The evolution in high-tech A/V receivers is accelerating at a dizzying pace. It used to be that advanced features would debut in flagship receivers and then trickle down into more affordable models a year or so later. Nowadays quantum leaps in technology occur seemingly overnight. A year ago you could not have found any receiver—flagship or otherwise—that offered the incredibly rich features provided in Onkyo’s $899 TX-SR705 AVR.

But beyond impressive, high-profile technologies, this receiver offers something even more important—satisfying core sound quality that makes it one of the sweetest bargains in today’s mid-priced receiver market.

Features
The TX-SR705 is a dual-zone, THX Select2-certified receiver that uses Onkyo’s signature WRAT (wide range amplifier technology) circuitry to put out a healthy 7 x 100 watts per channel. In addition to the expected AM/FM tuner, it has facilities for adding both Sirius and XM satellite radio antennas and provides THX Neural Surround pro¬cessing so you can enjoy XM HD Surround broadcasts (and other Neural Surround-encoded programs).

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Need a quick and easy way to get files from one iPod to another? The miShare, which will cost roughly $100 if/when produced, aims to provide the solution. The device works by connecting two iPods to the docks on each end. A specialized Linux OS uses open source tools to access the iPods as mass storage devices, and can transfer music, video, or pictures. When in music mode, the most recently played song or everything in the On-the-Go playlist can be transferred automatically. The alternative of course is to simply buy a DAP that is natively a UMS device, such as a Cowon, which can transfer whatever you want to whomever you want.

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Creative has quietly posted details of a 4GB ZEN Stone Plus, revealing the company’s increased efforts in the budget- and sports-oriented music player business dominated in the US by the iPod shuffle. The new version unveiled by Creative’s Singapore site will hold about 1,000 songs but occupy the same size as earlier ZEN Stone models. As a Plus version, it also includes a small OLED screen for basic track info and permits FM radio. No price has been given, though the 2GB version currently offered sells for about $70 US and may point to a $100 price for the 4GB model, which appears to come only in black.

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This story probably isn’t worth spending too much time analysing or trying to draw conclusions from, but it seems that Walt Disney Home Entertainment, a keen supporter of Blu-ray, still voted on a proposal for a new 51GB HD DVD format at a recent DVD Forum Steering Committee meeting.

This is generally an unusual move for Blu-ray exclusive supporters. The likes of Sony, JVC, Hitachi, and other members of the Blu-ray Disc Association tend to abstain from votes relating to HD DVD, which is understandable.

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I know it’s hard to believe, Sound Food readers, but sometimes when someone buys a piece of gadgetry it’s because of what it does and not just the name behind it! Those are the kind of people who can take a deep breath, walk past the sparkly Apple and Creative displays and head for this sub-£50 Goodmans media player.

The GMP34G6 is a compact 4GB player that offers storage for about 1,000 MP3s (or 2,000 WMAs) or three hours or video. There’s also a voice record function and you can store and read text files saved as .txt on it too – not quite the Kindle but useful for shopping lists and extra document storage. Media is delivered through the microSD card slot. £44.99 from Argos.

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This is the OFA Digital 12 (URC7781) from One to One. No, it doesn’t have a particularly catchy name, but this little gadget could become the lazy person’s new best friend, given that it can control up to 12 different appliances in your home. TVs, DVD players, freeview boxes – you name it. It even has the ability to switch your lights off, dim them or control a whole cluster of lamps, so technically speaking, you need never get off your chair again. It’ll be available from mid to late November in major stockists including Curry’s, Curry’s Digital, Comet, John Lewis, Maplin, and in Argos from January.

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Kick your movies and music into high gear with the Velodyne VRP1000 10″ powered subwoofer.

The Velodyne VRP-Series ‘rear port’ subwoofers combine best-in-class technology with a price that anyone can afford. The low noise, rear port design allows VRP Series subwoofers to play louder and go lower than similarly priced products. They accurately reproduce the most difficult bass information while assuring the best performance with extraordinary reliability.

Whether your focus is thunderous reproduction of home theater’s challenging special effects, or low, thigh, dynamic bass that adds that lifelike quality to your music, the Velodyne VRP series produces bass that you can really feel.

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Are you looking for a very low cost home theater solution this Christmas? Well, a low cost Home Theater in a Box, anyway? Then you might want to check out the Philips HTS3555/37. This unit is typically available at the big box stores, but can actually be had on sale for as low as $70 off the regular price with a pre-Black Friday promotion at your local Best Buy or from their online store.

Yeah, I know, an audioholic with an HTIB? Well, there are some pretty good uses for a device like this. Perhaps you have an older standard definition TV that needs a little better sound, or maybe you just got a small 720p flat panel TV for the kids game room and you want some surround effects for it…

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The latest whole house distribution system from Nuvo is the Essentia E6G. Surprisingly affordable at list price of $2,299, the E6G is able to switch between up to six sources, and send music to six different zones. The efficient switching power supply and Philips Class D amplifier are able to supply 40 watts of power to each zone, and yet use less than a single watt of power in standby mode, making the Essentia E6G the first music distribution system to earn the “Energy Star” certification.

The Class D switching amplifier also allows for a very lightweight 6.5 lb. case, which fits in a single 1U rack space. The E6G can be controlled via IR remote, a new control pad which features an OLED display with full metadata feedback, or a home automation system via its bi-directional RS-232 port. It will be available Q1, 2008.

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