SAMSUNG HT-X715 HOME-THEATER-IN-A-BOX SYSTEM
$599
HTiB systems get no more respect than Paris Hilton. Problem is, most of them deserve no more respect than Paris Hilton. Samsung's HT-X715 is one of the few that deserve your love and a piece of your gear budget. The heart of the HT-X715 is a control module that incorporates a DVD/CD player, an AM/FM tuner, and amps for the five speakers and the subwoofer. An included iPod dock connects to the side of the unit, and you can also hook up a component-video and digital-audio source. The sound's not gorgeous, but it's surprisingly good for an HTiB. What really impressed me, though, is the thought Samsung put into the features and ergonomics. The electronics module is designed to hang on a wall, but it can also be placed atop a shelf -- in which case the front display automatically inverts so it's easier to read. Setup is automatic; just place the included microphone at your seating position and let the HT-X715 do the rest. You can select tunes from the iPod through an onscreen interface. One remote operates the whole shebang. All that's missing is Blu-ray Disc, but Samsung includes BD in some of its pricier systems. -- Brent Butterworth
NUMARK TTI IPOD IPOD-FRIENDLY TURNTABLE
$450
Your crazy, mixed-up uncle -- always tough to find a holiday gift for him. He loves his vintage vinyl, but he also digs his iPod. What to do? How about reconciling his differences with a Numark TTi turntable? Not to be confused with audiophile platters, the TTi is a down-and-dirty table with a twist: It can do direct-to-iPod recording. Just cue up a disc, plant your iPod in the universal dock built into the turntable base, drop the needle, and the vinyl side slowly appears on the iPod. The turntable also sports ±10% pitch control (for tweaking any off-speed records), a line-level output (for playing back from vinyl or an iPod), and a USB interface. If you're the one person on Earth who doesn't own an iPod, you can connect the TTi to a PC or Mac and run the bundled converter software to rip from vinyl to MP3 or CD. Best of all, the time it will take your favorite uncle to transfer his 15,000 LPs will keep him safely off your radar screen until next holiday season. -- Ken C. Pohlmann
SONY KDL-32M4000 32-INCH LCD HDTV
$699 ($899 LIST)
With many TV companies, their 40-inch and larger sets often provide the best features and performance while the ones with smaller screen sizes are treated as mass-market afterthoughts. Not so with Sony's KDL-32M4000. This 720p (it's actually 1,366 x 768) 32-inch model's $699 street price might be considered expensive compared with its competition, but in the long run those extra bucks will be worth it.
Looked at from a videophile perspective, Sony's small-screen LCD has several things going for it. Inputs include two HDMI, component-video, and RGB PC jacks, and there's an antenna input for watching off-air digital-TV broadcasts. You can tweak the settings for its three picture presets independently for each input and the TV will remember your adjustments. The 32M4000's 720p picture looked consistently crisp and the contrast was punchy -- but not so much that picture highlights and shadow details ever appeared washed out. (While sets with 1080p screens can be had for around the same price, that feature is overkill in a 32-inch model.) Off-axis uniformity was also good, allowing me to shift to one side of my couch without suffering any picture-quality compromises. If someone were to leave a TV under my tree, I wouldn't mind waking up to unwrap this stylish Sony. -- Al Griffin
$300
Time for true confessions. You've heard about Slingbox and sometimes nodded your head when it's mentioned, but you're actually not really sure what it is. Let me bring you up to speed: A Slingbox lets you remotely view an audio/video source from a computer (or some mobile devices) across a network or high-speed Internet connection. The sources can be a DVR, a cable- or satellite-TV receiver, a DVD player, or even a security camera. It's called placeshifting. Think about it -- with a Slingbox, you can watch satellite TV on your laptop out on the patio, or in your hotel room in Singapore. Virtual controls on your computer let you remotely control almost all connected devices. Other things you need to know: There are no monthly fees; it can be wired or wireless; and for out-of home operation, you'll need a cable or DSL router. To further sweeten the deal, the Slingbox PRO-HD can sling up to four live signals, delivering 1080i HD video in 16:9 widescreen. If your gift recipients are sufficiently wired, this will bring tears (of happiness) to their eyes. -- K.C.P.
