Home Theater News & Reviews

Denon released information on the industry’s first 8K-ready AV receivers. Building on its renowned line of X-Series AVRs, the Denon AVR-X6700H, AVR-X4700H, AVR-X3700H, and AVR-X2700H usher in the next generation of A/V receivers that brings improvements to all facets of the A/V system. Denon is the first A/V receiver from a big name company to come out in front of the fall releases and the X-series is setting the bar high for others to follow.

One of the most anticipated loudspeakers shown at the 2019 CEDIA show has finally come in for us to review, the JBL HDI-3800 which is the big dog of JBL's new HDI series. This 84 lbs beast uses three 8" bass drivers and an advanced compression driver and waveguide derived from the cutting-edge audio R&D from the whizzes at JBL. At $5k/pair, they ain't cheap, but a loudspeaker this powerful and advanced may well be a bargain at that price if all the technology translates into real performance. Read our full review to see what we found.

We look forward to the CEDIA installers EXPO show every year. It is THE premier audio and video electronics show where all the major home theater companies release their newest products just in time for the holiday season. Facilitators of the Expo announced that it will be cancelled this year amid COVID-19 concerns. How will CEDIA handle getting the information out to the public and how can Audioholics help? Read on to see what we have up our sleeve.

Audioholics recently had an encounter with a subwoofer which had left us battered and bruised. We thought we could go toe-to-toe with any subwoofer, but the JTR Captivator 215PRO turned us into mush with sheer pulverizing bass. Read all about how you can liquefy your organs with 128dB of pressure waves and leave you craving for more in our coverage of the Captivator 215PRO.

When Dolby released Atmos, it was done in concert with their surround upmixer which does a great job enhancing 2CH music thanks to a key feature Dolby is now removing from new products. We don't understand why "center spread' is being eliminated but implore you to voice your concerns to Dolby and your favorite receiver manufacturer if you feel this to be an important feature for your music playback enjoyment . Perhaps we can all be part of a collective voice to persuade Dolby to reverse this decision so we can all enjoy the benefits of our multi-channel speaker system for our 2CH music sources.

First announced in 2017, the HDMI 2.1 Specification will finally become reality in late 2020 when both Sony and Microsoft deliver new gaming consoles packed with the latest HDMI tech. The spec is designed to improve audio and video quality, while also improving the overall experience for the home user through eARC. Read on and watch our 3-part YouTube interview with Phil Jones of Sound United to learn more about the new features offered by HDMI 2.1, and the new cables you may or may not need to make it all work.

Lg is finally announced price points and shipping information for their highly anticipated SN lineup of Meridian soundbars. The new lineup includes eight new models that will combine Meridian sound technology, Dolby Atmos, DTS-X and HiRes Audio, and HDMI eARC support into a sleek easy to set up soundbar design. What do we think of the new lineup of LG soundbars? Read on to find out.

The L200 are Polk's latest high-end bookshelf speaker, and the L400 is the center that anchors their Legend series. Both boast many of the state-of-the-art advances implemented in the L800 but deployed on a smaller scale. If you are looking for loudspeakers that are on the same level of fidelity as your hi-res recordings you will want to read our full review to see how the Polk Legend L200 and L400 fare as their new flagship bookshelf and center speakers from Polk Audio.

Looking to cut the cord AND upgrade your pitiful factory installed TV speakers? Check out the Roku 2.0 Channel Smart Soundbar which is now shipping and on sale at your neighborhood big box stores. For $180 or less you can get the easy setup that Roku is known for along with better sound for your TV. Are there any drawbacks? Absolutely! Read the article to see the pros and cons of integrating video streaming into a soundbar.

Feedback is an ubiquitous and unavoidable basic technique that keeps the world running. It is only controversial in consumer audio, and then only specifically in power amplifiers. Some audiophiles believe too much negative feedback will diminish sound quality in amplifiers while others believe no feedback is even better. Is any of this true or is it just another audiophile myth needing to be busted?

It’s looking like 2020 will be the year that the high-end LCD TV meets its end. Like CRT and plasma TVs in years past, LCD TV is reaching the end of its life, at least in the high-end market. Longtime LCD champion Samsung is ceasing production of LCD panels, and starting to build its own custom version of OLED TVs that will utilize quantum dot technology. Read on to learn more.

Check any audiophile facebook group or forum and you will find dozens of enthusiasts asking "what are the best cables to use with my audio components?" There are never shortages of recommendations from fellow enthusiasts and sometimes even industry experts have their own recommendations too. PS Audio recently announced a partnership with Audioquest citing that their products have a real "synergy" together. Is there any merit to this claim or is it pure marketing BS?

The hobby of audio has gone through a lot of changes over the years. Whether you call it hi-fi, stereo, audio, home theater, immersive, the interest and pursuit of high-quality reproduced sound in the home has long been an enduring interest for a very large number of people. Is there one time period that can be said to be audio’s “Golden Age?” Does any particular era stand out from the rest? We take you on a tour of the decades in audio starting from the 60's until today to answer those questions.

The new Concert A/V receivers and Maestro preamp/processors deliver “ultimate performance” with up to 16-channels of output and all the latest technology wrapped in AudioControl’s signature sleek black boxes. There are 5 new components in the X Series: the Concert XR-8 receiver ($6,600), the Concert XR-6 receiver ($4,600), the Concert XR-4 receiver ($3,600), the Maestro X7 preamp/processor ($6,600), and the flagship Maestro X9 preamp/processor ($9,600). All products support all 3 immersive surround formats and Dirac Live room correction.