Introduction For many years I have found the pursuit of perfect musical reproduction to be equally a passion and a challenge. My love of music started very young, as did the understanding that music reproduced accurately provided a vastly greater musical experience. As a child, I was enchanted by the family stereo system, which at the time was one of the better systems on the block. By the time I was 14, I had convinced my parents to co-sign a loan for my very own system from a local high-end retailer, all in pursuit of my drug of choice – music. The only difference today is that there are many more choices and looming format wars that years ago were outside our wildest dreams. In the end, there is one constant that has not changed, which is the reason that we all have music playback systems – we want to get as close ...

Introduction The Philips SACD1000 is a multi-channel Super Audio CD player that also plays both PAL and NTSC DVD-Video discs (but note it is not multi-region), CDs, Video CDs and even CD-Rs, but not, strangely, DTS CDs. The SACD1000 retails for $2,000. About Super Audio CD SACD is a development by Sony and Philips as a successor to the Compact Disc (and competitor to DVD-Audio), but the two companies have taken a very different attitude to delivering high-quality audio. Sony was first out of the gate, but their players were stereo-only and very expensive, aimed at an allegedly still-existent stereo audiophile market in Japan that has all but disappeared elsewhere. Philips, on the other hand, has been adamant that their players would offer multichannel capability from the start: this worthy decision unfortunately delaying availability of machines for a while. Following on from the Sony preference for stereo, the vast majority of releases of SACD software have also been ...

Introduction The DV-38A is Pioneer’s eagerly anticipated top of the line progressive video DVD player. The DV-38A retails for $2,000, is THX Ultra Certified and supports both DVD-Video and DVD-Audio formats. With all of the hype of new formats swirling in the audio/video magazines, the DV-38A arrives just in time for those looking for an upgrade in sound and picture. Upon unpacking the DV-38A, I found it to be finished in the traditional Pioneer Elite manner, with a polished black face with gold details and attractively finished wood side panels. The face plate, in addition to the drawer assembly, contains a small number of indicator lights, including one that has a cool blue light for illumination, and minimal operating controls. This give the unit an attractively clean, functional look. The DV-38A weighs in at a fairly hefty 22 pounds. The construction of the unit is very solid, utlizing a triple-layered chassis and three chambers to isolate the ...

Introduction DVD-Audio is the most hyped new technology in audio since the compact disc. Now Kenwood is out with one of the first DVD-Audio/DVD-Video players on the market with the $1,000 DV4070. The DV4070 is a five-disc changer that will play nearly all of the media on the market right now including compact discs, CD-Video, DVD-Video and the new DVD-Audio format. However, it will not play DVD-Audio’s competing format, SACD. Like most changers, the DV4070 comes equipped with all of the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a mass market DVD player. These include instant access to the disc tray while a disc is spinning, a slick on-screen interface, an ergonomically correct remote and even a headphone jack for late-night sessions. The DV4070 is the standard 17 inches wide and will fit on a shelf in a rack-mounted system. About DVD-Audio The DVD-Audio format is specifically designed to utilize the large-scale storage capacity of ...

Introduction It is easy to design a system that sounds great when you have lots of money to invest. You can pick from the most high end, most high performance products on the market with little regard for anything other than getting exactly the sound you want. Achieving this goal on a tight budget is a whole other story. Enter the Rotel RCD 975. Every good music and home theater system needs a good "front end." In Europe, investing the majority of your audio money into a front end is common, however in the US where bigger is better, we tend to opt for investing more funds into loudspeakers. The Rotel RCD 975 is a great compromise. At $750 (USD) the Rotel RCD 975 isn't cheap, but its performance is way above its price range. Technically the Rotel RCD 975 uses two continuous calibration digital to analog converters, one on each channel. Each DAC ...