Denon's one-two punch: Blu-ray and receiver

Fresh after CEDIA, Denon has announced a pair of new home theater devices, the AVR-4810CI A/V receiver and the DBP-4010UDCI Blu-ray Disc player. These two new high-end products pack some impressive features, and equally impressive price tags.

The AVR-4810CI is a 9.3-channel receiver, capable of adding height or expanded width channels to a 5.1 or 7.1 set-up with Dolby Pro Logic IIz or Audyssey DSX. It can pipe video and audio out to a secondary zone, audio to a third zone, and more audio to a fourth zone with its Audyssey DSX pre-outs. It features built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking, and can directly access streaming music services like Napster and Rhapsody. It also includes two AM/FM radio tuners, one of which is HD Radio-compatible and XM/Sirius satellite radio-ready. For custom installers, the receiver offers remote set-up and maintenance; after it's installed, the installer can log into it via Denon's secure web site and change or correct any settings. All of these features come at a price, though; the AVR-4810CI will cost $2,999 when it ships.

Sonypalooza, Pt. 4: A/V receivers!

It wouldn't be CEDIA without some new A/V receivers, and Sony did not disappoint. It just announced the STR-DA5500ES and STR-DA3500ES, two new receivers aimed at high-end installations.

The 5500ES puts out 120 watts across each of its 7 channels, and features a whopping 6 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs (great for flat-panel/projector combination setups). It supports plenty of audio formats, including 8-channel linear PCM, and can process 1080p/24 cinema video and Deep Color and x.v.Color video codecs. The receiver can manage up to three zones, including a 1080p video main zone, a 1080i secondary zone, and an audio-only third zone. It's also networkable and compatible with any DLNA-compliant device, and can access Shoutcast and Rhapsody music services. It will retail for $2,000 when it ships next month.

Three new A/V receivers from Marantz

Marantz has announced a trio of new A/V receivers, two of which feature optional Bluetooth support, and one which boasts a slim size not found in most receivers.

The SR6004 and SR5004 are the company's two new full-size, Bluetooth-capable receivers, replacing the SR6003 and the SR5003 in Marantz's lineup. They're designed to work with Marantz's new NX101 Bluetooth receiver, an accessory packaged with the $1,250 SR6004 and available separately for $130 with the $850 SR5004. Both receivers support HBR audio, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, and accept LPCM 7.1 signals from Blu-ray Disc players. The SR6004 also features a 4-in/2-out HDMI repeater, and a front USB port that supports iPod and iPhone connections. Both receivers ship later this month.

Onkyo's newest receiver is a radio smorgasboard

Remember when radio was a simple question of AM or FM? Now there's satellite in a variety of flavors, streaming Internet radio, and even good old-fashioned terrestrial radio... in HD Radio format. Onkyo's new TX-NR807 receiver supports all of those types of radio, whether they come from over the air, down from a satellite, or through a series of tubes.

The server is DLNA 1.5 compatible and ready to handle a whole slew of streaming media services, including Rhapsody, Pandora, Sirius Internet Radio, and vTuner. It's also XM and Sirius Satellite Radio ready, and can support HD radio with Onkyo's optional UPHD-1 accessory. If you want to go old-school, the SR807 also has a conventional AM/FM tuner, for terrestrial radio.

Its receiver properties aren't too shabby, either; it can kick out 135 watts across each of its 7 channels, and 6 HDMI 1.3a inputs for plenty of connectability. It boasts THX Select2Plus Certification, and incorporates Dolby Pro Logic IIz. With a price tag of $1,099, it's a pretty feature-rich receiver. The TX-NR807 is now shipping to Onkyo resellers.

— Will Greenwald

Onkyo announces two new PLIIz receivers

A few months ago, Onkyo broke into the realm of height channels with the TX-SR607, the world's first Dolby Pro Logic IIz-equipped A/V receiver (reviewed in the latest issue of Sound & Vision). The 7.2-channel receiver could use Dolby PLIIz to turn its rear surround channels into height channels, mixing audio for speakers mounted above the L/R channel speakers to add a sense of height to the home theater experience.

Onkyo is expanding its PLIIz selection with two new A/V receivers, the HT-RC160 and HT-RC180. They're the debut models in Onkyo's new "HT Series" of receivers, using similar features and aesthetics as the receivers found in Onkyo's all-in-one home theater kits. The RC160 is eerily similar to the SR607, sharing nearly identical specs. Both receivers have Dolby PLIIz, analog-to-HDMI Faroudja upconversion, TrueHD and DTS-HD decoding, and Onkyo's "U-Port" upgrade slot for optional iPod dock or HD Radio accessories. It only has 5 HDMI outputs compared to the SR607's 6, but it also has a slightly lower price of $549.

Yamaha announces newest A/V receiver

Yamaha announced today a new A/V receiver with an impressive feature set and a price tag just shy of a grand. The RX-V1065 is a slightly more powerful version of the RX-V665 receiver. It retains all the features of its little brother, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support, 1080p video upscaling, and 4 HDMI inputs. with a few small upgrades. It can play HD radio, a first for the X65 line of receivers, and can put out 105W over 7 channels, compared to the V665's 95W.

