Home//Home Cinema Choice/Summer 2023/In This Issue
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023WelcomeIf looks could kill, the speakers on our front cover would be locked up in jail. KEF's new R Series Meta models (p42) have extraordinary style to go with their extraordinary sound, which is exactly how it should be considering their premium price. Now that flatscreen TVs have taken the ultra-discreet concept to another level, and most soundbars follow a tried and trusted slim 'n' black approach, it's handy that your choice of loudspeaker can add visual flair to your AV system. The alternative, of course, is to hide them all completely, something common in the world of custom installation. Our Dream Theatre this issue (p34) runs four subwoofers and thirteen speakers, but you can't see any of them. It's just you and the wall-filling projector screen, plus some very…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Mini LED flagshipTCL C84➜ www.tcl.com Available soon in 55in, 65in, 75in and 85in screen sizes (prices TBC), TCL's C84 TVs are the company's range-topping Mini LED models for 2023. First to market with the display technology in 2019, TCL continues to fine-tune both its panel and software, resulting in its new sets claiming 2,000-nit brightness peaks from backlights utilising up to around 900 dimming zones. All four models feature Google TV smarts, HDMI 2.1 connections, multi-HDR playback and 240Hz 'Game Accelerator' mode.…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023At the 'plex…Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Jun 2: Miles Morales is up to his neck in multiversal shenanigans in this sequel to 2018's Oscarwinning ...Into the Spider-Verse – and his problems are so big the story has been cut in half, with Part 2 hitting cinemas next March. The Flash Jun 16: Beaten to theatres by a wave of rave reactions following industry screenings, DC's superhero spectacular sees Michael Keaton return to the role of Batman as he aids Ezra Miller's Flash after the speedster messes up the time-stream. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Jun 28: James Mangold, rather than Steven Spielberg, directs Harrison Ford's fifth and final bigscreen outing for the whip-wielding, Nazi-punching archaeologist.…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Bravia CoreTech Talk #19 While the recent explosion in the number of competing streaming services has contributed to the more widespread appearance of such key AV features as 4K, high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos, many film fans still turn to 4K Blu-ray discs for the ultimate home cinema experience. Streaming services, after all, typically apply heavy video compression to get 4K HDR into 15-25Mbps bitstreams (and deliver a consistent experience across a wide range of household broadband capabilities). 4K Blu-rays can deliver far less compressed video using bitrates up to 100Mbps. Cue Sony's unique Bravia Core service. Exclusively available on Sony TVs (and Experia phones), Bravia Core's unique selling point is that it uses proprietary 'Pure Stream' technology to support streaming rates of up to 80Mbps. On paper, at least,…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Enter to WIN! a Denon AVR-X2800HDENON AVR-X2800H THIS ISSUE WE'VE joined forces with Denon to give away the audio specialist's AVR-X2800H, its latest high-performance AV receiver packed with features including HEOS multiroom, HDMI 2.1 connectivity and voice control. Worth £869, it could be yours for free! Seventh heaven The 2023 successor model to the HCC Best Buy awarded AVR-X2700H (see HCC #320), the AVR-X2800H is Denon's flagship seven-channel amplifier, supporting both 7.1 and 5.1.2 speaker setups and making it ready for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks from discs and streaming. Rated at 7 x95W/8ohm from its discrete high-current amp stage, the receiver carries the Audyssey MultEQ XT calibration software (and comes supplied with a measurement microphone) to ensure the best possible performance from your chosen loudspeaker package in your movie den. There's also support for…2 min
See Also