OPTEK FRETLIGHT GUITAR INTERACTIVE LEARNING SYSTEM
$400-$900
We've all suffered at the hands of a learning guitar -- some El Plastico midget-friendly torture instrument with all the elasticity and tone of an electrified tennis racket. The Fretlight system is every aspiring rocker's dream come true, offering real-deal acoustic and electric guitars with red LEDs subtly built into the fretboard. Jack the guitar into a PC or Mac, load the software, pop the instruction disc into your DVD player, and the LEDs light up to show you how to make all the right moves. Guitars range from acoustic models starting at $400 to standard and vintage electric axes to the $900 Pro Electric. Aside from the included set of lessons, you can buy optional instruction software that ranges from finger-tied novice to shredder extraordinaire. -- Michael Gaughn
SOUNDMATTERS FOXL PORTABLE SOUND SYSTEM
$199
This year saw the introduction of the absolute best gift of all time for audiophiles: Soundmatters' Foxl. The Foxl squeezes all the components of a high-quality audio system into a metal chassis small enough to slip into a messenger bag. Built-in digital amplifiers power neodymium tweeter/midrange drivers and a unique flat woofer panel. You won't believe how clear the Foxl's sound is, how much bass it puts out, and how many uses you'll find for it. It plays loud enough to fill a typical hotel room with music, and louder and clearer than any laptop I've tried. A standard 3.5-mm minijack connects it to any MP3 player or laptop computer, and many cellphones. You can recharge its battery through a supplied AC adapter or through the Foxl's USB connector. A $249 Bluetooth version lets you connect it wirelessly to a computer or cellphone. There's even a built-in mike so you can use the Foxl as a speakerphone. (It's not loud enough for use at freeway speeds, though.) This is the only sound system I've tried that's good enough to please my ears yet compact enough for the most hard-core road warrior. -- B.B.
$250
Here's a swell holiday gift idea: Give your mom a claw hammer, so she can rip out her drywall and install a wired whole-house audio system. Or you can give her an Eos. This tidy system can transmit audio over a claimed 150-foot range to up to four wireless receiver/speakers. (Inside my house, the speakers worked no matter how far I placed them from the receiver. But when I took them outside and left the receiver inside, reception became touch-and-go.) The system comprises a base transmitter and one receiver; additional receivers are sold separately for $130 each. The base station has a universal iPod dock (it operates and charges all iPods with a docking connector, except the Shuffle), an auxiliary audio input, SRS Wow! processing, a 2.1-channel speaker complement of two full-range speakers and a ported woofer, and a remote control. Its power supply is both integrated and removable, so you can mount the station over a wall outlet or simply place it on a countertop. Each receiver/speaker also provides 2.1-channel playback. Everything is available in black or white. On the other hand, if your mom really likes spackle, the hammer isn't a bad option. -- K.C.P.
STEP RIGHT UP TO THE BOX OFFICE
The boxed-set office, that is. Yes, we're all full of holiday gear, but what to play on it? Ken Richardson gathers some of the year's most eye-catching packages. This page, DVDs. That page, CDs.
A CHRISTMAS STORY: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION
(Warner, 2 DVDs, $40, or 1 Blu-ray Disc, $50; warnervideo.com)
Jean Shepherd would be dazed and amused if he were here to see how the 1983 movie based on his stories (and featuring him as narrator) has become even more of a modern Yuletide classic in the past 10 years. Marking the flick's 25th anniversary, the Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD takes the (freshly encased) two-disc Special Edition from 2003 -- with a commentary by Peter "Ralphie" Billingsley and director Bob Clark plus readings by Shepherd -- and adds a cookbook, an apron, and five cookie cutters, all inside a holiday cookie tin. The Blu-ray Disc version, which comes in a different tin, takes the 2006 single BD and instead adds a Leg Lamp light strand.
COLUMBIA PICTURES: THE BEST PICTURE COLLECTION
(Sony, 14 DVDs, $136; sonypictures.com/homevideo)
And the Oscar went to . . . these 11 films that, span-ning 6 decades, each won the ultimate Academy Award for Columbia. Beginning with It Happened One Night in 1934, the lineup continues with You Can't Take It with You, All the King's Men, From Here to Eternity, On the Waterfront, The Bridge on the River Kwai (2 discs), Lawrence of Arabia (2 discs), A Man for All Seasons, Oliver!, and Kramer vs. Kramer, concluding with 1982's Gandhi (2 discs). Among the more than 8 hours of extras is a Gandhi commentary by director Richard Attenborough.
