HDTVs
Flat-Panel
Pioneer Elite PRO-1130HD 50-inch plasma
$6,500 (street price), February/March 2006
Pricey, but its truly outstanding picture makes it the best 50-inch plasma TV we've laid eyes on.
www.pioneerelectronics.com
Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 1080p 50-inch Plasma
$8,500, October 2006
www.pioneerelectronics.com
Vizio P42HDTV 42-inch Plasma
$1,800, May 2006
With its crisp picture, natural color, and a street price closer to $1,500, this plasma bargain is hard to beat.
vizioce.com
Westinghouse Digital LVM-42w2 42-inch LCD
$2,300, June 2006
This high-value LCD panel delivers a sharp 1080p picture and accepts native 1080p HDTV signals, making it a match for future high-def disc players.
westinghousedigital.com
Rear-Projectors
JVC HD-70FH96 70-inch HD-ILA
$6,000 (street price), February/March 2006
A gargantuan 1080p picture with oodles of detail and the deepest black we've seen on an RPTV.
www.jvc.com
HP Pavilion MD6580n 65-in DLP
HP Pavilion MD5880n 58-in DLP
$5,500 (65 in), October 2005
$3,500 (58 in), April 2006
Superb color and detail, and a future-proof 1080p input, place these among the best bargains in HDTV.
hp.com
Sony KDS-R60XBR1 60-inch SXRD
Sony KDS-R50XBR1 50-inch SXRD
$4,500 (60 in), April 2006
$3,500 (50 in), November 2005
Sony delivers stunning picture quality in these 1080p, LCoS-based HDTVs.
sony.com
Front Projectors
Sony Cineza VPL-HS51 LCD
$3,500, April 2005
There’s terrific value in this LCD projector that delivers great HDTV and progressive-scan DVD images.
sonystyle.com
Sim2 HT3000 1080p DLP
$15,995, October 2006
sim2usa.com
Samsung SP-H710AE DLP Front Projector
$4,000, May 2006
Designed in association with Joe Kane, this HDTV front pro costs a little more than its "budget" competition, but delivers super-accurate color.
samsung.com
InFocus Play Big IN76 DLP Front Projector
$3,000, May 2006
This HD projector boasts powerful light output, excellent grayscale and color reproduction, sharp detail, and a slick, sci-fi design.
www.infocus.com
Optoma HD72 DLP Front Projector
$2,000, May 2006
Its low price and great performance make the Optoma HD72 one of the great bargains in HDTV front projectors.
www.optomausa.com
Panasonic AE900U LCD Front Projector
$1,800, May 2006
The ability to deliver deep blacks and great shadow detail make this high-def LCD projector a tremendous value.
panasonic.com
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DVD Players/Recorders
Denon DVD-5910 universal player with HDMI
$3,500, January 2006
The DVD-5910’s cutting-edge video, superlative audio, and rugged build quality remain the last word in DVD players.
usa.denon.com
Pioneer DVR-633H-S
$599, November 2005
A 160-GB hard drive, high-speed dubbing to DVD, and the easiest and most accurate editing system we've seen to date.
www.pioneerelectronics.com
RCA DRC8060N HDMI recorder
$300, February/March 2006
Great progressive-scan conversion, an upconverting digital video output, and the best commercial-skip feature we've seen on a recorder.
rca.com
Panasonic DVD-S77 HDMI player
$250, September 2005
Progressive-scan video that’s a cut above typical DVD players.
panasonic.com
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
Audio Separates
Anthem AVM 50 Preamp/Processor
$4,699, October 2006
anthemav.com
Anthem MCA 50 5-Channel Amplifier
$2,299, October 2006
anthemav.com
Home Theater Speakers
Crystal Acoustics THX-3D12
$1,999, June 2006
Balanced and powerful British sound is the hallmark of this THX-certified system with a hefty 12-inch subwoofer.
crystalaudiovideo.com
B&W XT Series
$5,800, May 2006
Striking high-end looks combined with that classic B&W sound: exceptionally clean midrange, refined highs, and precise imaging.
bwspeakers.com
Infinity Cascade Home Theater Speaker System
$5,194 as reviewed, September 2006
www.infinitysystems.com
Revel Concerta System
$3,794, December 2005
These big, boring, rectangular boxes are so well built and sound so accurate and unstrained that only your spouse will care that they're a throwback to the 1970s audiophile aesthetic.
