• Lightweight German design is extremely comfortable
• Highly dynamic and detailed sound
• 3.5mm headphone plug adapter

• No storage case included

The Sennheiser HD598's high-gloss burled wood accents, thickly padded headband, and ear cushions all lend a luxurious feel to the design. The tan-and-beige colour scheme is a nice alternative to Sennheiser's usual grey or black finishes. In addition to the HD 598 (AU$399), Sennheiser has introduced two less expensive 500 Series models: the HD 558 (AU$299.95) and HD 518 (AU$199.95). Sennheiser isn't the sort of company that jumps on trends; the goal for its audiophile-oriented designs is to make the most accurate-sounding headphones possible, and the HD 598 is the latest example of such thinking.

The HD 598 is a full-size, over-the-ear (circumaural) headphone. It weighs just 270g, but its mostly plastic construction makes it feel even lighter. We found the velvet ear cushions extremely comfortable, even over extended listening sessions. The HD 598 is among the most comfortable Sennheisers we've tested to date.

The HD 598 features Sennheiser's Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement technology, which uses acoustic baffles inclined at a slight angle to guide the sound directly to the ears. The technology appears to be derived from Sennheiser's flagship HD 800 headphone. The HD 598 also features powerful neodymium magnets, Duofol drivers and lightweight aluminium voice coils.

The headphone has a user-replaceable 3-metre-long cable, terminated with a 6.3-millimetre gold-plated plug, and you also get a gold-plated 3.5mm audio plug. Thanks to the clever attachment connection, the detachable cable isn't likely to accidentally fall out. Other than the colour difference and wood accents, the HD 598 is a near cosmetic twin of Sennheiser's highly regarded HD 595 headphones. The HD 598's impedance is rated at 50 ohms.

We listened to the HD 598 with an Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver, a Schiit Audio Asgard headphone amplifier and an Apple iPod Classic. The headphone's sound is super-clean and has a wide-open soundstage. Tonal balance is a little brighter and emits more treble detail than we've heard from previous generations of full-size Sennheisers. Even so, it's a very easy headphone to listen to over long listening sessions.

Deep bass on the Sennheisers has tremendous impact and power, so the big drums on Grizzly Bear's Vecktimest CD sounded terrific and the soundstage is remarkably spacious. The headphone's open quality works especially well with movies like Cairo Time. When Juliette Grant (Patricia Clarkson) first arrives in Cairo, she's picked up at the airport by her husband's friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig). As they drive away, the sounds of the busy city streets surrounded us, and the dialogue sounded exceptionally natural.

The Sennheiser HD 598 sounds fine with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's live album, 4 Way Street. The liveliness and clarity of the recording is well preserved by the headphones, but while the HD 598 can play loud with iPods, the drive may still fall a bit short for some listeners.

Still, we wouldn't recommend the HD 598 to buyers who only intend to use the headphone with an iPod or other portable music players. Bowers & Wilkins' similarly priced but smaller on-ear P5 headphone is more dynamic and transparent and has better bass definition used with an iPod, but we much preferred the HD 598's sound over the P5's at home plugged into a receiver or headphone amplifier.

Comparisons with Monster's Beats Pro full-size headphone easily demonstrate just how different two headphones can sound. The Beats Pro has a lot more bass punch and treble detail, which makes for a more "exciting" sound, but the HD 598 is a more accurate-sounding design. The Beats Pro contains the sound field within the listener's head, while the HD 598 allows the sound to appear from outside the ear cups.

We compared the HD 598 with our 10-year-old Sennheiser HD 580 headphones, and the company's sound "signature" is apparent on both models. The two headphones share a satisfying sense of clarity and a smooth frequency response without any over-emphasized bass or treble peaks. But the HD 598 has better resolution and detail with more dynamic life.

Via CNET

• Sennheiser CX 300-II Precision
• Sennheiser HD 448
• Sennheiser PX 100-II
• Jays v-Jays

• Excellent sound quality
• Six HDMI inputs
• Best-in-class graphical user interface
• Analog video upconversion
• Audio return channel supported
• Standby pass-through
• 7.1 multi-channel analog inputs
• 3D compatible
• Second-zone functionality

• Requires dock for iPod/iPhone connectivity
• More expensive than some competitors

In recent years, Yamaha's AV receivers have disappointed us, with fewer features than competitors and some confusing design choices. The Yamaha RX-V667 is a return to form for the company. There can be no complaints about HDMI connectivity, with the RX-V667 packing six ports, including a front-panel input. The Yamaha also comes packed with all kinds of niche audio connectivity features that others have left out, including pre-outs and 7.1 analog audio inputs. We were also really impressed with the new graphical user interface, which has leapfrogged the competition and is the best we've seen so far. And unlike the disappointing sound of last year's RX-V665, the RX-V667 is the upper tier of sound quality in the mid-range price level, although keen ears will note that it's still a step behind the Denon AVR-1911.

The lack of out-of-the-box iPod/iPhone connectivity and its relative high price keep the Yamaha from being our top value pick this year - that honour goes to the Pioneer VSX-1020 - but the RX-V667 is an excellent choice if you need all the niche functionality it offers.

Design

The RX-V667 has a two-tone look, with the top half getting the glossy black treatment and the bottom getting brushed-metal styling. There's an LCD screen in the centre of the top half, with a row of buttons underneath. There are also several buttons on the bottom half of the receiver, and overall it's a more cluttered look than we like. Front-panel connectivity includes an HDMI port and a standard AV input. It's not a stylish receiver, like the Marantz NR1601 or even the Denon AVR-1911, but at least it's not quite as bulky as the Onkyo HT-RC260.

The included remote is packed with buttons. Though we appreciate that Yamaha provided direct access to each input up top, the buttons are similarly sized and aligned in uneven grids; it can be confusing, especially for tech novices. The rest of the remote is completely filled with buttons, too, including a number pad and playback controls for controlling, say, a Blu-ray player. We prefer the simpler remote offered on competitor Onkyo's receivers. Of course, if you're going with a component-based home theatre, it's probably a good idea to invest in a universal remote anyway.

Yahama's new colour graphical user interface is easy to use and very responsive. (Credit: CNET)

Making changes to inputs is simple, with each input getting a graphical icon. (Credit: CNET)

Yamaha's new graphical user interface (GUI) is the best we've seen on a mid-range AV receiver this year. Press the "On Screen" button and the colour menus pop up on the left-hand side of the screen. You'll also notice that it's capable of overlaying over whatever video signal you're currently watching, which no competitors offer. We were really impressed with how logically the menus were arranged and how responsive they were to remote commands. Unfortunately, we didn't have a YDS-12 dock on hand to try out the GUI with a connected iPod, but the manual does indicate that you're able to browse your iPod using the on-screen display.

Features

Key AV receiver features

The RX-V667 has an excellent set of key features. Though features like a two-year warranty and analog video upconversion are relatively standard, its fast and colourful graphical user interface really make it stand out from the competition.

HDMI features

Like most mid-range receivers this year, the RX-V667 comes with a full suite of the new HDMI features offered. It supports 3D pass-through, which means it can pass a 3D video signal from a 3D video source to a 3D HDTV. The Yamaha also supports audio return channel functionality, as well as standby pass-through. Those features give it the edge over the Pioneer VSX-1020-K in that department.