Best Labor Day Sales: All the Top Deals You Can Still Score From Amazon, Best Buy and MoreBest Labor Day Sales: 120+ Top Discounts to Get Right Now From Amazon, Best Buy, and Others [CNET]Best Labor Day Sales: All the Top Deals You Can Still Score From Amazon, Best Buy and MoreThe Guardian from London, Greater London, EnglandHome Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Soundbar stunnerStarships have never sounded quite so solid. Thudding in and out of warp, which happens a lot in season three of Star Trek: Picard, I feel as if my room is being dragged along in their wake. The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus system before me is to blame. This soundbar/sub combi doesn't just drop deep, it slams so hard and fast bass becomes tangible. I sit on my sofa, like a Starfleet Captain commanding from the bridge, feeling suitably buffeted. Fears that the new, slimmer Ambeo Soundbar Plus would be a pale imitation of its bigger brother, now known as the Soundbar Max, are quickly dispelled. The original Ambeo Soundbar (reviewed HCC #302) still sets a high benchmark when it comes to replicating the home theatre experience from an all-in-one system,…6 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023GoldenEar Forcefield 30ONE OF TWO new subwoofers launched by American manufacturer GoldenEar, the Forcefield 30 slots into its lineup to replace the venerable Forcefield 3 and is aimed at buyers seeking a compact bassmaker that's a cut above the budget competition – although its price tag of £799 still puts it on the right side of affordable. Measuring 29x32x40cm (whd) it certainly hits the brief of being small and easy to accommodate used to the brand's designs coming from somewhere out of leftfield. (its also-new sister model, the £999 Forcefield 40, is somewhat larger). It looks cute too. Sure, the aesthetic is a little unusual, with a curve to the top of the chassis borrowed from the design of GoldenEar's BRX loudspeakers (HCC #336), but I've grown Inside the sub are a…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Sky StreamSPECIFICATIONS CONNECTIONS: 1 xHDMI output; RF aerial; Ethernet KEY APPS: Netflix; Prime Video; Disney+; Apple TV+; Paramount+; BBC iPlayer; ITVX; YouTube; Spotify; Amazon Music; BBC Sounds AUDIO FORMAT SUPPORT: Dolby Digital Plus (incl. Dolby Atmos) VIDEO FORMAT SUPPORT: Up to 4K HDR DIMENSIONS: 18(h) x 108(w) x 108(d)mm WEIGHT: N/A FEATURES: Integrated Wi-Fi; Playlist; Watch from Start function; voice operation via supplied remote control; Whole Home (multiroom) support SKY STREAM IS increasingly looking like a game-changer in the world of pay TV. This diminutive device delivers the latest movies and premium shows from the Sky stable straight to your living room via broadband, in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos. No messy cables or satellite dishes are required. As its heart is the latest iteration of the Sky Entertainment OS, meaning…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Digital CopyREAD THE SPECIFICATION of any powered bit of audio hardware and you'll come across an amplification figure in watts. And often these numbers appear chosen to wow any potential buyer, rather than give an accurate indication of the engineering behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to affordable soundbar systems that can be marketed as offering more grunt than many a high-end power amp. However, I'm not here to dig over those particular coals, as I expect HCC readers are used to taking them with a pinch of salt. But something about the specification of Denon's new AVC-A1H amplifier, reviewed in HCC #340, caught my eye. Here's a fifteen-channel design quoting a uniform 150W into each channel. Denon, to its credit, offers a sensible measurement figure, qualifying that 150W claim…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023FeedbackHave I reached peak PQ? Hi. I was wondering at what point do you know you have reached the best picture from your TV? Do I have the best 4K player now or has the TV reached its limit? Or have the 4K player or streaming services got more to give. It would be great if your TV said how well it's performing with the content it receives... On another note I noticed the News x10 page made one rare comeback in a recent issue but disappeared again. Could we have more news please? I love hearing and reading about what's happening out there with home tech and content. Thanks for a great read but can be made even better. Dean Smith LETTERS John Archer replies: Your first point is…10 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Familiar but still funPLANE Heavily damaged in a storm, a commercial fl ight from Singapore to Honolulu on New Year's Eve is forced to make an emergency landing on a war-torn island in the Philippines. Thankfully, the fact that he's played by Gerard Butler ensures former-RAF-aviatorturned- airline-pilot Brodie Torrance isn't the kind of man to let his passengers be taken hostage by the local militia without doing something about it… Every bit as bread-and-butter a movie as its title suggests, Plane flies through familiar disaster/action/ thriller tropes without a hint of irony or originality. However, while not groundbreaking, it is an enjoyable, tightly-paced piece of fi lmmaking benefi ting from solid direction from Jean-François Richet and some strong performances from its two leads. Gerard Butler proves as dependable a bigscreen hero as ever,…4 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Arcade ActionStar Wars Jedi: