Introduction In the never-ending search for the perfect loudspeaker system, there are a number of approaches that a manufacturer can take during the engineering and design process of a new product. At minimum, the majority of loudspeaker designers would agree that certain prerequisites, such as low distortion and a relatively flat, smooth frequency response, are fundamental criteria for creating a good sounding speaker. How each manufacturer attempts to achieve this end goal varies tremendously. Direct radiators, dipoles, bipoles, and point-source loudspeakers are but a few of the options available, each creating their own unique dispersion pattern and interaction within the listening environment. All are intended to decipher the musical and sound experience as accurately as possible. The question of which engineering technique is best suited to recreate the original performance in our own listening environments has been, and will continue to be, a hot topic of debate, greatly influenced by personal preference. Mirage has a definite idea of ...

Introduction The decision as to which subwoofer to buy is a difficult one to make for most AV enthusiasts. On the surface, they all look pretty much the same, cubed in shape, with a very common array of connections and adjustments. Sure, they vary in size, but not dramatically so for the most part. One problem is that you can go down to your local retailer and audition them solo, yet this evaluation is nearly impossible as, under these conditions, the subwoofers emit little more than a rumble that emulates a bad day on California’s San Andreas Fault. Most people simply purchase a sub as part of a package or one that the retailer says is the best match for their system, then go home and brag about the amount of watts that the subwoofer possesses, like a badge of honor. The fact is that size and watts provide little in the way ...

Introduction There’s no more important nor complicated component in your A/V system than that of the surround-sound preamp. It is the controls, processor and distribution center of your entire music and movie playback system. A high-performance A/V preamp can make your system sound like an audiophile’s most racy dream while controlling the increasingly complex sources of your system with ease. A poor sounding AV preamp, and they are out there on the market, can make music sound like cats scratching on an aluminum door. A poorly thought-out AV preamp will leave you wishing you had the inputs needed to allow you to keep up with the latest in AV technology like DVD-Audio, SACD, HDTV, component video switching and beyond. Meridian Audio is renowned for manufacturing audio/video components that perform at the very highest levels, competing directly with the likes of Mark Levinson, Krell, Lexicon, Theta and others that aspire to make the finest AV gear on ...

Introduction The MartinLogan Odyssey is a moderately large hybrid electrostatic loudspeaker, joining the company’s lineup between the much-respected Ascent i and Prodigy speakers. The $6,495 Odyssey features MartinLogan’s latest generation stat panel and leverage's the proprietary ForceForward™ dual woofers that originated in the Prodigies. The Odyssey is a large speaker at 67 inches tall, 13 inches wide and 27 inches deep, weighing 105 pounds. The driver array consists of the same 48-inch electrostatic line source panel as in the Ascent “i”. The woofer section is vastly different from the Ascent and much closer to the Prodigy. The Odyssey utilizes one 10-inch and one eight-inch driver, configured in the ForceForward™ design. The Odyssey’s appearance follows the theme of other speakers in the MartinLogan line, with a wood-trimmed electrostatic panel above the black finished woofer cabinet. Like many of the speakers in the line, various wood finishes are available to fit your room decor. The one new visual ...

Introduction A large part of the experience of watching a movie at your local theater is derived from viewing film-quality images on a very big screen. Otherwise, nearly everyone would merely wait for the film to be released on video and watch it at home on their trusty 27-inch television sets at home. The audio portions of home theater systems have steadily improved over the last 10 years, and many of us now own audio equipment with the latest Dolby and DTS technology that rival (if not surpass) the sound of many commercial theaters. Yet affordable video projection has lagged somewhat behind until just recently. CRT (cathode ray tube) projectors have been around for years and can project film-like images with wonderful lush colors and excellent contrast, but can cost upwards of $50,000. Luckily for those of us without a 1/2 share of a NetJet, digital video projectors are making significant inroads into the high-end ...