Audio decoding features

Like every other receiver in this price range, the RX-V667 offers decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. It does not, however, offer decoding for the Dolby Pro Logic IIz format, which uses "height" channels, rather than additional back surrounds. That's not a major loss in our book, as we weren't that impressed with Pro Logic IIz when we tested it last year.

Additionally, Yamaha offers a very similar effect using the company's optional "presence" speakers. Similarly, some competitors, such as the Denon AVR-1911, the Marantz NR1601 and the Onkyo HT-RC260, feature Audyssey's suite of sound-processing modes, but instead the RX-V667 sticks with proprietary technology such as Adaptive Dynamic Range Control and Adaptive DSP Level.

Video connectivity

Video connectivity is excellent, with the RX-V667 featuring six total HDMI inputs. There's also enough analog video connectivity for any legacy devices you have laying around. In all, you can connect eight total HD devices at once, which is the most we've seen at this price range.

It's worth pointing out here exactly how the Yamaha treats inputs and input assigning. We've knocked some previous Yamaha receivers for lacking true input assignment capabilities, and though the RX-V667 isn't quite as flexible as some competitors, we really can't complain. Every video input is linked to a specific input label - so "AV1" will also refer to that specific component video input - but each video connection can have any audio input assigned to it. That's good enough in our book, and Yamaha's excellent user interface makes it a cinch to set-up your home theatre.

Audio connectivity
Audio connectivity is excellent on the RX-V667. There are four total digital audio inputs, which is standard, along with six stereo analog audio inputs. The standout here is the RX-V667's 7.1 multi-channel analog inputs. Though multi-channel analog inputs used to be a standard feature on mid-range AV receivers, this year the RX-V667 is the only receiver we're testing with the feature. If you have equipment that requires it, it's pretty much your only choice in this price range.

Additional features

The most disappointing part of the RX-V667's feature set is that it doesn't offer iPod connectivity out of the box. Instead, you'll have to pony up for the YDS-12 accessory, which feels stingy when the receiver already costs AU$1099 and competitors offer iPod playback over USB. The RX-V667 does, however, offer some niche features that many of its competitors are dropping, such as pre-outs and IR inputs/outputs.

Multi-room features

Like most mid-range receivers, the RX-V667 has second-zone functionality, using either line-level RCA audio outputs or powered, speaker-level outputs. It's a step up over the Sony STR-DN1010 and Marantz NR1601, which don't have traditional second-zone functionality. (The yet-to-be-released STR-DN1010 does support a second zone using Sony's proprietary S-Air products.)

Audio set-up

Yamaha's Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) automatic speaker calibration system determines speaker sizes and volume levels, measures the distances from the speakers to the listener, sets the ideal subwoofer to speaker crossover point, and confirms that all of the speaker cables are correctly hooked up.

That's pretty standard stuff for receivers, but we think Yamaha's YPAO is one of the easiest auto set-ups to use. Plug in the (supplied) "Optimizer" microphone and make your way through the RX-V667's great-looking and nicely organised GUI menus. Once you're on the Auto Setup menu, just press the "Start" button and the YPAO will send a short series of test tones to all the speakers and subwoofer. We liked that all of the measurements are taken from just one mic position, and the YPAO takes just a few minutes to complete. Yamaha's auto set-up system is faster and easier to use than Denon's, Marantz's or Onkyo's Audyssey set-up programs. True, the YPAO isn't as ambitious and doesn't equalise the sound, or attempt to fine-tune the sound to the degree we see in Audyssey's systems, but we can't say we found the YPAO lacking in any way.

The results were about as accurate as Audyssey's, and YPAO correctly determined that all five of our Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD reference speakers were "Small". The YPAO didn't get the subwoofer distance to the calibration mic measurement correctly - it claimed it was 13 feet, when it's really 10 feet away - but Audyssey systems frequently get that number wrong as well. We did feel that the YPAO made the subwoofer a little louder than we would have set it ourselves.

Audio performance

The RX-V667 was richer and sounded fuller than what we remember from last year's RX-V665 receiver. We listened to King Crimson's high-resolution Red DVD-Audio disc to get a more complete handle on the RX-V667's sound. This disc has a surprisingly well-conceived surround mix, and on the tune called "Providence" we loved the way David Cross' violin floated from the front channels to the right surround speaker, and Robert Fripp's electric guitar held centre stage in the front channels. "Providence" is a fairly quiet tune, and we heard a nice sense of space surrounding each of the instruments. On the louder, more rock-oriented tunes like "Red" the RX-V667 clarified the sound of Fripp's violently distorted guitar and Bill Bruford's frantic drumming. This music can sound harsh on lesser systems, but it opened up and sounded beautiful over the RX-V667.

We compared the RX-V667 with a Denon AVR-1911 receiver while listening to the Goldberg Variation Acoustica, a 96kHz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD encoded Blu-ray. Both receivers sounded great, but the RX-V667's bigger and fuller sound was the most obvious difference. Even so, the AVR-1911 let us hear a wee bit more dynamic contrast from the drums; the cymbals' shimmer was clearer; and the soundstage depth gave the instruments more of a three-dimensional solidity. The AVR-1911's front-to-rear soundstage was more precisely focused and sounded more spacious than the RX-V667.

Continuing the comparisons with the Black Hawk Down Blu-ray, the AVR-1911 communicated the violence of the movie's battle scenes in a more visceral way. The differences between the two receivers wasn't great, but we'd give the edge to the AVR-1911.

One thing we noticed right away when we played The Last Station DVD was how natural the RX-V667's sound was. The film is hardly a special-effects bonanza, but it sounded unfailingly natural. We could hear the actors' voices filling the rooms of the old houses, and the outdoor scenes filled with the sounds of horses and birds was communicated perfectly.

Listening to CDs, mostly in stereo, we were impressed with the RX-V667's broad soundstage. Our Aperion 4T tower speakers all but disappeared as sound sources when we played Belle & Sebastian's The Boy with the Arab Strap album. Switching to Pure Direct mode bypassed the RX-V667's bass management and shut down our Aperion Bravus 8D subwoofer, leaving the Aperion 4T speakers to produce all of the music's bass on their own. The 4Ts 4-inch woofers tried valiantly, but they didn't come close to generating as much bass as the sub. Turning off Pure Direct and continuing with the RX-V667's "Straight" mode restored the subwoofer and sound quality.

Via CNET

• Yamaha RX-V665
• Marantz NR1601
• Yamaha Air Xtreme YAS-71
• Yamaha YSP-5100

• 7.1-channel AV receiver
• Excellent sound quality
• Four HDMI inputs
• Stylish slimline design
• Can connect an iPod/iPhone directly via USB
• Analog video upconversion
• Audio return channel support
• Standby pass-through
• 3D compatible
• Three-year warranty
• Fully backlit remote

• Competitors offer more HDMI inputs
• Text-based graphical user interface
• No true second-zone functionality

Generally, when you're buying an AV receiver it comes down to features and performance, with aesthetics being a wash - there's little different between all the bulky, black boxes. But in the case of the Marantz NR1601, the main appeal is its slimline design: its 10cm height is substantially smaller than a traditional AV receiver. Even better, the Marantz's slender dimensions don't have a negative impact on its sound quality; it's one of the better-sounding mid-range receivers we've tested this year. The main trade-offs are HDMI inputs and price. The NR1601 only features four HDMI inputs, whereas many competitors have six, and its price tag is notably more than, say, the Pioneer VSX-1020. However, if you don't need tonnes of HDMI connectivity and are willing to pay for its good looks, the Marantz NR1601 is the way to go.

