Introduction With the growing dependence on digital sound from sources like Compact Discs, DVD, DSS, Laserdisc, DAT, Mini Disc and other sources, the high end audio and home theater industry has a newly found shortage of digital inputs. You see, most A/V receivers and lower - to mid-priced A/V preamps, can not accept more than one or two digital inputs. Redesigning all of the A/V receivers on the market is going to take the better part of a year, if not longer. So what do you do if you want to have all of the best digital audio and video has to offer without investing in a big dollar high end A/V preamp? Enter the MSB Digital Director. If you have already experimented with configurations of your DAC and CD transport you probably realize that you can't just use any old audio cable or adapters to route digital data streams from one component to another. ...

In the eye of the beholder My first encounter with MartinLogan electrostatic loudspeakers came years back. Like most newcomers to this genre of speaker, I greeted them with amazement. I found the sheer glamour of this futuristic speaker to be simply awesome. The SL3s have a retail price of $3,400 for the standard black or natural oak trim. They stand 64 inches tall and are a sleek 13 inches wide. The basic construction of this hybrid loudspeaker consists of a side- supported perforated panel, which you can see right through. The electrostatic panel sits atop the integrated low-frequency speaker enclosure. Connection options include hand-tightened bi-wire posts with banana plug inputs. The reason to be passionate about this unique speaker is its electrostatic technology. Simply explained, the lower mid- range through the top octaves are created by taking two pieces of perforated steel, then sandwiching a thin film of clear conductive plastic between them. The electrostatic ...

Introduction When considering a satellite and subwoofer combo for your home theater, Miller and Kreisel should be at the forefront of your list of quality manufacturers to consider. Now in its 25th year of manufacturing home and professional electronics, the innovative M&K has largely been responsible for the now mandatory stand-alone subwoofer craze in home theater applications. Their ongoing commitment to the sub and satellite approach to home theater has lead to the production of the S-85 satellites ($695), S-85Ccenter channel ($395) and MX105 subwoofer ($995) featured in this review. The satellites and center speaker share 5 1/4 inch drivers along with a 1 inch soft-dome tweeter and have a frequency range of 85 Hz - 20KHz + - 2dB. The MX105 sub operates from 22 Hz -125 Hz + - 3 dB and sports dual push pull 12 inch drivers moved into action by a 125 watt internal amplifier. The satellites and center channel angled ...

Introduction Magnum, a small British audio component manufacturer, was started several years ago by the one of the founding fathers of the REGA Planar turntable. Today, Magnum is making their line of mosfet integrated, pre and power amplifiers, CD players and loudspeakers available to audiophiles and music lovers throughout the U.S. I was fortunate enough to procure the MP 160 ($750 USD) preamplifier and the MF 160 ($750 USD) power amplifier and have had the two pieces in and out of my audio system over the last few months. The MP 160 preamplifier is a slim-line unit featuring all single ended inputs and outputs and boasts an internal power supply. The front panel features an on/off switch, three buttons each (tape monitor, mute and mono functions), an input selector along side balance and volume controls. Also, to add even more value, the MP 160 comes not only with a phono section but a user selectable ...

Introduction Magnum, a small British audio component manufacturer, was started several years ago by the one of the founding fathers of the REGA Planar turntable. Today, Magnum is making their line of mosfet integrated, pre and power amplifiers, CD players and loudspeakers available to audiophiles and music lovers throughout the U.S. I was fortunate enough to procure the MP 160 ($750 USD) preamplifier and the MF 160 ($750 USD) power amplifier and have had the two pieces in and out of my audio system over the last few months. The MP 160 preamplifier is a slim-line unit featuring all single ended inputs and outputs and boasts an internal power supply. The front panel features an on/off switch, three buttons each (tape monitor, mute and mono functions), an input selector along side balance and volume controls. Also, to add even more value, the MP 160 comes not only with a phono section but a user selectable ...