Home Cinema Choice July 2011

Should you need any encouragement to create your own dedicated home cinema space, this issue should provide it. Our showcase of the 2011 CEDIA Zone 1 Award winners presents such breathtaking projects that you’ll never be satisfied until you’ve got your house in order! Meanwhile, there’s no shortage of gear to put in your dream home cinema; from B&W’s gorgeous Diamond 800 Series 5.1 system on page 40, to Yamaha’s YSP-2200 soundbar on page 52, there are sound options for everyone. And with TVs such as LG’s THX flagship on page 44 and Samsung’s giant LED on page 48, displays don’t go un-noticed either. We also have a look behind the scenes at how B&W makes those lovely Diamonds and why Freesat’s TV service may just offer the highest quality…

Chris Jenkins: Industry veteran Chris remembers when movies came on stone tablets James Waldron: Taking on our tech testing calls on James’ in-depth audio engineering skills Mark Craven: HCC’s Deputy Editor is as passionate about AV gear as he is about Jason Statham Jill Lubetkin: Jill’s magazine skills mean that even the techiest articles make perfect sense Anton van Beek: Anton’s love of cinema makes him the fount of all movie knowledge John Rook: Art Editor John was here when amps were all silver the first time around…

Adam Rayner: The UK’s foremost expert in extreme audio writes about bass, hi-fi and cartoons John Archer: The UK’s most experienced TV tester cut his teeth as an early HCC staffer Richard Stevenson: Industry veteran and former Editor of UK CE trade journal ERT Martin Pipe: Technology specialist Martin co-developed HCC’s Tech Lab operation Steve May: HCC’s former Editor-in-Chief is one of the UK’s most respected AV journos Adrian Justins: Made his name as the editor of What Video & TV and What Home Cinema…

Whenever we think of a home cinema projector, our first thoughts inevitably turn to a big, black box that’s best kept hidden from view. However, Italian PJ specialist SIM2 is going all-out to change our mind with its gorgeous Crystal 35. Priced around £4,500 and designed by renowned industrial doodler Giorgio Revoldini, the full HD Crystal 35 is housed in a striking glass finish cabinet (available in a choice of black or white) and features a 280W lamp capable of generating 2,000 Lumens and a claimed 30,000:1 contrast ratio. Look out for a review soon. HCC Online... Looking for breaking AV news, blogs, features, & reviews? For your daily fix visit us at www.homecinemachoice.com Follow us on Twitter @hccmag…

PSB Image 5 www.psbspeakers.com Having picked up an HCC Best Buy Award for its Imagine Series mid-range speakers last issue, Canadian manufacturer PSB has now unleased a brand-new speaker range. Dubbed Image 5, the lineup consists of three models, the T5 Tower, the B5 Bookshelf and the C5 Centre – all bass-reflex designs featuring the same 1in titanium tweeter and 5.25in long-throw bass/mid-range drivers (one in the B5, two in the T5 and C5). An Image 5 5.1 package, including the Subsonic 5i subwoofer, will set you back around £1,500. Partner with… Onkyo TX-NR709 THX Select2 Plus AVR → →800 Approx Onkyo is back with another affordable mid-range receiver. The THX-certified 7.2-channel TX-NR709 is Spotify-enabled and offers upscaling to 4K, thanks to Marvell’s state-of-the-art Qdeo technology. Other features include eight…

Pioneer Europe has announced five AVRs that should be in the UK as you read this. Described by the company’s Philippe Coppens as ‘our strongest line-up in years’, the range includes the 7.1-ch VSX-1021 (pictured) and VSX-921, alongside VSX-821, VSX-521 and VSX-421 5.1-channel models. All five new AVRs come with a free USB/video cable for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch enabling fast ‘plug and play’ video and audio capability with no optional dock required. The two DLNA v1.5-certifed 7.1 AVRs offer vTuner Internet Radio and AirPlay functions. www.pioneer.eu/uk…