And why you still want one.
IT’S EASY IN THIS BRAVE NEW world of Ultra-Uber-HDR-4K HDTV to forget that the sound is still half— yes, half—of the home theater experience. Even if you’re actually smart enough to know that, and you wander into your local big-box electronics store in an effort to improve upon the tiny rear-facing drivers that pass for flat-panel TV speakers, you’re probably in for a knee-deep wade through soundbars and Bluetooth speakers before you stumble onto the audio/video receivers. You remember receivers: Those boxy things? Bunch of buttons and knobs and lights on the front? At one time, people used to called them stereos? “Oh yeah... those,” says the young skeptic festooned with the store logo on his shirt. “I think we still carry a couple of them in that back room over there.”
I exaggerate, of course—though probably not much. Certainly, the ease of installation and operation associated with soundbars and compact wireless speakers deserves credit for turning a whole new audience on to better movie and music sound quality. But if you’re willing to go the old fashioned route and deal with the more complicated installation of an A/V receiver (AVR), together with speaker boxes and cabling and then perhaps a universal remote that allows everyone in the family to work the system, you’ll be rewarded with performance that all-in-one solutions can’t really approach. That has never been more true than it is today in this era of object-based surround sound. Dolby Atmos and its competitor DTS:X have spawned a new and growing generation of soundtracks that offer overhead special effects and ambience that are unparalleled. And discrete, AVR-based systems—with their greater power capabilities, connection flexibility, and widely spaced speakers—represent the best way to enjoy the new software.
This story is from the November 2016 edition of Sound & Vision.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2016 edition of Sound & Vision.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Pinnacle Picture Performance
IT IS a small miracle that you can buy a TV as good as the 77-inch Samsung S90C Quantum Dot OLED for $2500.
AV Masterpiece
THE AV PROCESSOR is the less well-known sibling of the AV receiver. The main difference being that processors don't have built-in amplification.
Sit and Listen Streaming
FOR ANYONE who has been waiting for streaming music to be a high-quality sit-and-listen experience, the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase streaming integrated amp fits the bill.
Worth the Splurge?
AS A RULE I'm not particularly susceptible to the \"audio-jewelry\" school of component design; I'm a value/performance guy.
Focus on Gaming
OPTOMA BOASTS of being both the top 4K UHD projector brand globally and the number one Digital Light Processing (DLP) brand in the United States for 2022, citing the PMA Research Worldwide Projector Census, making the company no stranger to the world of projected light.
Sonic Surprise
OVER THE YEARS I've reviewed hundreds of audio and video products covering all the usual bases. But not up to now a soundbar.
Deep Concentration
IN THE realm of high-fidelity audio, the Bowers & Wilkins DB3D subwoofer offers a fusion of compact design and powerful performance.
When Less is More
MY EXPERIENCE with Bowers & Wilkins dates back over thirty years to my high school days, when I first admired the 801 Matrix in Stereophile magazine.
SHARP, BRIGHT, & BUDGET-FRIENDLY
IN JUST a few short years the home projector landscape has undergone a radical revolution in terms of price and selection.
They are Coming.I Can't Hold Them Back Any Longer.
This is my last communication. Outer walls breached. Door is splintering. Hinges giving way. Out of ammo. Just one grenade left. I'll take as many as I can with me. God have mercy on my soul.