Introduction While most AV enthusiasts at the very high end of the market strive to achieve the best audiophile grade surround sound system, many of us still hold to the merits of two-channel audio for its breadth of content, ease of install, overall simplicity and pure sound.  Personally, my sources have evolved from LPs to CDs to the now-defunct DVD-Audio and SACD discs to the current full-resolution, uncompressed AIFF files stored on an Apple Mac Pro’s internal terabyte hard drive.  Thanks to the commercial death of the higher-resolution audiophile formats, I find myself more and more drawn to files on my computer for my dedicated theater and my audiophile system, as well as for my network devices.  This said, I am still an audiophile and the urge to make these CD quality files sound better is in my blood.  Enter the ...

Introduction Boston Acoustics was founded in 1979 and over the years has grown into a true powerhouse in home, mobile aftermarket and OEM audio systems. My history with the brand dates back over 20 years ago, when I purchased a pair of their Pro 5.2 separates and Pro 12.0 subwoofer for my car. Mobile audio was where my interest in the audio hobby began – and Boston Acoustics played a big part in what made it so much fun. The speaker system I was asked to review was Boston’s budget-conscious Horizon surround sound system. When I unpacked the main speakers, the HS 450s, my first thought was, “When did Boston start making electrostatic speakers?” These speakers are dead ringers for panels. When viewed from the side, they have a leaned-back graceful arc from top to bottom and stand about three-and-a-half feet ...

Introduction I had my first real introduction to high-end audio back in high school. This consisted of a brief listening session with an entire rack of Krell electronics and a pair of Wilson Watt Puppy Version 5.1 speakers. Not since then has a company or product come along that has single-handedly changed the way I view two-channel audio and the paradigm of what’s possible quite like Bel Canto did late last year with their e.One S300iu Integrated Amp. I loved the S300iu so much I gave it my endorsement as one of the products of the year in our annual Gear We Love list. Truth be told, the S300iu came very close to capturing the top spot, which ultimately went to the magnificent Revel Salon2 loudspeakers. However, the e.One S300iu review almost didn’t happen. When I contacted Bel Canto about doing ...

title: Bring On The Noise category: Feature Article reviewed by: Kim Wilson Bring On The Noise Most of us take electricity for granted. We plug in a device and flip the switch and expect it to work perfectly. However, as home theater systems feature increasingly more complex and sophisticated configurations, there are more instances of nasty 60 Hz hums, buzzes and other EMI (electro-magnetic interference) related noises which affect the performance of our sound system.

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 ...