Design

The NR1601's slimline design makes it unique in the AV receiver market. At just 10cm high, it's much smaller than your typical AV receiver, looking more like a high-end Blu-ray player than any of its competitors. It's also a tad shallower than a traditional AV receiver at 368mm. In fact, it's possible to rack-mount the NR1601 with the optional RMK1501NR rack mount kit. Aside from the smaller size, it also has a symmetrical look that we liked, with large knobs on both sides and a large LCD display in the centre. Front panel buttons are kept to a minimum and we appreciate the selection of front panel ports, including headphones, set-up mic input, a USB port and a mini-jack input. The bottom line is that Marantz NR1601 is the most stylish AV receiver we've seen this year, by far.

(Credit: CNET)

We liked the easy front-panel access to the USB port and mini-jack input.

The included remote is decent, although like virtually all AV receiver remotes, it's overwhelming. The remote is packed with buttons, and many of them have similar sizes, which makes navigating by feel difficult. The good news is that volume and input button rockers are centrally located, as is the directional pad. We also appreciated that the remote is fully backlit, which makes it much easier to use in a darkened home theatre. Still, as we often suggest, it's wise to consider a quality universal remote to control all your gear.

(Credit: CNET)

The NR1601's graphical user interface is limited to blocky text on a black background.

(Credit: CNET)

Though we're willing to overlook the ho-hum aesthetics on the infrequently used set-up menus, they're more bothersome when used for iPod playback.

If you press the menu button, it will bring up the NR1601's graphical user interface. It quickly becomes clear that the Marantz's good looks are limited to the exterior, as the menus are limited to blocky white text on a black background. The same goes for browsing a connected iPod; you won't get to see cover art like on the Pioneer VSX-1020-K. On the upside, you'll probably only use the menus to set up the NR1601, although if you use the iPod functionality you'll see them on a more regular basis.

Features

Key AV receiver features

The Marantz hits most of the features you'd expect at this price range, including analog video upconversion and automatic speaker calibration. As mentioned before, the on-screen display is limited to shaky white text on a black background, whereas competitors like the Sony STR-DN1010 and the Yamaha RX-V667 feature more-impressive GUIs. On the upside, Marantz's three-year warranty is a full year more than most competitors, especially welcome on a product like an AV receiver that you're likely to hold onto for a while.

HDMI features

Like most mid-range receivers this year, the NR1601 comes with a full suite of the new HDMI features offered this year. It supports 3D pass-through, which means it can pass a 3D video signal from a 3D video source to a 3D HDTV. The Marantz also supports audio return channel functionality, as well as standby pass-through. Those features give it the edge over the Pioneer VSX-1020-K in that department.

Audio decoding features

On-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby ProLogic IIz is included, as is expected at this price level. The NR1601 also comes with a full suite of Audyssey sound modes, such as Dynamic Volume for limiting volume spikes during, say, loud commercials. It's worth pointing out that many competitors offer their own proprietary versions of these types of sound modes (read more on how Audyssey sounded on the Marantz in the performance section).

Video connectivity

Four HDMI inputs are the minimum we expect at this price level, although many competitors offer six, including the Pioneer VSX-1020, the Onkyo TX-SR608 and the Yamaha RX-V667. The NR1601's three component video inputs are better than average, but that's less of a concern to us now that nearly every home theatre gadget features HDMI. Altogether the Marantz can switch between six HD devices at a time, but we still wish it featured more HDMI ports.

Audio connectivity

The NR1601 is also a little light on audio connections. Nearly every other mid-range AV receiver offers four total digital audio inputs, but the Marantz is limited to three. Analog multi-channel inputs and a phono input are both missing, but that's pretty much standard these days. (Check out the Yamaha RX-V667 if you need analog multi-channel inputs.) We were pleased to see a mini-jack input conveniently located on the front panel.

Additional features
The rest of the Marantz's features are solid. Direct iPod/iPhone connectivity is convenient, although the Pioneer VSX-1020-K still gets an edge for including a cable in the box and better graphics for navigation. We also appreciated the ability to add Bluetooth connectivity by purchasing a separate dongle.

Multi-room features

Despite the wide array of speaker jacks on the back panel, the NR1601 does not offer second-zone functionality, like many competing receivers, including the Pioneer VSX-1020-K, the Yamaha RX-V667 and the Onkyo HT-RC260. The NR1601 can power a set of "B" speakers, but they'll be limited to playing back the same content as the "A" speakers. (True second-zone functionality lets you play a different source in a second zone.)

Audio set-up

Marantz now uses Audyssey's MultEQ auto set-up system to determine speaker sizes and speaker-to-listener distances; set the volume levels of all of the speakers and the sub; and calculate the subwoofer crossover point.

We placed the mic on a small speaker stand in the centre of the CNET listening room couch, and raised the mic to the ear height of a seated listener. Plugging the mic into the receiver automatically brings up the Audyssey MultEQ auto set-up on-screen display, which can be a little confusing at first. It lists options for "F. Height" (front height speakers for Dolby Pro Logic IIz users); "Front Sp A", meaning you can assign the front left and right speakers to be either the "A" or "B" speakers; and "Amp Assign", which allows the owner to bi-amplify the front left and right speakers. Marantz isn't the only brand to present the user with a list of confusing set-up options (which are only partially explained in the owner's manual), but if you're using a standard 5.1-, 6.1- or 7.1-channel speaker-subwoofer system, you can just click on the "Start" on-screen button to commence the set-up.

The receiver will then send a series of tones through all the speakers and the subwoofer, which takes a minute or so to complete. But the Audyssey system works best when you repeat the routine six times, moving the calibration mic to six different locations in the main listening area (for our test, on and directly in front of the couch in the CNET listening room). After the sixth measurement is completed, the NR1601 took a few more minutes to calculate the final results and store the Audyssey settings. If you'd rather not deal with six mic positions, you can do fewer and achieve possibly less-accurate results.

Audyssey works best when the "sizes" of all the speakers in a system are set to "Small" (if you have a subwoofer), which is what the NR1601 did. The set-up accurately measured the distances to all the speakers, but not the subwoofer (Audyssey acknowledges the sub measurement may be off, but advises against correcting the subwoofer distance in the manual set-up). In fact, the NR1601's measurements were duplicated by the Denon AVR-1911 receiver's Audyssey MultEQ auto set-up we were testing on the same day.

Audyssey also applied equalisation to the speakers and subwoofer. We haven't always been happy with how Audyssey's equalisation changed the sound of our Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD reference speaker system, but this time we thought Audyssey's EQ definitely improved the sound. We used the EQ for all of our listening tests.

Audio performance

The NR1601 may be rated at 50 Watts per channel, but it had the poise of a more powerful receiver. The sound balance was slightly on the rich and warm side.

We started out listening with a high-resolution DVD-Audio disc from King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King. The surround mix was exceptionally good, with precisely focused imaging of instruments and vocals spread across the front and rear channels, and the NR1601's three-dimensional solidity made for a more realistic presentation. The drums' effect and power on "Epitaph" were shockingly strong, and the detailing of the acoustic instruments in the quieter tunes like "I Talk to the Wind" was superb. We just wish more DVD-A discs were as good as this; the NR1601 was definitely up to the job of revealing the subtleties of high-resolution sound.

