The editors of Home Theater magazine have announced the winners of the 2007 RAVE Awards (Recognition of Audio and Video Excellence). Open to all manufacturers, the RAVE Awards, now in its fifth year, recognizes excellence in the manufacturing of superior audio and video components that have been reviewed and tested by the Home Theater staff and respected contributors over a 12-month period.
Winners were invited to attend a special awards ceremony in their honor, during the Home Entertainment 2007 Show at the Hyatt Grand Central Hotel, New York, NY on Saturday, May 12.
“The competition gets tougher each year for the Home Theater team whose responsibility it is to nominate components which they personally feel sets a new standard of reference–a product that they would love to own in their own systems,” said editor Maureen Jenson.
RAVE Award Winners — 2007
Product of the Year:
Sony PlayStation 3 (online)
Best Entry-Level Projector:
Optoma HD72 DLP Projector ($1,999, May, DW)
Best Overall Projector:
Yamaha DPX-1300 DLP Projector ($12,496, Jul, GM)
Best Flat-Panel Display:
Panasonic TH-42PX60U Plasma HDTV ($2,500, Nov, AM)
Best High-End Speaker System:
Meridian DSP3100 Speaker System ($16,430, Jul, MF)
Best Midpriced Speaker System:
Anthony Gallo Acoustics A’Diva Speaker System ($2,075, Apr, SG)
Best Entry-Level Speaker System:
Audioengine 5 Amplified Speaker System ($698, Nov, MF)
Best Amplifier, Under $3,000:
AudioControl Savoy Amplifier ($2,499, Apr, MF)
Best Amplifier, Over $3,000:
Sunfire Theater Grand TGA-5400 Amplifier ($3,899, Nov, SG)
Best Pre/Pro, Under $3,000:
AudioControl Maestro M2 Pre/Pro ($2,399, Apr, MF)
Best Pre/Pro, Over $3,000:
Classe SSP-300 Surround Processor ($4,500, Jul, SG)
Best Receiver, Under $1,000:
Outlaw Audio Model 1070 A/V Receiver ($899, Jan, MF)
Best Receiver, Over $1,000:
Marantz SR8500 A/V Receiver ($1,300, Sep, SG)
Best Source Component, Under $500:
Samsung DVD-HD950 HDTV-Compatible DVD Player ($250, Feb, CC)
Best Source Component, Over $500:
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD Player ($800, Aug, GMr)
Best Home-Theater-in-a-Box System:
Denon S-301 HTIB ($1,599, Feb, MF)
Best Convergence Product:
Geneva Lab Model XL iPod/CD System ($1,075, Sep, MF)
Best Custom Product:
Polk Audio LC265i-IP In-Wall Speakers ($1,450/each, Dec, GA)
SOFTWARE AWARDS
DVD of the Year:
Titanic Collector’s Edition (Dec)
Best Video:
Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith (Jan)
Best Audio:
War of the Worlds Limited Edition (Mar)
Best TV on DVD:
Arrested Development (Feb)
Best High-Def Disc:
Batman Begins HD DVD (Jan 07)
Best Video Game:
Gears of War
Best Animation:
Toy Story 10th Anniversary Edition (Feb)
Best Restoration:
The Outsiders Complete Novel (Jan)
Best Extras:
Sin City Recut & Extended (Mar)
