The Verdicts: First, the Panasonic SL-850 turntable: This turntable uses the first version of quadraphonic sound, CD-4, which means the turntable outputs four distinct, individual channels directly to 4 separate speakers. Though it's a form of surround sound, in my test track, "Musicione" by The Guess Who, the differences between stereo and quadraphonic weren't quite as obvious as, say, between stereo and a 5.1 surround sound mix. There's very little of that gimmicky "moving sound" that flits between each channel that's sometimes emphasized in 5.1, but there's definitely a noticeable difference between quad and stereo.

In the chorus of the quad version of "Musicione," each background vocal track gets its own channel, which is reduced to a mere two-way split in the sad stereo mix. Also in quad, there's a treble/bass split between the front and rear, even going so far as to split the drum set components (high hat and snare in the front, floor tom and bass drum in the rear), while the left/right split is saved for the band's two main instruments (piano left, guitar right). It's pretty subtle, and no doubt some of the subtlety was exacerbated by the questionable quality of my speakers, but a stereo version of the same song definitely felt flat in comparison.

The turntable also features an automatic start and stop, a welcome addition, as well as the standard 33/45/78 RPM modes. It's the only automatic turntable I've ever used—instead of lifting the needle and placing it on the record (crazy! I'll go to the gym if I'm gonna work out, you know what I mean?), you just flip a switch and the Panasonic does it for you. My particular model is missing the center pin that holds the record in place—in the past, I've filed down a wood pencil as a replacement, though the drill bit I found amongst my dad's tools (pictured) works nicely as well.

The downsides to quadraphonic? The needle, technically called the "Shibata stylus," is a specialized type. When the time comes for replacement, you can bet it'll cost more and be harder to find than a standard needle. Plus, there are comparatively few quadraphonic records out there—my dad's copy of The Who's Quadrophenia was actually only in two channel. While the SL-850 plays stereo like a champ, you're not buying it for mere two-channel audio.

The GE 4-Channel Receiver is an even more interesting beast. Its most striking feature is the built-in 8-track cassette player, though to my deep, deep disappointment, it refused to play the only two 8-tracks in my possession, a Motown compilation and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. No amount of NES-style blowing into the cassettes or the player would yield any sound, so I suppose it must be busted.

But the receiver itself is a powerhouse—it's got both four-channel and simple stereo modes, a stylish AM/FM tuner, and a sweet balance joystick that lets you control which of the four channels (L/R front and back) gets the most emphasis. It was able to push my four speakers (a pair of giant Pioneer cabinets and a pair of slightly smaller Sonys, one of which was mysteriously and unsettlingly sticky) with a ton of power and pretty decent bass/treble control, thanks to a pair of sliders. Unfortunately, it's packing only a single audio input, so it might require an external A/V switcher if I wanted to line in more than just the turntable.

The GE unit is also a handsome-looking deck, with wood paneling all around accompanied by a chrome and black plastic front. The AM/FM tuner lights up in fluorescent green and has this great squiggly grid design, and it's very clear what every toggle and switch does. If it weren't for the busted 8-track deck, it'd be a winner.

Turntable:
Quadraphonic audio recordings sound great

Plays stereo and quad perfectly

Automatic start/stop is a welcome feature

Rare needle could be expensive and/or difficult to replace

Not the best-looking turntable we've ever seen

Receiver:
Powerful, customizable sound (joystick especially is great)

Stylish design

Single input necessitates external A/V switcher

8-track player doesn't work

Heavy as hell

Special thanks to my dad for hoarding all this ancient gear in our basement.

Gizmodo '79 is a week-long celebration of gadgets and geekdom 30 years ago, as the analog age gave way to the digital, and most of our favorite toys were just being born.

Computing & Peripherals

• HP Officejet Pro L7680 All-in-One w/ Bluetooth Dongle & HP Photo Book for $139.99 (Recertified) (normally $220 - valid today only).

• Samsung 2433BW 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $259.99 plus free shipping (normally $300 - valid until 12/31. Use rebate form).

• Canon PIXMA MP190 All-In-One Inkjet Printer for $19.99 (normally $60 - valid today only).

Flash Memory

• 4GB Cruzer Micro Flash Drive for $8.99 plus free shipping (normally $15).

• Patriot Xporter XT 32GB USB Flash Drive for $42.99 plus free shipping (normally $70 - valid until 12/31. Use rebate form and coupon code for EMCBCCGDA for $7 off).

• Emprex 16GB USB Flash Drive for 19.99 (normally $30 - valid today only. Use rebate form).

Home Accessories

• Electrolux Intensity Upright Vacuum for $139.99 plus free shipping (normally $205).

Home Entertainment

• Onkyo TX-SR575S 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver for $175.63 plus free shipping (normally $220).

• Sceptre X46BV 46" 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $699.99 (normally $900 - valid until 12/31, or first 100 customers. Use rebate form).