The Master and Commander Blu-ray's quiet opening sequence, where we heard the ship's creaking planks, the surf churning outside and the wind sweeping across the decks, were all deftly mixed in surround sound. When the ship's captain is below deck and hears the men running from above, we could have sworn the sound was coming from height speakers. (It wasn't; we were listening to a 5.1-channel speaker-subwoofer system.) Again, the NR1601's resolution of fine detail was excellent.

Any lingering concerns about the N1601's 50-Watt-per-channel power rating were put to rest when we played the grenade explosions and the intense gunfire episodes from the Black Hawk Down Blu-ray. In fact, we played the scene at louder than normal (for us) levels to try to uncover any power limitations, but we gave up before the NR1601 did. Since most home theatre speakers are run as "Small" speakers, the receiver doesn't have to supply full-range signals, so the actual power requirements are reduced when we played music or movies at high volume levels. Fifty high-quality Watts, like the NR1601's, will likely be more than enough for most home theatres.

At this point we compared the NR1601 with a Pioneer VSX-1020-K receiver, which had a brighter, more detailed sound. Front-to-rear imaging was a tad clearer, but the NR1601 delivered a bigger wallop with the grenade explosions in the Black Hawk Down Blu-ray. Dialogue sounded more naturally balanced over the NR1601; the VSX-1020-K's leaner sound wasn't worse, just different. The Denon AVR-1911 receiver's sound balance fit midway between the Pioneer and the Marantz; the Denon was fuller than the Pioneer, and leaner than the Marantz receiver. But we also felt, literally, the Denon's bass control and power was the best of the three receivers.

Audyssey's Dynamic Volume processing can be used to reduce sudden, soft-to-loud volume shifts. We thought that it did a good job, without adversely affecting sound quality.

Next, we put on John Gorka: The Gypsy Life, a high-resolution audio Blu-ray disc. Gorka and his small, mostly acoustic band sounded remarkably lifelike. The music was recorded without any dynamic range compression, and the NR1601 excelled at revealing the smallest nuance in the musicians' performances. Our reference Aperion speakers sounded bigger and fuller than we're used to. The speakers all feature 4-inch woofers, but teamed up with the NR1601, they now sounded like larger 5- or 6-inch woofers. We attribute that to the seamless blend the NR1601 achieved with the Aperion Bravus 8D subwoofer, and all five Aperion speakers.

CD sound was also stellar. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' hard-hitting soul workout I Learned the Hard Way sounded big and spacious in stereo. The CD's funky bass lines, brassy horn arrangements and Jones' oh-so soulful vocals had the sort of full-bodied presence few receivers can muster.

Via CNET

• Pioneer VSX-1019AH
• Pioneer VSX-1018AH
• Denon AVR-790
• Denon AVR-1910

At least UK company And Vinyly thinks so. They are offering a service that will press your cremated ashes into 30 custom LPs. You can record anything you want within the maximum playing time of 12 minutes per side.

The standard package includes no cover art other than your name, date of birth, date of death etc, for the low, low price of 3000. There are a range of additional options from "bespook" music at 500 per track, through to an arrangement of FUNerals, where they'll arrange to play your record for a gathering of your nearest and dearest (events starting from 10,000). They'll even press your pet's ashes, but human rates apply.

(Image credit: Steve Guttenberg/CNET)

• Ashes Cricket 2009
• Sony USB Turntable PSLX300USB
• Ashes Cricket 2009 (Wii version)
• Vinyl records cool again in Aussie first

• Single-speaker sound bar
• Excellent sound on movies for a sound bar
• Stylish exterior design
• Relatively lightweight makes wall-mounting easier

• No virtual surround effects
• Rubber support pads are too small
• Needs to be carefully tweaked to get the subwoofer/sound bar balance right
• Requires an AV receiver

Editor's note: the system was reviewed by CNET Australia's sister site CNET US as a HTF8003 soundbar, in Australia it's part of a package that includes a KUBE-2 subwoofer and HTS7001 surround speakers.

Soundbar speakers generally only appeal to a small portion of home audio buyers. If you've got a large budget, minimalist ethos, appreciate sound quality - but not enough to insist on a pair of stand-alone speakers - a soundbar speaker fits your niche. The KEF HTF8005 doesn't offer anything radically different from the competing models available, with a long tube-like design and glossy black finish. Its sound quality with movies was among the best we've heard on soundbars (although it doesn't do any virtual surround effects), but music fans will want something more substantial. As usual with this product category, our major concern is the total cost of the system: in addition to the soundbar, you need an AV receiver, plus we found that a subwoofer is pretty much a must-have, too. That will probably bring the total cost to over AU$3500, which could buy you a lot more sound quality from a more conventional tower speaker arrangement, but if you like the single-speaker style, the KEF HTF8003 is one of the better options available.

Design and features

The KEF HTF8003 looks like most of the other sound bars on the market, with a long tube-like design and glossy black finish. Viewed from the side, the HTF8003 has a skinny, oval-shaped profile, and it comes to only 3.2 inches deep. The speaker isn't particularly heavy, but its weight distribution made it feel somewhat unstable: whenever we moved the HTF8003, it had a tendency to tip over backward. The problem: the small rubbery support pads seem a little too small to provide a stable platform for the speaker. On the plus side, the HTF8003 weighs significantly less than the competing Atlantic Technology FS-7.0; we'd feel much more comfortable wall-mounting the HTF8005 ourselves.

The HTF8005 comes with wall-mounting hardware and small rubber support pads. We found the rubber pads to be a little too small. (Credit: CBS Interactive)

Around back, the main HTF8003 speaker has three pairs of all-metal spring connectors that accept bare wire ends, or wires terminated with pins or spades; banana plugs won't fit. We appreciated that they weren't recessed into the speaker, like on the Canton CD 90 SB, but their low positioning made them slightly difficult to access with speaker wire.

There are three pairs of all-metal spring connectors on the back of the HTF8003. (Credit: CBS Interactive)

Behind the speaker grille, the HTF8003 houses nine total drivers. Each channel includes a 3-inch Uni-Q driver (and each Uni-Q driver has its own high-frequency/mid-range/bass driver), a 3-inch woofer and 3-inch auxiliary bass radiator.

Set-up

Since the HTF8003 doesn't make much bass on its own we started our listening tests partnering the speaker with a KEF HTB2SE-W wireless sub. We've tested the wired version of the sub before, and know it's a great-sounding unit. But in this case we had to work for hours to get the HTB2SE-W to blend with the HTF8003.

The problem was that each time we adjusted the sub's volume, phase, bass boost (equalisation control) and placement relative to the HTF8003 we either had too much or too little bass. During the initial set-up period we had to keep adjusting the balances every time we changed discs. The root problem was that since the HTF8003 made so little bass, the sub had to do most of the work. We eventually got a sub/speaker balance that worked for most discs. If you're looking for a soundbar with a big, full sound on its own, you need a much bigger speaker, like the Zvox Z-Base 575.

We were happy to note the HTF8003's left, centre and right channels sounded almost exactly the same when we ran test tones through them. That's never a given with soundbar speakers, and we associate that sort of channel-to-channel tonal consistency with better than average dialogue sound quality. That was, in fact, the case, the HTF8003 reproduced dialogue very accurately.

