Home Theater News & Reviews

Sound United LLC announced that several Denon and Marantz products received Roon Tested accreditation. This certification enables music lovers to seamlessly stream music from a Roon server or Roon Core devices to 68 Denon and Marantz products for a visually rich, and easy-to-use listening experience. To see what we think of these new additions read on...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced movie theaters to close their doors, leaving studios scrambling to recover the millions spent to produce and advertise films slated for Spring 2020 release. In an unprecedented move, Universal has made some of its current theatrical movies available to rent via cable on-demand services, as well as from streaming services like Amazon and iTunes. Disney has done the same with its newest Pixar movie, but the fate of its live-action Mulan film, and that of Marvel’s Black Widow, remain unclear. Read on to learn more.

The vinyl record industry may experience shortages of new releases after the plant that made some 75% of the world’s blank lacquers burned to the ground. But it won’t be the apocalyptic “vinylgeddon” suggested by some. Delayed new releases on vinyl may begin sometime in the next year, but the real long-term tragedy could be a permanent loss of some homegrown American record manufacturing. Will Vinyl media adapt and survive? Read on to find out.

Shortly before the coronavirus crisis pulled the plug on big industry trade shows, McIntosh showcased its newest home theater products at the ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) AV show in Amsterdam. The new lineup includes the flagship MX170 AV processor ($15,500), the less expensive MX123 AV processor ($8,000), the MC255 5-channel power amplifier ($8,000), and the MC257 7-channel power amplifier ($10,000). Read on for more details.

I recently tested positive for COVID-19 after struggling with what I thought at the time was a stomach bug or flu on and off for 8 straight days. While I'm in quarantine until I produce 2 consecutive negative test results, I decided to write up this little Coronavirus survival guide from the perspective of an Audioholic. I offer some treatments that helped relieve my symptoms while also suggesting some good audio and visual reference materials to entertain you while you get better. Check out my Youtube discussion of symptoms and treatments for COVID-19 for more information.

The coronavirus strain known as COVID-19 has dominated the news as of lately. You can’t open a newspaper, read a news app, or turn on the television without some reference to this disease. But what of my beloved electronics? What will happen to our industry? I was shocked to see the devastating impact that this virus, in China, was having on American electronics companies. How will this affect the distribution of the electronics industry and how has it impacted Audioholics so far? Read on to find out.

If upgrading your smartphone's stock earbuds is an out-of-the box necessity, but you also demand wireless because it's 2020, the market offers no shortage of choices. But not all of them make sound quality a priority. BE Live5 is the cost-effective, premium offering by NuForce that actually gives good sound by offering both AAC and aptX codecs, so they're just as comfortable streaming sound from either iPhone or Android. And best of all they cost way less than a new pair of Apple AirPods.

There is heavy competition with the TV display market. How do you compete with companies like LG and Vizio? Samsung has decided to think outside the box and go with a Steve Jobs like showing of innovative thinking and design. Will these futuristic ideas payoff or are they too far ahead of their time? Read our thoughts on the 2020 lineup of 8K UHD Samsung QLED displays to find out.

If you are an Audiophile, then you are probably familiar with the years of hard work and stress your ears go through. The goal for every audiophile should be to enjoy hi-fi for a lifetime. But, in order to do that, care must be taken to not over stress or abuse your ears with sustained excessively loud sounds. This article talks about the importance of hearing safety and how to combat tinnitus using active hearing aids and soundscapes. Checkout our recent Youtube video were we discuss safe daily listening doses to preserve your hearing.

If you’re looking for a quality pair of wireless over-the-ear headphones and you want to customize the entire setup to your listening needs you might want to check out the new TMA-2 Bluetooth headphones from AIAIAI. Never heard of AIAIAI? Neither had we. They’re comfortable and sound great, but with a $300 price tag will they be able to compete with better known brand names like Sony, Bose and Beats? Be sure to also checkout our Youtube overview video for a closer look.

We've tested A LOT of factory designed and manufactured subwoofers here at Audioholics. This time we built and tested our own with the Creative Sound Solutions SDX12. Does the Creative Sound Solutions SDX12 12" sealed subwoofer DIY kit buy you more performance than commercial offerings? Check out how the SDX12 performed compared to similarly priced commercial offerings.

RBH Sound unveiled a new flagship SVTRS active speaker system that rocked the 2020 Florida Expo show. This large, powerful speaker is truly a sight (and sound) to behold. These titans stand nearly eight feet tall and weigh 310 lbs and offer bass extension down to single digits. RBH claims this new system offers significant advantages over their Status 8T speakers while being slightly less expensive along with including its own state-of-the-art amplifier and DSP tuning. Does Audioholics have a new reference speaker to dethrone the mighty Status 8Ts? Read on to find out!

Rotel’s high-end Michi brand is making a comeback after a long hiatus with three new audiophile stereo components. The Michi P5 Control Amplifier ($4K), S5 Stereo Amplifier ($7K), and M8 Monoblock Amplifier ($7K) are Rotel’s new flagship audio offerings, promising superb build quality, elegant design, and unshakeable 2CH performance. Read on to learn more.

RSL CG3, CG23, Speedwoofer 10S 5.1 Speaker System Giveaway is Here! Audioholics has partnered with RSL to give away the brand new "white" variant on their classic CG3 Series Home Theater Speaker System ($1,079.00 value)! Contest ends March 7th, 2020 so ENTER NOW to win BIG!