Page 11 - AV & Home Cinema

The Sony VPL-VW550ES represents a 'sweet spot' in Sony's lineup of excellent 4k Projectors; featuring outstanding specifications for the price.

4K has gained traction breaking into the domestic market, over the last couple of years, no doubt helped by the price of 4k TV sets dropping dramatically over 2014/2015. An increasing choice of genuine 4k sources has also bolstered adoption; UHD Blu-Ray delivers the highest domestic video quality yet, whilst Youtube & Vimeo both support 4k resolution.

The

The brand new Oppo UDP-205 takes the winning Oppo UDP-203 and revamps it with a host of enhancements, guaranteed to make audiophiles sit up and take notice.

Oppo has carved a niche for themselves making exceptionally well featured, high-performance products at a price point well below what one would expect. A great example was their UDP-203 4k DVD player; a machine which received universal praise for its excellent performance.

If you're in the market for a 4k resolution Blu-Ray player, an audiophile

Need a pair of bookshelf speakers on a budget? Looking to build your first 'proper' Hi-Fi system? Upgrading the clunkers which came bundled with your all-in-one system? Seeking a solid performer for a spare room?

If you answered 'Yes' to any of these, the answer is (and has been for over 30 years) The Wharfedale Diamond.

For today's Blog we'll be looking at the Wharfedale Diamond 225.

DIAMOND GEEZER

Introduced over 30 years ago, The Wharfedale Diamond range was, and still is, a speaker which punches

Heading to the Bristol Sound And Vision Hi-Fi show of 2017 was an exciting prospect knowing I would be able to see some of the latest and greatest of the hi-fi in the world and I was not left disappointed. Busier than last year and with a slew of new two channel products, it was an enjoyable way to spend a day and an exciting snippet of the products to come over 2017, many of which we've started to add into our new hi-fi section.

As always, the show organisers had gone the extra mile and this showed

One of the most hotly anticipated new AV products of 2016 is here. In fact, it landed just a few weeks before the year ended, so for all intents and purposes it's a brand new gift for the new year, and a true first for this particular brand.

Introducing our January 2017 Product of the Month:

The Oppo UDP-203 UHD 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player is the very first 4k Ultra HD disc player from AV maestros Oppo, and it has come at just the right time following the discontinuation of the (now much lamented)

It's been a good few years since soundbars rocked into our lives and proceeded to confuse everyone wondering what they were for, and how they were capable of doing what they were for. Now, they're pretty much a standard household item, with models suitable for every space, and every budget. But much like everything else in this industry, a low price certainly isn't the be-all-and-end-all. Quite the opposite in fact.

If you want the best, you have to pay for the best. It's the same with speakers,

A projector is the finishing touch for any bonefide home cinema set up. As the people responsible for capturing the images in the first instance improve their technology, the projectors that deliver those images to our eyes catch up shortly thereafter. Epson, as always, stand on the cutting edge of this particular industry, making the latest advancements commercially available.

Case and point:

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The Epson EH-TW9300W 4K-Enhancement Wireless FHD LCD Projector is the latest version of what was

Soundbars: the compact and convenient ways of bringing cinematic sound into your home, are very much here to stay, that much is certain. As much is evidenced by the fact that brands which made their mark a few years ago (when soundbars were still a new phenomenon) continuing to build on past successes.

Do you remember the Q Acoustics Media M4? It was a very early offering in the market that proved to have excellent longevity (it's still selling, and selling well, to this very day) and it was a roaring

We're all used to soundbars by now. Super compact home cinema, perfect for smaller spaces... or simply for those who don't want their living spaces cluttered up with cabinets and wires. The fact of the matter is, a decent soundbar will do the job... and do it very well. There are new innovations and new releases all the time (it's proven to be a popular venture) but there are a few firm favourites that keep hanging on.

Take, for instance: