Money-For-Value Home Audio

Mirage Nanosat

Rated as "High-end compact home-theater speakers." Shown at the upper right are a pair of Mirage speakers. This is how Mirage commits to words what it has sought to accomplish in the Nanosat using the company's Omnipolar design: "Featuring Mirage's OMNIPOLAR technology, the NANOSAT system reproduces sound in a perfect 360 degree dispersion pattern... walls virtually disappear." And they disappear they do! Consumer Search agrees that everyone, inside or outside the surround field, can fully maximize a movie's dialogue and special effects. Critics are impressed by how much volume the satellite speakers (satellite speakers feature a 2-3/4" woofer and a ¾" pure titanium hybrid tweeter) can generate. Experts say the Nanosat can sound "light" with certain material through such small speakers, although this may not be such a big concern.

KEF KHT-3005

Rated as "Luxury surround-sound speakers." Shown at the lower right is a close up of a 3005 satellite speaker. KEF has what it calls "'sit anywhere' Uni-Q® technology which disperses sound around the room so well that you can 'sit anywhere' to enjoy the optimum surround experience." And with such positive reviews, no less can be expected from over 50 years of experience. Experts say that the KEF KHT-3005 has clinched both style and performance. The egg-shaped satellites (reminiscent of a jet engine's front view) have cast aluminum housings available in high-gloss black or silver. Of note are the accuracy and depth of the sound; the speakers perform satisfactorily regardless of the material. A 250-watt-powered subwoofer completes the speaker kit, which will make somebody eyeing the Nanosat all confused since the 3005 also can fill even a large space with great sound.

Want to know more about ConsumerSearch.com? Click here also to know what it picked for "Best budget home theater speakers" and "Wall-mountable surround-sound speakers."

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Aperion Intimus 533-PT
The phrase "without the need for a stand-alone subwoofer" may sound redundant, but that needs to be attached at the end of reviews of this Oregon-based company's latest products. And so, Aperion's twin speakers can top speakers that cost two to three times as much, "without the need for..."

Pioneer VSX-72TXV
This Pioneer VSX-72TXV's magnetic package of features and sound quality are hard to beat. Having gone over receivers with XM Satellite Radio capability, iPod interfaces, advanced autosetup functionality, and format conversion from analog video inputs (composite, S-Video, and component) to digital HDMI video output, CNet nonetheless gives a high score to Pioneer VSX-72TXVwhich has all those features plus superior sound to boot. But watch out, still. Make sure your HDTV can handle 480i HDMI signals; otherwise, you'll get a blank screen when trying to watch analog video sources.

Aperion Intimus 533-PT Cinema HD
All of the above remarks apply to Aperion's handsome five-speaker 533-PT Cinema HD package, "without the need for..." And with a risk-free, 30-day, in-home trial for all Aperion speaker products, nobody can say no.

KEF KHT-3005 (black)
KEF's stunningly styled egg-shaped speaker package, the KHT-3005, boasts audiophile-quality sound for music and impressive home-theater performance. As for the downside, the slightly complex set up includes getting help in tweaking the necessary subwoofer crossover settings. The exact setting will vary depending on room size and acoustic properties. To sum up, this $1,500 deal is a relative bargain among high end speakers.

What is CNet? Learn also about the other great choices recommended by this top tech site. See also the CNet Editors' numerical ratings for each product by clicking here.

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