With the dizzying array of inputs, outputs, surround-sound certifications and endless gradations in sound quality available in home A/V receivers, it takes an expert to sort out exactly what you need and don’t need for and given setup. You could, of course, wrestle with every option, price out dozens of different receivers, and compare cost versus quality for every single one, but if your goal is to cover all the bases, future-proof your system, and bring the cops to your house with house-rattling output, sometimes it might make sense to just go all-out.
Tag Archive: Receiver
TomTom Announces Go 920/920 T GPS
GPS developer TomTom has announced a new high-end in-vehicle GPS receiver in the form of the TomTom Go 920 and Go 920 T. TomTom regards the Go 920s as its "flagship" models, featuring what the company describes as the "most complete" maps of Europe, the U.S., and Canada in its 4 GB of internal memory. The unit also features a 4.2-inch touchscreen display, TomTom Map Share technology enabling users to correct and update maps and share their changes with other users. The TomTom Go 920 is compatible with a separate RDS-TMC traffic receiver for up-to-date traffic information (requires a service subscription), while the Go 920 T comes with the RDS-TMC receiver in the box and a one-year service subscription.
Sony Elevated Standard ES Receivers
While audio purists once scoffed at the idea of playing music from a paltry MP3 player on their $10,000 USD home theater systems, times have changed, and both digital audio and digital video are quickly becoming unavoidable standards for every home theater. Sony’s new Elevated Standard (ES) line of receivers are evidence of the inroads that both digital formats have made into the living room.
Onkyo Ramps Up Home Theater Offerings
Electronics maker Onkyo has taken the wraps off a major revision to its home theater product line, unveiling no less than seven new AV receivers and three new home-theater-in-a-box systems designed to appeal to everyone from entry-level home theater fans to high-end aficionados.
“This is the strongest line from Onkyo in years,” said Onkyo Marketing Manager Paul Wasek, in a statement. “Our strong relationship with partners like THX, Silicon Optix, XM, Sirius, and HD Radio has allowed us to create a feature rich line-up from the entry level TX-SR505 all the way through the TX-NR905. We’re proud to introduce the first AVR’s incorporating the Reon-VX HQV chip and THX Neural Surround processing. We’ve given our dealers what we feel is the strongest receiver line-up available that will not only drive sales and but also invigorate consumer excitement about these new AV technologies.”
Sony Receiver Optimizes for HD Sources
Sony has announced its first AV receiver optimized for high-definition audio and video sources, in the form of its STR-DG1000 unit targeted for availability in August for about $800. Although Sony’s aiming the unit squarely at future Blu-Ray adopters, it has features which would appeal to anyone in the high-def arenas, including dual HDMI active intelligence (which claims to automatically detect the best possible video and audio signals available from connected devices), eight channels of uncompressed audio, 120 watts per channel, and 1080p resolution.
Dual Electronics Debuts New Car Receiver
Dual Electronics earlier this week announced the upcoming availability of their first mobile audio receiver to be compatible with select Microsoft PlaysForSure portable audio devices and USB thumb drives via a digital media link adapter. The new XDMR7710 receiver ($249.99) and EAUSB20 digital media link adapter ($99.99) will both be available in July.
Rotel RSX-1057 Receiver
Rotel, a manufacturer of high end electronics headquartered in Japan, recently introduced a new sleek looking five-channel surround audio-video receiver which has HDMI capabilities and is priced at just under $1,500. Dubbed the RSX-1057, this surround sound receiver has been out in the market since February.
The Rotel RSX-1057?s most interesting feature is its support of the new high definition standard known as High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), which allows a single cable to deliver digital audio and video between compatible sources and monitors. The RSX-1057, which can support all ATSC HDTV standards up to 1080p, has two HDMI inputs and one HDMI output to connect A/V components to compatible 1080p video displays.
CES 2006 Profile: Marantz
Marantz, a home entertainment equipment manufacturer, was out in force at CES 2006 in Las Vegas with a large array of new products. Among the more interesting items on display was the ZR6001SP, an audio networking system which uses powerlines in the home, the 7.1 channel flagship SR9600 A/V receiver, the reference quality DV9600 DVD player and the ST7001 XM/AM/FM tuner.
New Sony In-Car CD Receiver Stores MP3s
Sony today introduced a new AM/FM CD/MP3 receiver capable of storing up to 500 songs in its flash memory. The Xplod MEX-1GP (Giga Panel) model is priced at around $350 and will be available in February.
The MEX-1GP CD receiver, said Sony, has 1GB of flash memory and a USB port built into the faceplate. When the removable faceplate is connected to a Windows based PC, users can transfer MP3 and WMA music files to it.
Other features of the MEX-1GP include playback of CD-R/RW discs, a high gloss black finish, a 13 segment LCD display for navigation of track and title information, a supplied remote control, a built-in 208 watt power amplifier and a three band equalizer.
Outlaw Model 1070 Receiver
Outlaw Audio, a home theater manufacturer who only sells their home audio components and accessories through their company?s website, has introduced what they call a ?worthy successor? to their extremely popular and well rated Model 1050 A/V receiver.
Enter the Model 1070.
The Model 1070 is a full featured, 7.1 channel A/V receiver which delivers an impressive 65 watts per channel into its seven channels at 8 ohms with all channels driven from 20 to 20,000 Hz. Its DSP engine is based around the Cirrus Logic CS 49400 processor, which has its 192 kHz/24-bit DACs performing digital to analog conversions for all channels.
