A/V Product Reviews

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.

TiVo’s EDGE DVRs are the company’s first offerings to support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision 4K HDR video. They can also skip entire commercial breaks automatically. The EDGE for cable ($399) and EDGE for antenna ($349) both include 2 TB of hard drive space for recording up to 300 hours of HD video. Read on to learn more.

Definitive Technology has expanded its popular Demand Series of loudspeakers with the addition of the D15 towers ($3,398/pair), the D17 towers, ($4,598/pair), and the D5C center channel speaker ($799/each). These new speakers are designed to “deliver full-range, room-filling sound and elegant styling for enthusiasts seeking a premium listening experience.” The new Demand Series tower speakers feature newly-developed carbon fiber woofers and dual side-firing passive radiators. Read on to learn more.

VIZIO launched a new and much improved lineup of UHD displays at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new lineup ranges from the accessible 40-inch V-Series to a massive all-new 85-inch P-Series Quantum X. With a ton of new features and brand new technology along with a series of OLED TVs, the 2020 SmartCast TV lineup from VIZIO is their highest performing and widest range ever.

Yamaha is on their 3rd generation of separates in the Aventage line and we got our hands on their new 11-channel CX-A5200 AV Processor and MX-A5200 amplifier. With their predecessors in our Audioholics Showcase home rack for the last year, we have a great reference to see just how much Yamaha has refined this package with their latest technological advancements. Are the 5200 series models a worthy successor to those they replace? Read our review with detailed measurements to find out.

A year after releasing the L100 Classic, JBL Introduced their L82 Classic Bookshelf Loudspeakers at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new L82 Classic's 8-inch, 2-way system design is more compact than the L100’s 12-inch 3-way design, but still looks to deliver a premium hi-fi sound experience with an attractive retro aesthetic.

SVS could have phoned in their efforts for the middle product line between the 2000 series subwoofers and the 4000 series subwoofers, and not many people would have noticed given the overall success of their other product lines. However, SVS did not do that, and they produced what, in many ways, may be their best subwoofer series to date. Read our in-depth review with detailed measurements to find out why we like the SVS 3000 series subwoofers so much.

SVS's massively successful 2000 series subwoofer has just underwent a big change to become the 2000 Pro series, but what makes this series pro? Major changes in amplification and driver architecture promise some significant performance increases as well as the inclusion of new features such as SVS's Bluetooth subwoofer control app for iOS and Andriod. The subs are better but the prices are a bit higher, so the question is are the improvements worth the price hike? See what these new SVS's 2000 Pro subwoofers offer to find out.

For $1,100 the SVS Prime Wireless 2.1 Speaker System is a high-quality active speaker system with an awesome subwoofer that can support a multitude of input options including lossless audio streaming for the ultimate fidelity. We always have high expectations from a company like SVS, but do they deliver the goods for the money? Read on to find out in our comprehensive review.

Yamaha gives a nod to the past while pushing sound reproduction further into the future with their NS-5000 loudspeaker. This state-of-the-art speaker uses a vintage design as a platform for some very modern audio engineering that uses cutting edge technology to solve problems with ingenuity that have traditionally been solved with brute force. At $15k/pair, they ain't cheap, but if you want the latest in speaker science in a gorgeous package that is built to last, the NS-5000 speaker might be the bargain you are looking for.

The Microsoft Surface Studio 2 represents Microsoft’s latest in flagship All-in-One CPUs. With an incredible bright hi-res display, touch capabilities and striking design, the Studio 2 offers great versatility and endless creative potential. At a starting price of $3,499, however, the device represents a significant investment for any professional or normal consumer alike. To find out more about this intriguing product, do read on…

RSL Speakers generally get rave reviews for their products, so whenever they release something new, audio enthusiasts take note. Their recent release of the CG5 and CG25 speakers raised the eyebrows in the audio industry since the buzz was that RSL was pushing into a higher-end product than they had heretofore. It was with great anticipation that we awaited a sample of these new speakers. We are excited to finally bring you a full in-depth review of both speakers. Read on to find out all about the RSL CG5 and CG25.

Control4 has released its first new remote control product since the acquisition of the Swiss home automation company Neeo earlier this year. The elegant Neeo Remote for Control4 ($600) is designed to be sophisticated enough for the power user but intuitive enough for the whole family to use. The remote features a machined aluminum body and a high-res touchscreen that unlocks the full potential of Control4’s Smart Home OS 3 platform. Read on to learn more.