Performance

The HTF8003's overall sound is extremely clear and concise, certainly in the top ranks of sound bar speakers we've tested. The HTF8003 is strictly a three-channel sound bar, so it doesn't even try to produce faux surround effects. That said, the speaker generated a wide and deep soundstage for movies.

Amelia isn't what you'd call an action film, but it fully exercised the HTF8003's home theatre skills. We see Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) on a succession of historic flights, including her first 1928 cross Atlantic flight. The older planes' engines had a high-pitched sputtery whine - the sleeker, more advanced 1930s aircraft had a deeper, rumbling drone - and the HTF8003 zeroed in on the subtleties of the sound of each plane. The conversations between Earhart and her crew in the cramped cockpits had a truly claustrophobic sound. When Earhart's little plane encounters severe turbulence and takes a nosedive, the HTF8003 and HTB2SE-W made our hearts jump.

We next fired up the Black Hawk Down Blu-ray; the film vividly re-creates the battle for the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993. The HTF8003 didn't have any problems delivering the film's healthy dynamic jolts, and the jarring gunfire exchanges between the US soldiers and the hostiles had terrific impact. The sounds of gunfire echoing through the city streets demonstrated the speaker's resolution of fine detail, but the big explosions and fiery crashes lacked the visceral punch we've heard from large speakers and subwoofers. While the film uses surround sound effectively, we didn't miss 5.1 surround while listening in stereo.

At this point we swapped out the KEF HTB2SE-W subwoofer for our reference Aperion Bravus 8D sub. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was actually a lot easier to blend the HTF8003 with the Aperion - the KEF-Aperion combination sounded excellent. Still, the HTB2SE-W was the better of the two subs in that its bass had slightly better definition teamed with the HTF8003.

CDs didn't fare as well as movies, probably because the HTF 8003's narrow soundstage and limited bass were more apparent with music. The sound was fine for background music listening; we were much happier with the HTF8003's sound on movies.

Via CNET

• JVC TH-BA1 soundbar
• Polk Audio SurroundBar 360 DVD Theatre
• Creative Inspire S2 Wireless
• Yamaha YSP-5100

• Sound bar home theatre system (no AV receiver required)
• Best-in-class virtual surround processing and overall excellent sound quality
• Four HDMI inputs
• Three digital audio inputs
• Analog video upconversion
• Wireless music streaming from an iPod with included adapter
• Wireless subwoofer kit included
• Sirius-ready
• FM tuner
• Automatic speaker calibration

The bad

• Very expensive
• Doesn’t sound appreciably better than step-down YSP-4100
• Doesn’t support 3D video pass-through
• No subwoofer included
• Much larger than many competing models
• A true 5.1 home theatre system sounds better

More than any other sound bar available today, the Yamaha YSP-5100 delivers a single-single speaker home theatre solution without making too many compromises. It’s one of the few sound bars that actually does a credible job of creating virtual surround-sound effects, and it’s packed with almost as many features (four HDMI inputs, analog video upconversion, automatic speaker calibration) as a standard AV receiver.

As much as we liked the YSP-5100, we ultimately have a hard time giving it an unequivocal recommendation. It’s currently selling for AU$2999, which is much more than its competitors. Furthermore, when we tested it side by side with the almost identically featured YSP-4100, we found no appreciable drop-off in sound quality. Yamaha’s high-end digital sound projectors are excellent products for the niche they serve, but we’d recommend buyers in this price bracket still go with the cheaper YSP-4100.

Design

Mainstream sound bars get sleeker and slimmer, but Yamaha’s YSP-5100 is unapologetically big. Although thinner than some previous Yamaha YSP systems, it still comes in at a mammoth 1200mm wide, 214mm high and 110.7mm deep. With that height it’s unlikely to fit below your TV without blocking part of the screen, as it did in our test environment. The best bet is to have it wall-mounted, although you’ll need to be clever about hiding all the wires that need to be connected to it. So yes, the YSP-5100 can deliver single-speaker simplicity, but you’ll have to plan ahead to really take advantage of the design. Be aware the included YST-SW225, with its 290×350x349mm dimensions also requires a corner to sit in.

Large footprint aside, the YSP-5100 doesn’t draw attention to itself. The majority of its front is covered by a matte-black speaker grille, with a strip of glossy black running along the bottom. Behind the speaker grille is Yamaha’s unique speaker design, with a total of 40 separate 1.5-inch drivers and two 1-inch tweeters that work together to reflect sound off walls and create a surround-sound effect. There’s an LCD screen in the centre of the glossy black strip for volume level and other basic indicators.

The included remote is serviceable, although we found the button layout and tiny labels disappointing at this price level. Unfortunately, the most important control, volume, is lumped in with two other commands (TV volume and channel); we would have preferred a large rocker button set off from the rest of commands. If you’re spending this much on a sound bar HTIB, you owe it to yourself to pick up a quality universal remote.

Features

Audio decoding capabilities

Though the YSP-5100 clearly has more functionality than any other sound bar we’ve tested, it is missing a few features found on similar systems that cost much, much less. The YSP-5100’s HDMI inputs do not support 3D video pass-through, which means you’ll need to run a separate HDMI cable directly to your 3D HDTV - and an audio cable to the YSP-5100 - to utilise 3D functionality. We don’t consider it a huge loss, since 3D is still in its infancy and it’s unclear whether it will take off, and a unit such as Panasonic’s DMP-BDT300 provides two HDMI ports for just this purpose.

The YSP-5100 does have a basic graphical user interface for making adjustments, which is unique among sound bar home theatre systems.(Credit: CNET)

On the upside, we appreciated the front-panel LCD display, which makes it easier to make sound level adjustments and switch inputs. It’s also worth pointing out that the YSP-5100 features a basic, text-based graphical user interface (GUI), so you can make adjustments using menus on your HDTV. Aside from the YSP-4100, we’re not aware of any other sound bar home theatre system that offers a GUI (excluding systems with a built-in disc player).

AV connectivity

Along with the similar YSP-4100, the YSP-5100 offers by far the most connectivity of any sound bar home theatre system that we’ve tested. Most important are its four HDMI inputs, which should be enough for all but the most complex home theatres, and most sound bar HTIBs don’t have any HDMI functionality.

The rest of the YSP-5100’s connectivity is generous, too. Three digital audio inputs along with two stereo analog audio inputs are enough to handle any older, non-HDMI devices you still have. We’re surprised that the YSP-5100 doesn’t offer a mini-jack input, but it does include a handheld, wireless iPod dock.

The YSP-5100 also has a generous allotment of “input labels” (such as “HDMI 1″ or “Aux 1″), allowing you to connect and switch between seven total devices using the sound bar. That’s much more than a standard sound bar home theatre system, which usually maxes out around three.

You can assign inputs and there are seven total “input labels”, which creates plenty of flexibility for even complicated home theatres. (Credit: CNET)

In addition to the HDMI inputs, the YSP-5100 also supports analog video and includes both a component video input and a composite video input. It’s also capable of analog video upconversion, which means that analog video signals can be output over the HDMI output. Though there aren’t many analog video devices left (mostly just the Nintendo Wii), it’s a nice extra feature and allows you to make one less connection directly to your HDTV.

Audio decoding capabilities

Again, the YSP-5100 outdoes other sound bar home theatre systems by offering a full suite of decoding for all major surround-sound formats, including both high-resolution formats: Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. One could argue that these formats aren’t as important on a sound bar HTIB - where you probably can’t hear the difference between, say, Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD - but it’s still nice to know you’re getting the highest audio fidelity your home theatre components can handle.