(Fox/MGM, 61 DVDs, $500; foxstore.com)
Yes, these 50 musicals include some Elvis Presley movies, but the vaults of 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer also provide many true clas-sics -- including Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music, each in 2-disc editions. Other doubles bring us closer to today, from Can-Can, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and New York, New York to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and 2001's Moulin Rouge! Also featuring single-disc titles like Fiddler on the Roof, the box has 50 postcard reproductions of the original theatrical one-sheets.
GRATEFUL DEAD: WINTERLAND 1973: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS
(Grateful Dead, 9 CDs, $100; dead.net)
Available exclusively from the band's Web site, this set cap-tures a legendary 3-night stand at the San Francisco arena. And when it comes to the Grateful Dead, you know that "complete" means everything -- all 72 performances, all previously unreleased. The HDCDs were mastered from the original 2-track soundboard reels, and among the bonus goodies is a booklet with an extensive essay by the band's historian, Dennis McNally. Still not enough for the Deadhead on your list? Also available is Rocking the Cradle (Rhino/Grateful Dead, 2 CDs and 1 DVD, $35) -- and by "cradle," they mean the Cradle of Civilization, as this is Egypt 1978.
THE FIRESIGN THEATER: BOX OF DANGER: THE COMPLETE NICK DANGER CASEBOOK
(Shout! Factory, 4 CDs, $40; shoutfactory.com)
Why settle for any old set when you can give a Box of Danger? That would be Nick Danger, Third Eye -- the not-so-hard-boiled detective voiced by Phil Austin in ongoing skits with his fellow comedy troupers Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. Here's every radio-serial-spoofing Nick in time, starting with "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger" from How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All (1969) and further including The Case of the Missing Shoe (1979), selections from their most recent album, All Things Firesign (2003), and previously unreleased recordings. The booklet has essays by each member, in character.
CHEAP TRICK: BUDOKAN!: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
(Epic/Legacy, 3 CDs and 1 DVD, $50; legacyrecordings.com)
I can just hear the plea of your friend, spouse, or significant rocker: "I want you to give me something Cheap for the holidays!" Well, here's the Trick: At Budokan can now be heard and seen, because this edition includes a DVD of the second show, prepped in stereo and 5.1 by producer Jack Douglas and mixer Jay Messina. Extras: two songs from the band's return there in April 2008, as well as the guys Looking Back in a documentary. The first of the box's 3 CDs replicates the audio program of the DVD, and the other two discs have a remastered version of the 1998 anniversary set, The Complete Concert. So, come on, come on, gift-giver -- surrender already! And hurry up! Clock strikes ten!
VARIOUS ARTISTS: MOTOWN: THE COMPLETE NO. 1'S
(Motown/UME, 10 CDs, $NA; umeportal.com)
That's right: Housed in a house, this has every single chart-topping single (in the U.S. or internationally) from motor town's Motown. Available on December 9, it's actually a replica of Hitsville U.S.A., which was the label's main studio from 1959 to 1972 and is now the Motown Historical Museum. Bookending the 191 No. 1's are the Miracles' "Shop Around" (1960) and Erykah Badu's "Bag Lady" (2000), and in between are 14 by the Supremes, 19 by the Temptations, and 27 by Stevie Wonder. Ten bonus tracks provide Motown songs that would each top a chart in a cover version. A booklet has photos, track notes, and an introduction by Smokey Robinson.
STOCKING STUFFERS
The Lenmar PowerPort Mini charger & battery is a $35 lifesaver. Charge it, and you can in turn use it to charge or power your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, and other USB-compatible devices. You're not supposed to ever use window cleaner on a flat-panel screen (because it ruins the protective finish), but a really scary number of people do. If you know somebody who's just bought a flat-panel set, save them some future pain by getting them Bell'O's aptly named TV Screen Cleaner ($20). It includes a microfilament cloth they can use to keep all their electronics sparkly clean. -- M.G.
JBL ON AIR WEM-1 WIRELESS EXPANSION MODULE
$360
There's no shortage of products to move music wirelessly around your home, so JBL's On Air WEM-1 might seem like just another face in the crowd. But what distinguishes the WEM-1 system, which consists of a transmitter and a receiver module that communicate over the 2.4-GHz band, is the 50-watt stereo amplifier on the receiver end. This lets you pair it with your choice of speakers in a multiroom music system, or use it for surround sound in rooms where you don't want to run long wires.
