LATEST ADDITIONS

Even though Samsung hasn’t shipped its 2024 model year TVs yet — pre-orders open on Thursday, March 21 — you can still sign up to get a $100 discount that you can apply when the new models become available.

THX continues to expand its footprint beyond the certification programs that made it famous in the AV world with THX-branded high-speed HDMI cables.

Upon inception, Alice Cooper was conceived more as a group construct, not just a moniker for one person. The name itself was intended to encompass an all-for-one band concept, but it was also concurrently adopted by lead singer Vincent Furnier, who soon enough embodied the id and ego of Alice Cooper to such a degree that he transmogrified that persona into his fully becoming one and the same. Six-plus decades later, Alice Cooper is still going strong as the king of shock-glam metal to this very day — and his rabid fanbase wouldn’t have it any other way.

PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Inexpensive
Small for 15-inch subwoofer
Deep, rich sound

Minus
Generic appearance
Takes prodding to wake from standby mode

THE VERDICT
If you want the horsepower of a 15-inch subwoofer but can only accommodate an enclosure that typically comes with a 12-inch sub, the Starke Sound SW15 might be where your search ends.

Subwoofers, an essential component for every home theater system. Unless you have an extraordinary set of speakers the same holds true for a two-channel setup, you need a sub to reinforce the bottom end. While their contribution is critical for the reproduction of full-range sound, for the most part they aren’t much to look at.

Often little more than square black cabinets, subwoofers rarely enhance the aesthetics of your HT room. I’ve reviewed over 50 of them in the past 12 years and in that time very few have visually differentiated themselves from the rest. The Starke Sound SW15 is no exception from an appearance perspective, but can it stand out from the crowd in some other way?