Introduction As the rock and roll legend goes, Jimmy Page was drinking with Keith Moon and John Entwisle, complaining about their fellow The Who bandmates Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. A few drinks later, in the midst of a booze-drenched, brainstorming session, one of the group members suggested that Moon and Entwisle should start a band with Page, to which one of them said, “That would go over like a lead balloon” – a concept that Page never forgot. After leaving The Yardbirds, and starting a new band, the concept of a “lead zeppelin” was too tempting to avoid, especially considering the heavy nature of the blues-driven, early heavy metal sound juxtaposed with the band’s nimble syncopation and musical agility. With the “a” dropped from the name (reportedly because Americans wouldn’t be able to pronounce the name correctly) Led Zeppelin was ...

Introduction In an ideal world, we all would have hundred-thousand-dollar-plus systems in our home theaters, complete with all of the latest goodies. Most of us make do with what we can afford and accept compromises for our given price points, with a few indulgences mixed in when possible. The Paradigm Studio series of loudspeakers is designed to eliminate, if not drastically reduce, any compromise you have to make for a true-reference level home theater system at an affordable price. Paradigm has been a leader in high-performance loudspeakers since 1982, and has recently released the fourth generation of their critically acclaimed Reference Studio loudspeakers. I received for review the Studio 100v4 floor-standing speakers and two completely new additions to the Studio lineup, the CC-690 center channel and Studio ADP-590 bipolar surrounds. Paradigm also sent along a Servo 15v2 subwoofer to complete this 5.1 package. Retail prices for the Studio 100v4s are $2,499 per pair, the CC-690 center ...

Introduction I started my journey in home theater some 10 years ago with the biggest home theater of them all, a 12-screen multiplex. I was a projectionist for the Colorado division of the famous Mann Theatres chain. Six days a week, I got to play with some of the coolest gear on the planet and at the heart of it all was none other than JBL. In fact, during all my years as a projectionist, every theater I worked for featured JBL sound systems. When it came time to build my own home theater some years ago, I went with what I knew. Since then, my system and tastes have gone through countless changes, from electrostatics to single-ended triodes. Yet, when I look back at my early days in home theater, what I remember most is the stupid grin on my face every time I fired up the JBLs. JBL is the brainchild ...

Introduction We’ve all sat and drooled over the pages of the latest industry mag at the sights and specifications of some master designer’s latest Herculean, not to mention expensive, efforts in speaker design. And why shouldn’t we? Often, these products represent what is the pinnacle of loudspeaker design, and while no trip to Everest is free, there are other mountains worth climbing, which are rewarding in their own right. Enter companies like Radiient and their new line, or should I say line-up, of speakers, starting with the Elara compact five-speaker system. Founded by David Buuck, formerly of DVDO, and Jano Banks, the co-creator of HDMI, Radiient is out to prove that great sound and quality craftsmanship don’t necessarily have to come at a steep price. In fact, they’re out to change the way you look at, listen to and buy speakers altogether. This is why you’ll only find their products sold direct through their website, ...

Introduction During my time as a reviewer for Audio Video Revolution, I’ve been fortunate enough to write about and enjoy many of today’s top home theater products from some of the most reputable manufacturers around. It’s a lot like being a kid in a candy store, really. So, when the call came in for my latest assignment, the VR-670 from Sherwood, I was more than happy to oblige. I’ve known about Sherwood for some time and, while I’ve never personally demoed any of their products, their reputation is such that I couldn’t wait for whatever was coming my way. You see, along with designing and manufacturing cutting-edge electronics under their own brand, Sherwood also manufactures several top of the line receivers for other companies as a part of their OEM (original equipment manufacturing) program. Naturally, my imagination began to run wild as I speculated about what balls-out receiver Sherwood had cooked up for little ol’ ...