Home Theater Week in Review, May 5-9, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Pioneer Elite recently took the wraps off their '08 lineup of A/V receivers with four new models: the SC-07, SC-05 ($2200 and $1800 respectively, August delivery), VSX-03TXH and VSX-01TXH ($1000 and $750 respectively, June delivery). The top two models are directly descended from Pioneer Elite's uber-cool (and uber-expensive) SC-09TX (which you can read all about here) and feature Direct Energy HD Amplifiers with ICEpower; the VSX-03TXH and VSX-01TXH utilize more traditional class A/B amplification. Of course, all four models will include all the latest hi-res friendly features, like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, HDMI 1.3a with 12-Bit Deep Color and 1080p Faroudja video scaling, Burr Brown sampling rate converters, and network capability and connectivity. All four models will join last year's top Elite model, the VSX-94TXH ($1600), and you can find all the details in Pioneer's press release here.

Also in A/V hardware news: Marantz's stunning A/V pre/pro and amplifier combo, the AV8003 ($2600)and MM8003 ($2400), should be available this summer, replete with all the usual hi-res goodies: 8 high-current, 140-watt amplifier channels; Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; HDMI 1.3a with Deep Color and Anchor Bay Technology ABT1010 1080p precision video scaling; and THX Ultra 2 certification for the processor and amp. Both components also feature the usual Marantz performance-oriented touches, such as high-capacity toroidal transformers, copper-plated chassis and custom designed capacitors. Get all the deets on this fantabulous pair here.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection--Special Editions Trilogy; The Great Debaters; Untraceable; Mad Money; Two and a Half Men--The Complete Third Season; MIssion Impossible--The Fourth TV Season.

Blu-ray: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Shinobi--Heart Under Blade; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Untraceable; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Mrs. Doubtfire.

HD DVD: One Missed Call; Sublime.

All Things Vinyl, April 28-May 2, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

If you've been reading "All Things Vinyl" for sometime or know a bit about turntable setups, chances are you're probably aware that, in most cases, installing a high-quality phono cartridge at the front end of your vinyl-spinning rig can yield huge improvements in sound quality. I previously wrote about the benefits of a quality cartridge in the February 11-15, 2008 of "ATV" so I won't go into detail about that here. Suffice it to say that, if you're choosing a separate cart for whatever reasons, you can't just bolt cartridge to tonearm and expect great results: for the best sound--and most importantly, the least wear--from your cherished licorice pizzas, every cartridge must be properly aligned for geometrically correct contact with your vinyls.

Unfortunately, the number of dealers who have the know-how or inclination to do this for you are slim indeed; if you know one, count your lucky stars! But if not, you'll have to align the cart yourself, paying extra special attention to five important parameters: Overhang, azimuth, VTA (vertical tracking angle), VTF (vertical tracking force), and anti-skate. Not an easy task, to be sure--so it's a good idea to know the ins and outs of such a feat and to equip yourself with the right tools for the job. And while I love to endlessly wax poetic about the joys of vinyl, I've got limited space (and time!) to do so; check out Audiophilia's superb guide to setting up your cartridge here. If you're more of a visual person, I'd highly recommend "21st Century Vinyl: Michael Fremer's Practical Guide to Turntable Set-Up"--a must if you're serious about getting the most music off vinyl discs. And on that note, here are some other set-up goodies that should be in every vinyl lover's toolbox:

--DB systems alignment protractor ($49): A long-standing favorite for accurate cartridge alignment on the cheap, nothing beats the value of this protractor card from DB. It's super easy to use--quick alignment of your cartridge in just three steps. Less time fussing and more time listening? Amen DB, amen. 

-- Shure SFG-2 Stylus Force Gauge ($25): This simple and highly effective tool for measuring tracking force has been around since before I was born, and for good reason: it's by far the most cost-effective way of setting accurate tracking force for any cartridge out there. Cheap, durable, and easy to use--what's not to like?

--Hi-Fi News Test Record ($45): Chock-full of various turntable optimization tracks, this LP has been the long-running standard for setting correct anti-skate and azimuth and even has a cartridge/arm resonance test track. With over 17 tracks designed to help optimize your rig, the gains in performance will far outweigh its modest cost.

--Feickert Universal Protractor/alignment tool ($250): This beautifully built, dead-accurate gauge allows you to absolutely dial in the overhang and alignment for any tonearm/cartridge combination, making this the perfect tool for those with chronic upgradeitus or anyone who swaps cartridges on a regular basis. Expensive, yes; but if you have a top-tier vinyl playback system and want to get all the music you paid dearly for, consider this premium tool absolutely mandatory.

Next week: some more new hardware and software releases. 