Survivor Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts ➜ PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC ➜ £69.99 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order brimmed with originality and was markedly different to many other games in the franchise. Now Respawn is back with a sequel, and while the sense of wonder is more muted this time around, ...Survivor is bigger and better. You again play as Cal Kestis, one of the few remaining Jedi after the Order 66 cull wiped out the vast majority. Thanks to discovering his backstory in the first game, you begin with a more fleshed-out move and skill set, and a clearer initial goal. The action starts on Coruscant as your rebellion group takes on the Empire, but things soon swerve, with a new villain becoming apparent and different…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Samurai with six-shooters➜THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN This remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai hardly needs any introduction, but for those unfamiliar with the plot, it involves a Mexican village hiring seven gunslingers to protect them from a marauding gang of bandits led by Eli Wallach. Ably directed by John Sturges, this hugely entertaining Western proved a massive hit in 1960, and made Steve McQueen a household name. The rest of the cast is equally impressive, with Yul Brynner, Robert Vaughan, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz rounding out the titular seven – with the last two names coming in very handy during pub quizzes. Elmer Bernstein's Oscar-nominated score completes one of the last great traditional American Westerns, before Sergio Leone changed everything. Picture: Presented in its correct 2.35:1 theatrical aspect…2 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023CONTRIBUTORSJohn Archer: The experienced TV tester cut his teeth as an early HCC staffer Jon Thompson: Film producer and post-production expert delves into Hollywood and AV Steve May: HCC’s former Ed. is one of the UK’s most respected AV journos Anton van Beek: Our avid movie watcher and disc collector cut his teeth on Total DVD Richard Stevenson: Former Editor of the UK CE trade journal ERT Ed Selley: Audiophile Ed mixes his home cinema passion with a love of vinyl Steve Withers: Movie fan, display calibrator and object-based audio obsessive…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Playlist...Raiders of the Lost Ark With Indiana Jones' swan-song in cinemas soon (see p10) it's time to spin the stunning 4K release of his first – and best – adventure. Project Wolf Hunting Con Air meets Friday the 13th Part VIII in this blood-drenched South Korean action-horror hybrid, out now on Blu-ray. Justice League x RWBY… Part One A must-see BD for fans of the pop culture giants – and plenty of fastpaced 'toon fun for everyone else. Training Day With its vastly improved 4K visuals and Atmos remix, this UHD upgrade of the Denzel Washington crime thriller doesn't disappoint. D-Tox 88 Films delivers a feature-packed BD outing for this underrated 2002 thriller pitting Sly Stallone against a cop-killing psycho.…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Technics embraces HDMI ARCJoining Technics' 'Grand' line of components, the SU-GX70 integrated stereo amplifier is the Japanese maker's first to include an HDMI ARC connection for simplified use with a TV. Claiming 2x40W per channel from its version of Technics' JENO Engine Class D technology, the amp packs other mod-cons including high-res audio playback from a wide selection of online streaming platforms via Chromecast; network audio and internet radio; and MQA support. For wired sources there are optical, coaxial and USB-A/USB-B digital inputs, plus analogue inputs including a moving magnet phono stage. For an optimised performance, the SU-GX70's amp modules are fed by a separate PSU to the rest of the circuitry; Pure Amplification Mode shuts down the network and HDMI stages. Technics' 'Space Tune' calibration system tackles speaker placement. Finish options are…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Beeb monitor reborn againThe LS3/5A, designed by the BBC engineering department in the 1970s as a studio monitor, continues to live on under license to commercial brands, and Musical Fidelity is the latest to offer its take. Priced £2,339, its LS3/5A sports the classic sealed birch plywood cabinet design (finished here in a Palisander veneer), with a 4.5in cone mid/bass driver and 19mm dome tweeter. Musical Fidelity says buyers shouldn’t be ‘fooled’ by the size (‘the speaker surprises with a lot of low-end information'). Completing the old-school vibe are push-fit black foam grilles. The LS3/5A is joined by a new LS5/9 (£4,099), a larger Beeb-derived model with a ported cabinet and an 8.25in mid/bass driver. www.musicalfidelity.com BBC beaut: Musical Fidelity's LS3/5A…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Raising the 'barLoewe Klang Bar3 mr➜www.loewe.tv Out of the box, Loewe's new £999 Klang Bar3 mr is a single-chassis soundbar claiming a 3.1-channel delivery (with Atmos processing) via nine drivers. But the German marque doesn't want you to stop there – not only can this slender 'bar be partnered with Loewe's wireless Klang speakers for a discrete 5.1 soundfield, its onboard processing and multichannel outputs enable use with any flavour of active loudspeaker/sub. Bolstering this unusual level of versatility is the Bar3 mr's trio of HDMI connections and multiroom functionality via DTS Play-Fi, Chromecast and AirPlay.