We now have the Denon AVR-X6400H in stock and ready to demonstrate. This will be the flagship unit from Denon until the AVR-X7200WA is replaced at some point next year. This unit promises a lot, and I will hopefully produce a review once I have written up the imminent Yamaha RX-A3070 review.

BUY DENON AVR-X6400H

The old Blade Runner has been released on 4K UHD BD, and what a magnificent job they have done on it. I managed to watch it in full yesterday and it is positively sparkling. This is what the new format is all about for me, old classics given a new lease of life.

BUY BLADE RUNNER UHD

Marantz will launch some brand-new models in the coming months. We should see the new 9 Channel SR7012 featuring on board processing for 11.2 channels. It also includes a 192kHz/32bit digital to analogue converter block with Clock Jitter Reducer for a more precise, pure and high-quality sound. They will also launch a replacement for the AV7703, predictably named the AV7704. We should see both models within the next few weeks. Excitingly we will also see a new premium model in the for of the SR8012, Marantz’s 11 channel single box AVR which should be with us for Christmas going by reports. This looks to have had a complete re-design and promises a lot. We will have an SR8012 on demonstration and for review as soon as we can get our hands on one.

MARANTZ SR7012 - Pre Order

MARANTZ SR8012 - Pre Order

MARANTZ AV7704 - Pre Order

Our movie of the week has been somewhat neglected of late. This week "Arrival". I re-watched this on Wednesday and I have to say I love it. Not your usual sci-fi fare, and I do believe that Denis Villeneuve is the best director working today.

Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind.

Arrival Trailer

Onkyo TX-RZ820 Review by Dan Bland

It has been some time since I’ve even entertained an Onkyo in the shop, over the past few years they seemed to have lost their way a little and until recently I had removed all semblance of products from our website. The recent partnership and takeover of Pioneer AV seems to have them back on track with decent UK support using the Pioneer infrastructure in the UK which was already very solid, so given their track record in the past of producing fantastic ground breaking AVR’s it seemed only sensible to re-visit the brand again after a couple of years to see what had changed, if anything.

Onkyo sent us an TX-RZ820 for demo with no commitment from us, if it didn’t measure up it would go back. The TX-NR820 is currently the flagship unit of the new models with the higher end unit’s due for replacement at some point next year, so this will eventually sit somewhere in the middle of their range I believe when it all comes out in the wash. It is a 7.2 amplifier featuring Dolby Vision, HLG & HDR10, BT2020 & full 4K passthrough. The unit has no video processor on board to manipulate or alter the incoming/outgoing image. It is also THX Select 2 certified amplifier and has a plethora of streaming options built in (more than you could wish for).

For its part, the Onkyo is a very simple unit to get up and running, it shares the same on-screen menu system as the new Pioneer amplifiers which is a huge improvement over the old dot matrix style they used to use. I made a similar comment about the Pioneer SC-LX901 amplifier I reviewed some months ago and it truly does bring them into the 4K age looks wise, well overdue. It makes set-up of the amplifier very simple. Internally set-up options are kept to a minimum, and the concise layout make it clear what you are changing and what effect it will have. The omission of a video scaler makes set-up even easier, it being straight pass through with no changes.

One of the major omissions this time round is the lack of the Audyssey XT32 EQ system which was so prevalent on Onkyo amplifiers of the past, instead it features Onkyo’s own AccuEQ automated set-up system. I remember a lot being written at the time that this would be a very bad move for Onkyo and that their auto setup system couldn’t be a match for the Audyssey. While Audyssey is good if you know how to get the best from it, it does have a lot or quirks which can, if set-up wrongly, give a poor sound. So at the time I took this omission and these comments with a large pinch of salt. So, In reality, this was my first experience with AccuEQ and overall I have to say it was a very positive one. Very simple to use and to be honest a pretty accurate result after the automatic stage, distances were slightly off as were channel levels but after checking with a laser measure and an SPL meter, the sound was bang on. I have experienced this with every other Japanese AVR with exception of the Pioneer which adjusted everything pretty much perfectly. Once manually adjusted for a “hot seat” after the auto set-up, the sound was excellent, very good integration of the surround speakers, excellent bass management and integration of the subwoofer and the overall timing of the system was superb, very entertaining. The most positive thing I found was that it didn’t really sound like anything else I have heard for a while. The best way I can describe it is that it had a somewhat dry midrange to it, but not in a negative way at all. I actually kept the Onkyo at home for some time and I think if they had a model with the same specification that could do four height speakers I might seriously consider one for the house on sound quality alone.

While very good the Onkyo isn’t perfect. I could find no way to change the amplifiers display to tell me what surround mode I was listening to, all it would display was the input. I had to keep checking the onscreen menu for confirmation in the initial set-up stages. I found that the display on the front was almost the same as the one they were using 10 years ago, a strange kind of green colour which personally I feel needs updating, although I’m sure there are fans of it out there. The remote is extraordinarily basic and cheap feeling, which is not the best in the world. Finally, there was no in-depth manual in the box, all you are given is a basic set-up manual which seems to be becoming a trend with manufacturers these days. To give the Onkyo TX-RZ820 it its due though, these issues take nothing away from the sound of the unit, and some may call these issues minor.