Home Theater Week in Review, April 14-18, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Industry consolidation storms are a brewin': D&M holdings--parent company of Denon, Marantz, McIntosh, and Snell, among others--have put themselves up for sale this week. Perhaps the most interesting development in the D&M courting process has been their potential suitors, chief among them Harman International (owners of Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, Revel, Infinity and others), Best Buy and surprisingly, Kenwood (!). Jeez, I didn't know Kenwood even had any interest in home theater; I thought they were long gone. But who knows? Stranger things have (and continue) to happen on the home theater front...

...Like Blockbuster's recent announcement of their interest in acquiring electronics retailing giant Circuit City. Huh? With both companies in fairly dire straights at this point, I'm not even sure how either party could benefit from this. Would it be along the lines of a "Hey, while you're shopping for electronics, why not rent a movie, too?" kind of marriage? Like I said, it befuddles me; I just don't see the benefit. But I guess that's why I'm a Home Theater Guru and blogger and not a corporate exec.

And for the news this week that made sense: Verizon is planning to role out FIOS to all five NYC boroughs. Verizon promises over 400 standard res and 150 HD channels (not to mention more than 10,000 videos on demand) to NYC residents, competing with Warner Cable and Cablevision. In Verizon's press release, Monica Azare, Senior VP of New York and Connecticut emphasized their commitment to quality with the following:  "For too long, residents have been locked in to one provider for their cable TV entertainment.  With an award of the first-ever Citywide franchise, Verizon will be able to throw open the doors to competition, providing real choice and real value." Amen sister, amen.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: Charlie Wilson's War; The Savages; Cloverfield; My Boy Jack; The Orphanage; Death of a Cyclist; Bellydance Show Basics for Beginners.

Blu-ray: The Orphanage; National Geographic: Six Degrees Could Change the World; One Missed Call; Sublime.   

HD DVD: Ganges; Sublime; Animal Room.

Home Theater Week in Review, April 7-April 11, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

More good news for PS3 owners this week: Sony recently announced a version 2.30 update for their multi-purpose gaming machine that finally brings DTS HD Master Audio and HR to the Blu ray-equipped console. Processing is internal PCM conversion, which is then transmitted via HDMI. Whether the unit will also pass along bitstream info via HDMI for receiver/processor decoding remains unclear, but at least now you can hear more than just the DTS "core" audio tracks (which is the same audio as any standard DVD). So big ups to the folks at Sony/PS3 for bringing us HD-quality sound.

Always wanted to get into whole-house distributed video but thought it too complex? Well the fine folks at Vudu and Netstream have just made it a whole lot easier, courtesy of their Vudu Xl and DigiLinX IP-Based Distributed Audio, Video and Control system. With over one Terabyte of storage (yowsers!) and more than 5000 movies titles available, IPTV in every room has never been easier or more convenient.

Movie Releases for This Week.

DVD: Juno; Lars and the Real Girl; Before the Devil Knows You're Dead; Alien vs. Predator--Requiem; Erasure--Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

Blu-ray: Juno; Before the Devil Knows You're Dead; Alien vs. Predator--Requiem; Predator; Mariah Carey--The Adventures of Mimi; A Passage to India; Commando.

HD DVD: Bonnie and Clyde.

All Things Vinyl, April 7-11, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

So now that you're firmly committed to spinning the black circles, let's talk about good vinyl hygiene. Hygiene? As in cleaning? Absolutely! If you want to hear your records at their best, proper cleaning of your records is a must. You know all those ticks and pops and static-type sounds that notoriously goes hand in hand with vinyl? Nearly all of that can be eliminated by simply keeping your records clean. Most of those vinyl noises are caused by dirt, dust, and various other particles that are trapped the grooved walls of your records, causing lots of noise and, even worse, permanent damage to your precious vinyl. And even if it's a new record, chances are there's still some grime (and mold-release agents) that need to be cleaned from the record for best performance.

So--how does one go about getting those vinyl contaminants outta there? There are three basic things things you should do before playing any record: treat each one to a thorough wet wash (preferably with a specialized vacuum cleaning machine); clean each record with a record brush before every play; and clean the stylus before and after every record side. By keeping the record and the various parts it comes into contact with free of any possible contaminants, you'll guarantee noise-free play and top-notch sound quality from your vinyls for years to come (for a detailed description of a very thorough process, check out the excellent article from the musicangle.com site here).

And now, a smattering of some stellar record care products:

Gruv-Glide II Record Treatment LP cleaner ($28.99): A simple, spray on LP cleaner, the Gruv Glide is perfect for quick cleaning of garage sale finds or a great solution for those a little short on scratch for a wet-cleaning system. Can leave a residue of used with a heavy hand, but definitely better than no cleaner at all.

