HDTVs
Flat-Panel
JVC LT-46FN97 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV
$3,500 ($3,799 list, December 2006)
Reviewer David Katzmaier observed that this new JVC delivered more than just "all the detail I expected from a 1080p display." It also stood out with its "unusually good rendition of colors" and "highly accurate" TheaterPro mode, which required "almost no changes to achieve an ideal picture."
jvc.com
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-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
Sony KDL-40XBR2 40-inch LCD
$3,500, November 2006
It's pricey for its class, but LCD picture quality doesn't get much better.
sonystyle.com
Vizio P50HDTV 50-inch Plasma
$1,900, December 2006 (Web only)
Vizio continues to deliver huge bang for the buck in this "miracle of price erosion."
vizioce.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
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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
Sony STR-DA5200ES 1080p A/V Receiver
$1,500 (December 2006)
For not much coin, Daniel Kumin reported, Sony's new flagship delivers "class-leading video processing" that upscales all video sources to 1080p, and a sophisticated graphic user interface that's "by a wide margin, the most elegant and detailed I've seen."
sonystyle.com
Logitech Wireless DJ Music System
$250, December 2006
It's a bit limited, but simple setup and a smart wireless remote make this system the poor man's Sonos.
logitech.com
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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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
Definitive Technology ProCinema 800
$1,099 as tested, November 2006
Top-mounted passive radiators in the tiny satellites extract surprising bass from this value-priced system.
definitivetech.com
JL Audio Fathom f112
$2,200, November 2006
Simply put, a 115-pound beast of a subwoofer that goes way low and loud but still fits in a relatively compact box.
home.jlaudio.com
KEF Q Series
$3,500 as tested, November 2006
Beautiful cabinetry and classically refined British sonics in an affordable system that should, frankly, cost more.
kef.com
Thiel PowerPoint 1.2 Ceiling Speaker
$10,750 as tested, December 2006
This astonishing system delivers true high-end sound from ceiling-mounted speakers for demanding listeners with some serious budget to work with.
thiel.com
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