Overall it was a pleasure to have it in the house for the two or three weeks it was there and I think I would have no problem recommending it to a customer who required a 5.2.2 or a 7.2 set-up in their home. The Onkyo TX-NR820 is now available for home demonstration or in our cinema in central Edinburgh.

It has taken me a bit longer than expected to get around to review this, but that delay has given me time to set up a couple at customers houses in different sized rooms, test one on the hi-fi in the office as well as set up dual units in our demonstration cinema.

The first thing that strikes you about the unit is the size of the box, roughly 13” in each direction give or take a little. Physics somewhat dictate that it is usually very difficult to get any kind of impact from a subwoofer this small, this unit seems to be the exception to the rule though. Packing a monstrous 1400-watt digital amplifier inside, two 8˝ long-throw high-output bass and drivers, two 10.5˝ x 9.5˝ quadratic planar infrasonic radiators, leave little space for the actual cabinet. This structure features very little in the actual makeup of the woofer itself in terms of its actual surface area, but what is does have is a lovely angled glossy modern design, rather unlike anything else on the market today. It is most definitely not just another black box.

Instinct would say that what cabinet structure this unit has, the speakers would probably be fighting their way to jump out of it given the amount of technology and power packed in there, surprisingly the unit is almost totally inert. This stems from its design, something which has clearly had a lot of thought. The concept of this arrangement of drivers and radiators is not something new to Goldenear, a similar array adorns the Forcefield subwoofers which have been around for some time now, and somewhat slipped under the radar in recent years. Being brutal, while these Forcefield subwoofers sound fantastic, they do somewhat scream “subwoofer” at you and are to be polite somewhat aesthetically challenged. The Supersub does not suffer from this, and would feel at home in the most modern of surroundings.

The culmination of this design gives you phenomenal power from a very discreet box, the closest comparison sound and size wise would be the Paradigm Seismic 110, which itself is somewhat aesthetically challenged looking more like a cannon rather than a subwoofer. The Supersub’s performance from a box this size is nothing short of astonishing, put on the opening scene form Quantum of Solace and you can feel the tight bass in the seat of your pants, even in larger rooms. Given its power it is also happy running all the way up to 120-150hz in a controlled punchy manner.

One thing which is slightly unique is that the unit doesn’t have a phase control, all you have is volume and crossover, the latter can be bypassed with an LFE switch on the back. It also has stereo inputs for use with stereo setups, something I’ve not seen on a subwoofer for some time. I did ask why there was an absence of the phase control and the answer was somewhat surprising, as the subwoofer should be somewhat phase inert given its driver and radiator configuration. Something somewhat borne out by my tests. The unit is extremely flexible with its positioning when using a single unit, bass was reasonably consistent at the seating position in most of the rooms I tested, something of a godsend for most people who can get inconsistent bass from forced positioning. Using two in a small room, I did encounter some issues and the lack of control of phase did cause me some positioning issues but nothing that couldn’t be overcome by rotating the subwoofer itself on its original position. In larger rooms, phasing issues seemed less apparent although you might be able to argue that given its design you could move to the larger model the Supersub XL rather than duals if the response form the original position is good. There isn’t one single answer in truth, the room dictates the bass response as well as the subwoofers position in it, but I did find this sub to fill the room with bass from a single point better than any other I had tested considering its size.

Given its design if there is a negative, possibly the music performance lacked a little “edge” but I would have to be fussy to criticise it in that department given its performance in other areas. This is no Velodyne DD18+, but I think if you are looking for a small, good looking, powerful subwoofer which is flexible with its position, this one is tough to beat.

GOLDENEAR SUBWOOFERS

29/07/17 - New AVR's

Its almost that time of year where we start to review the new AV receivers again. It looks like this will be slightly different this year with both Onkyo and Pioneer running a two year life cycle on their top end units. Im going to review the Onkyo TX-RZ820 shortly as soon as I can get it home. The new Yamaha RX-V3070 should be here first as usual, followed by the Marantz SR7012. Anthem are being very tight lipped, although their AVR's are due for an upgrade at the end of the year going by past cycles. Denon as yet are also not dishing any dirt on the replacement for the very popular AVR-X7200WA. If I hear anything, ill post it up.

YAMAHA RX-V3070 - MARANTZ SR7012 - ONKYO TX-RZ820

We can now supply products from HD Fury. In basic terms, if you have a HDMI connection problem, chances are these products will be able to fix it. Drop us an email if you are having issues and we can see if we can help out.

HD FURY RANGE

We have been tasked by PIEGA to help clear out some models which are about to be or have been discontinued. There are limited numbers of these available. All of them are currently listed in our special offers section of the website, link below. 

THE MOVIE ROOMS SPECIAL OFFERS

It’s been a while since we had a general news roundup, so here we go!

