Home Theater AV News

Paul Barton is teaming up with a Swedish “audio personalization” company called Audiodo to develop PSB’s next generation of headphones. The yet-to-be-announced headphone model(s) will integrate Audiodo’s DSP-based audio personalization solution, which promises to “provide every music lover with sound quality that has been perfected for them.” The tech uses a series of audio tests and questions to create a personal hearing profile for each user. Read on to learn more.

Klipsch has joined forces with the DSP wizards at Dirac to create new headphone products. The first headphone to benefit from this collaboration is expected to be a true-wireless in-ear design, which should be launching in 2021. Dirac’s sound optimization solution provides impulse response and frequency response correction, resulting in better audio performance. Read on to learn more.

The audiophile community doesn’t like change, in fact, they despise it with every fiber of their beings. Today, we live in a world where $15 per month access to high-resolution, often remastered, and seemingly unlimited music is reality, yet the audiophile communities elders are still stuck in the past. See why I sold my vinyl and never looked back...

Much of today’s equipment does not exhibit that same degree of flat-out romance and visceral appeal. Today’s equipment is so uniformly excellent that a lot of the mystique and “skill” of picking out one’s personal system is just not there anymore. We'll discuss how the romantic, emotional appeal of audio gear has changed over the years to more of a disposable society.

COVID-19 has crushed the idea of home theater tradeshows for 2020 and likely most of 2021. With the decline of brick and mortar AV stores has the idea of actually listening to a demo of HiFi gear before you purchase it a thing of the past? Check out our thoughts on the future of listening to, and purchasing new AV gear.

WarnerMedia announced its plan to send all of its 2021 film releases directly to its streaming service, HBO Max. It's seen as a snub to movie theaters who weren't consulted about the plan. But Warner also forgot to work this plan out with partner studios. Warner now finds itself in the dog house with its own creative teams who were expecting to see their films debut on the big screen before going to the little screens. We can expect the lawsuits are being prepared, and that's just from within team-Warner. But is WarnerMedia simply accelerating what has already been in the cards for theaters?

Back in October we announced the discovery of a chipset bug in the latest HDMI 2.1 sourced by Panasonic and used in the new Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha HDMI 2.1 AV Receivers. Now, Sound United, parent company of Denon & Marantz has announced after additional testing that there is, in fact, NO issue with passing 4k/120Hz via their latest HDMI 2.1 AV Receivers. See how this has been resolved while breathing a sigh of relief.

To end 2020 on a good note, Audioholics teamed up with Marantz to give away a brand new AV7705 11CH AV Processor. If you're looking to set up a new 7.2.4 Atmos/DTS:X home theater system, the AV7705 will meet your needs nicely. Enter by 12/31/20 for your chance to win this prize and kick the new year off as the envy of your friends. Good luck!

An inferno that blazed for three straight days devastated the AKM semiconductor factory in Nobeoka City, Japan. The result has been a disruption to the supply chain for audio products that use AKM DACs, ADCs that will be felt in both professional and consumer audio markets for at least the next six months. This comes only months after a fire destroyed the Apollo Masters lacquer facility and one year after news of exactly how much was lost in the 2008 fire at Universal Music finally went public. The losses beg one critical question; will fire please leave our music alone? Let's hope this is the last stop in the spate of BAD news that has been 2020.

Although AVR receivers get firmware updates periodically, both Denon and Marantz AVRs will receive a firmware update this Nov 11th, 2020 thanks in part to Audioholics requests from our Youtube videos and in depth reviews. Sound United heard our call to action and our reader feedback and made things happen. This firmware update packs many incredible features to enhance the products such as DTS:X Pro and IMAX enhanced features. We are happy with the one update that will restore a key feature because of you, the reader. Read on to find out what updates are coming to your Denon or Marantz receiver.

Among other things, COVID-19 has changed the way we setup and listen to our Audiophile systems. High end audio can often be a solo hobby. Do you plan to upgrade your system to include family and friends and what changes have you made to your system to embrace the future? Has your system or media consumption changed during COVID-19? These are all questions discussed in this article on the future of audiophile systems and keeping the passion alive.

I recently purchased a pair of Legacy Audio Signature SE speakers and said that they are most likely the last pair of speakers I will ever buy. I was instrumental in the development and creation of the Boston Acoustics Micro Reference 90's back in the mid 1990s. See how the Boston Acoustics Micro Reference 90's came to be the final destination for another famous reviewer.

Yesterday a German audio website discovered a bug in the latest HDMI 2.1 chipsets sourced by Panasonic and utilized in the new Denon, Marantz and Yamaha HDMI 2.1 AV receivers. This bug can inhibit pass through of 4k/120Hz HDR and 8k/60 HDR for some devices like NVIDIA's newest graphics cards and the latest XBOX Series X gaming console. We reached out to Sound United and Yamaha for officials responses which includes a work around and plan going forward towards a permanent fix.

Microsoft buys Zenimax in the second biggest acquisition in gaming history, an atomic blast to the industry and the fallout is all Xbox. Xbox Game Studios at once solved its exclusive titles problem, revved up pre-orders for Xbox Series S/X while getting the gaming world talking about what the future holds for hardcore triple-A gamers. Let's take a closer look at Microsoft's long-game strategy in gaming and what makes it distinct from Sony. The two console makers represent two different schools of thought in consumer electronics, and 2020 may only be the beginning as Xbox Game Studio's plan for a gaming empire emerges that none can ignore.