Kitchen

• Frost Cutlery 13-Piece Kitchen Cutlery Set for $9.99 (normally $27).

• George Foreman XXL Family Size Grill for $33 shipped (normally $70. Use coupon code JOY15 for 15% off).

Toys

• Excalibur Wireless Indoor R/C Helicopter MicroFlyer for $21.99 plus free shipping (normally $30).

Hobomodo

• SanDisk 4GB SD Extreme III Memory Card [3 Pack] for $0 (normally $60 - valid until 12/27. Must buy three and use rebate form). Updated: sold out.

• Sandisk 4GB Extreme III Compact Flash Card [3 Pack] for $0 (normally $60 - valid until 12/27. Must buy three and use rebate form). Updated: sold out.

Audio accessories

• JVC HANC100 Noise-Cancelling Headphones for $37.97 (originally $99.95).
• JVC HANC250 Noise-Cancelling Headphones for $105.97 (originally $199.95).
• Beyerdynamic DT 770 Stereo Headphones for $113.77 (originally $319).
• Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Cancelling Headphones for $90.65 (originally $199.99).
• Slip Profile CD System for $89 (originally $125).
• Denon AVR-988 Multi-Source/Multi-Zone Home Theater Receiver for $584.97 (originally $1,199).
• Onkyo TX-SR705 7.1 Home Theater Receiver for $479.97 (originally $799.99).
• Sony HT-SS2000 Component Home Theater System for Blu-Ray Players for $316.99 (originally $499.99).
• Klipsch Home Theater System with DVD player (set of five speakers) for $692.04 (originally $999.99).
• Onkyo Home Entertainment System (includes receiver and six speakers) for $289.99 (originally $399).

Gaming

• Refurbished Guitar Hero III with Wireless Guitar for the PS3 for $29.99 (originally $69.99).
• Refurbished Guitar Hero III with Wireless Guitar for Xbox 360 for $29.99 (originally $69.99).
• PlayStation 2 bundle with Lego Batman and Justice League for $129.96 (originally $149.99).

Cameras and accessories

• Canon PowerShot A460 5mp Digital Camera for $89.99 (originally $199.99).
• Patriot 8GB SDHC Memory Card for $9.99 (originally $39.99).

Unlocked cellphones

• Motorolla's A1600 Ming for $369 (originally $699.99).
• iMate's Ultimate 6150 for $399 (originally $619.99).
• HTC Touch P3452 for $339 (originally $429.99).

Stocking stuffers

• Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus Pocket Knife for $19.99 (originally $78 - valid only on 10/24).
• Disney Princesses DVDs/Blu Ray up to 50% off (originally $29.99 to $34.99).

Miscellaneous

• Lux Touch Screen 7 Day Programmable Thermostat for $64.95 (originally $137.17).

The unit also accepts USB devices and even has optional iPod and Bluetooth interfaces, providing you with almost every possible way to load music onto it. At $160, the sweet little player may as well come with a shovel you can use to bury your beloved CD collection. [Blaupunkt via SciFi]

The unit programmed to that number will then start to make a noise that, "gets louder the closer you get to it." Just like any other noise would do then, really. A set of two FOFAs is $24.95, and additional units are $12.47 each. If you're really dedicated to never losing your keys again, then you could splash out for the $99 Loc8tor handset, which will track down up to 24 fobs. [Inventor Spot]

Of course you'll get the classic Samsung black/silver/blue styling to match your other components. Not pictured are the five satellite speakers and subwoofer, but they're standard fare at this point. Price is still TBD, but given the lack of a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player and the price point of the HT-BD2 7.1 home theater in a box, I'd wager you'll be dropping under $300 for this beauty.

HT-AS720 5.1 Channel Blu Ray Receiver / Speaker System

Consumers who already enjoy the full HD 1080p cinematic video quality of Samsung's Blu-ray disc players and HDTVs can now have an audio experience to match. The HT-AS720 5.1 channel hi-definition receiver / speaker system provides powerful, theater-like sound. With its slick, deep black design and soft blue LED accents, the HT-AS720 seamlessly boosts both the audio presence and visual aesthetics of the home theater to a new level. A fully powered subwoofer, accentuated by five satellite speakers, gives the HT-AS720 a rumbling 650 Watts of total output power to keep movie and audio fans satisfied. A complete portfolio of innovative features includes two HDMI-CEC inputs and 1 HDMI output for on-the-fly switching of components as well as 1080p pass through capability for a high-definition viewing experience.

The AS720 can also support the pass through of Dolby True HD and DTS HD and has a built in Dolby Digital Plus decoder allowing consumers to experience their favorite movies with clear, full-bodied sound. The design and performance of the AS720 has also been perfectly matched with Samsung's new Blu-ray players as well as with their award-winning HDTVs. While the performance of these products are impressive, they will impress even when not turned on.