…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Taking AV to the high seasTHE WALLYWHY200 IS my kind of yacht. It's not, by strict definition, a superyacht (which is a category of size), but in 200-gross tonne volume terms it's as near as dammit and the design is suitably futuristic. It's surprisingly wide, and there's a lot of glass, which affords spectacular panoramic views and plenty of natural light. Teak decking extends to the aft beach club, where a hydraulic bathing platform allows easy access to the sea. The generous upper deck is domed in glass and carbon fibre, while a central staircase descends from the VIP suite to the guest cabins below, skewering the ship. We'll come back to this staircase later… The Wallywhy200 is dubbed a 'spaceship,' because it does indeed offer a phenomenal amount of space for a yacht. And…5 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Dimension jumpDREAM THEATRE/CINEMA-ROOMS.CO.UK KIT CHECKLIST SONY: VPL-VW590ES native 4K HR projector CINEMA BUILD SYSTEMS: 3.3m-wide (149in diagonal) Ultimate projector screen DENON: AVC-A110 13-channel AV amplifier ARTCOUSTIC: 3 xSpitfire 6-3 (LCR); 6 xSL Target (surround); 4 xSL Architect 2-1 (height); 2 xSub 3 subwoofers; 2 xSub 4 subwoofers; 2 xCPH-1000D subwoofer amplifiers OPPO: UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player SKY: Sky Q set-top box SONY: Sony PlayStation 5 APPLE: Apple TV 4K ZAPPITI: Neo media player; NAS 4K HDR SE GUDE: Power conditioner RAKO: Smart lighting FRONT ROW SEATING: Serenity cinema chairs ALL IT TOOK was the release of a new Avatar film to have the owner of this movie den on the phone to Essex-based installers Cinema Rooms. A fan of 3D movies and a 'real home cinema enthusiast', he had decided…2 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Entering KEF's MetaverseKEF's Uni-Q driver has been a staple of its loudspeakers since 1988, undergoing various refinements over the years to the point that we're now at its 12th generation. However, not every overhaul has led the audio marque to shout about it in its speaker names, which is what it's doing with the R Series Meta. KEF's mid-range line of loudspeakers, above its Q Series and below the Reference (and fancy Blade hi-fi models), the R Series is the latest to receive the company's 'Meta' technology. First debuted on the LS50 Meta bookshelf speaker, and more recently added to the Reference and Blade, this is an invisible upgrade to its Uni-Q driver, but one it's claimed makes a serious difference. Two become one First, however, for those unfamiliar with KEF speakers,…9 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Onkyo picks up where it left offHIGHLY RECOMMENDED The TX-NR6100 has a feature list that appears designed to cover every base anyone buying a £799 AV receiver could wish for, from Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding through to an MM phono input and DAB. But, really, I wouldn't expect anything less from Onkyo. AV enthusiasts of a certain vintage will have fond memories of the Japanese marque, as it really seemed to grab hold of the AV receiver market in the 1990s and 2000s courtesy of a series of models that introduced ideas and formats – such as THX certification and Dolby TrueHD decoding – before you knew you even wanted them. Added to this, the price points of its AVRs, from budget to flagship, were always attractive. At the end of the 2010s, however, the…9 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Revamped beamer worth waiting forIt's been quiet on the projector front of late. Brands don't seem to be updating their ranges as often as they used to – or else the updates are so small they're barely worth talking about. Yet while BenQ has taken four years to replace its highly regarded W2700i home cinema PJ, the new W2710i tested here is definitely not a small upgrade. First off, it claims more brightness than its predecessor, 2,200 Lumens versus 2,000. Its 'HDR-Pro' system also adds compatibility with the dynamic HDR10+ format to the HDR10 and HLG HDR talents of the W2700 (HCC #299), and introduces a Local Contrast Enhancer that constantly analyses and independently tweaks the imaging histogram of more than 