www.revel.com
Definitive Technology Mythos and Mythos Gem
Mythos, $3,694, January 2004; Mythos Gem, $2,048, June 2005
DefTech invented the high-performance “plasma speaker” with the slim, aluminum-enclosure Mythos system, then followed up with the more affordable Mythos Gem.
definitivetech.com
Infinity TSS-4000/1100
$2,394, October 2005
An all-around great-sounding and good-looking on-wall/freestanding system.
infinitysystems.com
Magnepan Magneplanar MC-1
$2,250, April 2005
Thin dipole-panel speakers that deliver remarkably three-dimensional and accurate sound.
magnepan.com
Energy Take Series
$2,225, July/August 2005
Extends the high-value tradition set by the original Take 5 series in a stylish new design.
energy-speakers.com
Atlantic Technology System 1200
$1,280 to $1,410, November 2005
A good all-around system for movies and music that delivers AT's classic neutral sound at an affordable price.
atlantictechnology.com
Aperion Intimus 532 System
$1,339, November 2005
Excellent stereo imaging, a vertical-array center speaker, a strong compact sub, and good build quality make for great value.
aperionaudio.com
Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector
$900, February/March 2006
Both smaller and cheaper than the original YSP-1 or its successor the YSP-1000, the YSP-800 delivers exceptional one-speaker surround sound for flat-panel TVs.
yamaha.com/yec
Paradigm Cinema 110
$800, April 2005
An excellent-sounding and stylish compact system with dipole surrounds — a rarity at this price.
paradigm.com
HSU Research Ventriloquist V-12/STF-1
$500, October 2004
Cleverly designed 6.1-channel system that represents the pinnacle of value.
hsuresearch.com
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Music Portables & Extras
Klipsch iFi iPod sound system
$400, May 2005
The best-sounding iPod speaker add-on we’ve tried to date.
klipsch.com/ifi
Creative Zen Vision portable video player
$400, November 2005
Superb picture quality, good sound, and an intuitive interface meet in this all-in-one video-music-photo player.
creative.com
Garmin nüvi 350 Personal Travel Assistant
$900, April 2006
Pricey for a handheld nav system, but there's much more in this compact package for travelers.
garmin.com
Apple iPod nano
$249, December 2005
With up to 4 gigabytes of unskippable flash memory coupled to the justly beloved Click Wheel interface, the super-slim nano takes cool to an entirely new level.
apple.com
Pioneer Inno XM2go satellite radio
$399, June 2006
This second-generation XM2go handheld comes with fewer accessories than its predecessors but takes the design and screen interface up a notch.
www.pioneerelectronics.com
Apple iPod Hi-Fi Speaker System
$349, May 2006
This one-piece, portable tabletop solution was designed with good sound in mind — and you’ll hear it on every track.
apple.com
Camcorders
Sony HDR-HC1 (high-def MiniDV)
$2,000, December 2005
Stunning widescreen high-definition footage on regular MiniDV tape plus extensive user controls at a price budding filmmakers and serious enthusiasts can aspire to.
www.sonystyle.com
JVC Everio GZ-MG30 (hard-drive)
$900, December 2005
The tapeless/discless camcorder has truly arrived thanks to a 30-gigabyte hard drive that captures 7 hours of DVD-quality video.
www.jvc.com
Sanyo HD1 High-Def Camcorder
$800, April 2006
This compact camera records true high-def to an SD card and grabs sharp 5-megapixel stills at a price that's within reach.
sanyo.com
Add-Ons
Harman Kardon TC30 Universal Remote
$299, July/August 2006
Harman wisely licensed the web-based programming capabilities and "activity-driven" operation from Harmony's award-winning remotes for this sleek spinoff.
harmankardon.com
Universal Remote Control MX-3000 Universal Remote
$999, September 2006
universalremote.com
Polk Audio XRt12 XM satellite radio tuner
$330, Feb/March 2005
Notable sound quality and a TV output for viewing channel data make this a worthy add-on.
polkaudio.com
Xbox 360 game console
$299 ($399 with optional hard disk), January 2006
A quantum leap in gaming plus the ability to stream video, pictures, and music from your PC to your home theater.
xbox.com
Logitech Harmony 880 universal remote control
$250, July/Aug 2005
This advanced model boasts a full-color LCD screen, but any Harmony remote is a good remote.
logitech.com