http://www.audioholics.comWhere audio and video equipment undergoes rigorous objective and subjective tests by our staff, ensuring that marketing slogans aren't the only guidelines for your home theater choices.Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:15:00 -0000http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-skew-a-blind-listening-testSetting up a blind test is easy right? Or is it? While many people will take the most well known precautions, they often forget or don't know about some of the others than can seriously affect the outcome of the test. Here are some lesser known things to remember when you set up your listening test for comparing loudspeakers.Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:15:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-skew-a-blind-listening-testHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/2009-500-receiver-comparison-guideIn a continuing effort to demystify your receiver choices, we come to a price point that is probably one of the most popular - around $500. In this comparison, we'll be looking at receivers from Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha. At the near $500 price point, manufacturers have a bit more room to play with features and their design philosophies become pretty apparent.Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/2009-500-receiver-comparison-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/2009-750-receiver-comparison-guideIn this comparison article we look at receivers around the $750 price point. We have offerings from Yamaha and Harman Kardon at $649, Pioneer at $699, and Denon, Marantz, and Sherwood Newcastle at $799. While you'd think that the differences in receivers at this price point would be a matter of inches, you'd be wrong. Manufacturers are trying pretty hard to differentiate themselves. The question is - what do you need?Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:25:52 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/2009-750-receiver-comparison-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/entry-level-receivers-comparison-guideIn a budget receiver, you are looking for the most bang for your buck. What you will need to focus on is what you actually need. Many of the receivers are limited in their compatibility and functionality based on price point. The trick is to clearly know what you need so that you are getting it all in the receiver you choose. These units from Denon, Harman Kardon, Onyko, Pioneer, and Yamaha represent the first tier in their receiver lines. Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:40:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/entry-level-receivers-comparison-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/digital-converter-box-comparison-shootoutLooking 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!Sun, 03 May 2009 23:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/digital-converter-box-comparison-shootoutHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/rock-band-guitar-hero-instrument-compatibility-guideRock 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...Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:03:44 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/rock-band-guitar-hero-instrument-compatibility-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/speaker-shootout-component-comparison-rightIn 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. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:30:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/speaker-shootout-component-comparison-rightHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/what-size-screen-displayWe get asked this question alot and we have, in fact, addressed it during the course of various projector and flat panel reviews. It is an important topic, however, and we feel that it is truly worthy of some personal attention - especially given these times of rapidly dropping flat panel display prices. While many believe that "bigger is always better," getting the right screen size means that you can truly optimize your home theater budget and allocate your money in teh best way possible to make sure you get the best visuals and sound possible. We'll take you through several ways to effectively determine the best screen size for your room, and give you some general guidelines for figuring out your own needs.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:42:41 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/what-size-screen-displayHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-shop-for-an-av-receiverWith such a wide selection of A/V receivers on the market these days, it's difficult to know which model is right for you. Before getting into all of the tech specs and features, its important to first define how you will use this product. This article is a 7 step guide to choosing the right A/V receiver. As you will see in this guide, the decision making process weighs heavily on the type of HDMI connectivity and support you require. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:33:26 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-shop-for-an-av-receiverHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-shop-for-televisions-displaysWe’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.Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-shop-for-televisions-displaysHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-shop-loudspeakers.htmlShopping for a new speaker system is a lot like buying a new car. One must always find the right balance between performance, aesthetics and practicality while keeping within their budgetary constraints. Unfortunately looks can often tell very little about loudspeaker performance. In fact, some of the best looking, highest priced designs often look much better than they sound. The purpose of this article is to help the average home theater enthusiast pick and chose the right system based on their needs and budget.Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:01:07 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/how-to-shop-loudspeakers.htmlHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/av-processor-receiver-checklistsWe provide an ongoing series of documents outlining the feature sets on the products we review. This enables consumers the ability to ensure the products they are interested in have the functions they want and need.Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:32:35 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/av-processor-receiver-checklistsHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/ask-dr-a-the-budget-danceIs there some kind of accepted price/performance ratio between components? For example, if I am buying a $3000 set of home theater speakers is it pure heresy to hook them up to a $900 receiver? What price point amplifier would be appropriate? I know most of this is subjective, but would you buy a $900 DVD player to connect to a TV that cost only $1000?Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/ask-dr-a-the-budget-danceHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/avoiding-loudspeaker-gimmicksWe decided to visit some of our local dealers to observe and listen to their latest offerings of electronics and speakers. It seems lately that more and more gimmicks are surfacing in the audio world and the consumers are letting the industry get away with it. It is sad to see so many companies are simply implementing what we call "cookie cutter" designs. What we mean by this is that they are actually not designing loudspeakers. Instead, they are implementing design guidelines set forth by driver manufacturers that specify types of crossovers and enclosure dimensions to use with their drivers. Many of these so called loudspeaker "designers" don't have the proper test equipment and engineering technical staff and necessary tools to accurately design and measure their loudspeakers performance.Sat, 25 Nov 2006 15:47:09 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/avoiding-loudspeaker-gimmicksHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/audio-terms-and-definitionsAudio terminology can be very confusing and ambiguous. Below is a basic list of most common words related to audio specifications and terminology.Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:31:48 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/audio-terms-and-definitionsHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/dvd-player-checklistThis document will allow consumers to look through the features and functions of the many DVD players we have reviewed and see which models have the options and specs they are looking for. Use this as a helpful aid in your shopping.Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:31:48 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/dvd-player-checklistHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/top-10-must-haves-in-a-media-centerIn a world with dozens of media center manufacturers and hundreds of choices, picking out a media center can be confusing. What features should I look for? Which ones do I really need, and which ones are just "icing on the cake?" Here are the top 10 Premium Features that we think media centers must have...Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/top-10-must-haves-in-a-media-centerHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/common-htpc-media-center-myths-2013-not-just-a-pcArguably, Media Centers are currently the most misunderstood home theater components available in the marketplace today. Yet, media centers are also one of the most revolutionary home theater products available. Why is there this huge discrepancy? Unfortunately, the term " Media Center " is used by many manufacturers for products that could arguably never possibly act as a home theater device.Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/common-htpc-media-center-myths-2013-not-just-a-pcHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/ten-biggest-mistakes-of-speaker-and-home-theater-shoppingIf that major electronics brand knows how to build CD players, audio/video receivers or TV monitors, they must know how to design and build excellent loudspeakers, right? Not always.Wed, 12 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/ten-biggest-mistakes-of-speaker-and-home-theater-shoppingHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/playstation-3-vs-xbox-360We decided to give a quick run-down of the differences and similarities between the two platforms based on the information that is now wildly circulating around the Internet. This could be considered the Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360 comparison for all who are looking to make a purchase this coming year.Wed, 18 May 2005 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/playstation-3-vs-xbox-360How to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/cable-budget-guidelines We have been receiving numerous emails about how one should budget their spending on interconnects and speaker cables . Thus this has…Thu, 26 Aug 2004 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/cable-budget-guidelinesHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/home-theater-furniture-101Today's home theater is nothing like it used to be. There was a time that your hi-tech entertainment system was simply a TV in a corner. Now you toss in a DVD player, surround sound system, digital video recorder, and the like, and your home theater has grown to proportions your parents would have never dreamed of.Thu, 26 Aug 2004 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/home-theater-furniture-101How to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/av-receivers-buying-guideThe purpose of this guideline is to educate the consumer about Home Theater A/V Receivers to assist them in purchasing the best product for their money when buying time is evident.Thu, 26 Aug 2004 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/av-receivers-buying-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/dvd-cd-players-buying-guideChoosing the right DVD player is not a trivial matter in a market flooded with products from various hardware vendors. There are more than several players to choose from in each price category and the notion of spending more money will buy you better performance does not always apply here, especially when DVD players are concerned.Thu, 26 Aug 2004 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/dvd-cd-players-buying-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buyhttp://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/loudspeakers-buying-guideA loudspeaker is an electromechanical transducer that converts electrical energy into mechanical vibrations. One would think this process is trivial enough to produce similar results in all loudspeakers. In an ideal world this may be possible. However, we do not live in an ideal world.Sun, 20 Oct 2002 01:00:00 -0000/buying-guides/how-to-shop/loudspeakers-buying-guideHow to ShopWhat to Buy