A New Format For the year 2000, we decided to list the best gear we have reviewed in each category of audio/video product. This includes not only the best products reviewed in 2000, but also in past years as well as long as they are still currently in production. The idea is to give you, the AudioRevolution.com reader, a comprehensive list of gear you need to see and/or hear before you plunk down the Platinum card.

Introduction The Audio Research VT100 Mk II is a 100 watt all tube, balanced stereo power amplifier which retails for $4995. It uses two matched pairs of 6550 output tubes per channel, and four 6922 twin triode tubes per channel. It also incorporates a fully regulated, 540-joule power supply, distributed between two separate, isolated output circuit boards, thus creating short signal paths and true "dual mono" operation back to the main power transformer. The VT100 Mk II is a fully balanced amplifier, which offers both balanced and single ended connections. When using single ended inputs, shorting pins are inserted into the XLR connectors. There is a choice of 4 and 8 ohm speaker connections. I was first taken by the overall look of the amp. I confess that I have had a fetish for the look of Audio Research gear for years. I just think AR gear looks cool. It has always looked rugged yet glamorously simple. Setup ...

Introduction The D-SUB 10 is an entry level, very active subwoofer manufactured by Audio Specialiste. This member of the Dimension product family sits in the living room unnoticed until a signal is detected by the auto on/off circuitry, then it's time to bar the door. The unit is offered at a power-packed $499.00 The Audio Specialiste’s family tree, a Canadian based company, officially extended its limbs into the United States and international markets at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. The company offers 30 models within four product groups; Virtuel, Dimension, Crescendo, and Propheti. The genetic pool of the D-SUB 10 is deep. The unit offers a very rigid 10" polycone speaker encased in a 14 inch (h) x 14 1/3 inch (w) x 18 1/2"(d) enclosure. The slotted band pass design braces the woofer facing the forward reflective panel of the enclosure. Sound waves are then released through a horizontal slot, or port, in ...

Introduction The Aiwa DX-DW1 is a portable DVD/CD player that measures six-and-one-half inches wide by seven-and-one-eighth inches deep by two-and-one-eighth inches high. This baby bear of a DVD player lists at $1,000.00. $1,000 you might say … come on! The $200.00 DVD price barrier was broken months ago. I know – I know, that's a lot of porridge. Read on. Our story begins with the features of the DX-DW1. First, the unit contains a five-and-four-fifths inch active matrix color TFT (thin film transistor) display that can adjust 180° from the closed position. Located below the screen are the manual set-up, brightness, color and mode controls buttons. The first three of these controls are self-explanatory. The mode control allows you to switch between screen aspect ratios: full screen, which displays 16 x 9 or widescreen; normal, which leaves left and right black borders; zoom, which enlarges the picture from the center point of the display to ...

Athena Technologies S3/P3, P1/C1 Athena Technologies is a new line of speakers from API, the company that brings you the Mirage and Energy speakers. Athena’s pedigree is very solid and the Athena line fits in nicely between Energy and Mirage. The speaker combination I reviewed consisted of the top-of-the-line subwoofer/satellite combination for the four corners, with the smallest subwoofer paired up with their center channel. The retail price for the system I selected was a very reasonable $4,125 (C1 $250 each, P1 $275 each, S3 $600 per pair, P3 $600 each). Several finishes are available. The cherry wood review samples were well finished and aesthetically pleasing. The S3 is a three-way satellite with a 1" tweeter, 5 _" midrange and 8" woofer. The P3 subwoofer is a 150-watt amplifier driving a 10" driver in a ported enclosure. The Athena lineup consists of three subwoofer options, the P1, P2 and P3, three satellite options, S1, S2 ...