Sometimes “good” isn't good enough. If it was, a certain A/V receiver would have been on many a home theater enthusiast's wish list for Christmas 2008. Instead of rushing to market with a product that just passed muster, Pioneer took a step back and worked on making a better component, one to spearhead its Elite A/V receiver lineup. The resulting Elite SC-27 was born after several years in development. Pioneer's marketing manager Dave Bales described it as a receiver designed by committee, with input from THX and certification from Air Studios in London. Good wasn't good enough, though, for the SC-27 - even after receiving certification from THX, Pioneer spent another year bettering the amp before introducing it to the market. When I spoke with Bales, he was clearly enthused and proud of the SC-27, and believes this second-generation ICE ...

Polk’s DSW Pro 600, the spiritual successor to the much beloved PSW 505 sub, is a powered subwoofer capable of working in both front-firing and down firing modes. The DSW Pro 600 is the most powerful sub in Polk’s DSW Pro line.  It sports a 12” woofer comprised of Composite Polypropylene Cones, and rubber, rather than foam surrounds.  The MDF constructed cabinet is heavily braced to ensure a minimum of cabinet boom, and the slot loaded port helps to eliminate unwanted air noises. A 250 watt continuous (500 watt peak) amplifier powers the Pro 600.  The DSW series uses what Polk refers to as an Intelligent Digital Amplifier, which cuts down on the amount of power used while operating at low volumes or in standby mode. The DSW Pro 600 also utilizes Feed Forward anti-distortion technology to help cut down on unwanted ...

The BDP-09FD is Pioneer’s highest offering in its Elite line of Blu-ray players.  Bonus View and (thanks to an April firmware update) BD Live compatible, the BDP-09FD has a wide variety of assets that are certain to attract Blu0-ray fanatics.  The BDP-09FD wasn’t constructed solely to appeal to movie buffs though, it also houses many of the same features as high end CD players. The BDP-09FD features three 16-bit video processors which help to keep the 10809/24 video crisp and smooth.  The dual HDMI 1.3 outputs offer support for 48-bit Deep Color, as well as X.V. color.  The Pioneer Developed 16-bit video processing LSI allows for 15 different video adjustments. Pioneer Elite’s BDP-09FD is capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus right out of the box, and a firmware update will enable DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio ...

Pioneer made a nice-sized splash at the 2009 CEDIA conference in Atlanta, touting several high-quality Blu-ray players with a slate of appealing hardware underneath the hood.  One of those players was the BDP-320 (released earlier this year), their second-tier model currently priced at $399.99 list.  With versatility and quality in mind with this 1080p/24, Profile 2.0 machine, it delivers a ravishing high-definition experience – though you’ll likely be waiting for prolonged gaps in between load times for the content to appear.  You’ll discover that it’s a player inadvertently designed for the patient once you’ve grown accustomed to some of its slights, and persistence will eventually pay off once this Pioneer gets on the move. Out of the Box:At first glance, the BDP-320 is a sleek unit with a very appealing aesthetic.  It’s pitch-black with a glossy sheen and somewhat prone ...

The Polk SurroundBar50 is the largest of the sound bars in Polk Audio’s SurroundBar series.  The 51” long shell holds a total of nine 3.5” drivers with composite cones and a trio of ¾” silk tweeters. The SurroundBar50 takes advantage of Polk’s Front and Rear Stereo Dimensional Array (SDA) Surround Sound technology.  Using SDA, Polk Audio’s surround sound bar line is able to create the illusion of sound coming from all angles, enabling a virtual surround sound experience.  Front SDA Stage Array uses a pair of drivers, in addition to the standard left and right sound channels, to expand the sound stage.  Rear SDA projects sound around the listener, and completes the 360 degree wrap around.While other sound bars do promise a similar experience, they tend to use the reflective surfaces of a room to bounce sound to the listener.  ...