Sound & Vision's Best

February/March, 2008

HDTV

Samsung LN-T5281F 52-inch 1080p LCD $4,500, February/March 2008 Delivers the deepest shadows of any LCD we've tested to date. samsung.com

Sony Bravia VPL-VW60 1080p SXRD Front Projector $4,999, January 2008 You'll get punchy contrast, sharp images, and quiet operation from this fine front-projector. sonystyle.com

Pioneer Kuro PDP-5010FD 50-inch Plasma HDTV $4,000, November 2007 The deep black of this late-gen Pioneer plasma simply has no peer. pioneerelectronics.com

JVC LT-47X898 47-inch LCD HDTV $3,300 (list), December 2007 120-Hz motion processing, along with solid blacks and one of the widest LCD viewing angles we've seen. jvc.com

Toshiba Regza Cinema Series 52LX177 52-inch LCD HDTV $3,000, October 2007 It has excellent out-of-the-box picture quality and a wide array of picture adjustments. tacp.toshiba.com

Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50-inch 1080p Plasma $2,400, July/August 2007 We loved this plasma at its original $3,500 price; its current street price makes it a steal. www.panasonic.com

Philips 42PFL7432D 42-inch LCD HDTV $1,500, September 2007 An excellent LCD picture, good image tweaks, and Ambilight make for a good value. philipsusa.com

AUDIO ELECTRONICS

Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH A/V Receiver $1,599, January 2008 Tons of useful features backed up by stellar A/V performance. pioneerelectronics.com

Yamaha RX-V1800 A/V Receiver $1,300 (as tested), December 2007 Excellent audio performance combies with a top-flight video scaler, 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs, and other modern features. yamaha.com/yec

SPEAKERS

Paradigm Reference Signature Series Loudspeakers $9,395 (as tested), December 2007 Superb, neutral sonics and a massive 15-inch servo sub that takes no prisoners. paradigm.com

Outlaw Audio LCR Speaker System $3,894 (as tested), January 2008 A basic-looking but high-performance, high-value six-piece system. outlawaudio.com

Aperion Intimus 6 Series Home Theater Speakers $2,582, July/August 2007 This system, built around Aperion's top-of-the-line towers, features all the qualities this Web-based company is known for: superb construction, conventional but well-executed design, and laid-back, unfatiguing sound. A risk-free 30-day in-home trial helps take the sting out of buying sound-unheard. aperionaudio.com

Hsu Research VTF-3 MK 3 Turbo 12-in Powered Subwoofer $799; without Turbocharger, $699; Turbocharger purchased separately, $199; May 2007 It's a big boy, but this monster subwoofer with attached optional port extensions was the clear winner for musicality and low-end output in a face-off of five mid-priced subs. hsuresearch.com