Sound & Vision's Best
The best gear to buy right now
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Speakers & Subwoofers
Paradigm Millenia Speaker System$5,796 as tested, May 2006
Beautiful design meets high performance sound in this super slim style-statement of a speaker.
paradigm.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
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
Infinity designed a new flat-panel driver for these flagship audiophile speakers, but it's the stunning design and excellent sound quality that you’ll notice most.
www.infinitysystems.com
B&W CM Series Home Theater Speaker System
$4,900 as tested, June 2007
It's all about exceptional midrange transparency in this beautifully dressed music-oriented speaker system that doubles up quite nicely for home theater duty.
www.bwspeakers.com
PSB G-Design Home Theater Speaker System
$4,696 as tested, April 2007
PSB's latest redesign of its highly regarded Stratus series offers nicely finished piano-black cosmetics and natural, unfatiguing sound.
Jamo Concert C 80 Speaker System
$3,894 as tested, May 2006
Refined and balanced sound, a hefty subwoofer, and Danish good looks define this mid-priced system.
jamo.com
Revel Concerta System
$3,794, December 2005
These big, boring, rectangular boxes, which won our Editors' Choice Award in 2005, are so well built and sound so accurate and unstrained that you might not 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
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
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
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
Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer
$1,999, November 2006
Monstrous performance and slick design characterize this subwoofer, which we honored with one of our 2006 Editors’ Choice Awards.
www.klipsch.com
NHT Verve Home Theater Speaker System
$1,999 as tested, June 2007
NHT's take on the small, wall-mountable, flat-panel-ready packaged speaker system produces an exceptionally big sonic image for its type and offers an unusually shaped, easy-to-place subwoofer.
www.nhthifi.com
Crystal Acoustics THX-3D12
$1,999, June 2006
Unless you spring for the high-end piano black finish ($2,800), you'll sacrifice a bit of cosmetic polish. But the $2,000 budget version, with its balanced and powerful British sound, THX-certification, and hefty 12-inch subwoofer, constitute a great value.
crystalaudiovideo.com
Mirage UNI-Theater
$1,700 as tested, January 2007
We got remarkable 6.1-channel sound from two of Mirage's left-center-right UNI-Theater combos (now attractively repriced at $599 each) and an Omni-S10 subwoofer.
miragespeakers.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
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
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 that earned one of our 2006 Editors' Choice Awards.
definitivetech.com
Velodyne SC-10 Subwoofers and SC-1250 Amplifier
$599 / $999 / $2,197 as tested, April 2007
We mated a pair of SC-10 passive 10-inch subs with Velodyne’s 1,250-watt amp for this compact, installable, butt-kicking system.
www.velodyne.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 110C
$800, April 2005
Reviewed originally as the Cinema 110, this compact system sounds great, looks stylish, and comes with dipole surrounds — a real rarity at this price.
paradigm.com
HSU Research Ventriloquist V-12/STF-1
$500, October 2004
This 6.1-channel system, with its tiny satellites, patent-pending Ventriloquist center speaker, and dynamic subwoofer, plays astonshingly loud and with a musicality that represents the pinnacle of value.
hsuresearch.com
Zvox 325 Music System
$350, March 2006
It's a bit pricey, and its "pseudo surround" can't replace a true 5.1-channel system, but the 325's balanced, musical sound and low-end heft make this a highly recommendable all-in-one alternative to TV speakers.
zvoxaudio.com
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