1,000 separate picture 'blocks'. Thanks to this mix of increased brightness and enhanced…8 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023JBL Tour One M2SUMPTUOUSLY FINISHED, WITH generously cushioned ear pads, this update of JBL's Tour One over-ear noise-cancellers might well be the comfiest pair of headphones I've donned this year. They're also agreeably specified, running Bluetooth 5.3 LE and sporting Active Noise Cancelling that automatically adjusts to your environment, eliminating distractions as best it can. The design is understated for JBL, even in the silver option (there's also black), but I like the minimalism. The cups pivot, so they're easy to stow. The right has a power/pairing switch and volume rocker, and is touchsensitive for simple playback control or voice (Alexa/Google). The left has a customisable button for ANC and related modes. Battery life is up there with the best: around 30 hours with ANC activated (50 if you turn it off), and…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023The Hi-Fi Guy'THE PRICE OF [insert item here] is ridiculous!' is a theme of a fair bit of recent correspondence I've had. And do you know what? It's not unfair either. At a point where the price of everything has increased, the rises on some AV and hi-fi kit have been especially vertiginous. Why am I not calling for heads on poles? First things first, we need to separate one kind of price disparity from the others. If you are looking at buying something from a US company and comparing the dollar price against the sterling one with a mounting sense of fury, you need to take a few things into account. The price of an object imported from abroad, displaying VAT from the outset, is not going to be the same…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023WIN! Great Blu-rays up for grabs...Cocaine Bear 4K A bear goes on a drug-fuelled rampage in the ludicrously entertaining action-comedy Cocaine Bear, now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD – with the ‘Maximum Rampage Edition’ UHD and Blu-ray™ discs loaded with a commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes and alternate ending. Thanks to Mediumrare Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment we have three copies of the Cocaine Bear: Maximum Rampage Edition 4K BD to be won! Question: Director Elizabeth Banks previously helmed a bigscreen update of which TV series? Answer: A) Charlie's Angels B) Baywatch C) The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Ip Man: The Awakening The sixth instalment in the action-packed movie saga based on the life of the legendary Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man: The Awakening is available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital…2 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Apocalypse… now?➜ KNOCK AT THE CABIN This new psychological horror from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) ditches his stock-in-trade twist and instead hinges on a single question: would you be willing to sacrifice one member of your family to save all of humanity? It's a poser faced by two vacationing fathers, and their seven-year-old daughter, when their remote holiday cabin is invaded by four armed strangers. They inform them that the apocalypse is nigh and the only way to stop it is for the family of three to kill one of their own. Shyamalan's best movie in a very long time, Knock at the Cabin's story doesn't quite hold together under close scrutiny, but any flaws are papered over by its sustained thrills, Dave Bautista's brilliantly nuanced performance…2 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023War is hell, dontcha know?➜ ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Director Edward Berger’s WWI epic is the third screen version of German author Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 bestseller All Quiet on the Western Front. This means it naturally struggles to escape the shadow of Lewis Milestone's outstanding 1930 Hollywood adaptation, but demonstrates that the story’s trenchant plea for pacifism still packs a wallop today. And what this award-winning 2022 take lacks in character development, it makes up for with its technical craftsmanship and harrowing (and extremely visceral) depiction of the horrors of war. Powerful stuff, indeed. Picture: Shot at 6.5K and 4K resolutions using Arri Alexa 65 and Mini LF digital cameras, and finished as a 4K DI, All Quiet on the Western Front makes its transition from streaming hit to Ultra HD…2 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Apple's actioner tastes... okay➜ GHOSTED This low-alcohol spritz of a spy movie gender-swaps traditional action movie roles, making Ana de Armas the secret agent, Sadie Rhodes, and chunky Chris Evans her love interest, Cole Turner. Armas has no problem at all convincing she can kick ass – reprising the impressive physicality that made her turn as Paloma in No Time to Die so memorable – but Evans, as a nerdy, flower-loving farmer, is more of a stretch. Apple has taken no chances with Ghosted, its first action movie film project. It leans heavily into the Netflix Red Notice glam-action playbook, and feels like a graphic novel adaptation, even though it's not. