OTHER TECH

Dear Gear Guy, My family and I are spending more and more time watching TV shows and DVDs on the system in our basement rumpus room because it's the only one in the house set up for surround sound, but the experience isn't very satisfying. The speakers can't fill the room with sound, and the TV's picture, which seemed pretty good to us just a couple of years ago, doesn't bring enough life to what we're watching. I want an up-to-date system, and I'm even willing to consider going with an HDTV. But our room isn't huge, and neither is our budget. Can you help us? - Underground Man

Dear Underground Man,I think we can set you up with both excellent sound and an HDTV, with enough money left over to send your kids to college. (But you can tell them to forget about Harvard.) Let's start with Panasonic's RP-91 DVD-Audio/Video player ($800, reviewed in "DVD in the Fast Lane," September 2001). Since there are a number of DVD players now available at just about every price that include DVD-Audio playback, there's no reason for your system not to have one.

Sony KV-40XBR700 40-inch HDTV monitor ($3,499) www.sonystyle.com 800-222-7669 Panasonic RP-91 DVD player ($800) www.panasonic.com 800-211-7262 JVC RX-DP10V THX Ultra receiver ($1,700) www.jvc.com 800-526-5308 Snell QBx speaker system ($2,280) www.snellacoustics.com 978-373-6114 Option (not shown): M&K BMC 5.1 bass manager ($299) www.mksound.com 818-701-7010

But any recounting of the RP-91's many virtues has to begin with its video playback. Al Griffin called the player's progressive-scan output using 2:3 pulldown its "most outstanding feature." Watching a DVD of The Avengers, he commented that the "images were rich in contrast, the colors deeply saturated without appearing soft, with loads of fine detail."

The player's DVD-Audio performance was similarly superb: "Listening to the Buena Vista Social Club DVD-Audio disc with my eyes closed, I felt as if I was sitting among the musicians as they played." Ultimately, Griffin decided that the RP-91 was "the most impressive DVD player I've had my hands on. In a world where $800 won't get you a great many things, it's nice to know that it can buy a state-of-the-art DVD player."

Since you're looking for room-filling sound, let me recommend JVC's THX Ultra-certified RX-DP10V receiver ($1,700, reviewed in October 2001). Its 120 watts each for seven channels will give you all the power you'll need, but its virtues go well beyond sheer wattage. David Ranada pointed out that "the RX-DP10V is packed to the gills with features, [including] excellent THX bass management." And it can reproduce just about anything you throw at it both loudly and clearly: "Its audio quality ranks with the best digital receivers we've tested," said Ranada. "Its low background noise levels along with its substantial power reserves give it a dynamic-range capability that is challenged by relatively few recordings."

The RX-DP10V also includes THX Surround EX decoding for playing Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES Matrix 6.1-channel soundtracks. And it has two amplifiers for the back surround channels so you can opt to use one or two speakers in that position. The receiver's remote uses both traditional infrared (IR) and radio-frequency (RF) commands. Hook up the supplied RF antenna to the back panel, and you'll be able to send commands even when you're not in the line of sight. Ranada summed up his review by proclaiming the RX-DP10V "a topflight performer with convenience features and operational flexibility few other receivers can match, and certainly not at this price."

For speakers, I'd go with Snell's QBx system ($2,280, reviewed in January), comprising the QBx 15 front left/right speakers, the QBx Center, the QBx Surround, and the QBx Subwoofer. Al Griffin noted that the speakers feature "impressively rugged" construction. "Lifting a QBx 15, I appreciated its heft, which was considerably greater than I expected." And while the cabinets are compact, they're not as small as some satellite speakers - and thus free of the problems that often come with using tiny enclosures and drivers.

All of this translates into lots of big, beefy sound. Griffin wrote: "A few minutes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was all it took to confirm that the Snell QBx system could deliver more than a mere taste of movie-theater dynamics." The sound from the satellites was "punchy and full," and the subwoofer's 10-inch driver delivered "better than expected low-end extension."

But the Snell system also stood out as an all-around performer: "I was impressed by how far [it] went beyond many other compact systems in delivering both the dynamic punch of movie soundtracks and the harmonic complexity of music," Griffin concluded. "If you're looking for an affordable home theater speaker system that doesn't rely on alchemy to do justice to movies and music, check out Snell's QBx Series." (Because it's a satellite/subwoofer system - as opposed to using full-range speakers all around - you might also want to consider getting a bass-management box, such as M&K's $299 BMC 5.1, reviewed in January, for proper playback of DVD-Audio discs.)

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