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Paradigm Millenia CT: Better than a sound bar?

Sound bar buyers' performance expectations are pretty low; all the 'bar has to do is sound better than the lousy speakers that are built into their TVs. So if that's all you need, a sound bar will get the job done -- but there are better-sounding alternatives, starting with a pair of self-powered Audioengine A2 ($199) speakers. The A2s are terrific, but the Paradigm Millenia CT ($700) is a 2.1-channel subwoofer/satellite system, and it sounds better than the Audioengines. A lot better, and it's really pretty amazing.

Spread 64 inches apart, the Millenia sats produced a … Read more

Poll: Where are your speakers?

Even if it's just an inexpensive iPod or Bluetooth speaker, careful placement can really make a difference in the sound. Specific placement requirements vary with the type of speaker, but it's usually wise to have speakers at least 36 inches off the floor, close to the height of a seated listener's head. If the speakers have to be placed lower or higher, angle them toward the main listening position. Try to place speakers at least a few feet away from corners and large pieces of furniture that reflect sound.

Placing speakers close to boundaries -- walls, corners, … Read more

How to buy a home theater audio system

Let's start with the most common fallacy about audio: good sound is good sound. Movies and music have very different requirements, so I recommend first acknowledging your preference for movies or music, and steer the system's performance strengths one way or the other with the right mix of speakers and electronics.

How different is movie sound from music? Let me count the ways: Today's films boast nearly unlimited soft-to-loud dynamic range; dialog is mixed to the center channel; surround effects may be ambient or point-sourced; and deep-bass demands can be extreme. Just about every feature film released … Read more

Samsung's Blu-ray home theater systems get tubes, cloud DVD storage

Samsung's audio announcements yesterday included an innovative sound bar and tube-based iPod speakers, the company also rolled out its new line-up of all-in-one Blu-ray home theater systems.

Two new systems were announced, the HT-E6730W and HT-E5500W, both with a similar set of core features, including built-in 3D Blu-ray, hybrid vacuum tube amplifiers, built-in Wi-Fi, and Samsung Apps.

The higher end HT-E6730W is a 5.1 home theater system features two tall-boy front speaker, while the HT-E5500W has smaller, bookshelf front speakers. The press release mentions that the HT-E5500W has two HDMI inputs and an iPod dock; it's … Read more

Three awesome-sounding under-$500 home theater speaker systems

How much room-shaking home theater power can you expect five minispeakers and a pipsqueak subwoofer to deliver? Technological advances have certainly changed my thinking on this matter, but my listening tests proved speaker size still matters when I compared the Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1, Energy Take Classic 5.1, and Pioneer SP-PK21BS subwoofer-satellite packages.

The Boston SoundWare XS cube satellites are incredibly tiny, just 4.43 inches wide, 4.25 inches high, and 4.43 deep. Each one weighs just 1 pound. The speaker's rear is faceted, so instead of being a six-sided cube, the SoundWare XS … Read more

Are home-theater-in-a-box systems yesterday's news?

The home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs) I reviewed 10 years ago were pretty lame, but I've been amazed by the progress of these systems over the years. The best of the breed, like the Onkyo HT-S990THX and the Samsung HT-BD1250, produce astonishing sound quality for not a lot of money.

But the market appears to be moving away from HTIBs, as more and more of today's buyers are opting for easier-to-install sound bar speakers. I can understand why; HTIBs may be one-box solutions, but they still require extensive setup routines, and you have to run wires to five or more … Read more

Panasonic's 2011 home theater system line: Wi-Fi for all

Along with HDTVs and Blu-ray players, Panasonic also showed off the full details of its 2011 home theater system line earlier this week. The big upgrades over last year's models include 3D Blu-ray playback and built-in Wi-Fi in all the models. We've broken down the key features and step-ups for all three of the new models.

Panasonic SC-BTT270

Key features of the Panasonic SC-BTT270:

5.1 home theater system Integrated 3D Blu-ray player Built-in Wi-Fi VieraCast suite of streaming-media features, including Netflix, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, CinemaNow, Pandora, Skype, and YouTube Built-in iPod/iPhone dock Optical audio input Audio return channel ( ARC) support $400 list price; available in April

… Read more

Who needs a subwoofer?

Back in the days before home theater, only the most devoted bass fanatics used subwoofers. It's not that people didn't like bass, just that they bought speakers large enough to satisfy their bass cravings. Then again, the bass response required to play music isn't as demanding as movie soundtracks, so even fairly small speakers with 4- or 5-inch woofers could produce satisfying bass.

The best of today's small- to medium-size speakers produce much better-sounding bass than speakers did 10 years ago, so if you're primarily interested in listening to music and your speakers have 4-inch … Read more

Bose debuts VideoWave all-in-one TV surround system

For all of you who don't like the messy wiring and setup of surround-sound speakers--or even to see them out in the open--Bose has the ideal solution: the VideoWave, a new home-theater product that has a special surround-system integrated into a 46-inch LCD TV. It comes with a minimalist RF "click pad" universal remote that's easy to program and use, as well as an iPod dock. The VideoWave ships October 14 and costs $5,349.

We got a demo of the VideoWave and were generally very impressed with the product, though it is rather expensive (its price does include "white-glove" delivery and installation). Ten years in the making, the VideoWave sounds really good for a virtual surround speaker. Since all the audio parts are integrated into the back of the TV, upon first seeing and hearing the VideoWave many people will be surprised to learn that the sound is coming from the TV, and not from speakers placed around the room.

In keeping with the minimalist theme, Bose has designed an AV box that essentially acts as a hub for the unit. It connects to the TV with a single proprietary cable (a 3-meter cord comes with the system, but longer cords can be purchased depending on your specific installation). You get three HDMI inputs on the back of the hub and one on the front for camcorders and other video devices you might attach. There's also a component-video connection on the back along with other basic AV inputs. … Read more