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writing team behind the Deadpool series, lace the script with a litany of one liners, and…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023GEAR GUIDETOP 15 Televisions 01 LG OLED65G3 ➜ £3,500 ★★★★★ NEW ENTRY The brightness-boosting ‘Micro Lens Array’ panel of LG's G3 TV takes OLED performance to new heights. Stunning HDR and a specification list that will delight home cinema fans and gamers alike make this worth the premium price tag. HCC #341 TOP 5 New releases Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical Brilliant bigscreen adaptation of the stage musical based on Roald Dahl’s beloved 1988 book. Sony's BD offers an immaculate picture, boisterous sonics and almost no extras. HCC #340 ★★★★☆ The Banshees of Inisherin Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson’s feuding friends spark laughter and tears in Martin 'In Bruges' McDonagh's awardwinning Irish fable. Strikinglooking BD release skimps a bit on the bonus bits. HCC #339 ★★★★☆ Puss in Boots: The Last…20 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023AV AvengerTHE LIONESS DOESN'T appear to be very happy. Her tail is twitching. The night vision camera doesn't reveal anything in particular, just big cat eyes glowing like moons in the darkness of the South African reserve. 'Why is she swishing her tail?' I ask the ranger. 'Is she annoyed?' 'No,' replies my guide. 'She's just swatting away the flies.' 'That's okay then,' I reply, relieved. I swig a Cape Dry gin and tonic and continue to pick at my sushi. I'm in the office of WildEarth, enjoying a virtual private safari. WildEarth has just launched on Samsung TV Plus, the TV brand's bouquet of IP-delivered TV channels. The channel provides 24/7 coverage from safaris, live as they happen. It's one of many FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) services which have sprung…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Sony unveils new AVRIs the UK receiver market hotting up? Not long after the reappearance of AVRs from Pioneer and Onkyo (see p54) on these shores, Sony has announced its first new model in over four years. The TA-AN1000 is a 7.2-channel (7x120W) design, and builds upon the company's Spatial Sound Mapping technology, previously featured in its soundbar/all-in-one systems. Selling for £999, the amp becomes Sony's flagship in the UK, replacing the STR-DN1080 (although higher-spec models, such as the 13-channel STR-AZ7000ES, are available in other territories). Interoperability with other Sony hardware is high on the TA-AN1000's spec list. The HDMI stage (6x inputs, 2x outputs) is au fait with the Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode of the company's PlayStation 5 console, in addition to 4K/120fps video and variable refresh…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Magnetar doubles downChinese Blu-ray player manufacturer Magnetar, which first entered the consumer market with its UDP800 universal disc spinner (HCC #340), has upped its ambition with a new 'reference-grade' model. The price? £2,699... Noticeably beefier than its stablemate, the UDP900 again marries Ultra HD Blu-ray playback with an audiophile approach to music delivery, but gains new features and a more advanced, performance-boosting construction. The two-tone design of the UDP800 has been replaced by a checkerboard finish made achievable by this 15.5kg unit's taller chassis. The internal layout is divided, with metal casing to shield critical audio and video circuits from electromagnetic interference, while the aluminium construction includes duallayering for resonance control. A new six-layer PCB design doubles the LDO (linear, low drop-out) power supply processing of the UDP800. Connectivity has been expanded…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Now, that's a speaker...If you have been looking for new front speakers but feel that most options are a little… boxy (and you happen to have £33,000 burning a hole in your back pocket), the Operly Intelligence III could be exactly what you need. Unlike the majority of loudspeakers on sale today, Operly's model is a horn-loaded design using a single driver to generate a full bandwidth signal – in this case rated by the German manufacturer at 41Hz to 17.5kHz. This driver is bespoke and uses a short, small diameter voice coil with a high gap, achieving, says Operly, uniformity of the magnetic field to ensure it's efficient. The use of a single driver also means there is no requirement for a crossover, allowing the speaker's signal path to be kept as…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Ride the lightningShazam! Fury of the Gods Warner Bros➜4K Blu-ray While its superhero star might not be as well known as Batman or Superman, Shazam! proved to be one of the bright spots of the soonto-end, current incarnation of the DC Extended Universe when it was released in 2019. Hoping that lightning will strike twice, this sequel flick comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 5, where its Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos presentation will be joined by a commentary from director David F. Sandberg, featurettes, deleted scenes and VFX breakdowns.