Nitty Gritty 1.0 Vacuum record cleaning machine ($365): If you have a substantial record collection or just want to get your records uber-clean, the 1.0 model from Nitty Gritty should be considered mandatory--especially considering its beer-budget price when compared to other models out there. Its powerful vacuum action and simple, fuss-free operation means you'll be enjoying super-quiet and squeaky-clean vinyl goodness for many moons to come.

The Disc Doctor record cleaning solutions (prices vary depending on item): I've tried many vinyl cleaning solutions with my cleaning machine over the years, and the Disc Doctor products are my cleaners of choice. The Miracle Record Cleaner spreads easily yet stays neatly on the record until it's time to suck it up. What's more, every item is a superb value, and their wet clean records are the best I've ever used.

Sleevetown.com record cleaning brush ($13.95): Using a quality, non-damaging brush to dust off those records before every play is important to maintaining clean vinyl surfaces, and the brush from Sleevetown is a dandy. Pretty much the same as that audiophile standard of brushes, the Hunt EDA--but less than half the cost.

Last Factory stylus cleaner and stylus treatment ($22.50 and $33 respectively): Even with the most immaculately cleansed records, over time microscopic dust, dirt, and grime particles form into a thin, coarse, sandpaper-like film that gouges your record's grooves with every play. An unavoidable occurrence--unless you clean your stylus before every listening session. Thank the analog gods for Last's stylus cleaner and treatment which will, when correctly applied, extend the life of both your records and your cartridge's stylus. Amen Last, amen.

Next week: Setting up your vinyl rig. 

Home Theater Week in Review, March 31-April 4, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Coming soon to a living room stadium near you: MTV Games, Harmonix, and EA Games have recently announced that the world's #1 selling game, Rock Band, will be available for the Nintendo Wii starting June 22 in the US and Canada. The game will be available for purchase as a complete, special edition package for $169.99, or as separate items for those who would rather rock out one step at a time. You can read the official press release here.

Can't decide between Sirius and XM satellite radio? Well you might not have to: The Department of Justice recently approved the merger between the two satellite radio providers, and all that's left is FCC approval. Whether this will be of benefit to the end user is anyone's guess; but praise be the satellite gods if there comes a day when you can get both Oprah (XM) and Martha (Sirius) without having to pay for two service providers. Learn how to make the perfect lace doilies and talk about it afterwards? Count me in!

It's finally here: Sony's 2.20 firmware update for the PS3 is now online, and it's a doozy! PS3 owner's can now enjoy BD-Live, which will allow users to connect to the internets while playing BD-Live enabled discs for additional features and content. Other notable features of firmware update v2.20 include using your PSP as a remote control for playback of music files and a Resume Play feature. Need more deets? You can find them here.

Movie Releases for This Week.

DVD: Sweenie Todd--The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Alvin and the Chipmunks; Artie Lange's Beer League; The Good Night; Andre Rieu in Wonderland; The Curse of King Tut's Tomb: The Complete Miniseries.

Blu-ray: Unbreakable; Alvin and the Chipmunks; Hidalgo; Artie Lange's Beer League; Coyote Ugly; The Curse of King Tut's Tomb: The Complete Miniseries; Blackbeard.

HD DVD: Appleseed Ex Machina; August Rush; Rachmaninov Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3--Acoustic Reality Experience.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: There Will Be Blood; Lions for Lambs; Reservation Road; The Water Horse--Legend of the Deep; Music Within.   

Blu-ray: Walk Hard--The Dewey Cox Story; The Water Horse--Legend of the Deep; The Adventures of Baron Munchausen; The 6th Day; Sharkwater; Space Ace. 

HD DVD: I Am Legend; Fighter Pilot--Operation Red Flag; The Alps; Mystery of the NIle. 

All Things Vinyl, March 17-21, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Wanna get in on the vinyl craze, but a little short on flow? How about making your own turntable--out of paper! That's right: Artist and all-around creative genius Simon Elvins has made this sweet-looking turntable out of paper--and it works! I can't imagine it sounding any good--but it sure looks fun. I'll be investigating whether this art-is-life piece is actually available for sale so's I can get my mitts on one. Stay tuned!

Ever wondered how vinyl records are made? Check out these awesome Youtube videos of the whole process, beginning to end--from mastering lacquers to pressing the vinyls. You can find parts one and two of the video here and here.

Recent Vinyl releases:

--Shelby Lynne, Just a Little Lovin--Lynne's homage to Dusty Springfield is chock-full of intimate arrangements and was recorded with no overdubs or studio trickery. A gem of a record.

