, and packed with the latest technologies, including THX. If you are looking for a THX surround speaker system, $3K is cutting it a little tight. For instance, the Klipsch… View this story
Speakers • Receivers • Home Theater • Ask a Pro

Welcome to AVS Forum “Recommends”—the holiday shopping season is almost upon us, so we turned to our friends over at the AVS Forum to help out our readers. We’re surveying them each week over the next 10 weeks for suggestions in some major electronics categories, so if you’re planning on doing some first-time buying or upgrading, you’ve got a sense of what this group of A/V enthusiasts and DIY theater builders put their trust in. Since we know not everyone has an unlimited budget, especially… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Buyers Guides • Home Theater • Info and Answers • Slideshows

Can a receiver with a $249 price tag deliver the sound quality worthy of a true Audioholic? We took the new Pioneer VSX-818V A/V receiver for a spin to find out. With an onscreen display, straight to digital iPod connectivity, and Pioneer’s MCACC speaker calibration system and a solid amp section, the VSX-818V has certainly given it a good shot. First Impressions Pioneer shipped the unit directly to my house and it arrived in a standard off-the-shelf retail box. I was a little leery at… View this story
Receivers • Reviews • Audio • Product News

Need to upgrade your A/V receiver to accommodate that new Blu-ray player and HDTV package you just got? Maybe you’re adding a pair of side speakers to bump up to 7.1 surround? Try one of Integra’s now-shipping THX-certified A/V receivers on for size. The DTR-7.9 is THX Ultra2 Plus certified, and will fill your large media room with 130 watts per channel; the DTR-6.9 receiver is THX Select2 Plus certified and doles out 100 watts per channel. You’ll be able to throw all of your… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Video Processors • Home Theater • Product News

Q. In my home theater I’m most interested in the audio quality. I have the Onkyo 875 AV receiver, Arcam universal DVD player and I just upgraded to my dream speakers - Snell A’s (the $10,000 babies). I love my system but can’t help but feel that I am not maximizing the Snell speakers. Should I upgrade by going back to a component processor? If so any suggestions? And should I go with a SACD player rather then use the Arcam for both CD’s and… View this story
Speakers • Amplifiers • Receivers • Audio • Ask a Pro

In mid-July, Onkyo cranked out a slew of THX products, including two receivers and two home-theater-in-a-box systems. Now, they are adding to the media mix with an additional two receivers. The company says that the TX-SR876 and TX-NR906 are “top-of-the-line”—and they have the price tags to prove it. While $1,799 (TX-SR876) and $2,299 (TX-NR906) aren’t insanely expensive, they are a good chunk of change more than the releases announced just months ago. Why the new announcement? These THX Ultra2 Plus certified 7.1-channel A/V receivers include… View this story
Receivers • Home Theater • Product News

The Panasonic carousel of management had plenty to share today—they all sort of linked their announcements together like the web of connectivity the company is creating with its Viera link line of products. The “Visual Era”—Viera—as they are calling it. In that respect, Panasonic covered the whole home theater realm during its press conference, starting with its new Blu-ray players, on to an A/V receiver, to the projector, to larger-size plasma TVs. Some highlights: --The DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players have the full assortment of… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • Receivers • Displays • Front Projection • Plasma • Home Theater • Product News • Slideshows

Are you ready to rock? Well, you probably want Dolby Volume technology. While it has popped up in a few TVs, Harman Kardon just announced they will be the first to put it into a 7.2-channel receiver. The AVR 7550HD has the technology, which levels audio from any source or program material, keeping the sound crisp and clear. “In designing our new AVR 7550HD receiver, we considered Dolby Volume to be an essential element of its feature set,” says Mike Griffin, H/K’s senior VP. “It… View this story
Receivers • Home Theater • Product News

Rotel just released 10 new products under the name of the 15 Series. Shouldn’t it be 10 Series? Maybe not. The company says there should be additional models in early 2009. For now, the new line will have receivers, a preamp-processor, power amplifiers, and power amplifiers designed exclusively for custom-installation. “This is Rotel’s most important intro in many years,” says Doug Henderson, Rotel’s VP of Sales & Marketing. It certainly looks like they’ve been busy. “The one thing they do not alter is our company’s… View this story
Amplifiers • Preamplifiers • Receivers • Audio • Product News

Yamaha believes a receiver should multitask. So when they added to the acclaimed Z Series, they wanted to make sure the one box rocked them all. The new RX-Z7 adds on support for iPod, Bluetooth, HD Radio, satellite radio, web radio, and Real’s Rhapsody service. However, to take advantage of some of those features, you’re going to need a subscription or an add-on or two. To dock an iPod, you’ll need Yamaha’s optional $100 dock. Bluetooth users will need the $130 YBA-10 Bluetooth Wireless Audio… View this story
Multiroom Audio • Receivers • Home Theater • Audio • Multiroom AV • Product News