Audioholics 2005 Products of the Year

[gene]

<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial"><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/2005productawards.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 125px" alt=[2005poy] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/2005poy_th.gif" align=left border=0></A>2005 proved to be another invigorating year for the world of home theater as evident by the bleeding edge and innovative technological masterpieces put forth by many of the industry leaders.&nbsp; With home theater electronics progressing as rapidly as the computer industry (if not more so), it's hard to keep track and stay ahead of the game.&nbsp; Choosing class-leading products proves to be challenging since there are so many good solutions out there, all suited to specific market demands and client needs.&nbsp; With that in mind, we selected gear in each category that really stood out based on our personal experiences via reviews or demo's as well as the market trends it set based on performance, features, and value.</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">[Read our Picks for 2005]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>

 

[Sheep]

Good stuff.

I was a little suprised about the subwoofer catagory though... was expecting a more expensive sub.

SheepStar

 

[j_garcia]

Yep, good stuff. Will have to get around to reading more of the reviews.

 

[Dan Banquer]

Product Awards

Where's the GLOB cable?
d.b.

 

[gene]

Sheep;

We only awarded POY for Budget subwoofers this year since we didn't review enough upscale subwoofer products in 2005.

Dan;

You're right. GLOB should have at least gotten an honorary mention.

 

[Sheep]

Sheep;

We only awarded POY for Budget subwoofers this year since we didn't review enough upscale subwoofer products in 2005.

Dan;

You're right. GLOB should have at least gotten an honorary mention.

Ah I see.

Does this mean 06 is going to have more expensive sub reviews?

SheepStar

 

[korgoth]

there is a relatively small company that easily beats the Buttkicker imo. Crowsontech www.crowsontech.com

they make the tes-100 which is more accurate and has a better rumble. AH should try and ask to give a review. It is more expensive, but easily worth it.

probobly around 1000 bucks for the couch set up plus the amp. compared to buttkickers $700. but yeah, id recommend anyone giving them the 30 day trial.

i tested them both and it was a pretty easy decision, either company will add to your HT, but the TES-100 is much more realistic. the buttkicker just uses the older vibrating technology, but the crowson is extremely accurate, and you can feel so many different motions. Ive had them about a year now, and still get surprised that the things only move up and down.. i swear it feels like its going back and forth during certain spots.

my friend that introduced them to me told me they had a demo at some huge audio show where you could sit on a real harley motorcycle. people would think it was really running, but then the representative would show them that it was just the crowson hooked up to the frame, with some speakers playin the audio

 

[Sheep]

there is a relatively small company that easily beats the Buttkicker imo. Crowsontech www.crowsontech.com

they make the tes-100 which is more accurate and has a better rumble. AH should try and ask to give a review. It is more expensive, but easily worth it.

probobly around 1000 bucks for the couch set up plus the amp. compared to buttkickers $700. but yeah, id recommend anyone giving them the 30 day trial.

i tested them both and it was a pretty easy decision, either company will add to your HT, but the TES-100 is much more realistic. the buttkicker just uses the older vibrating technology, but the crowson is extremely accurate, and you can feel so many different motions. Ive had them about a year now, and still get surprised that the things only move up and down.. i swear it feels like its going back and forth during certain spots.

my friend that introduced them to me told me they had a demo at some huge audio show where you could sit on a real harley motorcycle. people would think it was really running, but then the representative would show them that it was just the crowson hooked up to the frame, with some speakers playin the audio

The but kicker comes with a much heaftier amp though. That alone is worth more then the kit, putting out 1100watts into 4 ohms and 2100 watts into 2 ohms.

SheepStar

 

[korgoth]

thats true the amp for the buttkicker is bigger, but the buttkicker itself cant really compare to the accuracy of the TES imo. thats why i bought 2 TES-100's and a seperate amp. The buttkicker gets distracting if its up to high, but the TES is different. it uses a linear actuater, so its different than just a vibrating motion, its pretty much like sitting on top of your sub, but enhanced. The buttkicker is definately cool too, but personally i dont think id ever trade my TES's.

Each different low frequency sound has a different motion, cause it moves in line with the frequency wave, just like you would feel in real life.. but with the buttkicker it just has a different speed and level of spinning vibration (kind of like a ps2 controller), so it never really gives off the subtlties.

 

[Jim Robbins]

No SVS on the list?

