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Best 5 in home audio
John P. Falcone
Onkyo TX-SR605
Best AV receiver for under $500
AV receivers are the nexus of any good home theater system. While they once all about audio, in the HD era, their video capabilities are more important than ever. And the Onkyo TX-SR605 represents the best value currently available. For under $500, the unit delivers a panoply of bleeding-edge future-proof features--including HDMI 1.3, analog to digital video conversion, and decoding of lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks--that receivers which cost twice as much often have trouble matching.
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Logitech Squeezebox Duet
Best digital audio system
From one perspective, it's hard to call the Logitech Squeezebox Duet a groundbreaking product because it follows in the footsteps of the Sonos Digital Music System, which first appeared in 2005. But the fact is that the Squeezebox Duet delivers much of the same functionality of the Sonos, including the option for multiroom setups, at a far lower pricepoint--and without many compromises.
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Aperion Intimus 532 Concert
Best mid-size speakers for the money
If you're serious about surround sound, you need to invest in a speaker system with some real gravitas--but most people just don't want the living room overrun with giant tower speakers. That's why the Aperion Intimus 532 Concert package is such a great option--the bookshelf speakers deliver a punch that you won't find from puny "lifestyle" systems, but they're not overwhelmingly large. And you can choose an 8-inch, 10-inch, or 12-inch subwoofer, depending on your bass (and size) requirements. But if they're still too big, there are some worthwhile alternatives: the KEF KHT-3005, KEF KHT5005.2, Mirage Nanosat Home Theater System, and NHT Verve IV all offer great sound from even smaller speakers, and they're all available for under $2,000.
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Yamaha Digital Sound Projector YSP-4000
Best single-speaker surround unit
Surround sound is a hot commodity, but many just can't handle the aesthetic compromises that come from a full 5.1-channel speaker system in the living room--and the speaker cables that go along with it. Virtual surround systems propose an alternative--using reflective sonics and psychoacoustics to reproduce a surround-like effect from just one, two, or three speakers in the front of the room. The one that comes closest to actually delivering on the promise of single-speaker surround is the Yamaha YSP-4000 Digital Sound Projector. And because it offers an impressive jack pack and video features--including HDMI inputs and analog-to-digital video conversion--many users won't even need an AV receiver. Just be sure to get a companion subwoofer if you want some weightier bass.
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Panasonic SC-PT760
Best home-theater-in-a-box system for under $400
As with most budget home-theaters-in-a-box, the SC-PT760 will do its best work with DVDs, and sound less accomplished with music. But it's still going to sound perfectly fine to most listeners--especially those who don't want to invest upwards of a grand or two in their audio system. That, paired with its generally impressive feature set, makes the SC-PT760 a good choice for those on a budget who need an all-in-one home theater system--so long as they don't need a lot of extra inputs.
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