Recently Filed in Receivers

For the last few product cycles, decoding of lossless audio codecs (DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD), along with video transcoding and scaling to 1080p, were the king and queen of required features in midrange AV receivers (AVRs). With this year’s release of units branded with the Dolby PLIIz and Audyssey DSX logos, Height and Wide channel processing is the new king of must-have features for those on the bleeding edge.  Onkyo was the first on the block with the SR607 (and its slightly less… View this story
Preamplifiers • Receivers • Deals • Product News

For legendary blues guitarist BB King, the thrill isn’t gone when it comes to touring. The 83-year-old “King of the Blues” is still on the road with his famous Gibson guitar “Lucille” performing 100 concerts per year. And King gets from gig to gig on more than just a simple set of wheels. King rides in a $1.4 million, 45–foot luxury motorcoach that has more than $200,000 worth of electronics inside, making it a center of inspiration for laying down tracks, reviewing audio and video,… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • Digital Media Servers • Multiroom Audio • Multiroom Video • Receivers • Set Top Boxes • Displays • HDTV • Lighting Control • Cool Homes

Q. After I fried our Panasonic home theater receiver, my husband bought a used Harman/Kardon AVR 635 on eBay. It often refuses to put out sound. Some of the time it freezes up completely. Other times, it seems to come on, the screen provides the right message, you can adjust the volume and the numbers go up and down, but there’s no sound. Sometimes when the screen turns on, after it cycles through its start-up messages, it says “Unlock.” I have tried resetting by unplugging… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Ask a Pro

Halloween is right around the corner. Ghosts, ghouls, and the undead will soon be the norm outside every house with the front porch light on. In that spirit, I thought I’d resurrect a few past deals from the dead.  The first is Vann’s spectacular pricing on the Energy RC Mini and RC Mini CC speakers. The Mini, a high-quality, compact, 4” bookshelf with cherry veneer, is selling for $90/each, while the matching Mini CC center is going for $130/each.  Vann’s usually has great combo deals… View this story
Bookshelf Speakers • Receivers • Deals • Product News

If your electronics don’t stream content directly to your living room, they’re just plain lazy. TV, Blu-ray player, receiver and media server manufacturers are pairing up with content providers to cut out the middleman — that being the consumer who actually has to go to a store to get movies or music. Manufacturers at CEDIA Expo 2009 announced partnerships with Netflix and Vudu, showing off the fruits of their collaborations. Vudu had a huge presence in LG’s booth. LG kicked off the show by announcing… View this story
Flat Panel • Blu-ray • Receivers • Web Services • Product News

They laugh alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike ... When cousins are two of a kind! You might ask yourself “did he just pull out a Patty Duke Show metaphor for a pair of cheap AVRs”? The answer is yes. That just happened.  And the reason for this little jaunt into TV Land? Well ... I’m odd like that… but more so because identical cousins can often offer tons of savings! Onkyo has always produced near-identical AVRs in two lines, the… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Deals • Home Theater • Product News

When you began watching movies in 5.1-channel surround sound that was pretty sweet. When you boosted it to 7.1-channel uncompressed soundtracks on Blu-ray that was even sweeter. So how about going up to 9.2 channels? That’s what Onkyo is offering on its three latest A/V receivers—the TX-NR1007, TX-NR3007 and TX-NR5007—which are all THX Ultra2 Plus certified, to boot. If you don’t want all 9.2, including independent left and right subwoofer zones, you can chunk it up into a five-channel theater with a couple of extra… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Product News

NewEgg.com can be a great place to grab Onkyo electronics ... when you know the code.  With coupon code “RECEIVER819720” you can currently pick up a new Onkyo TX-SR876 AVR to get your home theater rocking.  The SR876 is a robust THX Ultra2 Plus certified AVR with strong (and legitimate) 140w x 7 amplifier section, high-resolution Burr Brown DACs, Audyssey MultiEQ XT room-correction, HQV Reon-VX video processing, and ISF video calibration settings.  It also has 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs, and 2 outputs (great for multiple… View this story
Receivers • Deals • Product News

Onkyo has really been establishing itself as a market leader when it comes to features and price. Its new Home Theater in a Box offerings are clearly a step above the rest. While 7.1 systems and HDMI inputs aren’t exactly new, many of Onkyo’s competitors don’t have Dolby ProLogic IIz in their high-end receivers. Onkyo is offering it in their newest entry level home theater-in-a-box systems, the HT-S7200 and HT-S6200. ProLogic IIz The HT-S7200 and HT-S6200 both have speakers for a 7.1 channel system and… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Reviews • Home Theater • Product News

Want some wallop with your surround sound? Sunfire’s TGR-401 Theater Grand Receiver packs so much punch into one box, you’ll think you’re hearing audiophile-grade amplifier and processor “separates.” The TGR pumps out 200 watts per channel and allows for amplified stereo playback and optional touchpad control of a second zone. It marries tank-like construction with more aesthetic flash than typical receivers (the silver aluminum accent and blue LED status lights are particular eye-catchers). And at $4,000, you’re at the high end of the A/V receiver… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Reviews • Product News

Q. Even though our speakers and speaker wiring check out OK, we keep getting a “Protect” error message on our 2-year-old Sony STR-DG710 AV Receiver. Then the receiver shuts off. This happens when watching TV or a DVD. Is it just time for a new receiver? - Lynn, California A. Paul Blizniuk offers this advice via CE Pro: Check the speaker terminations on the back of the unit. The problem you described happens when the leads touch. It can be tricky to find, so pay… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Ask a Pro

The most important equipment purchase for either an audio system or home theater, arguably, is the A/V receiver.  A modern A/V receiver drives multiple speakers, processes incoming signals and routes a full array of inputs and outputs. Skimping out on a quality receiver will certainly cause your system to fall short your expectations. Custom electronics professionals (CE pros) make it a top priority to outfit systems with receivers that meets clients’ exact requirements. According to the CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis, the top five most… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Home Theater • Product News • Slideshows