Sound & Vison's Best
The best gear to buy right now
(continued)
Network A/V
Kaleidescape Movie & Music Server
$16,720 as tested, October 2006
kaleidescape.com
Crestron Adagio Entertainment System
$13,600 as tested, October 2006
crestron.com
Niles Intellicontrol ICS Multiroom Audio System
$6,800 as tested, October 2006
www.intellicontrol.com
Philips WAC700/WAS700 Music Center
$999, July/August 2006
Simplicity of setup, ease of use, and slick industrial design are the hallmarks of this wireless streaming music system.
philips.com
Yamaha MusicCAST
$2,000 and up, July/August 2006
A sophisticated, expandable wired or wireless multiroom audio system with Yamaha's full-featured MCX-2000 server at its core.
yamaha.com/yec
Qsonix Q100 Digital Music System
$5,495, April 2006
Quite expensive for a two-zone music server, but this system's giant touchscreen interface is so cool and engaging we can't help ourselves.
qsonix.com
HP z556 Digital Entertainment Center
$1,500, February/March 2006
A slim profile and the ability to record three TV shows simultaneously (including one in high-def) make this Media Center PC a winner.
hp.com
Sonos Digital Music System
$1,199 (two-room system), February/March 2005
Elegant, expandable system to spread music from your PC or audio gear around the house.
sonos.com
Escient Fireball SE-80 music server
$999, October 2005
A new low price for Escient’s friendly Music Manager user interface, along with wireless PDA control and other features.
www.escient.com
Olive Symphony Digital Music Server
$899, December 2005
Its lack of an onscreen TV user interface is notable, but the otherwise sophisticated Symphony excels on sound quality and features like built-in wireless streaming.
www.olive.us
A/V Receivers
Yamaha VX-2600
$1,000, June 2006
An excellent receiver that offers great sound and the ability to upconvert low-resolution video sources for output to HDTV sets via its HDMI output.
yamaha.com/yec
Denon AVR-5805
$6,000, May 2005
10-channel behemoth with high-end sound and truly amazing multiroom flexibility.
www.usa.denon.com
Onkyo TX-NR1000
$5,000, June 2005
Excellent performance, sophisticated features, and a future-proof modular chassis.
onkyousa.com
Yamaha RX-Z9
$4,499, May 2004
THX Ultra2 certification, 51 surround programs, 9 channels — and that’s just the beginning.
yamaha.com/yec
Yamaha RX-V657
$550, October 2005
Integrated XM satellite radio tuning, good sound, plus Yamaha’s extensive surround mode options.
yamaha.com/yec
Pioneer VSX-815
$365, July/August 2005
Easy auto setup stands out at this price and combines with solid audio performance.
www.pioneerelectronics.com
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