--B-52's, Funplex--The first new album in 16 years from this funtastic foursome, the B-52's have polished up their dance-friendly and groovy sounds for the next generation.

--The Black Keys, Attack and Release--So I haven't actually heard this one yet (not available until April 1st), but if it's anything like their previous stuff, I'm sold. Bonus: The LP also comes with a CD version!

--The Constantines, Kensington Heights--And yet another album I haven't heard in its entirety (April 15th release). But "Hard Feelings," the first sneak-peek single from the new release, may alone be worth the entire album price.

Next week: Good Analog Hygiene.

Home Theater Week in Review, March 17-21, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Onkyo has recently announced two new entry-level, home theater receivers, the TX-SR576 ($479) and TX-SR506 ($379) due in April. While neither has built-in Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, they do have a host of other features sure to satisfy: HDMI and Deep Color pass-through; Audyssey Dynamic EQ; 32-bit, 24/192Khz DACs for all 8 channels; and powered zone 2 for multi-room operation. With Onkyo's reputation for great sound quality and user-friendliness, these new models are sure to please.

If you took my advice and bought an HD DVD player, good for you: you probably got 7 free movies, practically paying for the disc player itself. I mean sure, Toshiba and the HD DVD camp recently threw in the towel; but you still have have a machine capable of making your standard DVDs look better than ever, and you can still enjoy (and buy) HD DVD movies for the foreseeable future. And if you purchased your player from Best Buy, you may be in for a bit of luck: If you bought your player from Best Buy before Feb. 23, 2008, you can get a $50 gift card for buying into a "dead" format. But apparently, a lot of you loved HD DVD: Best Buy estimates they'll be issuing $10 million in gift cards to HD DVD owners. Who knows how far HD DVD would have gotten if Sony hadn't enticed Warner to switch?

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: The Kite Runner; The Mist; Party of Five--The Complete Third Season; Alain Delon--Five Film Collection; La Otra; Strange Culture.

Blu-ray: Bonnie and Clyde; Steep; Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics; Naked Beneath the Water; Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

HD DVD: Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics; Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3--Acoustic Reality Experience; Bob Hope Collection; Verdi: Il Trovatore; Low Life.

All Things Vinyl, March 12, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Luck be a jazz lover! Last week, I reported on the Music Matters Blue Note re-issues and, wouldn't you know it, another re-issue label has decided to jump into the Blue Note fray. Acoustic Sounds' in-house label, Analogue Productions, will be releasing 25 of the most legendary Blue Note albums also on 180-gram, 45-rpm vinyl at $50 each (a complete list of titles can be found here). And when I say legendary, I mean legendary--titles like John Coltrane--Blue Train; Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers--Moanin; Cannonball Adderley--Somethin' Else; and Dexter Gordon--Go. The first two titles are shipping as I write--Jackie Mclean's Capuchin Swing and Dexter Gordon's Dexter Calling.

What's more, Analogue Productions has once again turned to Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray at Acoustech mastering and RTI pressing (as they did with their 45-rpm series of classic jazz albums from Fantasy, Inc), so top-notch sound quality is practically a guarantee. And if history is any indication, you'd better act fast: Analogue Productions' first run of the Fantasy series sold out with a quickness, and the Blue Note re-issues are sure to follow suit. With both Music Matters and Analogue Productions releasing two different sets of Blue Note jazz on high-quality vinyl, these are definitely swingin' times for the jazz connoisseur.

Next week: Even more new vinyl.

Home Theater Week in Review, March 10-14, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

If you're serious about accurate home theater performance, you've probably attempted the mystical art of calibrating your home theater display. With so many parameters to adjust (gray scale, color temperature, saturation, oh my!), it's no wonder one often has to call a bona-fide, ISF-certified tech to wring the best picture performance possible from your HD display. Well praise be the flat-screen gods at Panasonic, who've recently announced a line of THX-Certified displays that will display a dead-accurate, ATSC calibrated picture with the press of a magic "THX Movie Mode" button. Panasonic will have four sizes available in the THX-certified Viera PZ800 series (42", 46", 50" and 58"), and all will feature 1080p resolution, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, and four HDMI 1.3 connections. pricing and availability will be announced sometime this Spring.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: I am Legend; Atonement; Enchanted; Love in the Time of Cholera; Seekers; The Ice Storm--Criterion Collection; Antonio Gaudi--Criterion Collection; The Dragon Painter; Jet Li's Shaolin Fists Collection.

Blu-ray: I am Legend; Enchanted.

HD DVD: Atonement; Justice League--The New Frontier; Led Zepellin--The Song Remains the Same.