Page 15 - AV & Home Cinema

Fancy upgrading your current AV to an Arcam FMJ? Well, you're in luck! Arcam have extended their hugely popular trade-in-offer, which means you have even more of a chance to trade in your old AV receiver or processor and get an upgrade to any one of the Arcam FMJ AV units: the AVR 450, 750 and even the 950 Processor are all on the upgrade list.

The best part is, you can trade in any make and any model of AV from any brand. That means that as long as you have a receiver, you can take advantage

The nature of high fidelity means it requires an acute focus of knowledge, expertise, research and resources in order to achieve it. This is why the best of the brands tend to have one major speciality, with perhaps one or two minor sub-specialities that are still linked to the major. Spreading yourself too thin by producing an array of products can often mean trouble - something will have to give, right? Usually, yes. But every now and then you will stumble across a brand that manages to do it all:

Let's get one thing clear: we like the bass. It's where the primitive, primordial foundation of the sound truly stems from. It's where the sound is felt, not heard. A subwoofer is a versatile bit of kit that can be used in both a hi-fi and AV setting, to bring up that base and add a little more feeling to the experience. And a good subwoofer will merely enhance, as opposed to overpower. 

Most home cinema 5.1 speaker packages include a decent subwoofer as standard. However, some of the less expensive

If you were to ask us which was the most revolutionary new product of recent years, we would immediately answer the soundbar. There isn't much out there that can compete with the levels of features, accessibility and pure high-fidelity goodness of the soundbar - and this has been noted by the biggest players in the industry. The latest to take on the soundbar challenge are the iconic Dali: and they've tackled the subject with a vengeance.

The Dali Kubik One is a compact and stylish soundbar, packed

Christmas is coming - the time to dig deep and show those closest to you how much you mean to them. And you don't get much closer than your dear old dad! What's great about getting your dad a Christmas present (or two!) is it's finally a chance to give him something back - and a hi-fi gift speaks volumes! But where to start?

To give you a helping hand, we've put together a list of hi-fi gifts for Dads, perfect for Christmas (or indeed any time of year) and guaranteed to raise a smile. Whether he's

Dedicated to the memory of Ray Dolby 1933 - 2014

The Dolby brand is a household name - and most of those households will be able to tell you that Dolby is a company immersed in the audio visual realms. But do you know exactly what Dolby built their multi-billion dollar brand on? No? Well, by the end of this article you'll know all about Dolby - and their latest submission to the AV world: Dolby Atmos!

Before we delve into the nitty gritty of all things Dolby, first a very brief word on Atmos. Dolby

Just in case you didn't get the memo... Christmas is coming! Getting caught up in the hullabaloo of buying presents, wrapping presents, writing cards, sending cards and scurrying about with the kids - means sometimes planning the more intricate details of the day itself can sometimes fall to the wayside. Namely - your hi-fi needs. Sure, you've planned the dinner right down to who sits where, you know how to carefully arrange the presents under the tree so the best ones are saved for last - but

Study the image above. What do you see. Yes, it's a comfortable and contemporary living space, or at least an art director's impression of one. But what else is there? Do you see the hi-fidelity surround sound system? No, it's not what's missing - it's right there, disguised quite cunningly as a television stand.

Do you see it now? That unassuming box is a soundbase - for those who can't quite fit in a soundbar. Or simply don't want to! The soundbase is the cousin of the ever popular soundbar, and

Soundbars are becoming increasingly popular in the hi-fi enthusiast circles – and for good reason. The best of these compact and versatile units and systems offer a level of hi-fidelity sound and enough features that they can easily function as a hub – for both home cinema and smartphone streaming purposes.

As convenient as they are stylish , a soundbar can offer all of the sound and presence of a full-blown home cinema system, but without the bulky cabinets and trailing wires. All any soundbar truly

A surround sound system is the final piece in the home cinema package, the very thing that takes the experience from simulated, to very real indeed. For these are days of enormous television screens and home-projectors, and the only thing that most miss in their home cinema is the real surround sound. In order to achieve true surround sound -  you need the right speakers, carefully placed about the room to fully immerse yourself in high-quality audio.

A 5.1 Surround Sound system produces five channels