With a 70-foot transmission range, the WEM-1 was able to send glitch-free digital music two floors down from my attic office to my living-room stereo. But my preferred use for it was to wirelessly adapt my 5.1 rig for 7.1 surround. I simply ran cables between the transmitter and my A/V receiver's back-surround preamp outputs, and then hooked up speakers to the receiver module at the back of the room. No muss, very little fuss, and, most important, no wires. -- A.G.
$300
While I might not know a lot about sports, I do know remote controls. And if you're going to bill yourself as The Ultimate Remote, well, brother, you're going to get my attention. By the numbers, this thing is definitely trying to make a bid for the Final Four, and it will make your favorite sports fan an even better armchair quarterback.
The Ultimate Remote programs without a computer, which will appeal to many do-it-yourselfers, and it has a slick, 2 1/4-inch color LCD. But the real genius lies in the 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi that lets the remote wirelessly grab any stat you can think of. And since ESPN is behind this, you can bet that it delivers the sporting goods. On power up, the ESPN jingle plays, and an ESPN icon on the home page jumps to ESPN.com, letting you keep up with everything from archery to Zui Quan as well as keep track of your fantasy leagues. With instant messaging, you can discuss big plays or rub it in your buddy's face when your team pulls ahead.
Beyond sports, the remote also leverages the Web to deliver TV listings, weather fore-casts, news and entertainment headlines, and more. Oh, and if you get bored surfing the Web, you can surf channels as well since it also happens to be a full A/V controller. With all that going for it, this remote could . . . go . . . all . . . the . . . way! -- John Sciacca
HEADPHONES GALORE
Whether your allegiance lies with iPod, Zune, or some other player, and whether you like rap, jazz, or metal, there's one thing that links all music-on-the-go listeners: headphones. Unfortuately, many people still listen with the crummy earbuds that came with their player. That's like watching Transformers on Blu-ray using your TV speakers. It's just . . . wrong!
Headphones make one of the best gift choices around since almost everyone can benefit from a better set. But there's practically no limit to the number of choices and prices out there, so we've narrowed down your search by gathering four sets sure to satisfy anyone on your list.
AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-FC700A - $100
The big trend in earbuds is small, in-ear designs. While these are discreet and ultra-portable, some people just don't like the fit and feel of sticking something inside of their ears. Others want the additional passive noise blocking that can come from a set of phones that covers the entire ear. Either way, Audio-Technica offers several models worth a listen. If a member of the fairer sex is on your gift list, check out the ATS-ES3W series ($80). Made specifically for women, they come in a variety of fashion-forward metallic finishes like blue, green, pink, and silver. My wife found the pink pair to be both cute and stylish, and felt they were comfortable enough to wear for long listening sessions. She also liked that they blocked out noise while providing much better sound than her regular pair. I enjoyed Audio-Techica's more manly ATH-FC700A ($100). The 40-mm neodymium drivers reproduced deep bass and gave a comfortable cushioned fit, and the phones fold up when not in use for easy portability.
If in-ear is your thing, then check out the Future Sonics Atrio ($199). Available in four colors (earth beige, cobalt blue, onyx black, and ruby red), these phones are lightweight and delivered a super comfortable fit that would make the N.Y.-to-L.A. flight much more bearable. Beyond that, they reproduced gobs of tight, deep bass, letting me really feel the music; they also delivered full-range sound even at lower volumes.
If you've got the cash, definitely audition Shure's SE series. I sampled the SE420MPA ($430), and all I can say is, "Wow!" Once properly fitted into the ear, these phones provide an amazing amount of sound isolation, meaning that you hear more of your music because your hear less of everything else. The sound is incredibly clear and detailed, capable of delivering the sensation that a whole band is performing inside your head, but bass-heads might find the sound a little thin. Included with the terrific number of accessories is the Music Phone Adapter (MPA), which allows you to use the earbuds with a variety of cellphones like the iPhone, Palm Treo, and Blackberry Curve. The MPA also provides some basic control over new Touch and Nano iPods. -- J.S.