Subwoofers - Velodyne

I’ve recently completed an in-depth course of calibration training with Velodyne, mainly covering their DD+ range of subwoofers. While these have been on the market for some time, they still offer the pinnacle of performance and room EQ technology of any subwoofers on the market today, and trust me I’ve heard and sold them all. What makes them unique is a couple of things. Firstly, the RTA (Real Time Room Analyser) giving you an invaluable tool to find the best position for your woofer/s in any room. The unique way the set-up test tone sweeps through the entire system, not just the subwoofer means you can not only analyse the subwoofers performance, but also the crossover accuracy of the main and surround speakers as well as well as their integration. This also lets you set up multiple subwwoofers perfectly, as the test tone sweeps these at the same time taking them into account during each step of the calibration. For those tricky rooms including the stacking of multiple subwoofers to gain bass height or extra delivery in a sweet spot, the Velodyne also includes a manual 8 band Parametric EQ which works at the same time as the RTA, giving you instant feedback for a manual tune up. Notwithstanding the performance of the subwoofers (which nothing can touch) these features alone take the guesswork out of bass, and particularly the set-up of multiple units. We have permanent dual DD10+ subwoofers set up in our small demo room if you wanted to experience – perfect bass, if ever there were such a thing?

Room EQ – Trinnov Optimiser 2.0

I recently had the pleasure of testing a Trinnov ST-2 Hi-Fi at home on my hi-fi system. The main components of my hi-fi at home are; Audio Research SP9 Tube Pre-amplifier, Arcam Alpha 10P Power Amplifier and Harbeth Monitor 30.1 speakers. I’ve been happy with the sound of my hi-fi, and the inclusion of the Trinnov into the system was partly to compliment my ongoing research into room EQ and its effects on various systems (good and bad). What it gave me more than anything was a visual insight in the form of graphs into the acoustic problems within this room and area, and how best to tackle them. It flat out improved my sound in this room, that is without question, significantly so. This shouldn’t be a surprise as it is the same technology in use in their cinema processor the infamous, Altitude. Most impressive was its ability to still let the system breathe and not remove its natural sound which is very accurate and warm anyway, probably more important to listeners in hi-fi systems than in a cinematic scenario.

Projectors – Optoma & Sony

Optoma have released some 4K UHD capable DLP projectors, the UHD-60 is available now for £2498, its larger sibling the UHD-65 will be available later in the year and will sport a better contrast ratio. While not a native 4K chip, our experiences with “faux 4K” on projectors have overall been positive, most outperforming the native 4K Sony’s these days on both specification and performance so we look forward to seeing it in action. Speaking of Sony, they will launch a replacement for the VPL-VW320es next month. After a couple of years of small upgrades, we are hoping for something significant. Time will tell.

TV – LOEWE & Panasonic OLED

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve had more flat screen TV’s than I care to mention, something like 13 in 12 years. With the advent of OLED technology and the price of these screens tumbling it was finally time to move to the more innovative technology of OLED at home. Traditional LED TV’s have been developed now to the point that they are actually very good, the recent Panasonic 902 being a notable highlight. Unfortunately, the technology was never designed to hold a moving image, let alone be a TV set. The re-purposing of this technology (mostly it seems based on low energy consumption and cheap build costs) has some legacy effects in terms of being able to light the LED TV panel evenly, and marks in the image known as DSE (Dirty Screen Effect) on motion with a consistent colored background (skiing and football being the worst culprits) plagued LED sets and seemed to be part of the manufacturing process. In recent years efforts have been made to use dimmable zones to control the light on LED sets which in most manufacturers screens have produced more consistent, blacker images, but when you are already starting from poor, these improvements put in context seems less impressive. Dimmable zones produced another problem of haloing, where light and dark scenes are adjacent on the screen the screen lights the whole “zone” creating a light halo, again not great. Plasma screens were the answer for some considerable period, providing great consistency, but as the resolutions got higher so did the energy consumption and at the dawn of the age of 4K, plasma was extinct. OLED was somewhat a whisper of a promise for many years, Sony produced the very first OLED screen which you could go into a shop and buy, but only LG committed to it and bet that it would be the display technology of the future. Years of high panel failure rates off the production line along with a major accident killing staff on the OLED production line failed to dampen their commitment to the point now where LG are the only producer of OLED panel technology for TV sets in the world. Reliability has soared and prices have come down, effectively leaving us with a massive leap in picture quality from both LED and Plasma, truly the display technology of the next age. Some discussion still rages about the perceived limit of the brightness of OLED compared to LED sets, which in the most part is true. In my view, it depends on the purposing of the monitor and in the real world, side by side there is no doubt in my mind that OLED is a considerable leap forward in consistency and quality. While we can sell all the current OLED sets including LG and Sony, we have LOEWE and Panasonic sets on display in our showroom and are happy to answer any questions.

Speakers – Piega

Our Piega Classic speakers have been running in the demonstration area for a few weeks now and are really starting to shine. For AV use I have always loved what is possible from ribbon tweeters and the Piega sports one of the best on the market. If you are in the market for a larger speaker I would seriously consider them. They have garnered some great reviews over the past few months and make some very impressive higher end offerings for Hi-Fi enthusiasts and cinema buffs alike. We can offer demonstrations of these models by appointment should anyone be interested.