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Written by Michael Lankton
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Tuesday, 26 February 2008 |
 Yamaha has rolled out some new AV receivers. Notable among the new group is the Yamaha RX-V663 AV Receiver, which boasts an impressive spec sheet for a price that won't break your bank account.
The Yamaha RX-V663 AV Receiver offers most of the functionality of it's $1000 big brother, the Yamaha RX-V863. Similar to the new Onkyo Av Receivers that launched last fall, the new Yamahas offer HDMI 1.3 compatibility with onboard handling of all advanced audio codecs. The Yamaha RX-V663 is a 7.2 channel AV receiver that sends 95 watts per channel. Some of the noteworthy features: analog bypass, Sirius and XM satellite radio ready, 2 HDMI in 1 HDMI out with upconversion, USB and ethernet jacks, RS-232c, YPAO room equalization, zone 2 output, and 12v triggers. The HDMI capability of the RX-V663 will handle 1080p24 and pass 120 Hz signals. This sound like any other sub $1k AV receiver to you. Ok, how about Burr-Brown DACs on all channels.
The Yamaha RX-V663 has an MSRP of $549.95, which makes it a very good value. Yamaha has never had a reputation of making AV receivers for audiophiles, but the specs on the RX-V663 position it to be considered if you're in the market for a $500 AV receiver. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 21 January 2008 |
 Sherwood Newcastle has announced that their brand spanking new flagship AV receiver, the Sherwood Newcastle R-972, will be out in March.
The Sherwood Newcastle R-972 is a seven channel 100 watt AV receiver. The R-972 is an HDMI 1.3b compliant device, and will upconvert all incoming video to 1080p over it's HDMI output. The heavy lifting is done by a Silicon Optix Reon processor, and judging from past devices that have used this chip we know that the Reon upconverts better than just about any consumer solution going. Onboard decoding of all advanced audio codecs is handled by a pair of Texas Instruments 32 bit DSPs. I believe the Sherwood Newcastle R-972 marks the first consumer device that implements the Trinnov Optimizer Digital Room Correction we saw at this year's CES. The Trinnov system is a room correction processor "that uses
state-of-the-art acoustic analysis and digital filtering techniques to
compensate for the acoustic defects of the room where the loudspeakers
are located. It is designed for stereo and multichannel professional
control rooms, as well as for high-end hi-fi and home theater
installations.". -quote from the Trinnov website. Other features the R-972 boasts are dual mode (IR + RF) remote control, four HDMI inputs, 7 analog video inputs, RS-232, three zone functionality, and a USB port which will allow users to download before and after room optimization graphs for some visual evidence of what the Trinnov system did for their system's performance. No word yet on the DACs used in the R-972.
The Sherwood Newcastle R-972 is scheduled for a March release, and will list for $1799.95. The R-972 has an impressive feature set and will definitely be slated for audition. Sherwood, if you're reading this, sign me up for a pre/pro with these features. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 07 January 2008 |
 Sunfire has unveiled their new Theater Grand AV receiver, the Sunfire TGR-401.
The Theater Grand 401 powers seven channels via it's class H amplifier, which will push 150 watts and remain cool to the touch thanks to it's efficient design. New additions to this revision of the Theater Grand receiver are Sirius connectivity, two Ole2XL touchpad ports and a VIA!migo port for your iPod. The Sunfire TGR-401 offers three HDMI 1.3a inputs and one output. Unfortunately, decoding of Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD are not present in the TGR-401.
The Sunfire TGR-401 will set you back a cool $4000 when it becomes available this April.
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 07 January 2008 |
 Pioneer unveiled four new AV receivers on the eve of CES 2008, only one of which has support for advanced audio codecs.
The 130 watt per channel Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K features Pioneer's Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration, three HDMI 1.3 inputs, video upscaling to 1080p over HDMI and auto-level control for equalizing volume between sources. The VSX-1018TXH-K decodes all currently available flavors of Dolby and DTS, so HD DVD and Blu Ray owners will be able to between letting their player or the VSX-1018TXH-K do the heavy lifting.
The Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K is scheduled for a June 2008 release, and will retail for the wallet-friendly price of $599. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 01 October 2007 |
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 Pioneer is releasing a new AV amplifier in Japan this December.
The Pioneer SC-LX90 is an HDMI 1.3a compliant device that eschews the FM/AM tuner section that would classify it as an AV receiver. Details are sparse, but the SC-LX90 will pump 200 watts into 7 channels, and supports 140 watts spread over ten channels. No pricing details are available, and at this time it isn't known what audio codecs the unit will have onboard support for, or what type of room equalization features it will possess.
Hopefully there will be an announcement from Pioneer soon regarding their intentions for a global release. |
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