While it lacks the RS232 integration and 3-zone support of Yamaha's X900 receivers, it still offers plenty of flexibility for home theaters. It can handle 2 zones, and supports iPods, iPhones, and Bluetooth audio devices with Yamaha's optional YDS-11 dock and YBA-10 Bluetooth receiver. The Yamaha RX-V1065 retails for $999.95.

— Will Greenwald

Denon's summer fever: AVRs and Blu-ray players

Home theater equipment manufacturer Denon just announced several new products for the coming year, including a whopping 9 A/V receivers and a pair of Blu-ray Disc players.

Every new receiver, from the $349 retail-channel AVR-590 to the $1,999 high-end, custom installer-targeted AVR-4310CI, include Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume, and MultEQ, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD decoding, HDMI 1.3a repeater circuitry, and support for Deep Color and x.v.Color. Yes, even the AVR-590 has these features . As they step up in price, the receivers also feature more HDMI inputs, dual zone and Sirius Satellite Radio support (AVR-790 and up), Denon's new graphical interface (AVR-890 and up), and networked media streaming with support for Pandora and Napster (AVR-990 and up).

The AVR-4310CI sits at the top of the heap, packing virtually every feature Denon could think of. According to Denon, it's the first receiver in the world to include Audessy DSX 11-speaker support (for more information, read Brent Butterworth's hands-on experience with DSX). It also includes built-in HD radio, 3-source/3-zone functionality, and RS-232C support.

Denon also showed off the DBP-1610CI and DBP-2010CI, two new Blu-ray Disc players. Both players support DivXHD and AVCHD video playback, ethernet jacks for BD-Live features, and 2-channel analog output with Burr-Brown D/A converters for CD playback. The DBP-2010CI goes a bit further, sporting RS-232C compatibility and an Anchor Bay Technologies video processing/upscaling engine.

For users who want both a high-end Denon receiver and Blu-ray Disc player, Denon revealed Denon Link 4th, the latest upgrade to its Denon Link connection. The 4th version of Denon Link lets the receiver completely co-opt the clock of the Blu-ray Disc player to completely synchronize playback, a process that Denon claims completely eliminates jitter. Denon Link 4th will be available on the AVR-4310CI when it ships, and owners of the AVR-5308CI receiver and AVP-A1HDCI 12-channel preamp will be able to get a free firmware upgrade to Denon Link 4th in June.

The AVR-4310CI ($1,999), AVR-1610 ($379), and AVR-1910 ($550) ship this month. The AVR-590 ($349), AVR-790 ($499), AVR-890 ($799), AVR-2310CI ($849), and AVR-3310CI ($1,499) ship in June. The AVR-990 ($1,499), DBP-1610CI ($499), and DBP-2010CI ($699) ship in July.

— Will Greenwald

Onkyo announces new budget-priced HTiBs

Onkyo has introduced two new home-theaters-in-a-box, budget-priced for consumers looking to get a full-featured surround sound system for less than $600.

The HT-S5200 features a 1200-watt 7.1-channel receiver (at 130 watts per channel) with Onkyo Micro Fiber satellite speakers and a 10-inch, 290-watt subwoofer to give it plenty of thumb for its $599 MSRP. It offers Audyssey 2EQ room correction, Audyssey Dynamic Volume and EQ for keeping music even and balanced, and Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix processing for handling surround sound. It also sports a built-in iPod dock and charging station, always a nice touch.

For less than two-thirds the suggested price of the HT-S5200, the 5.1-channel HT-S3200 offers a more modest feature set at a much more modest price tag. It puts out 110 watts per channel and its 8-inch subwoofer is powered by the receiver, which uses DTS and Dolby Digital surround processing. It will retail for about $379.

They're not high-tech room-shakers, but at those price points they're certainly tempting for anyone looking to dip their toe into a surround sound home theater system.

— Will Greenwald

Onkyo's new receiver does Dolby Pro Logic IIz

If you have been craving sweet vertical sound field action from a full-fledged 7.2 system then you should get ready to send Onkyo a St. Patrick's day card. Their new TX-SR607 receiver supports Dolby Pro Logic IIz. It's, as press release writers love to say, the world's first. Two speakers above the display provide directional sound that creates a soundstage above your head, which is perfect for watching Top Gun or any other movie where stuff goes flying over your head. The rest of the specs include Dolby True HD, 90 watt output, DTS-HD and 1080p support for Deep Color and x.v. Color. Look for it in April for $600. It sounds relatively cheap and it's because Onkyo claims they wanted to put the technology into their most popular models, not their most expensive. We appreciate that kind of thing when the economy is about as stable as Tom Waits after a night of drinking. Full press release with info about two other low-end receivers after the break.

Sherwood cuts the wires with Bluetooth-capable music-streaming receiver

Sherwood America has unveiled a new A/V receiver with a handy optional feature: Bluetooth connectivity. Thanks to the BT-R7 dongle, the new RD-7503 receiver can pull stereo audio off of any compatible Bluetooth device, from iPhones to notebook computers. Instead of shoving your iPhone into a physical dock, you can just install the R7 into the receiver's front port and stream music from anywhere in the room.

It's a handy feature, if you have a Bluetooth device and are willing to buy the optional dongle ($50 MSRP). Unfortunately, it has two drawbacks.

First, if you have an iPod or iPod Touch, you'll need yet another dongle to enable Bluetooth on the player. They don't come with Bluetooth built-in. Most cell phones (including the iPhone) and notebook computers should be ready to stream music without any extras, though.