The Basics:With a cabinet measuring 59” H x 20” W x 25.5 D and weighing in at 412 lbs., sound is the only big thing that Thor’s Hammer from Wilson Audio brings. At its core, Thor’s Hammer has two 15” woofers with a dual-spider cone design (based on long-throw woofers) that lowers distortions and delivers dynamic audio. It has a generous frequency range of 15Hz-70Hz. An optional outboard crossover means easy integration to your full range system.It can support other popular Wilson Audio components like MAXX version 3, WATT Puppy version 8, and Alexandria loudspeakers with its very capable 93 dB speaker. In addition, Thor’s Hammer includes an essential and unique Wilson Audio Controller that integrates all this advanced technologies into your whole music system, acting as both a crossover and equalizer. Therefore, you can faultlessly get a hybrid music ...

The Basics:The Denon DHT-FS3 Soundbar is a slim surround sound system designed to trim down pesky wires and provide a user-friendly experience.  The sound bar is most successfully place directly underneath the television screen for the most effective audio distribution.  The rear panel of the sound bar offers connections for coaxial, optical, A/V and iPod connections.  The DHT-FS3 sound bar contains six speakers that implement Denon’s “X-Space Surround” technology to create a simulated surround sound experience.  The surround algorithms are essentially sound waves directed to specific sections of the room.  TV viewers will get the best performance in the center of the room, but the sound waves do cover a wide range through the empty space.  The 15” by 14.2” subwoofer is surprisingly slim at 4 inches thick.  Due to the smaller size, the output wattage is 40 watts with ...

Introduction Acoustic Zen has long been known within the audiophile community as a manufacturer of premium audio cables.  My local brick and mortar hi-fi store has been touting the virtues of Acoustic Zen’s cables for many years.  At CES, I had a candid, off-the-record conversation with an executive for one of the ultra-high end audio electronics companies who extolled the virtues of Acoustic Zen’s Adagio speakers, a new offering from the cable company.  With trusted industry insiders singing the praises of this relatively small manufacturer, I was anxious to see if the Acoustic Zen Adagios were truly world class speakers. I arranged for a review pair of the Adagio speakers, as well as three Adagio, Jr. speakers for center channel and surround duties.  The Adagio retails for $4,300 and is a medium-sized floor-standing speaker measuring 48 inches tall, 13 inches deep and ...

Introduction Every AV enthusiast is different and we each use our systems for different types of music and movies.  Many of us listen to a wide array of musical genres and must strive to get the best sound for each and every one we listen to from a single system, although some audiophiles go to extremes to accomplish this goal by having different speakers or even entire systems for different musical moods.  This is great if time, money and space are not a limiting factor in your pursuit of audio nirvana, but for the rest of us, we need a universal system to accurately reproduce the different genres we listen to; often, this system must do double duty as a home theater.   Finding one speaker to achieve all these goals is not easy, and building one to do it isn’t either.  ...

Introduction With modest beginnings commencing in 1972, loudspeaker manufacturer PSB has become one of the most recognizable icons in today's audio industry.  Receiving endless accolades from industry peers, as well as delighted consumers, the Canadian-based company is well known for providing products with exceptional performance, which are value-engineered to compete with products often costing substantially more. Now that PSB is part of The Lenbrook Group, original owner Paul Barton operates as chief designer and continues to be one of the most impassioned patriarchs in the audio industry today.  Barton has been highly influential in developing many of the design protocols and scientific guidelines used in many of today's high-performance loudspeakers.  Throughout his career, he has extensively utilized Canada's National Research Council (NRC), a government-managed scientific and engineering research institution, taking full advantage of their expansive resources and state-of-the-art testing facilities.  PSB's ...