Home Cinema Choice – September 2019

HOME CINEMA CHOICE SEPTEMBER 2019

TOP 5 Bonus features

108 GEAR GUIDE

TOP 10 AV R e c e i v e r s /AV P r o c e s s o r s

Pioneer VSX-933

« £470

An aff ordable seven-channel

AVR where copious music

streaming options are

joined by a punchy, upbeat

home cinema performance.

Improved remote and

menus, but only one HDMI

output. HCC #292

IOTAVX AVXP1

« £1,050

Brit brand power amplifi er

with plenty of Class AB grunt

(rated at 7 x 110W into 8

ohms) and a rugged build

quality – one to audition if

your cinema setup is in need

of more channels.

HCC #293

Marantz AV8805

« £3,600

The most aff ordable

13-channel processor around,

the AV8805 combines lean

looks, setup fl exibility and

a musical, detailed sound

performance. Uses Audyssey

MultEQ XT32 calibration.

HCC #288

Arcam AVR850 « £4,500

High-end seven-channel AVR marrying Class G amplifi cation

and Atmos support with talented Dirac Live Room EQ for an

excellent performance. Lacks a few feature frills, but

11-channel pre-outs allow full-fat setups. HCC #257

NAD Masters Series M17 V2

« £5,500

Dirac Live replaces Audyssey

EQ in this revamped high-

end processor; 4K HDR

passthrough, Atmos and

DTS:X decoding, and BluOS

music streaming also join

the party.

HCC #293

Yamaha RX-A3080

« £2,000

Yamaha's fl agship receiver

is still 'only' a nine-channel

model while rivals add more

power. But this is feature-

packed and a dynamic,

dramatic performer. DSP

modes add appeal.

HCC #298

Denon AVC-X8500H

« £3,300

For those want to go even

bigger with their Atmos/

DTS:X system, this fl agship

provides 13 channels of

power. Setup can be

complex, and there's no FM

tuner, but otherwise this is

fi rst-class. HCC #285

Marantz NR1609

« £650

AirPlay 2 and a phono stage

input for vinyl junkies are

among the new specs of

Marantz's 7-channel slimline

model. An assured performer

with fi lm and music; great

usability and styling.

HCC #295

Yamaha CX-A5200

« £2,600

11-channel processor with

MusicCast integration, XLR

hookup and a trio of HDMI

outs. Atmos and DTS:X

support is bolstered by

impressive Surround:AI DSP.

Flexible and enjoyable.

HCC #292

Denon AVR-X4500H « £1,500

Denon's top-tier nine-channel AVR is due an IMAX Enhanced

update shortly, topping off an already extensive, user-friendly

feature set. Movie playback is dynamic and detailed, and

two-channel music sounds sweet too. Superb. HCC #293

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Dragonwyck

(alternate presentation)

Use your player's 'Angle' button

to switch been two diff erent

encodes of this 1946 Vincent

Price romp – an older, more

fi lmic HD master, and a cleaner-

looking 4K restoration. HCC #298

Bringing Bumblebee to

the Big Screen

A solid 50-minute eff ort covering

the Transformers fi lm's genesis,

casting, 1980s production design

and more. Split into fi ve parts

with no 'Play All' option, which

is annoying. HCC #299

Howard: A New Cult Hero

Found on 101 Films' recent

Howard the Duck BD, BFI

Flipside co-creator Vic Pratt

explores the comic book origins

of the quackers character and

his troubled journey to the

bigscreen. HCC #299

Widows Unmasked:

A Chicago Story

How does a 1980s ITV drama

become a 2019 Hollywood fi lm

directed by Oscar-winner Steve

McQueen? This detailed

50-minute Making of... doc

has the answers. HCC #297

Learned Behavior: Special

Features at Work

Fascinating 60-min roundtable

chat that crops up on the Kin

Blu-ray, covering the concept of

extra features themselves. Kin's

co-directors are joined by Kevin

Smith and others. HCC #296