…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Living the American 4K dreamPLAYBACK EXTRA THE 2016 LAUNCH of the Ultra HD Blu-ray format was a boon for home cinema enthusiasts for multiple AV-related reasons – and it also led to the abandoning of region-coding on (nearly all) releases. No longer do UK film fanatics have to look with envy as Hollywood studios and boutique labels like Shout Factory, Vinegar Syndrome and Kino Lorber bring out a growing number of films on discs that will never appear over here. Instead, providing you are happy to pay a few extra pounds over the typical RRP of a UK release, you can order them from online sites (even Amazon) safe in the knowledge that US 4K platters will happily play on your system. You might still want a multi-region Blu-ray deck to enjoy bonus features…14 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Alive and kickingDREAM THEATRE/WWW.SENSIBLE.GG KIT CHECKLIST SIM2: Crystal 4 SH 4K HDR laser projector SCREEN RESEARCH: 110in lateral 'E-Mask' projector screen with Ultimate Clearpix fabric ANTHEM: MRX 1140 AV receiver PARADIGM: 3 xCI Pro P3 LCR (LCR channels); 4 xCI Pro P1 LCR (surrounds); 4 xCI Pro P80-R (height); 2 xDefiance X10 subwoofers FORTRESS SEATING: 5 xNova seats in Corinne Pomegranate, each with Buttkicker haptic transducers KALEIDESCAPE: Strato 4K movie player SKY: Sky Q set-top box SONY: UBP-X800M2 Ultra HD Blu-ray player APPLE: Apple TV 4K LUTRON: Homeworks QSX lighting and blinds/ curtains control STARSCAPE: Star ceiling OVER TO GUERNSEY for this home cinema completed by Sensible Technology as part of a whole home project. A relatively compact space, measuring 3.8m x 5.6m and with a low ceiling, it required pre-planning from…2 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Fine-tuned Sony OLED TV beguilesWith excitement this year focused on the battle between second-gen Quantum Dot OLED technology, LG's new Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology, and the latest innovations in Mini LED displays, it can feel as if 'traditional' OLED TVs such as Sony's XR-65A80L are struggling to make their voices heard. After all, here's an OLED telly that doesn't implement the new-fangled MLA technology, and Sony's secondgeneration Quantum Dot OLED screens will only arrive later this year in the form of its A95L series. In fact, the 65A80L – also sold under A83L and A84L variants at specific retailers – doesn't even pack a heat sink to help it deliver more brightness. It does feature heat-mapping software to optimise how its OLED panel distributes power (and thus light), and my tests found the…8 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Spot the differenceHAPPY HOLIDAY? A family vacation goes seriously awry in Knock at the Cabin, p89 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AV INFO PRODUCT: 4K HDR OLED TV with Evo panel POSITION: LG's mid-range OLED series for 2023, below the new MLA-equipped G3 TVs PEERS: Sony XR-65A80L; Panasonic TX-65LZ1500 FOR YEARS NOW the combination of value, features and performance offered by LG's mid-range C Series TVs has seen them dominate the OLED market. Yet this year's OLED65C3 arguably doesn't have quite the same allure. Why? Well, the introduction of Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology to LG's step-up G3 OLEDs (z #341) has transformed our OLED expectations, but the C3 lineup is an MLA-free zone. Also, perhaps because LG has been focusing so hard this year on the G3 models, the OLED65C3 only delivers – on…6 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Totem Acoustic Bison MonitorSPECIFICATIONS DRIVERS: 1 x33mm textile dome tweeter; 1 x5in bass/mid ENCLOSURE: Rear-ported bass reflex FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 40Hz-29.5kHz (+/-3dB) SENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 87dB IMPEDANCE (CLAIMED): 8ohm (nominal) POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 150W DIMENSIONS: 333(h)x 171(w) x 243(d)mm WEIGHT: 5kg FEATURES: White Oak, Satin White and Black Ash finishes; magnetic grilles supplied; Variable Density Fibreboard (VDF) cabinet construction FOUNDED IN THE mid-'80s