Introduction The Onkyo DV-C600 is a six-disc CD and DVD changer. Yes, a DVD changer. This multi-featured unit is priced near the middle of its competition: $579.95. Now, if you had a similar reaction to mine, when I was told that I'd be reviewing a DVD changer, you might be thinking: why would I ever want to load six DVDs? I just want to slide a movie in and watch it beginning to end. Well, read on for the pros and cons of this machine. With DTS discs becoming more common, it's important for your player to be DTS compatible. The DV-C600 is DTS ready. (Of course, your receiver must be able to decode DTS. ) The unit also supplies you with advanced ten-bit 27 MHz video D/A conversion (which gives you four times the accuracy of conventional eight-bit, 13. 5 MHz players); gold plated component video output for use with digital TVs; gold ...

Introduction The Outlaw Audio Model 750 is the first product from a new and different audio company. Outlaw Audio products can only be bought from the manufacturer, eliminating distributors, dealers and their associated mark-ups. This allows the Model 750 to sell for the competitive price of $1,099. With the Model 750, you get a lot for your money. The 750 provides 165 watts in each of its five channels. A 1.5kVA toroidal transformer feeds the individual channel power supplies. The power supplies for each channel are isolated and contain two secondary windings, 20,000 microfarads capacitance, six discrete output devices and large heatsinks, eliminating the need for a noisy fan. The front panel has a button for power and the Outlaw Audio logo. The rear panel has five sets of inputs of unbalanced inputs and five-way binding posts, a captive power cord and a 12-volt trigger input to automatically power up the unit. The Sound The Model 750 did not ...

Introduction This five-channel receiver has heavyweight features at the lightweight price of $529. That's right, just $529, which includes Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic and a whole lot more. Discrete 5.1 processing is just the beginning for the TX-DS575. Starting from the ground up, all of the unit's technology is housed in a black solid-steel chassis with ribbed side panels to resist vibrations and is finished by a brushed aluminum black face plate. Moving inside, we find the power amplifier section which delivers 70W (minimum) of continuous RMS power to each of the five channels at eight ohms, from 20 Hz to 20kHz, with no more than 0.08% THD. The power section also utilizes Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT) that, in the past, has been reserved for Onkyo's high-end amplifiers. In short, WRAT technology uses non-fluctuating ground potential through low-negative-feedback topology. (Oh sure, easy for me to say.) Translation: WRAT helps accurately reproduce present ...

Streaming audio over the Internet is a reality primarily due to developers like RealNetworks and Liquid Audio. To hear such audio content (or downloaded files), digital players (plug-ins) are stored in your hard drive. In most cases, you need a dedicated player for each type of encoded file. However, in the pursuit for a less chaotic Internet, Liquid Audio provides a plug-in for their G2 player that handles Real Audio files. To make matters worse these are not the only music files that can be found. For each type of proprietary sound file, there is an exclusive player and, so, the compatibility dance continues. Aside from this hodgepodge of incompatible formats, there is the bigger concern over the quality of available material. Not just the content itself but the actual sound reproduction. Audio files are heavily compressed, often limiting bandwidth and ...

Introduction The TX-SV636 is a $799 Dolby Pro Logic receiver from one of Japan's leading high performance, low cost electronics manufacturers, Onkyo. It competes in one of the most competitive and significant niches in all of consumer electronics: the low cost receiver market. The average consumer may find $799 a hefty, but not insurmountable investment for a home theater control center, yet the performance of this receiver may very well determine if a consumer is going invest additional funds to develop their system into a world class, state of the art home theater system with all of the latest bells and whistles. The basic design of the TX-SV636's front panel is attractive and the usual assortment of buttons and knobs you'd expect to find on an all-in-one product are laid out in a logical manner. The LCD window is large enough for comfortable viewing of adjustments and selections from across the room. Also, most ...