AV Receiver Reviews

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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-SR575 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 08, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 08, 2007  | 
Getting Sirius—and XM.

Having hefted more than a few surround receivers into the spare berth on my equipment rack, I've earned the right to be blasé. This feeling usually turns to annoyance when I have to figure out which button on the remote control will get me into the setup menu. But all of these predictable emotions vanish when I hit my universal disc machine's play button and music starts coming out of five speakers (and a sub) in the Dolby Pro Logic II music mode. As someone who was weaned on stereo, surround still seems like something of a miracle. By the time I get around to playing a movie, I feel like a kid again.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 02, 2007  | 

In many respects, AV receivers haven't changed much in recent years. There have been no major breakthroughs in amplifier design. 7.1-channels aren't that new. Multichannel analog inputs have been a fixture for some time. Dolby Digital and DTS have been with us since the Jurassic Age&mdash;or at least since <I>Jurassic Park</I>. And FM and AM sections are about as exciting as <I>Halloween 14</I>.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-SR605 A/V Receiver
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Aug 06, 2007  | 
For years, Onkyo has been known for decent, dependable gear – nothing super fancy, mind you, just good, respectable, hardworking stuff. That's not to say Onkyo's AV receivers are plain-Jane, stripped-down jobs, however. The company's newest introduction, the $599 TX-SR605, is a perfect illustration of how the opposite is true. Sure, it sports a faceplate that, after you get past the various logos and (thankfully removable) stickers splashed across it, is not much different – and often less exciting – than that which you'll find on any of a hundred other receivers. But, as the logos and marketing stickers attest, behind the average-looking façade lies a feature and performance package that should put the TX-SR605 on the short list of anyone who's currently in the market for a mid-priced AV receiver.
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AV Receiver ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
AAD M Series Speaker System and Rotel RSX-1057 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 03, 2007  |  First Published: Aug 03, 2007  | 
We could be heroes.

What would your life be like if you'd married the first person you ever dated? If you want a great home theater system, sometimes it pays to dig deeper. OK, American Acoustic Development (AAD) stands in the shadow of larger and more prestigious brands, so this may be the first time AAD's M Series speakers have come to your attention. And you're not likely to find the Rotel RSX-1057 receiver in the big chain stores that fill cavernous spaces with little worth hearing. But these two brands have more to offer than many of their market-leading, deep-pocketed rivals.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Sony STR-DA5200ES AV Receiver
Fred Manteghian  |  Jul 29, 2007  | 

Ah, technology. Too bad automobiles can't keep up with home theater electronics, or we'd all be driving around in Hummers that get 200 miles to the gallon, emit pure oxygen and absorb all that heat coming off Al Gore. Sony's new receiver is the latest example of more for less. The STR-DA5200ES is feature packed, though perhaps not to the gills. And since we've segued from cars to fish, you should know now that, for the price, this receiver is better than a fair catch.

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AV Receiver ReviewsBookshelf Speaker Reviews
JBL Cinema Sound CS6100 Speaker System and Integra DTR-7.7 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 23, 2007  | 
The inverted bottle meets the custom virtuoso.

At some point in the evolution of home theater, someone noticed that the phrase includes the word home. At that point, weird and wonderful things began to happen. Speakers morphed into smaller, more rounded, and occasionally more imaginative shapes. The surround receivers that fed them maintained their black-box identities but moved discreetly into closets. Back panels began to sprout extra jacks, the better to interact with touchscreen interfaces, second zones, and other niceties that have become staples of the connected home.

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AV Receiver ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Audio Physic Spark Speaker System and Sunfire Theater Grand TGR-3 A/V Receiver
Gary Altunian  |  Jul 02, 2007  |  First Published: Jun 02, 2007  | 
American design meets German engineering.

Even a quick glance at the home theater section of your local consumer electronics retailer reveals an overabundance of A/V receivers. They're a staple component in home theater. After you sift through all the ubiquitous brands, you'll come across Sunfire. The company is the creation of the venerable Bob Carver, also founder of Phase Linear and Carver Corporation. In a previous audio life, I sold many Phase Linear 400 and 700 power amplifiers, which were among the most popular and affordable high-powered stereo amps during the 1970s. Bob Carver has consistently reinvented himself and refined his product offerings, and one of his latest creations is the Sunfire Theater Grand TGR-3 A/V receiver from the company's XT Series. It's a component that borrows many features from Sunfire's high-end processors and amplifiers. And its straightforward operation, proprietary features, and impressive sound quality might earn it a place among the best high-end receivers. The TGR-3 is a great example of meticulous American design, albeit of Chinese construction.

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AV Receiver ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Tannoy Arena Highline 500 Speaker System and Marantz SR8001 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 04, 2007  |  First Published: May 04, 2007  | 
The natural high.