in Montreal, Canada, Totem Acoustic's product catalogue has grown from a single loudspeaker model to a far wider range encompassing architectural/ custom install speakers, soundbars, wireless active designs and various conventional cabinet models. Its Bison Monitor, launched later last year, is one of the latter. Outwardly, this 33cm-high bookshelf appears supremely simple, with a standardlooking two-way driver array of dome tweeter and bass/mid unit. The styling is also decidedly unflashy. However,…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023PS Audio DirectStream DAC MK2IMAGINE YOU'VE EXHAUSTED all avenues of home cinema upgrades and want to start bringing your system's music replay really up to scratch. One place to start – unless you only listen to vinyl – is with an outboard DAC. PS Audio's DirectStream DAC MK2 is – as price implies – avery high-end design. There's no off-the-shelf DAC chip here, as the US company instead utilises its own custom code on an FPGA, which gives the device the potential for extensive upgrades. It also has PS Audio's 430mm chassis is available in black or silver connectivity that may be unfamiliar, including AES and I 2S/HDMI for pairing with PS Audio's SACD deck. But even if you swerve these, the USB-B and optical/coax inputs will suit your PC, network player or CD…1 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023In The MixI'VE JUST READ that cassette tapes have seen an increase in sales. This surprised me as I didn't even know you could buy them anymore, but I was wrong: over 195,000 were purchased in 2022 – up 5.2 per cent in a year. After wondering what hardware people are using to play cassettes, because decent tape decks have not been on sale since the mid-2000s, I've decided that people are likely just buying these things as collectibles, putting them on display unopened. This is something you certainly can't do when buying digital versions or streaming. Maybe members of Generation Z, like their Generation X parents, are into collecting stuff. And between are the millennials who used to be into 'experiences' over ownership, but are also getting in on the act.…3 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Is it a bird? Is it a plane?➜ SUPERMAN: 5-FILM COLLECTION 1978-1987 If there's one thing this UHD Blu-ray boxset for all 'five' Superman films starring Christopher Reeve reminds us, it's that never has a superhero franchise flown quite so high before crashing back to Earth with such an almighty wallop. Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman II (1981) are giants of the genre; two timeless, highly entertaining classics that work together as one extravagant comic book epic. 2006's Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is an intriguing curio, but little more due to its incomplete nature, terrible 'new' VFX and re-used ending. Superman III (1983) is where the rot sinks in, its handful of bright spots stranded in a dismal Richard Pryor comedy in which Supes is only a supporting player. But even that seems like…4 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Kung fu, corsets and creatures➜ BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF: DIRECTOR'S CUT A mind-boggling mix of 18th century period murder mystery, martial arts action, political allegory, romantic melodrama and grisly creature-feature, the 2001 French-language flick Brotherhood of the Wolf (aka Le Pacte des loups) is a cult fave. Filmmaker Christophe Gans takes the legend of the 'Beast of Gévaudan' and transforms it into a stylish cinematic rollercoaster ride, one whose surprising narrative twists and swashbuckling thrills come together seamlessly. C'est magnifique! Picture: For the best part of two decades the film has languished on visually sub-par DVD and Blu-ray releases, but now Gans' movie gets the treatment it deserves with a new restoration of the 151-minute 'Director's Cut'. Textural details abound in both facial close-ups and the sweeping landscapes that fill the 'Scope photography, and…5 min
Home Cinema Choice|Summer 2023Catalogue classicAT ITS BEST, Hollywood has always held up a mirror to 20th century America, reflecting the cultural and political changes the US was going through at any given time. Never was this more obvious than in the 1960s, when landmark events like the passing of the Civil Rights Act, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, the Vietnam War, the introduction of 'The Pill,' and the rise of the counterculture movement combined to have a radical impact on American cinema. The result was a run of groundbreaking films, including Mike Nichols' The Graduate (1967), Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (1968), George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider (1969) and Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool (1969). And right there, at the…6 min
