Home Theater News & Reviews

Monitor Audio has completely redesigned its MASS satellite/sub speaker system. The 5.1-channel package includes 5 diminutive satellite speakers and a compact subwoofer, all wrapped in stylish woven fabric. At $950 for the package, the MASS speaker system promises a more cinematic experience than the faux surround provided by sound bars. Does it have what it takes to live up to that claim? Read on to learn more.

The Integra DRX-4.3 AV receiver sports the latest in HD audio and video with 9 amplification channels on-board and the ability to add an external 2CH amplifier to run a full 7.1.4 speaker configuration. It's a feature laden AVR with some excellent custom integrated tools that help differentiate it from its Onkyo lineup counterpart. In this review, we bench tested the older DRX-4.2 AV receiver and tested its HDBaseT system by running HD audio and video to a different room in the Audioholics Showcase home. We looked at what the newer DRX-4.3 successor model offers in comparison and discussed any potential shortcomings of both products.

The China-US trade dispute has spilled over into consumer electronics in a big way, and it’s changing the competitive landscape for cell-phones. After months of problems for Huawei, including the loss of its Android operating system, the company has deployed a sweeping "Plan B". Consumers worldwide may be better off for it. Was Trump right?

SVS has launched a new flagship of their Prime series in the new Prime Pinnacle tower speaker. The Prime Pinnacle is a beefy-looking three-way tower speaker that uses three 6.5" woofers and a glass fiber 5.25" midrange driver, and a 1" aluminum dome tweeter. This new speaker isn't just simply a more powerful version of the Prime towers; there is also some new innovations in the basic design that sets it apart from any other speaker SVS has released. Read our full review to see what surprises SVS's newest creation has in store.

Ever since the first Spears and Munsil Test High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray edition came out, it has been our go to calibration disc for setting color, black level and various other picture alignment settings that allowed even a novice user to get near professional calibration status of their display with careful use and patience. We've been waiting for a UHD HDR disc capable of calibrating the latest UHD displays and projectors. Spears & Munsil heard the calls of the videoholics with the release of such a test disc. Check out what it offers and how to get it on Amazon for only $39.95!

Dayton Audio has followed up their enormously popular MK402 bookshelf speaker with a floor-standing speaker version: the MK442T. The MK442T is more than just the MK402 with an extra woofer and larger cabinet. Dayton Audio decided to try something different and has used a transmission line enclosure to shore up bass frequencies instead of the standard vented design used by virtually every other speaker in this category. Transmission line designs are not very common, and at Dayton Audio's asking price of $228/pair, totally unheard of. Read our full review of the MK442T to see how Dayton Audio managed to pull this off.

During the first ever Sound United North America Dealers Conference in New Orleans, Marantz announced the latest versions of its popular slimline AV receivers. The 5.2-channel NR1510 ($599) and 7.2-channel NR1710 ($749) both deliver a modest 50 watts of power per channel, limited no doubt by their compact chassis. New features for 2019 include Apple AirPlay 2 support, enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), and Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization (on the NR1710). Read on to learn more.

In our subwoofer reviews, we post a very comprehensive set of measurements that illuminates the full range of a subwoofer's performance. We have noticed that one of the graph sets in our subwoofer reviews have been a bit cryptic for much of our readership, however, for those who understand what is being displayed, they are some of the most illuminating graphs in looking at how well the subwoofer maintains accuracy from low loudness levels to its maximum limits. In this article, we attempt to shed some light on these graphs so any reader can follow them to get a better understanding of what their subwoofer is actually doing.

RBH Sound (RBH), a privately held manufacturer of high performance loudspeakers and audio products, today announced the purchase of the company and its assets by Todd A. Stewart. Stewart’s interest in the company began last year when his son’s woodworking company became an important vendor partner for RBH. Stewart’s acquisition advances and extends RBH’s US-based production capabilities, a strategic move RBH sought to avoid paying high tariffs on China imported goods. See what else is in store for RBH's future under new leadership.

The small and elegant NAD M10 BluOS Streaming Amplifier is a streamer, dac, and an integrated amp all squeezed into one small and stylish package. The $2,747 M10 features an MQA-capable ESS Sabre DAC and a Hypex nCore amplifier stage delivering 100 real-world watts per channel. Built-in room correction via Dirac Live helps the M10 sound its best even in less than ideal acoustical environments. Read on to learn more.

Sound United recently held its first ever North America dealer conference in New Orleans at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the heart of the city’s French Quarter. Gene DellaSala, Audioholics’ President, and I were invited along with about a dozen other journalists to take a deeper dive into Sound United’s portfolio of companies and products. We got an intimate look at Sound United's portfolio of products and technology and a sneak peek into the future. Check out our YouTube interviews with Classe, Denon and Marantz as well as our discussions about Sound United and our Truth in Power (TiP) movement.

The new Triad Distributed Audio Series in-ceiling and in-wall speakers offer what parent company Control4 calls “discreet, designer-friendly solutions for multi-room audio installations on any budget.” There are 14 models divided into three price/performance levels using different driver materials. Prices start at just $125 each and they look great. Read on to learn more.

Bowers & Wilkins 603 floor-standing speaker is a culmination of trickle-down technology and ideas from their cutting-edge flagship designs. The 603s are their least-expensive floor-standing speaker at $1,800/pr, but don't let its entry-level status fool you; there is some intensive R&D invested in these things that come from decades of engineering refinement. Read our full review of the 603 loudspeakers to see what Bowers & Wilkins can do at such an accessible price bracket.

The waterfall plots and polar maps often seen in Audioholics' speaker reviews are colorful and visually interesting, but what can they really tell us about a loudspeaker's performance? In this article, we explain the meaning of these graphs. We try to help you understand what to look for in determining the sound character of speakers from the information displayed in these graphs, so you can use them to find the right speaker for your system.