The X10 supports Bluetooth steaming audio from a phone or laptop through its DMPORT (Digital Media Port) if you fork over some extra cash for Sony's adapter. Audio is auto calibrated to your room, as with most compact surround sound systems, and Bravia televisions will sync for super easy input calibration. HDMI carries a signal from the integrated upconverting DVD player, which handles DivX, SACD, and MP3s.

As for now, the X10 lacks any info on price or HDMI inputs. [sony]

The NR905 also has HD radio reception out of the box, Ethernet for Internet radio, and PC streaming, as well as a USB port for thumbdrives, and HDDs, presumably holding MP3s. Room acoustic compensation, alters frequency and delay for up to eight listening spots in a room. No word on wattage, but the 905's "high-current power supply with a massive toroidal transformer" and Ultra2 THX certification are probably good enough.

The 7.1 receiver is The $2099 TX-NR905 and $1699 NR875 receivers have cheaper siblings, too. Budget models landing to fight Yamaha's day-old RX-V861 are the 805, and 705, priced at $1099 and $899 has four HDMI 1.3a ports, supporting lip-sync, and a wider color gamut (as long as your source and TV support it). They'll all have that remote control over HDMI protocol, in this case called RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI). Interestingly, they've gone to declare the tech'll work with Toshiba's CE-Link Regza TVs, and Panasonic's EZ-Sync TVs. That's good news the systems aren't totally proprietary.

We agree with John "Sheriff" Falcone's take that the next set of receivers worth looking at are the next crop of Denons. As for Onkyo, more impressions from Louis Ramirez, later today.–Brian Lam

Onkyo Home Page [Onkyo]

Onkyo Announces New Features to be Available on High-End THX Certified A/V Receivers

New features include HDMI 1.3a, Reon-HQV™ HD video scaling, HD radio, Ethernet and USB connections, Neural-THX Surround™

Onkyo TX-SR805 THX Ultra2 receciver. Click any photo for high resolution JPEG images.

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ (4/24/07) — Onkyo has announced four new THX Certified receiver models to be introduced beginning this spring, incorporating a range of high-end features and core performance improvements designed to deliver the highest levels of performance available. These new THX Certified Onkyo A/V receivers will feature HDMI 1.3a compatibility, including internal decoding for DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Each will also feature a sophisticated set of internal video processing capabilities, with two of the models boasting the first inclusion of Reon-VX HQV processing in an A/V receiver. Three of the new models, the TX-SR805, the TX-SR875, and the TX-NR905, each feature THX Ultra2 certification, while the TX-SR705 is THX Select2 Certified.

From early design concepts to product rollout, THX and Onkyo worked together to ensure every detail of the receivers were mapped to the THX performance standards. And THX engineers spent countless hours testing and analyzing the receivers for sound quality, usability and interoperability. Each certified receiver includes a number of proprietary THX technologies, designed to compensate for the acoustical errors that occur when movies, music and games are translated from the professional studio to the home environment.

All four receivers are both XM and Sirius satellite radio ready, and will feature a comprehensive range of audio and video connections, including HDMI 1.3a switching for three (TX-SR705 and TX-SR805) or four (TX-SR875 and TX-NR905) HDMI sources. The TX-NR905 will also feature a second HDMI output for even greater flexibility. Each receiver is capable of accommodating single-cable pure-digital audio and video transfer from HDMI sources, including 1080p and Deep-Color™ capability. Additionally, each model will include the company's RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) communication protocol. This feature allows future integration of many system control functions between compatible components via the HDMI connection, and will also feature compatibility with Toshiba's CE-Link™ enabled 2007 Regza LCD TV line and Panasonic's EZ-Sync™ TV line, as well as similar protocols from other manufacturers to be announced later in the year.

Two of the new models, the Onkyo TX-SR875 and TX-NR905, will be the first A/V receiver models to include Silicon Optix's acclaimed Reon-VX HQV™ video processing. This sophisticated IC chip-based technology provides the receivers with current state-of-the-art video scaling and deinterlacing capabilities, including upscaling of all video sources to 1080p for output over the HDMI connection. Additionally, all video sources will also be upconverted to HD output via the units' component video outputs to accommodate video displays lacking an HDMI input.

The TX-SR805, TX-SR875 and TX-NR905 receivers will all feature a new dual push-pull amplifier configuration, coupled with a three-stage inverted Darlington circuit and top-of-the-line Burr-Brown DACs for outstanding efficiency and high current with very low distortion. Two of the receivers' seven channels can also be reconfigured for bi-amplification with compatible speaker systems. On the TX-SR875 and TX-NR905, these two channels can also be reconfigured for bridged operation with the front L/R channels for high power output.