Other connectivity

The YSP-5100 trumps competitors by offering more peripheral features, too. As we mentioned before, Yamaha includes the wireless iPod dock, which in many ways is superior to the iPod docks offered on other HTIBs since it allows you to wirelessly stream music to the YSP-5100, while you browse your music in your hand. We tested the dock with an iPod Touch and we were largely impressed; just stick the adapter in the Touch, select iPod as your source, and it works without any further configuring - you can even adjust the volume with your iPod. We didn’t hear any significant sonic degradation because of the wireless transmission, although we did experience some drop-outs when the dock didn’t have a direct line of sight to the YSP-5100. As with all wireless products, your experience will depend a lot on the environment it’s used in.

It’s not included on the above chart, but the YSP-5100 also includes 7.1 pre-outs, although it’s hard to imagine anyone using them. Adding an amplifier and a separate speaker system - then just using the YSP-5100 as a switcher - eliminates nearly all the benefits of having an all-in-one sound bar in the first place.

Additional features

Unlike most sound bar HTIBs, the YSP-5100 includes a microphone for automatic speaker calibration, which is an essential feature since Yamaha’s virtual surround technology requires careful set-up. The inclusion of an FM tuner is also a step-up over competitors that omit terrestrial radio options completely. If you’re looking for a sound bar with a built-in disc player, you’ll have to check out sound bars from the likes of Samsung.

Audio set-up

The sound bar can be wall- or stand-mounted; we went with the second option for all of our listening tests. Since the speakers rely on the room for reflections, sound-absorbing objects such as drapes or couches can adversely affect the perception of surround envelopment.

The YSP-5100 has manual and automatic set-up options, but we didn’t get very far with the manual set-up. It’s pretty involved and no matter what we tried we never felt like we were actually improving the sound. Manual set-up might be of more use to professional installers.

Yamaha no longer provides a printed owner’s manual with its YSP speakers, but you get a CD-ROM with set-up instructions. To get the best sound we strongly recommend reading the manual, even if you’re an experienced home theatre user. However, the basic Auto Setup routine is straightforward: plug in the included IntelliBeam measurement microphone, and initiate the Auto Setup program. It takes just a few minutes to complete. Before and after Auto Setup, the Dynamic Range Control will be set to “On”, and since we want to hear movies with all of their audio intact we turned the DRC “Off”.

Because each room’s acoustics vary, the YSP-5100 offers a range of Beam-Mode settings. The main mode is “5 BeamPlus2″ for seven-channel sources, and we also checked out “3 Beam + Stereo + 2″, “5 Beam, 3 Beam + Stereo”, “3 Beam and Stereo”. All but the stereo mode bounced sound off the walls to generate surround sound. The surround modes all sound different, so we recommend experimenting with the Beam Modes to learn which sounds best in your room. The YSP-5100 also features Yamaha’s Cinema DSP (digital processing), which is another way to fine-tune the sound balance to your liking.

Audio performance

Yamaha’s YSP speakers use the company’s best-in-class Digital Sound Projector technology, which reflects sounds off walls to create a surround experience without the back channel speakers. The technology also provides a wider sweet spot than competing virtual surround modes and devices; we heard convincing surround effects from other spots in the CNET listening room, not just the seat directly in front of the speaker.

On the other hand, the YSP-5100 failed to project sound far forward, out to the sides of our couch, two metres away from the speaker, or to the rear of our room. In the past we’ve played other YSP speakers in nearly empty rooms and heard surround that filled more of the room, but we’ve never heard sound come from behind us, as it can with traditional surround speakers.

The YSP-5100’s dual-4.5-inch woofers make a fair amount of bass, so the speaker can be used without a subwoofer. That said, the included YST-SW225 sub radically improves the overall sound.

We used the Godzilla Blu-ray disc to see how the YSP-5100 coped with heavy-duty home theatre demands. This is the 1998 flick, and as soon as we heard Godzilla’s thunderous footsteps off in the distance we knew the Yamaha was ready for action. Later, the sounds of the monster crushing cars and smashing hundreds of windows, as well as the screams of panicked New Yorkers in the streets, all had plenty of detail. The rainstorm that runs through so many scenes sounded realistic, too, which was all the more remarkable because a lot of surround bars make rain sound more like noise. The YSP-5100’s clarity is closer to what we’ve heard from the best-sounding sound bars.

The Pan’s Labyrinth Blu-ray movie demonstrated the YSP-5100’s ability to render more subtle details. When a dragonfly fairy buzzes around the bedroom, the YSP-5100 let us precisely follow its movements. Dialogue sounded natural, without any of the processing colourations we’ve heard from many surround bar speakers.

CD sound was also good, if not quite on par with what we heard from movies over the YSP-5100. Philip Glass’ dense score to Godfrey Reggio’s film Koyaanisqatsi starts with an organ playing low-frequency notes accompanied by a vocalist. Few sound bar speakers can play this music without sounding over-driven and distorted, but the YSP-5100 sailed right through it. The score’s orchestral strings and synthesisers sounded gorgeous, with a soundstage that stretched from wall to wall. Rock music didn’t have anywhere near the power we’d get from a good 5.1-channel speaker/subwoofer system, as you might expect.

We compared the YSP-5100 with Yamaha’s smaller and slightly less expensive YSP-4100. The sound was nearly identical so we were hard pressed to hear much difference between the two. Maybe the YSP-5100 had a tiny bit fuller bass (from the cabinet itself) so the speaker blended a bit better with the subwoofer. In any case, we can’t recommend stepping up to the YSP-5100 on the basis of sound quality.

We really like the YSP-5100; it delivers remarkably good sound, but it’s an expensive speaker with the inclusion of the subwoofer. As always, audiophiles should note that you’ll get substantially better sound from a full 5.1 home theatre system.

Related Articles

• Yamaha YSP-4100
• Yamaha YSP-3000
• Yamaha YHT-492AU
• Yamaha RX-V2065

• Soundbar home theatre system
• Wireless subwoofer
• Solid sound quality, even with music
• Easy-to-use remote control
• Three inputs (two optical, one analog)

The bad

• No HDMI connectivity
• Lacklustre styling

For absolute home theatre simplicity, it’s hard to beat a soundbar home-theatre-in-a-box (HTIB) system. One long speaker, no AV receiver required and no long pesky wires running all over your living room.

The JVC TH-BA1 does the standard configuration one better by including a wireless subwoofer, so the only cables you’ll need are behind your TV cabinet. Aside from the wireless subwoofer, the TH-BA1 includes a standard assortment of features, but it stands out from the pack with its better-than-expected sound quality and ease of use. The lack of HDMI connectivity is the major knock against the TH-BA1 - and you’d be wise to check out the Yamaha YSP-3000 if you need HDMI ports, but otherwise it’s one of the best deals we’ve seen, especially compared with the more expensive Denon DHT-FS3.

Design

The TH-BA1’s exterior design isn’t its main selling point. Its style is bland, and the red indicator lights and basic LCD display make it feel less than cutting-edge. The long pole-like shape is designed to fit under your TV; it’s worth checking the dimensions of your own set to make sure the 124mm-high TH-BA1 won’t obscure the screen.

