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The $1000 Bare Bones System

Looking for an entry level home theater system? This is what we recommend for $1000. It will keep you from getting ripped off by the big box stores and deliver more than the average home theater in a box.

We’ve received numerous emails, and indeed they come in almost daily, inquiring about the best televisions, which format is better and how to determine if Set A is better than Set B. These seem to be videophyte questions, however almost anyone shopping for a new display or television will run into many of the same issues.

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Tech Article: Digital Converter Box Comparison & Shootout
by Jim Robbins — last modified May 03, 2009 16:16

Looking for a digital TV converter box can be a daunting task as every store seems to have their own brands. And with a proliferation of boxes on the internet, which ones work with those $40 government coupons… If so, how well do they work? Features? Quality? Ease of use? Affordability? Audioholics compares five popular boxes to analyze the facts and details and help you make the best choice!

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Tech Article: Rock Band & Guitar Hero Instrument Compatibility Guide
by Clint DeBoer — last modified April 06, 2009 08:03

Rock Band and Guitar Hero are two games we enjoy very much at Audioholics. But there are four platforms for the game, a number of instruments, and now third party hardware. Add it up and you have a compatibility matrix worthy of the best mathematicians in the country. We wanted to know what instruments would work with what games... and on what platforms. Unlike the gaming industry, which thinks I actually care about the hardware or which brand of game I'm playing, I'm all about the MUSIC. If I am an Aerosmith fan I want to pick up my guitar and play Aerosmith. I don't care whether or not that band signed with Harmonix or Activision. I may care that they left off some of their greatest songs and that the game doesn't allow me to play drums or sing...

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Tech Article: 2008 Consumer Excellence Award Winners
by Clint DeBoer — last modified March 18, 2009 12:37

The consumer electronics industry is awash with an influx of new products. Each year it seems that every manufacturer is on a quest to outdo all others in a race to integrate more features and advanced technologies into their products. The prestigious Consumer Excellence (CE) Awards program recognizes the most advanced and forward-thinking products in crucial CE categories. Awards are given to products which serve consumers directly and also those products which serve to improve the business and success of the custom installer. The CE Awards is a clear benchmark award for the products which will make an impact in the coming year.

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Tech Article: Audio Precision APx585 Audio Analyzer to Revolutionize A/V Measurements
by Gene DellaSala — last modified March 04, 2009 18:01

Ever so often something revolutionary happens in the A/V world that changes it forever. Rarely do you ever hear an A/V publication pay homage to a test equipment company. The new APx585 8CH HDMI Audio Analyzer from Audio Precision deserves the highest praises for single handedly being the most powerful, yet easiest to use multi channel Audio Analyzer on the market. For the first time in the history of this industry, we will be able to conduct full blown multi channel analysis of amplifiers, receivers, Blu-ray players via the HDMI interfaces to quantify audio performance through the entire signal chain. We look forward to the improvement of our review process thanks to this marvelous tool.

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Tech Article: Setting up a Speaker Shootout or Component Comparison the Right Way
by Tom Andry — last modified February 24, 2009 09:15

In preparation for the forthcoming speaker shootout, we thought it'd be a good idea to explore the correct way to set one up. One of the most popular articles we ever write on Audioholics is speaker or cable shootouts. Shootouts are really just a comparison of two or more products. This sounds like a fairly straightforward process where you place two competing products in the same room and take a listen/look. But the reality is that it is much more complicated.

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Tech Article: Audioholics 2008 Product of the Year Awards
by Gene DellaSala — last modified December 30, 2008 04:47

2008 proved to be a nice incremental year for electronics, with some products managing to carve out distinction among their peers. HDMI continued to advance and televisions began to introduce 120Hz technology en masse, though we think that particular area still needs some work. Overall it was a good year for price drops and added value features. With that in mind, we selected gear in each category that really stood out via our personal experiences, reviews or demo's as well as the market trends set based on performance, features, and value.

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Tech Article: Audioholics Showcase Home Overview
by Gene DellaSala — last modified July 26, 2008 17:13

After two grueling years of plotting, planning, installing and configuring, we’ve finally completed the Audioholics Showcase Home. With over two miles of cable run behind dry wall, more than 40 speakers located around the house, and over 40 channels of amplification, we’ve got enough equipment to make a few IMAX theaters envious. All of the hard work has paid off as we are happy to report this project has gone pretty much according to design. Check out what we use as our reference test bed for conducting reviews and writing technical articles.

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Tech Article: The $3500 Balanced AV System
by Gene DellaSala — last modified May 05, 2009 16:30

The following is an entry-level system designed to balance the desire for optimal quality of both audio and video aspects of the room. Key things to note are that this could be a front projection system (no screen, DIY screen, or an inexpensive pull-down “starter” product), or a flat panel or rear projection system depending upon the desired screen size.

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