Onkyo's new receivers will be the first models available to feature Neural-THX Surround™ decoding for broadcasts and gaming. This new surround sound technology allows for broadcast content to be transmitted in a two-channel format, and later decoded for up to 7.1 discrete audio channels, as well as enabling 7.1-channel audio support for many modern video gaming consoles.

For simplified setup, all of these models incorporate Audyssey Multi-EQ room acoustics correction, the most powerful built-in solution available for countering room distortion in dedicated home theaters. This technology uses an included microphone to detect and configure speakers in the room, and then adjusts each channel's level, delay, and crossover settings to best suit the room's acoustics. By incorporating measurements at up to eight points in the listening room, Audyssey Multi-EQ provides both frequency response and time domain corrections throughout the entire listening area, rather than just at a single position.

Additional features on the TX-NR905 include a high-current power supply with a massive toroidal transformer, built-in HD radio reception and a powerful set of networking capabilities for integrated home media systems. The receiver will include an Ethernet port for support of Internet radio and streaming multimedia, as well as additional control and multimedia functions to be announced later in theyear. There is also an included USB port to allow for the addition of USB-based portable audio players, and for the use of USB-based memory devices.

The Onkyo TX-SR805 will be shipping in May at a suggested retail price of $1099. The TX-SR875 will be available in June at a suggested retail price of $1699. The THX Select2 Certified TX-SR705 will be available in July at a suggested retail price of $899. The TX-NR905 will be available in August at a suggested retail price of $2099.

It comes down to this: I want to plug all of my stuff into one receiver, then connect that receiver to my TV with one cable. Who cares if my Wii is outputting at 480p through component cables, or that the VHS is going through S-Video? Whatever goes in, high-def or not, must come out the HDMI pipe. Ideally at 1080p, but 1080i is ok, too. That's the key offering of the RX-V861, which was officially announced today, but got a little play early this month.

Follow the jump for more features.

The 735-watt receiver has features that are found on other Yamaha receivers, such as the YPAO microphone-aided room-setup tool (which I tend to use because I hate manual setup). It also has an optional iPod docking station, optional XM satellite radio—but not Sirius—and HDMI 1.2a, which allows it to receive multichannel linear PCM audio, and also DVD-Audio and SACD. Could it have cost anything to put an HDMI 1.3 chip in there?

The only big beef I have with Yamaha is that the receiver interface has never been terrifically coherent. Here's hoping, now that they're getting the right specs at better price points, we start seeing some R&D in the UI arena. – Wilson Rothman

UPDATE: 1080i, not 1080p res upscale.
Product Page [Yamaha]

As for the device itself, it connects via USB and can handle any combination of four controllers or headsets. Even new controllers like the Mad Catz arcade stick should be supported. Did we mention it's only $19.99? – Jason Chen

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows Review [IGN via Digg]

Product Page [Via Consumerist]

Pricing wasn't announced, but this will probably fall in that $1500 range we noticed with other 7.1 HDMI-equipped receivers of this ilk such as the Sony STR-DA5200ES. But you may need more than two HDMI inputs; the Sony receiver has twice as many. – Charlie White

Press Release (Japanese) [Denon, via Akihabara News]

The interface is also really unique. It is driven by a cross-bar icon-based system that is somewhat reminiscent of the PSP, kind of. The menu system also seemed very user-friendly with quick definitions of the technical jargon and what the adjustments actually do.

Another interesting feature is the picture-in-picture functionality. During my demonstation they were able to have a DVD showing then pop up a live stream of a video surveillance camera that was also attached to the receiver. The receiver as inputs for damn near everything—including USB. It will retail for $1,500 in October, when it is released. Hit the jump to see more pictures of the menu interface and the ass of this sexy beast—oh yeah baby, show me 'dem inputs.

Press Release

The HDMI capable, multi-room receiver will go for less than $2,000. It'll upconvert analog and digital sources to HD resolutions. And the interface will keep us cozy while we pretend it's a Playstation 3, since we won't get our mitts on those for a long time. To be officially unveiled at CEDIA, on September 13th. More screenshots after the jump.–Brian Lam

Sony STR-DA5200ES with PS3 Type Menu [CNet]

The thing that will really rock the Casbah is its sheer brute force, where it's able to spit out 120 watts per channel, rather unremarkable until you consider there are seven channels involved in its 7.1 output. Imagine that, 840 watts. We haven't seen the back of this monster yet, but it's got to look like one of those old patch panels the telephone company used in the early part of the previous century.

Tipping the Kangol to one of our astute commenter's remarks from earlier today, maybe one day there will just be one input and one output, all HDMI. We're not holding our breath. – Charlie White

Product Page (Japanese) [Sony]

There's even a remote control for the dual voltage satellite receiver included, and the most remarkable part of it is its price, 79.99 or about $150. Heck, it wasn't that long ago when it would cost you $150,000 to have this capability. – Charlie White

Product Page [Maplin Electronics, via Red Ferret]