Podcast #633: Use an AVR for Pre/Pro or a PreAmp?

We recently reviewed the NuForce AVP-18 all-digital HT dedicated preamp/processor (MSRP $1095) paired with the NuForce MCA-20 multi-channel amplifier (MSRP $1995). Our goal was to compare the performance of separates with the performance of a high quality AVR to see how they’d stack up. We used to hold the position that for just about everyone, the AVR would be more than good enough...

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Podcast #632: SONY 4K UHD TVs

On the last show we read a news story that SONY announced pricing and availability for their new line for 4K TVs. This week we thought we discuss in a bit more depth the latest from SONY. For starters there are a total of nine UHD TVs. The nine TVs are tiered on entry, mid, and high and range in price from $2,100 up to $25,000.

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Podcast #631: NuForce AVP-18 Processor and MCA-20 Amplifier

We don’t need to repeat ourselves, but we will anyways: Home Theater without surround sound isn’t really Home Theater at all. It’s only half of the experience. Without surround sound, you’re just watching moving pictures on the wall. But we’ve also stated that modern AV receivers are good enough and going the separate processor and amp route is overkill for most people. Today we put that theory to the test.

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Podcast #630: Amazon Fire TV and Falcon Screens

Last week Amazon released a set top box, the Amazon Fire TV, to compete with the likes of Apple, Roku, and a host of others. And of course the HT Guys got a hold of one and put it through its paces. This will be a shorter review than previous boxes because we have done so many and they are essentially the same. Today we’ll focus on the differences.

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Podcast #629: Sharp 2014 Quattron+ Televisions

We mentioned the upcoming Quattron+ technology from Sharp in our CES roundup earlier this year.The tech just got real. Sharp has announced several new LED LCD models for 2014 that feature the technology. Along the lines of JVC’s e-Shift technology we discussed a couple episodes back, Quattron+ looks like a clever bridge between the 1080p LED LCD televisions of today and the 4K and/or OLED televisions of tomorrow.

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Podcast #628: New Pioneer Receivers

If you are tired of the long cold Winter then these product announcements from Pioneer should warm your soul. What better way to welcome Spring than with new receivers? Pioneer introduced 5 new models.

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