ZVOX Z-BASE 550 SPEAKER SYSTEM
$500
Some people dream of being able to wall-mount a flat-panel TV, and once they achieve that dream, their lives are complete. Others are happy to put their TV on a stand. The Zvox Z-Base 550 is strictly for stand people, and is specifically designed to make them feel as good about themselves as wall-mount people do. The Z-Base 550 is a complete home theater speaker system built into the base platform of a beefy (yet slim) stand designed to hold a 32- to 47-inch flat-panel TV. Amplifier, virtual surround technology, remote control, auto on/off, three 2-inch full-range speakers, one 5 1/4-inch powered woofer -- they're all in there. The Z-Base 550 is ready to match your TV's style, with lacquered high-gloss black end panels. Wisely, its top is covered in scratch-resistant black vinyl. The wall-mount people will be so envious. -- K.C.P.
LOGITECH SQUEEZEBOX BOOM NETWORK MUSIC PLAYER
$300
My sixth-grade graduation present was a GE clock radio. With its angry, glaring red numbers, analog AM/FM tuner, and single, tinny mono speaker, it gave me years of enjoyment. But had I only been born several years later, I would have begged my parents for Logitech's Squeezebox Boom network music player. This sexy, gloss-black beauty is packed with technology and coolness, and it places millions of songs at your fingertips.
Setup is fast and easy, and whether you connect to your network wirelessly or use the hard-wired Ethernet connection, you'll be streaming gobs of music in no time. Since it plays nice with both Macs and PCs, everyone can join in the fun. The Boom lets you be the ultimate DJ, serving up thousands of free Internet radio stations along with pay services like Rhapsody, Sirius, and Pandora. You also have access to all of the digital music already stored on a hard drive, and Boom is compatible with practically every codec there is. If that isn't enough, a stereo minijack connection lets you plug in and enjoy a local source.
For room-filling sound that belies its size and svelte 5 pounds, Boom is packed with a digital 30-watt amp and four biamplified speakers. Need more bass? Boom provides a connection for adding a subwoofer, or headphones if you want to enjoy it in private.
Beyond your music's metadata, the cool, blue display can also scroll RSS feeds delivering up-to-the-minute news, stock quotes, sports scores, and weather updates. And rather than forgetting its roots, Squeezebox Boom lets you set an alarm to wake to your favorite tunes. Now that's progress -- J.S.
ACOUSTIC RESEARCH ART7 TABLETOP HD RADIO
$189
While the satellite radio giants try to get their act together in the wake of their epic merger, HD radio is still plugging along dutifully. This table-top model supports the full spectrum of HD stations as well as the typical AM/FM stuff you're probably bored with by now. If you still want more content, you can slam your iPod—any model will work—into the docking station on top. It's also a full-featured alarm clock with built in nature sounds and an infrared remote so you can hit the snooze button from all the way across the room.
KODAK EASYSHARE EX1011 DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME
$249
Sure, it doesn't quite have the jaw-dropping presence of Kodak's new OLED digital frame, but it also doesn't come with the $1,000 price tag. The EX1011 has a roomy 10-inch screen and built-in WiFi so it can automatically recieve images from friends and family using the Picture Mail feature. It comes with a small suite of in-frame editing options, as well as customizable viewing modes to help keep things interesting. There's even a set of built-in speakers for video-watching and light music listening. We say light because, after all, they are speakers built into a photo frame.
$245
There's so much great content living on our computers that it's easy to run out of space on your media center's HDD. The Central Axis sports a 1 TB hard drive and hooks directly up to your home network. From there, it will stream your content to any networked device in the house. I can even handle content from your iTunes. When you're on the road, you can also access the drive remotely so you can place shift your little heart out using your entire media collection.
SHARP LC-52SE94U SPECIAL EDITION AQUOS HDTV
$2,800
In case you're a banker and you have some of that sweet bail-out money ready to be spent on gifts this year, Sharp's "Special Edition" panel is a pretty good call. This 1080p set claims a 27,000:1 contrast ratio and a 4ms response time as well as 120Hz frame rate conversion. The result is a super-sharp picture with blacks dark enough to satisfy Batman himself. It comes stock with three HDMI ports and Aquos Link, which makes it play extra nice with any of Sharp's Aquos Blu-ray players.
SANYO XACTI VPC-HD1010 CAMCORDER
$700
It looks more like a phaser from Star Trek than it does a traditional video camera, but this pistol-gripped shooter is about as versatile as they come. Inside is a 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor with an effective pixel count of more than 3.5 million. It shoots 1080p footage at both 60i and 30p (sorry 24p fans) and records it to SD or SDHC cards. Of course, the sound performance won't blow you away, but its ability to shoot 300 fps in high-speed mode will make you feel a little like a Mythbuster.