I drink green tea the way some people drink water. I make it in large batches, keep it in the fridge, and guzzle it all day. Such are the dimensions of this innocuous drug habit that I blend teas, often adding a pinch of Butterfly Sencha (with peach and sunflower petals) to a standard Sencha, creating something more subtle than the former and more interesting than the latter. (The Tea Squad may burst through the door to arrest me at any moment.) I do the same with surround equipment. This month, I've deliberately brought together a receiver brand that prides itself on neutrality with a speaker brand that obsesses about the purity and phase coherence of high frequencies. Marantz, meet Tannoy. Tannoy, meet Marantz. What will happen next?

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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-4806CI 7.1-channel Audio Video Receiver
Fred Manteghian  |  Apr 29, 2007  | 

"The new phone book is kinda' slim. Everyone must be switching to cellular," Gina remarked seeing what I was holding.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Harman/Kardon AVR 645 Receiver
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 17, 2007  | 
  • $1,499
  • 75-Watts x 7 into 8 ohms
  • Processing Modes: DD, DD-EX, ProLogicIIx, Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker, DTS, DTS-ES/Discrete/Matrix/Neo: 6, DTS 24/96, Logic 7
Features We Like: Two HDMI 1.1 inputs (PCM-audio compatible), three component inputs, EzSet/EQ auto calibration and room EQ, three each coaxial and toslink optical digital audio inputs, one 7.1-channel analog audio input, XM Ready, USB Audio and iPod connectivity, AV sync delay, A-BUS Ready, multi-source/multi-zone
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AV Receiver Reviews
Arcam AVR350 Surround Sound Receiver
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 15, 2007  | 

Most popular AV receivers come from companies based in Japan, Korea, and China. Most of these are huge companies with the resources to develop products quickly and promote them widely.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Marantz SR8001 Receiver: On the Bench
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 07, 2007  | 
  • $1,999
  • 125-Watts x 7 into 8 ohms
  • Processing Modes: DD, DD-EX, ProLogicIIx, DTS, DTS-ES/Discrete/Matrix/Neo: 6, DTS 24/96, SRS Circle Surround II, HDCD decoding
Features We Like: THX Select2-Certified, Four HDMI 1.2 inputs and two outputs with video upconversion and cross-conversion, four component inputs, Audyssey auto calibration and room EQ, three coaxial and four toslink optical digital audio inputs, one 7.1-channel analog audio input, XM Ready, 7.1-channel preamp outs, AV sync delay, multi-source/multi-zone
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AV Receiver ReviewsOther Source Component ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Snell D7 Speaker System, Marantz SR9600 A/V Receiver, and Marantz DV9600 Disc Player
Steve Guttenberg  |  Apr 23, 2007  |  First Published: Mar 23, 2007  | 
Together again for the first time.

As I unboxed this month's Spotlight System, I flashed on the innovative histories of Marantz and Snell Acoustics. Saul B. Marantz was a bona fide American audio pioneer in the 1950s and 1960s. His company's electronics not only sounded amazing, they were drop-dead gorgeous. Maybe that's why Marantz's early designs regularly sell on eBay for more than their original prices. Peter Snell was one of the brightest speaker designers to emerge in the mid-1970s. Back in the day, I owned a pair of his first speakers, the Type A, and had many conversations with Peter about music. In those simpler times, Saul Marantz and Peter Snell could launch their companies armed with not much more than a driving passion to produce great audio gear—and the inspired engineering to make the dream real. Best of all, both companies still adhere to their founders' perfectionistic traditions.

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AV Receiver ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
KEF KHT5005.2 Speaker System and Onkyo TX-SR674 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 22, 2007  |  First Published: Feb 22, 2007  | 
Tubular chic meets comforting conformism.

KEF's KHT5005.2 speaker system and Onkyo's TX-SR674 surround receiver are an odd couple. The KEF speakers are slim, tubular, and chic, the latest thing in décor-friendly sub/sat sets. And the Onkyo receiver? It couldn't be more conventional, conservative, even conformist. It's a plain black box with a very good features set for the price. But could it be that the two complement one another? Could this, in fact, turn into a long-term relationship?

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AV Receiver ReviewsBookshelf Speaker Reviews
Definitive Technology ProCinema 1000 Speaker System and Pioneer Elite VSX-84TXSi A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 26, 2007  | 
Little speakers are looking up.

Pricewise, these Definitive Technology ProCinema speakers and this Pioneer Elite A/V receiver are a perfect match. Even visual cues unite them, with the receiver's shiny-black metal faceplate echoing the satellite enclosures' black-gloss curve. In other ways, they may seem like an odd couple (or septet, rather). Wouldn't that big receiver be too much for those little speakers? No, say the specs. With the satellites rated to handle as much as 200 watts per channel, the receiver's hefty rated 140 watts are well within the acceptable range, although the speakers' 90-decibel sensitivity suggests that they'll play fairly loudly, even with a lower-powered amp. Therefore, it is legal to marry these speakers to this receiver, at least in Massachusetts, Canada, Spain, and the Netherlands.

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