receiver

How to stop subwoofer bass from 'leaking' into other rooms

Everyone at one time or another has been annoyed by the unpleasant bass thumps of a neighbor's subwoofer or large speakers. While midrange and high-frequency sounds are more easily enclosed by walls, low bass frequencies pass right through them. And, of course, it's not just a noise problem from neighbors; home-theater bass can disturb other family members within a house or apartment.

Methods used to isolate or restrict bass from going through walls, floors, and ceilings can get expensive, and unless recording-studio construction techniques are employed bass is hard to control. Brick and concrete are more effective than … Read more

Denon's 2011 core line of AV receivers compared

Denon is the last of the major AV receiver manufacturers to announce its 2011 lineup, but it was worth the wait. The company introduced four new receivers in its "core line" last week, including the $530 AVR-1912, which Denon is referring to as the least expensive AV receiver with built-in AirPlay. (The Pioneer VSX-1021-K has a list price of $550.) Below is a detailed breakdown of the main feature differences between Denon's new receivers.

Denon AVR-1312

Key features of the Denon AVR-1312:

5.1 AV receiver, 110 watts per channel Four HDMI inputs 3D video pass-through, standby pass-through, and audio return channel Graphical user interface, overlaid on HDMI sources Two digital audio inputs (one optical, one coaxial) $250 list price; available later in April

Denon AVR-1612… Read more

Denon's midrange AV receiver has AirPlay too

Pioneer's VSX-1021-K was the first midrange receiver we've seen with built-in AirPlay support, but it's about to get some competition. Denon has announced its entire 2011 line of AV receivers today, including the $530 AVR-1912 with AirPlay support. All three of Denon's higher-end "IN-Command Series Models"--the $600 AVR-2112CI, $800 AVR-2312CI, and $1,000 AVR-3312CI, also include AirPlay functionality, as well as Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora, and DLNA support.

We're currently at the event getting the full details on these new receivers and we'll be posting a more detailed comparison of Denon's … Read more

Get a Yamaha home-theater receiver for $149.99

A home theater isn't really a home theater unless it has speakers, preferably of the 5.1-channel surround variety. Of course, you can't just plug them directly into your TV; you need a receiver to act as the hub and amplify the audio.

Receivers can cost a small fortune, but here's your chance to score a killer deal: Newegg has the Yamaha RX-V367 5.1-channel digital home theater receiver for $149.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCKFJH22 at checkout. (Note: you must be a Newegg newsletter subscriber to use the code.)

The RX-V367 is … Read more

Yamaha's four new AV receivers compared

Yamaha announced four new AV receivers yesterday in its RX-V line, ranging from the $250 RX-V371 to the $600 RX-V671. Like many other manufacturers, the higher-end RX-V671 offers a host of iPhone/iPod-related features, such as an app to control the receiver and an iPhone/iPod-compatible USB port, but no AirPlay like on the Pioneer VSX-1021-K. Here's a quick look at the key feature differences for the whole line.

Yamaha RX-V371

Key features of the Yamaha RX-V371:

5.1 AV receiver, 100 watts per channel Four HDMI inputs 3D video pass-through, standby pass-through, and audio return channel Four digital audio inputs (two optical, two coaxial) $250 list price; available now

Yamaha RX-V471

Two more AV receivers join Onkyo's 2011 lineup

Less than two months after unveiling three new AV receivers with loads of extra features, Onkyo is already expanding its 2011 lineup. The new models feature Marvell Qdeo 4K video upscaling, USB audio support, and the ability to stream some Internet audio services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, and XM. HT-RC360 and HT-RC370 replace last year's HT-RC260 and HT-RC270, respectively.

Read on to find out more about Onkyo's latest additions and see some of their key features.… Read more

Pioneer's 2011 line of AV receivers compared

Pioneer's big home-audio news this week was the VSX-1021-K AV receiver with built-in AirPlay support, but the company also released full details on the rest of its 2011 midrange AV receiver line. We've broken out all the key features of the models below:

Pioneer VSX-521-K

Key features of the Pioneer VSX-521-K:

5.1 AV receiver, 110 watts per channel Four HDMI inputs 3D video pass-through, standby pass-through, and audio return channel Minijack input $250 list price; available later in March

Pioneer VSX-821-K

Pioneer's new VSX-1021-K receiver has built-in AirPlay

Pioneer has announced the new VSX-1021-K this afternoon, the first midrange AV receiver we've seen with built-in support for AirPlay, Apple's new streaming audio platform. For iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad owners, we expect it to be one of the easiest ways to browse and listen to your digital music collection, allowing you to stream music directly from your device to your receiver--even from digital music apps like Pandora and Rhapsody. AirPlay also allows you to stream music directly from iTunes on a PC or Mac.

The VSX-1021-K needs to be connected to your home network for AirPlay to … Read more

Sony unveils 2011 midrange AV receiver line

Sony announced its new 2011 line of midrange AV receivers this morning, adding lots of new iPhone/iPod connectivity features throughout the line. The $500 STR-DN1020 is also getting support (via an Ethernet port) for Sony's new streaming audio platform HomeShare, which we were impressed with back at CES 2011. There are a lot of changes from last year's models, and here are the key details announced so far.… Read more

Onkyo brings networking to its midrange receivers

Receivers used to be little more than an amplifier, then they became the central hub for video signals, and now they're getting network functionality too. Onkyo has announced three new AV receiver models, with the two higher-end models featuring an Ethernet port and the ability to add Wi-Fi (via a dongle) for $40. A lot has changed in Onkyo's AV receiver line for 2011, so let's run down the most important features.… Read more