Introduction The GFA-5802 is Adcom’s most powerful amplifier at 300 watts per channel and, at $1,750, is also their most expensive. This 48-pound giant is cosmetically similar, with Its black matte finish and horizontal grooves, to other Adcom amplifiers of late. The distinguishing aesthetic mark on the GFA-5802, which is shared by other high-end Adcom products, is the small gold plate centered on the lower front of the amplifier. This plate has a toggle switch for the power, flanked by LEDs to indicate thermal overload or high distortion levels. The amplifier’s finish, while utilitarian, is well done, with no obvious tool marks. The finish features a baked-on matte black enamel, which should hold up well. Both sides of the amplifier feature large heatsinks, which eliminate the need for a cooling fan. The rear panel features balanced and single-ended inputs, as well as a switch to choose between the two. There are two sets of five-way ...

Mark Cuban may be the only person you and I can think of who not only made billions of dollars in the dotcom boom but actually kept it. Upon selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo, he bucked up for the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise, immediately adding an enthusiasm and an air of success that Cuban is famous for in all of his ventures. Now that Cuban has the Mavericks making the playoffs, he is back to his entrepreneurial ways with a new sports-driven HDTV network on DirecTV called HDNet (channel 199). HDNet broadcasts high-quality, native HDTV programming, including live NHL and regular season baseball games, along with upcoming Olympic coverage, extreme sports and much more. With Cuban’s touch for turning new technology into gold, AudioRevolution.com wants to see what he sees for HDTV. Here is what he has to say…

Introduction The GTP-830 ($1,200) is the latest home theater processor from Adcom, and their first to offer 7.1 processing. The GTP-830 surprisingly features a RDS (Radio Data Systems) AM/FM tuner in addition to its preamplifier and processor section. The preamplifier-processor section of the unit has five video inputs (three with S-video), a CD input and a tape loop. There are also three digital inputs, one toslink and two coaxial, which are linked to the first three video inputs. Lastly, there is also a 5.1 input for multi-channel SACD or DVD-Audio. The Adcom comes with a variant of the Theatermaster learning remote and also features a 12v trigger to aid in integrating with the rest of your theater system. The Adcom is a full-featured processor with both Dolby Digital and DTS capabilities. 24-bit 96kHz digital to analog converters are used throughout as well as true 24-bit signal processing for sources at that level of resolution. The 5.1 input ...

Introduction Acoustic Sciences Corporation, more commonly known as ASC, has been manufacturing acoustic room treatment devices for the better part of 15 years. Founded in 1985, ASC has become one of the premier manufacturers of acoustic room treatments for the home and recording studios alike, with their core products centered around a patented tube-like design. ASC’s acoustical room treatments are designed to absorb lower frequencies and diffuse and disperse higher frequency information. The company provides a variety of acoustic room treatments designed to improve nearly every sonic aspect of your A/V experience. ASC’s TubeTraps come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They are available in full rounds, half rounds, and quarter rounds for corner applications. All configurations typically stand four feet in height and come in a variety of diameters, depending on the requirements of the room and the frequencies that are being treated. Custom lengths are available if necessary. ASC offers a variety of ...

Introduction You may be thinking, "Jerry, why are you reviewing a DAC? Everyone knows that DACs are an integrated part of AV preamps these days." I must admit that, while I own a pretty badass AV preamp (Proceed AVP), when I merged my dedicated music system with my theater system, I suffered a number of musical maladies. At the time, I had also moved all of the equipment to an entirely new room with all sorts of acoustic problems, including but not limited to a glass front wall and a 20-foot by eight-foot-tall mirrored left side wall. The result was a room that sounded understandably bright. You may consequently ask, "Hey, Jerry, why did you move to such a joint?" The answer is, the view, my man. Imaging is defined by being able to see from the Capitol Records Building to Catalina Island while jamming out to your system, but I had lots of ...