I see that you guys didn't pick any SVS subs for your winner. I am not sure if you tried this guy out: http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10isd.cfm

I have a larger SVS box sub for my place, and it is incredible. As such, I recommended that a friend try out their entry level model, and I was surprised at how good a low cost sub could be. His room is a bit bigger than mine, but this unit filled the room with good clean bass pretty well. Anyway, maybe put SVS on the list for some reviews next year. It also seems that they are about to release some small bookshelf speakers. I am sure they would get you Auidoholic dudes a demo set if you asked.

Oh, and btw, I don't work for SVS or anything, I am just a very happy owner of the PB12-Plus/2 unit. Later all!

James Robbins

 

[gene]

I see that you guys didn't pick any SVS subs for your winner.

We actually have several SVS products in for review now including the speakers you mentioned. 2006 is gonna be the YEAR of subwoofer reviews for us. Stay tuned....

 

[korgoth]

yeah SVS is the most popular sub company on these forums. it is mentioned in about 95% of subwoofer posts. the pb10 was a huge topic for a while. good sub, AH definately knows about it, not sure if they tested it, but they definately know about it.

*got beat to the punch.

 

[Audioholics]

they make the tes-100 which is more accurate and has a better rumble. AH should try and ask to give a review. It is more expensive, but easily worth it.

We are open to a review. However, the reason the Buttkicker got the award is that a) it costs less, b) it includes an amplifier, c) it has a wireless optional kit, and d) it provides a variable hi-cut crossover and level control.

The crowson does none of this as far as we are aware. After you buy it you still need an amp and it will run using the entire subwoofer frequency output (almost no receivers and processors have an actual LFE out) causing "overuse" where you'll be shaking as a woman walks down the hall during a horror movie (scary low tones).

We do try to think these things through - but it's ultimately just our (hopefully educated) opinion.

 

[korgoth]

im definately not saying you made a wrong choice.. i was just mentioning the crowson as competition since its still a relatively small company and you might not have seen them before. I do trust your educated opinions,.. much more than my own usually.

wireless is nice. maybe i can look and see if they sell it seperately anywhere. crowson has a couple cool features too, like the stereo preamp that allows you to supposedly feel direction of motion, but i havent tried it yet.

if you are looking for ease of purchase, buttkicker is probobly the way to go, but, the actual crowson tactile transducers are much better than the buttkicker "shakers". The buttkicker kit is nice, except that the primary piece of the kit (the shaker) is one of its weaker components. I just really like the linear actuator of the crowsons compared the the vibrating that the buttkicker has. the buttkicker uses the same technique that ps2 controllers and cell phones use. im not tryin to bash buttkicker at all, i just think, excluding the kit, you would almost certainly like the TES unit more.

 

[eddie]

Who Were The Other Contenders?

I would love to know what the other products were that you considered. Could you possibly post a list of the contenders?

 

[Mobius]

Very nice read

 

[Tomorrow]

Nice job, guys! Thanks for the picks and reviews. I'm saving up for that Yammie Rx.

(I'm kinda surprised that the usual suspects haven't challenged your methodology, 'real' motives, or results, yet. Maybe they finally got into the Christmas spirit(s).)

 

[Sheep]

Nice job, guys! Thanks for the picks and reviews. I'm saving up for that Yammie Rx.

(I'm kinda surprised that the usual suspects haven't challenged your methodology, 'real' motives, or results, yet. Maybe they finally got into the Christmas spirit(s).)

No, they smartend up!

SheepStar

 

[perato]

Velodyne SMS-1

I do not know if it should be called an LFE Accessory, but I think the Velodyne SMS-1 should at least have received an honorable mention in some category. It is an auto eq for subwoofers. I just received mine two days ago and it works rather well. There are other EQ devices for subwoofers out there (e.g. Behringer Feedback Destroyer, DEQ2496, even software programs for HTPCs) but the Velodyne product is easy to setup and allows the user to adjust crossover, crossover slope, subsonic filter, subsonic slope, phase, polarity, and volume).

It also has eight-band user adjustable graphic or parametric equalizer. (you can use the equalizer just as graphic or adust Q).

If I have more time this weekend I will try to experiment more and measure the frequency response with a sound level meter. But already there is an audible improvement just by using the display on my TV screen.

The Velodyne website does not work as I type this but the info about the SMS-1 is there. The MSRP is US$699 with a street price of US$599. Onecall sells it for US$599, including shipping! Search Google and you can find other forums discussing this product.

 

[mike c]

the yamaha rx-v 2600 won an award without a review? (hint hint)
is the rumor true that a review of the 2600 is just about finished?