Home theater

Spotify is many things to many people, but one thing it lacks is an equalization feature for letting you adjust bands of bass, midrange, and treble.

Enter Equalify.me, a Spotify plug-in that nestles a 10-band equalizer neatly into the Spotify interface on Windows computers. It's free (donations accepted), and it works, as we know from putting it through its paces on bretberg101's public kraut/spacerock playlist (which, shockingly, lacks both Neu and Faust). In addition to the 10 EQ bands, you get a gain adjuster, which offers another way to control volume, and a toggle control that … Read more

Keyboard shortcuts make browsing Netflix and rating movies quick and easy.

Instead of clicking on menus and navigating to the areas of your interest, why not press one key? That's the functionality that a userscript written by Dustin Luck adds to your browser. The script states it will definitely work in Firefox, but also seems to work Chrome, Opera, and Safari without much of a hitch. Here's how to get it for yourself:

Step 1: Open your Web browser of choice. The notes for the script suggest that you use Firefox, … Read more

So you want to share photos, watch videos, or play computer games on the expansive screen of your HDTV? On one hand, this is a really simple how-to: use HDMI!

That, of course, isn't the whole story. Not all computers, and not all TVs, can output or input a signal via HDMI easily. There are also a few tricks to consider.… Read more

In December, when I asked readers of The Audiophiliac to "Show us yours--your hi-fi that is," I didn't know what sort of response I'd get. But it turned out to be a broad and deep one. JPEGs of heavyweight hi-fis flooded my in-box--from huge home theaters to desktop audio setups. There's some sweet gear here, so click to the slideshow to check out the systems.

The ultimate Internet-connected TV accessory isn't Roku. It's not Apple TV, and it's not Boxee.

It's something you probably already own: a computer.

With an inexpensive cable (like this one for Mac), you can mirror your computer on your television, giving you complete access to any Internet streaming services or local content on your hard drive.

Many newer laptops even include HDMI out, giving you full 1080p mirroring. Older machines would have to rely on DVI or VGA out with an accompanying audio-out cable.

But once you hook up your computer to your TV, the setup … Read more

You've probably already read about the latest and greatest in smartphones, tablets, and OLED displays, so let's take a look at the coolest high-end audio goodies. We've assembled some of the most promising candidates for your approval.

The Arcam rPAC is a portable USB powered digital-to-analog converter and headphone amplifier, but it can also be played over a hi-fi system. "USB powered" means there are no batteries or "wall warts," it's powered by your computer's USB port. The entire component is enclosed in a small precision-cast aluminum case.

I've loved … Read more

You've probably already read about the latest and greatest in smartphones, tablets, and OLED displays shown at CES, so let's take a look at the coolest high-end audio goodies. We've assembled some of the most promising candidates for your approval.

For anyone searching for wild looking audiophile speakers that stand out from the crowd of rectangular boxes, the new Vivid Audio G3 would be a good place to start. Vivid is coming on strong in the no-holds-barred audiophile market. The G3 stands a little under four feet tall, a good deal smaller than the company's flagship … Read more

I get this question all the time, "I just bought a new TV, do I need to buy a HDMI receiver?" The short answer is no.

You can hook up your Blu-ray or cable box's HDMI outputs directly to the TV, and run digital audio cables to your receiver, and live happily ever after. Granted, you won't be able to play Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks, just standard Dolby Digital and DTS audio you have enjoyed all these years. Some players, like the Oppo BDP-93 or '95 internally decode TrueHD and DTS Master … Read more

As an audiophile, I value sound quality, but most audio buyers don't. Even when superior sound is available for the same cost as a lower quality alternative, most buyers will opt for the smaller, more convenient, more attractive, or more feature-laden product.

Case in point, the $399 Pioneer SP-PK21BS home theater speaker package. It's the best sounding home theater speaker/subwoofer system you can buy for that price, but it's also the biggest system you can get for that much money. How big is it? The SP-BS21-LR bookshelf speakers are 12.6 inches high, 7.2 inches … Read more