Seven Home Theater System Suggestions – The public’s strong interest in home theater – especially this holiday season – is clearly demonstrated by PC World magazine this month running a feature article recommending seven different HT setups over a wide range of costs. (But remember, these suggestions take it for granted you already have your flat-screen HDTV display.)
No. 1 – Under $500: Sony Bravia Theater System DAV-HDX576WF Home-Theater-in-a-Box with DVD player: $400 street or Yamaha YHT-390BL HTiB: $350; Philips BDP7200 Blu-ray Player: $230
No. 2 – Under $750: (emphasis on the picture) Yamaha YHT-390BL HTiB: $350 & Philips BDP7200 Blu-ray Player: $230
No. 3 – Under $750: (emphasis on the sound) Denon DHT-589BA HTiB: $508 & Pioneer DV-410V-K DVD player: $95
No. 4 – Under $1000: Samsung HTS-BD2ST 7.1 Home Theater System with Blu-ray Player: $984
No. 5 – Under $1500: Onkyo HT-S9100THX HTiB: $900 & Sony PlayStation 3 (80GB) Blu-ray player/game console: $400
No. 6 – Under $2000: Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver: $350 & KEF KHT2005.2 speakers: $1199 & Samsung BD-2500 Blu-Ray player: $300
No. 7 – Under $3000: Yamaha RX-V863 amplifier: $900 & Klipsch RF-10 Home Theater System Speakers: $1450 & Denon DVD-1800BD Blu-ray player: $600
Conductor Richard Hickox Dies – Famed British conductor Richard Hickox, who made more than 280 recordings for the Chandos label, died last month of a suspected heart attack at age 60. Hickox excelled at British and choral music and was an international conductor. He had associations with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and was Musical Director of Opera Australia. Although his repertory ranged from baroque to contemporary music, he championed neglected works, bringing to light compositions of Alwyn, Arnold, Lennox, Bridge, Grainger, Ireland, Leighton, Sullivan, Tippett and many others. Chandos Managing Director Ralph Couzens reports, “Richard was wonderful to work with, he understood the whole process of recording, the limitations of acoustics and microphones, and the need to pace a recording…most importantly he always got the best out of people in the nicest possible way.”
GRAMMY Museum Features Many Multimedia Displays – The new GRAMMY Museum opens in Los Angeles this week and pro audio products play a key role in this collaboration between The Recording Academy and Anshutz Entertainment Group, which celebrates the legacies of music and its premier recognition thru the GRAMMY Awards. Some 30,000 square feet on four floors of interactive exhibits and multimedia presentations in this 21st-century museum will tell the story of music’s rich cultural history, and most of the units supplying gear are under the Harman International brand family. The museum is in the downtown LA sports, entertainment and residential district.
