Introduction Huge changes are occurring in the audio/video industry. Flat panel displays are now sold at Costco and other super discount chains, having gone from high-priced status symbols to a practical and affordable option for nearly everyone. I love the floor space saved by such a display in my bedroom, but to truly take advantage of the savings of real estate, you likely need to get your speakers off the floor as well. This realization has led to a new market for speaker designers and builders, the so-called “lifestyle” speaker systems. Initially, these where expensive and sounded pretty lame but, over the years, quality improved and prices dropped just like the displays they are designed to complement. Now almost every speaker company offers at least one such system. KEF offers several levels of lifestyle systems and now they have upped the ante with the release of their new KHT 5005.2 system. Falling in the middle ...

Introduction Flat panel TVs are all the rage these days. Their large displays, affordable prices and ability to hang on the wall allow you to free up precious floor space without compromising on video. Adding equally impressive audio to a flat panel has its problems. Leon Speaker Corporation has a solution. Founded in 1995, Leon designed the first LCR speaker in 2000; they make speakers designed to match any flat panel TV in size, shape and color. They use quality drivers and offer multiple options to suit your taste and situation. The Horizon line-up of LCR (left, center, right) speakers designed to mount above or below your display is available for displays 32 to 65 inches in size. The speakers come with three- to six-inch bass drivers, depending on your wants and needs, and in a standard or audiophile “A” designation, which utilizes higher-quality bass drivers. I received Leon’s Horizon LCR 515-A, with adjustable wall-mount ...

Introduction Over the last few of years, the AV industry has enjoyed an enormous boost in enthusiasm, with much of its momentum due to the recent advancements in video technology. Though they once seemed like sci-fi or something from a Jetsons’ episode, flat televisions that hang on the wall are becoming commonplace in home theaters across the country. With the flat TVs’ increasing size and quickly dropping prices, mainstream America can walk into a Best Buy or Costco and pick up a mighty fine HDTV that can be the centerpiece of a respectable home theater system for $2,000 or sometimes even less. Once you invest in your flat HDTV, you now have to deal with another issue: how do you get speakers to match? In many rooms, the advantage of a flat HDTV is the fact that it is actually flat. Traditional speakers are generally anything but flat, so in order to remove all of ...

Introduction The days of floor-standing speakers are numbered. I’m sure this statement is going to be met with a barrage of e-mails to the contrary, but alas, it’s true. The end may not be tomorrow or the next day, but it is coming. When that day comes, there will be two schools of thought: embracing the growing trend of satellite/subwoofer or on-wall/in-wall speaker systems and not embracing it. To all those who haven’t gotten with the program: you’ll only have yourself to blame. And here’s why. While home theater is a booming business with seemingly everyone wanting and/or having some form of AV system in their homes, whether it’s a dedicated room or a living room system, one thing remains constant: it’s the more lifestyle-oriented products, specifically flat panel displays and pint-sized speakers, that are truly driving the marketplace. And why shouldn’t they? More often than not, satellite speakers are better-looking, more budget-friendly and fit ...

Introduction All too often, we as consumers gravitate towards the latest technology and stylistic trends with reckless abandon. One only has to look at flat panel display sales over the past few years in the U.S. to understand. Fortunately for consumers, this often frothing at the mouth attitude helps propel technology further faster, while helping to keep overall costs relatively low. While flat panel displays are no flash in the pan, other facets of the consumer electronics industry, mainly speaker manufacturers, have been forced to play catch-up. Sure, you can stick with your bulky floor standers that take up as much space as a sofa and chair but that’s not sexy. Is it? While in-walls provide an aura of stealth and sophistication to many installations, there are still those out there who rent their homes and/or do not wish to cut holes in the walls, making in-walls less of an option. It’s this simple ...