There’s a black speaker grille covering the drivers, although it’s transparent enough that you can still make out the four 8cm drivers. The TH-BA1 is self-amplified and delivers 30 Watts per channel. (If that sounds low to you, don’t fret, as most manufacturers inflate their power specs.)

We appreciate that the TH-BA1 at least has a basic LCD screen on the front panel, unlike some of the TV add-on speakers we review. The screen is dark in most scenarios, but lights up when you adjust the volume or switch inputs, then goes dark again once you’ve made your adjustments. We also liked that you could dim or turn off the blue light in the centre of the unit; unfortunately, the smaller red lights are unchangeable.

The included remote is excellent. It has just enough heft to feel like a step-up from those cheap credit-card-style remotes, and the button layout is refreshingly basic. There are separate buttons for each input, a button rocker, a mute button and individual controls to adjust speaker levels. If ease of use is a big priority, the TH-BA1 fits the bill nicely.

Set-up

The JVC TH-BA1’s set-up chores are nice and easy. First, you can connect up to three sources to the two optical digital inputs and the stereo analog input. Next, either wall- or table-mount the TH-BA1 speaker. We did the latter, placing it directly on the shelf that supports our display.

Our review sample’s wireless subwoofer didn’t automatically “pair” with the main speaker, so we followed the straightforward instructions on the single-sheet instruction page. It worked in about a minute.

The sub doesn’t have a volume control, but you can adjust its level directly from the remote. It’s not a particularly powerful sub, and sounded too lightweight when we first started testing it. The sub was around 4 feet from the front and sidewalls; moving it within a few inches of the front wall significantly improved its sound. That means that just because the sub is wireless, it doesn’t mean you can put it anywhere; place it too far away from the speaker and you’ll start to become aware that all the bass is coming from the sub. Try to keep it within 5 or 6 feet of the speaker.

Like we said, the TH-BA1’s remote can also directly adjust the speaker’s centre and surround channel volume levels. That sort of adjustability is nice to have, and we regularly took advantage of it with movies and music.

Features

The TH-BA1 is what we call a “sound bar home-theatre-in-a-box system (HTIB)”. That’s a mouthful, but all it means is it’s self-amplified (no AV receiver needed), uses a single speaker cabinet, and includes AV inputs for connecting external devices.

Like most products in this category, the TH-BA1’s connectivity is limited to audio inputs - there are no video inputs. That means you need to run separate video cables directly to your TV and fumble with multiple remotes to make sure the TV and TH-BA1 are on the right input. (Of course, a quality universal remote can take a lot of the pain out of this.)

There are two optical digital audio inputs and a single stereo analog audio input. It’s worth pointing out that none of those inputs are “shared” inputs; it’s possible to connect three separate devices and select them from the remote. This connectivity package is a little less than competitors offer; the Yamaha YSP-900 can handle four devices at once, and the Denon DHT-FS3 can handle five.

Performance

As soon as we started watching The Taking of Pelham 123 DVD, we knew the TH-BA1 had the right stuff. The plot is standard thriller material: Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is a New York City subway dispatcher who finds himself in a battle of wits with subway train hijacker Ryder (John Travolta).

But the soundtrack is superb, and the subway cars’ screeching metal wheels echoing through underground tunnels is incredibly realistic. The film’s mix put us right in the thick of it, and the TH-BA1 did an amazing job recreating the clamour of the subway. When Ryder and his gang fired their weapons, the sound bar didn’t muffle or stifle the gun blasts.

But that’s exactly what we heard from the film when we played it over a Polk SurroundBar. The Polk dulled the subway’s metallic shriek and the police cars’ sirens. The Polk’s subwoofer did a better job than the JVC’s in terms of power and oomph. Neither soundbar produced anything like a room-filling surround effect, but the JVC was slightly better in that regard. It was also better with dialogue intelligibility during action-packed scenes.

The TH-BA1’s Dynamic Range Control compressed movies’ soft-to-loud volume swings without overtly forfeiting sound quality. You can turn the Dynamic Range Control on and off via the remote.

The TH-BA1 is a very clear-sounding speaker, and it even handled brute force dynamic range assaults like the naval battle scenes in the Master and Commander Blu-ray reasonably well. The TH-BA1 is above average in that regard, but it’s nowhere as powerful sounding as some rivals.

The TH-BA1 again surprised us with CDs. Few soundbars sound as good with music as they do with movies, but acoustic jazz and even hard rock came across well on the JVC.

Conclusion

Summing up, we were very impressed with the TH-BA1’s performance, but it’s still not the equal of a 5.1-channel speaker/subwoofer system. Then again, no soundbar, even a high-priced model, can do that.

Related Articles

• JBL ES250PW wireless subwoofer
• Subwoofer set-up guide
• Samsung HT-X810
• Yamaha YHT-S400

• Very good image quality on upconverted analog video sources
• Four HDMI inputs
• Onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding
• Sirius-ready
• Automatic speaker calibration

• Competing AV receivers sound better
• No graphical user interface
• Annoying back-panel design; lousy remote.

Editors' note: This review is nearly identical to the Denon AVR-1910, as the two products are extremely similar. The only differences are slightly different cosmetics and the AVR-790 lacks IR inputs/outputs and the ability to drive "B" front speakers.

The capability to upconvert analog video sources has become standard on mid-range receivers, but the feature is rarely well-implemented, with poor image quality being the norm. Denon's latest mid-range model, the AVR-790, is a standout in this regard, offering up the best upconverted image quality out of all the receivers we've tested in 2009. It also delivers a solid mid-range AV receiver feature set with four HDMI inputs, second zone functionality, 7.1 analog inputs, and on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Our disappointments were mostly on the design side, with the AVR-790 having a difficult double-sided remote, annoying back-panel design, and a text-based on-screen display (vs. a graphical user interface). Also, its AU$1399 price is on the high side for a mid-range receiver considering sound quality was only average next to competitors. The Denon is a solid choice if you expect to integrate a lot of analog video sources into your home theatre or need some less common connectivity options, like switched-AC outlets or full 7.1 analog inputs. On the other hand, competing receivers offer more features for less money - often with better sound quality - and will be a better option for most buyers.

Design

Denon's line of AV receivers all feature the same slightly curved front panel. The editors at CNET are divided over the style; some like it, some don't, but most agree that it's nicer than the rugged-looking Onkyo TX-SR607.. The two main knobs (input select and volume) are appropriately large and on opposite sides of the front panel. The centre is dominated by a large glossy display, and underneath are a few additional buttons. Just to irk obsessive home theatre nerds who hate extra light sources, there's an illuminated ring (green when on, red when off) around the power button in the lower-left-hand corner.

We appreciate the directional pad on the front panel, so you can navigate menus in the event the remote goes missing.

We've complained about Denon's baffling remote design previously, but it's worth mentioning again. The included clicker has a series of small buttons up top to select inputs, and below is a series of important buttons that seem to be nearly randomly placed. Yes, button differentiation is a good thing, but there's not much method to this madness so you're going to have to stare at this remote to do anything other than adjust the volume (which isn't labelled as volume, by the way). The number of buttons is actually pretty sparse; that's because the rest of the functions are located on the back of the remote under a flip-open panel. Perhaps we're being too harsh, but it's really worth considering a quality universal remote if you go with the AVR-790 to make up for some of its shortcomings.

Denon includes a graphical user interface on all of its step-up models this year, except for the AVR-790 - even though competing models like the Pioneer VSX-1019AH and the Sony STR-DN1000 include them. Instead, the AVR-790 sports an old-school text-based on-screen display, with white text on a black screen. It's not a huge drawback; most people don't access an AV receiver's menu frequently.

Still, we wish it was a little more user-friendly. The first option on the menu is "Parameter" - who has any idea what that means? On the upside, we liked the chart-based method of assigning inputs, although it forces the screen to "refresh" every time you make a change. (Can't handle Denon's cryptic manual either? Check out the easier-to-read manual created by a US Denon fan.)

Set-up

Luckily, the AVR-790's menus are more straightforward for speaker set-up. Auto set-up conforms to the standard Denon/Audyssey routine we've used over the past few years. Plug in the included calibration microphone and the receiver automatically brings up the on-screen set-up display.

The included auto-set-up mic makes it easy to set your speaker levels, but it's always a good idea to double-check the results.

Audyssey MultEQ requires the user to repeat the set-up test tones up to six times, and before you start each pass you'll need to move the microphone to a different listener location in the room. The whole operation took around 12 minutes to complete. The system determines each speaker's "size", volume level, distance from the calibration mic position, and optimal crossover frequency relative to the subwoofer. Audyssey MultEQ also calculates EQ (equalisation) curves to correct for speaker and room acoustic anomalies.

We like that the AVR-790 allows the user to easily confirm the test results; previous generations of Denon receivers were less than clear on that front. But in this case, Audyssey misidentified our Aperion 4T tower speakers as "Small", so we used the Manual Setup to correct that and set the Front Left and Right speakers to "Large". We also noted that Audyssey measured the subwoofer-to-mic distance as 4.3 metres, when it was actually 3.3 metres, so we fixed the distance and turned the sub down. The bass management/subwoofer crossover settings were fine. The manual set-up menus are logically organised, so we advise AVR-790 owners to take a few minutes and confirm test results and make the necessary corrections.

Features

The AVR-790 hits nearly all the key features you expect to see in a mid-range AV receiver. Most notable is the AVR-790's capability to upconvert analog video signals to 1080p. Many receivers can do this, but the AVR-790 is the only mid-range receiver we've tested this year that can do it well - but more on this in the performance section. The only misstep, as we mentioned before, is the lack of a graphical user interface.

There's enough connectivity within the Denon to cover the vast majority of home theatre set-ups. Four HDMI inputs are standard at this price and the other analog video inputs are more valuable considering the AVR-790 has solid video upconversion. We were also happy to see full 7.1 analog audio inputs, as this is the latest feature that's starting to go missing on AV receivers. The AVR-790 also includes a pair of switched outlets on the back, which is a rarity at this price. On the downside, the AVR-790 can only handle seven video gadgets at one time because of its relatively low number of "input slots". Seven may be plenty for most people, but competing receivers generally offer eight or more.

While we generally appreciated the AVR-790's connectivity, we were less enthusiastic about the back-panel layout. Like the Yamaha RX-V663, audio inputs and video inputs are separated into separate sections, instead of being grouped by input. If you're using a cable that bundles cables together (like a standard composite AV cable or a Wii component video cable), you'll have to stretch cables across the back panel - it can create a real mess. If you're mostly using HDMI connectivity, however, this won't be an issue.

The AVR-790 has solid multi-room functionality, offering both line-level and speaker-level second zone outputs. Note that like many systems, the second zone, speaker-level outputs are shared with the surround back outputs, meaning you can't have both a 7.1 system and a second, powered zone at the same time.

Audio performance

We started our AVR-790 auditions with The Soloist DVD. We loved the scene where Lopez presents Ayers with a cello, and the sound of the magnificent instrument amid a wash of city traffic was truly gorgeous. Later Lopez takes Ayers to an orchestral rehearsal, and the sense of being there in a large concert hall was impressively rendered. The AVR-790 had a sweetness of tone that's rare in mid-price receivers.

We've experienced mixed results from Audyssey's MultEQ and Dynamic EQ processing modes in various Denon and Onkyo receivers we've tested; sometimes it improved the receiver's sound, sometimes not. And we can't say the AVR-790's Audyssey's EQs made a distinct improvement in the sound of our Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD reference speaker system. But it's great that the AVR-790 offers direct access via the remote to switch the two Audyssey EQ systems and Dynamic Volume on and off. So it's easier than ever to try them out for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

We turned up the heat with the Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray's Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. When shape-shifting Sandman accidentally gets stuck in a scientific molecular accelerator experiment, the intense sound of charged electricity whooshes and encircled the CNET listening room, which was impressive. We watched the scene again with Audyssey's Dynamic Volume at a late-night-volume level and thought that the processing reduced detail, but it otherwise worked reasonably well. You can watch movies with lots of dynamic range at quiet levels and still hear everything.

When we cranked up the volume on Eminem's Live from New York City concert DVD, the AVR-790 didn't have the oomph we wanted. The receiver's 90 Watts per channel seemed to run out of gas on Kill You, so we brought the subwoofer volume up, but it didn't restore the dynamic punch we were looking for.

Pitting the AVR-790 against Sony's STR-DN1000 with the naval battle scenes on the Master and Commander Blu-ray, the Sony had greater dynamic life than the Denon.

The AVR-790 sounded fine with Wilco's Sky Blue Sky CD, though its soundstage was less dimensionally developed than the Sony's. Resolution of detail and tonal qualities were similar between the two receivers.

Video performance

The Denon AVR-790 is capable of upconverting analog video signals to 1080p over its HDMI output, so we put it through our image quality tests. We connected the Oppo BDP-83 via component to the Denon AVR-790, with the BDP-83 set in 480i mode. The AVR-790 was connected to the Samsung PS50B650 via HDMI, upconverting to 1080p.

We started off with Silicon Optix's "HQV" test suite on DVD. The initial resolution test was reassuring; so many AV receivers stumbled right out of the gate, but here the test pattern showed the full detail of DVD, with barely any image instability save for some minor moire-like artefacts in part of the test pattern. Next up were a pair of video-based jaggies tests, and the AVR-790 passed both with ease. We finished up with the 2:3 pull-down test pattern, and the Denon had no problem displaying the grandstands in the background without moire.

We switched over to program material. First we looked at the introduction to Star Trek: Insurrection - our favourite real world test for pull-down processing - and the Denon AVR-790 deftly handled the open pans, by smoothly rendering the curved edges of the boat hulls and bridge railings. Next up was the difficult opening sequence to Seabiscuit, and surprisingly the AVR-790 had no problems with the montage of black-and-white photos. Sure, it didn't look as good as if we let the Oppo BDP-83 upscale the DVDs itself, but that's not the point. Out of all the mid-range AV receivers we've tested this year, the Denon AVR-790 has the best upconverting image quality, with only the Pioneer VSX-1019AH coming in the same ballpark. If you're looking to easily integrate analog video components in your home theatre, the Denon AVR-790 is a solid choice.

It's also worth mentioning that the AVR-790 is the only mid-range AV receiver that is capable of scaling incoming HDMI sources to higher resolutions - like scaling a 480i HDMI source to 1080p. It can also accept HD resolutions over component video and convert them to HDMI. We can't think of too many practical applications for either of these features, but we appreciate the AVR-790's extensive flexibility.

• Denon AVR-1910
• Denon AVR-789
• Denon AVR-1909
• Onkyo TX-SR607